Installing windows 7 on SSD

[kornphlake]

I just placed an order for some new hardware, including an intel X25-V SSD. I plan on using this as the only HDD with an external drive and/or network drives for additional storage and backup. I have Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit I plan on installing on the SSD. I'll be using an Athlon II X4 processor and a 785g mobo if that matters.

I've searched a about installing an OS on a SSD and it looks like it can be anything from fast and simple to impossible. I know I want to set the SATA to AHCI before running the installation, is there anything else I need to know. I know when SSDs first came out there were a lot of frustrations with drivers needing to be installed before the OS can write to the drive, has that changed or do I need to have a floppy drive and a disc with drivers handy like when SATA drives first came out.

I suspect that with modern hardware and a modern OS the process is just the same as installing on a mechanical drive, but the wide range of experiences make me a little concerned. Can anybody recommend a comprehensive guide for installing Windows 7 on a SSD?

 

[mfenn]

I've never had a problem installing Windows 7 on my SSDs. Just set to AHCI (as you mentioned) and install as normal. I would recommend deleting all partitions from the SSD and letting Windows Setup create them so it will align the partitions correctly (not necessary for functionality but good for performance).

 

[Zap]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2069761

The short answer is that Windows 7 "understands" SSDs, and you can basically just install and start using it.

Regardless of claims, any tweaks you do beyond that are NOT required. Some tweaks can make your life easier with an SSD, but I emphasize again that they are NOT required. For instance, many people suggest that for a desktop computer to disable Hibernate. Why do this? Well, it can save a few gigs of disk space, which might be important if you are using a really small capacity SSD. Some people disable Windows Restore. This does one thing, might do something else and psychologically does a third thing. The one thing is, again, saving disk space. The second thing is that there is some anecdotal evidence suggesting that sometimes Windows Restore interferes with Trim (likely due to extensive use of NTFS Shadow Copies). The third thing is that Windows Restore of yore (the crap that was included with Windows ME, for instance) made most computer techs/enthusiasts HATE it. While the Windows Restore included with Windows 7 actually works reasonably well compared to the older versions, many techs/enthusiasts still cling to their prejudices and disable it ASAP after Windows installation.

 

[HumblePie]

I haven't had a problem at all installing Win 7 on an SSD in AHCI mode. I have had fun problems installing it on my 300GB Velociraptor in AHCI mode. The biggest problem I've had is motherboard support in AHCI mode with various optical drives. Sometimes it is a downright pain in the butt getting the motherboard to boot from the optical drive first to do an installation in AHCI mode. The older the hardware the harder it becomes to damn near impossible.

For AMD - any 790 chipset or newer with the latest BIOS will have zero problems with a current sata optical drive.

For Intel - x58, p45, and p55 I have had no problems with AHCI mode.


I have had problems with 760 chipsets for AMD and with the really crappy G series chipsets with Intel.