SSD caching

Hello everyone,
I've installed my Crucial MX100 128 gb ssd and I want to cache it so that it increases my boot time. Anyone want to walk me through this?
I've already inserted the ssd into my alienware 17.

 

Are you wanting to cache an HDD or SSD? Because caching an SSD doesn't have any real benefits (it actually could backfire), and to cache an HDD, you would have to devote at most 64 GB of the SSD to cache the HDD.
Better to leave the SSD alone.

 

I mean, I'm not entirely sure what it means, I just want to go with the option that boosts the performance/speed of my computer overall. And I already have a 750 gb HDD, so I bought an 128 GB ssd.

 

I would keep the SSD as a boot drive.
What caching does, in simple sense, is have programs and files (including booting) that are read multiple times to be read faster. It makes it as if the computer is faster. However, you usually use 64 GB SSDs and smaller as cache; 120 GB and above are more suitable as boot drives.

 

Hmmm, okay, so how do I do that?

 

Make the SSD a boot drive? Install Windows on it and format the HDD.

 

Oh... I guess I'll do that over the weekend then, thanks

 

When you install OS take out your HDD and put SSD to the slot where your hard drive was.
After installation you can put HDD back to 2nd slot.

 

yes this is a crucial step! If you leave your HDD while installing Windows plugged in, then the stupid Windows installer will put the boot files on the HDD! I don't know what drunk dude at Micro$haft came up with this decision!

 

Really? I never had this problem.

 

It does not always do it , but for the time it takes to pull out the drive and install with just the SSD installed it is more then worth the time if windows decides it can't find your boot file later and windows won't load. How Microsoft has not fixed this after so long I don't know.....It has been around for more then a few versions of windows.

OP , there isn't any point in caching your SSD as others have already pointed out, as the SSD won't see any noticeable gain from the cache drive. Use the mSATA to cache the HDD as a storage drive and you will see greatly reduced access times from the storage HDD. I would make sure to format the HDD first as Intel Rapid Storage can have issues with the spare drives sometimes.

 

I understand why it is safer to take out the original boot drive, but to be honest, my work around is through the BIOS boot options. This is a major problem if the two drives have the same OS (where a workaround may be necessary), but if they have different OSes, then there shouldn't be a problem (which may be the idea Microsoft has when installing an OS).
It's been a while since I have done this, but I never noticed any long term problems. I guess I'm in the minority.

 

I am not saying there is always an issue, in fact I have installed windows on my own machines numerous times and never had a problem with multiple drives installed but it's that one time that it screws up when you have to start again or have to figure out how to rebuild your boot file from the repair screen

Basically we just try to instruct people on the most trouble free way of doing it. This way he is gauranteed to not have any issues and the drives are so stupid easy to pull out anyways....why not?

 

Install Windows 8 once as backup OS on HDD without removing SSD with Windows 7 and you will never ever forget about that step.

 

put the windows on ssd without any cache...mine boots up in 10s...verry fast

 

disable "hide system files" in folder options (not just show hidden files, but I mean the system hidden files) then go to your 2nd drive and see if you find any extra hidden folders there other than the recycle bin and system volume information folder

 

I don't know how to access folder options.
I also happen to be using my secondary drive (both my SSDs have different OSes, 1 having Win8.1 Pro, and the other Win7 HP).