SSD set up help!

[theyuppie]

Alright so I just bought a Crucial M4 64gig SSD. I plan on using this just as a boot drive and installing windows 7 64bit on it, maybe a game or 2 as well. I am adding this SSD to my new computer I just built. I just finished getting everything installed and ready but if I have to go through the whole process again to use the SSD I guess I can. I have another Seagate 1tb Hard Drive for everything else. I dont know anything about RAID but should I do any? Im going to be overclocking as soon as my cpu cooler brackets come in the mail. How exactly do I set up my SSD with windows 7 on it and get everything to a proper gaming setting?

My other hardware:
Asus Sabbertooth P67
EVGA 560 ti superclocked ds
Intel 2500k
Creative sound blaster audigy
Rosewill Blackhawk case
Zalman 9900nt

 

[WyomingKnott]

1) No RAID.
2) Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-performance-tweak,2911.html . Some of the points are open to personal interpretation, like whether or not a pagefile belongs on an SSD. Some are currently written in stone, like setting the drive controller to AHCI mode.
3) If the already-built state includes an OS installation, that part should be done over. With all the drives except the SSD disconnected.

Keep us posted.

 

[LordConrad]

^ +1 Definitely a do-over.

Make sure your IDE controllers are set to AHCI mode in BIOS before you start installing Windows onto the SSD.

 

[theyuppie]

Would it be a bad idea to run BF3 on the SSD as well?

 

[tecmo34]

It is perfectly fine to run games on your SSD, as long as you have the free space. You want to keep at least 10% to 15% free for TRIM/GC to work at it's best.

 

[theyuppie]

Got my SSD and im having many problems. I used the 6g Sata cable and plugged it into the 6g sata slot on the mobo yet when I try and install windows 7 on it either my screen turns black. It seems like its a problem with my windows CD maybe but as soon as it loads the screen blacks out yet its still running. If I boot from my HDD I can still use the windows that was on it

 

[tecmo34]

I would question your SATA cable on SATA III & to make sure no DVD type drive is installed on the Marvell controller, as well. It won't boot / work with one installed

 

[theyuppie]

im using the 6g SATA cable that came with the ASUS mobo. Is that not a SATA III? And no I origonally had the SSD cable in the Marvell but I moved it one down to the SATA6G.

 

[tecmo34]

Is it working better on the Intel controller?? Have you tried switching cables? Did you enable to boot from the Marvell controller when you had it plugged in?

 

[theyuppie]

Should the marvell work better for SSD? I think I tried it on both but maybe not its on the intel one right now so ill try and boot from it again. No I haven't tried another cable but I have a spare of the same one that came with the mobo. Yes im pretty sure I enebled boot

 

[theyuppie]

It does not work on intel. When it try to boot is says boot manager missing. Might I add that I was installing windows on it through safemode but then I canceled and it froze so I restarted it.

 

[tecmo34]

I would recommend booting from your hard drive, perform a secure erase on the SSD. after completing that, plug on the SSD drive in (no other hard drive) and proceed with the install...

Of during boot up, press F8 and try to do a repair on the SSD, as it seems the install is corrupt (first option is my recommendation).

 

[theyuppie]

I forgot to mention that the light for boot_device_led stays on for about 8 seconds when I turn on my computer. And I am getting a double boot again

 

[theyuppie]

Tried a secure erase and tried installing but i got the black screen again. As soon as it finishes loading and brings up the options it turns black...