The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    UEFI/GPT questions. Worth it?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by TheDonkey, Jan 4, 2012.

  1. TheDonkey

    TheDonkey Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    75
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Hey guys,

    I just got my Intel 310 (80GB mSATA) in the mail and I'm really excited to get it installed but I have a few SSD-related questions while I wait for my current HD to be archived.

    I've heard that installing Windows in a GPT system (utilizing the UEFI BIOS) speeds up wake-up times from sleep. Has anybody done this, and is it a really noticeable difference? (Specifically on the T520 line, but I'm guessing it will be about the same across the board)
    I'm just looking at this guide,
    Sean's Windows 7 Install Guide & Optimization for SSDs/HDDs

    and although I'm experienced enough to go through the steps and get it done, I'm just not sure if it's worth is, the process seems a little kludgy in its current state.

    Also, I've read some old Lenovo-released articles that mentioned BitLocker/Third Party disk backup tools/Fingerprint reader to not work, and a fix to come in "July/August", have these fixes been applied? (BIOS change logs aren't really clear)

    Thanks!
     
    TheDonkey, Jan 4, 2012
    #1
  2. richarddd

    richarddd Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    15
    Messages:
    208
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    richarddd, Jan 4, 2012
    #2
  3. philfna

    philfna Notebook Evangelist NBR Reviewer

    Reputations:
    160
    Messages:
    532
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Not worth it -- I have no noticeable difference in speed between UEFI and legacy boot.
     
    philfna, Jan 4, 2012
    #3
  4. TheDonkey

    TheDonkey Notebook Geek

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    75
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    16
    Alright, thanks. I went with legacy anyway, figured I could always upgrade later.
     
    TheDonkey, Jan 4, 2012
    #4
  5. winoutreach5

    winoutreach5 Company Representative

    Reputations:
    17
    Messages:
    8
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    Hi,

    In general, Solid State Drives perform very well within a Windows 7 environment. There is also a great MSDN blog post discussing the Support and Q&A for Solid-State Drives that may prove beneficial. In addition, Microsoft has a Microsoft PowerPoint deck detailing the Windows 7 Enhancements for Solid-State Drives that you may also find interesting.

    Unfortunately, there isn’t any official documentation stating whether or not a UEFI or GPT partition table would be better or worse than the other when used in conjunction with an SSD. Microsoft has a great Windows and GPT FAQ and a Windows and UEFI whitepaper available for further research.

    Jessica
    Windows Outreach Team – IT Pro
     
    winoutreach5, Jan 4, 2012
    #5
  6. brian5

    brian5 Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    277
    Messages:
    628
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Thanks Jessica. Good to see some Microsoft representation here :)

    It's not clear to me what you meant by "...UEFI or GPT partition table would be better or worse...". Those two go together don't they? I would think that one would compare UEFI+GPT vs. Legacy boot+MBR?

    EDIT: Was recommending the free EaseUS Todo Backup as they've added GPT partition backup but the latest version still doesn't back mine up. I withdraw that recommendation...
     
    brian5, Jan 4, 2012
    #6