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    mSATA SSD and installation of Windows

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by JWBlue, Aug 27, 2012.

  1. JWBlue

    JWBlue Notebook Deity

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    This is a question about an mSATA on a Lenovo AIO desktop. Desktop review referred me to here.

    A Lenovo rep told me the following :

    Why wouldn't Lenovo just load the OS on the mSATA SSD? Wouldn't the boot time be even faster if the OS was loaded on it?

    Would the system wake from hibernation faster as well? My current wake from hibernation seems about 15 seconds which is slow for my taste.

    Edit : It is a 64GB SSD.
     
    JWBlue, Aug 27, 2012
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  2. MidnightSun

    MidnightSun Emodicon

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    Probably because the mSATA SSDs that Lenovo offers are designed to be used for caching only, as the size is too small to use for the OS and programs (4-8GB, I think).
     
    MidnightSun, Aug 27, 2012
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  3. JWBlue

    JWBlue Notebook Deity

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    A Lenovo rep did say that it is for caching only. However, it is a 64 GB SSD (original post edited). Is the size irrelevant when determining whether it can have Windows on it?

    Could I install the OS on the SSD myself? Would there be a noticeable difference in boot time if I did this compared to just the loading files being on there?
     
    JWBlue, Aug 27, 2012
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  4. shrike4242

    shrike4242 Notebook Consultant

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    Normally, in a system like a desktop, a vendor will install a mSATA drive for caching one of the 3.5" HDDs in the system.

    You'd have to change how the system sees it and break its caching configuration and then you should be able to use it like a boot drive. They may have made it so that you only can use it for caching, though the only way to know for sure is to try it.
     
    shrike4242, Aug 27, 2012
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  5. JWBlue

    JWBlue Notebook Deity

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    Is that difficult to do?
     
    JWBlue, Aug 27, 2012
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  6. Peon

    Peon Notebook Virtuoso

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    How difficult it is depends on how Lenovo set up the caching on your particular computer model. Therefore, I would recommend asking on Lenovo's official forums instead, as someone there may have personal experience doing what you're attempting to do and would thus be able to provide you with better instructions than we could.
     
    Peon, Aug 27, 2012
    #6