Upgrade to SSD ?

Hi to all Im relatively new user of TB and so far Im lovin it! Its a really great toy and I think i will never go back to "normal" laptops.

However I wanted to swap hitachi 160gb hd in my cf-19 mk2 with Intel 320 300gb ssd one so i purchased one and just received it.

My question is how do i install ssd correctly? Is there any special "tricks" that needs to be done ? Do I need to install TB drivers again in orders like you have to do when you are doing a new fresh OS installation ?
Do I need to do any tweaks in BIOS before installing ssd?

If someone can help me out with the whole process and details how to install it correctly, I will be very thankfull.

I have windows 7 32bit right now installed and also i have Acronis Migrate Easy software if that helps at all ?

Thanks so much for all the help guys, as I said Im new to TB world and this community but i am already loving it

PS I hope you dont mind my neewbie questions and bad english lol
Cheers guys

 

Nothing special. For an Intel SSD have a look here: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=18455

There are a lot of howtos in the internet, like this: Sean's Windows 7 Install & Optimization Guide for SSDs & HDDs and so on...

First setup ur BIOS, install ur OS, optimize it, like above. Follow the normal installation routine from Panasonic

 

I would do a full install and many web sites will tell you the same when installing W7. Yes Acronis works great and I use it all the time. Check this out once you have W7 installed, these guys know SSD's and there guide cut 10 seconds off my boot time on my CF-52 & CF-30 The SSD Review SSD Optimization Guide

 

I would suggest picking up another hard drive caddy for your project (two are better than one) which will allow you some flexibility down the road. BTW, what system toughbook did you recently get? The Panasonic Factory Recovery discs are very helpful for a fresh install of your system. I've found that there are many good threads on this site to read first before diving in. Google is your friend and there might be some utube videos to peruse. Lastly, you will need an adapter for the hard drive conversion.

 

Hmmmm... I'd like to put an SSD into my CF-30 MK1... Anyone have a recommendation for something over 64GB?

EDIT: I have to admit that I am lazy and don't feel like reading tonight. LOL

 

I have played around with hard drives and systems for a while on my 19 MK IV. I always save an image once a month so I keep everything mostly up to date. On mine, I run Win 7 32 bit, 64 bit, Win XP, and Win 8 Consumer review. My primary drive for Win 7 64 is a 500GB Hybrid SSD. The suggestion on having an extra caddy is superb. I would recommend 2 extras, maybe a third depending on what you do. I do a lot of Canon EOS 1DS photography and XP is the only platform that will let me plug my camera in and control it, write to it, and read it. Win 7 32 is great for the 32 bit stuff, but I have found Win & 64 works great for everything and it also gives you full access to the 8 GB of RAM!!!! Me like this!!! Anyway, I test my stuff out, run everything I own software wise on all of my stuff, and find that most everything works except some drivers in Win 8 Consumer Preview. As a TechNet member, have access to most MS stuff and test it out on a regular basis. Anyway, anything you do with a 19 will be fun!!!! Enjoy

 

I put an Intel 120GB SSD in my CF30 Mk1 in about a half hour. No problems of any kind. The Intel's are a bit more expensive than most but have the best reputation for minimal problems and long life. I have one in my CF-19 Mk4 and now my CF-30.

 

I'm not reading a lot of love about them HERE!

Or is that the correct one?

 

AnandTech did a good writeup of enterprise SSDs recently:

AnandTech - A Look at Enterprise Performance of Intel SSDs

Bottom line, if reliability is an issue get an Intel drive. Other than that, depends on what your needs are. For me, low idle power is key so I'm planning on pulling the trigger on a 120Gb 510.

 

That's the one I have in my 52 and no problems yet. What is good is the warranty, I think it's 5 years if I am right. Any toughbook that I have or will get will have one if its sata. Everything is so much faster. I have a Dell XPS ($3800.00) with a WD Black 7200RPM 500GB and with a SSD in my 52 I would be surfing the net before the XPS loading windows . The only reason I still have my dell is to use it for uploads and downloads....to think I could of bought a new 31 and still have some change in my pocket

 

Samsung makes very good and not too expensive SSDs. I recommend them
Everyone wants Intel, that's why Intel is more expensive )
Also I don't see any reasons to buy additional caddies. It's better to invest those money into larger/faster SSD or something useful.
If you try good SSD - you will never go back to HDD (even hybrid one).

 

I got a intel 320 600Gb SSD because I could get it cheap and I wanted reliability more than speed. Not that it is slow, but for hardcore gaming there are other SSD's. Otherwise I would have gone for a 120/160Gb Intel 320 series
My preference is with Intel or Samsung. They seem to make good functioning products that are more than just trying to scream SPEEEED. SSD's are anyhow a very nice speed bump when compared to the good old HDD.

 

Okay... After a little searching and reading of reviews... I'm liking THIS SSD drive.

In reading the link Toughasnails posted... I started wondering about AHCI... It doesn't show anything about that in the BIOS... Where do I check that or ensure it is enabled? Or is that an "after the fact" thing?

I'll need to check to see I have the latest chipset too...

 

The Kingston is a great choice - according to the The SSD Review website is faster than the Intel. Intel had a problem last summer with a few 320s suddenly showing a capacity of 8GB. They caught it, announced it, and issued a firmware fix. Not sure why some of those at Amazon have had their problem - maybe didn't get the fix?

As for AHCI. If you have a SATA drive running under Windows 7 you should have AHCI. It should show up on the hard drive descriptor line in BIOS. If not, check "Device Manager" where it should show up under "IDE ATA/AIAPI Controllers" as "Intel (R) 5 Series 6 Port SATA AHCI Controller" - or something similar that mentions AHCI. It definitely should be showing AHCI after you install the SSD but, if not you can do it manually:

1. Hit the Winkey + ‘R’ to get you to the ‘Run’ menu.
2. Type ‘Regedit’.
3. Select the file path:
“HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\msahci”
4. Right Click and modify Start from 3 to 0 and Restart.

This info (and more) is available at The SSD Review's article on "How to Optimize your SSD" at The SSD Optimization Guide - The SSD Review

They warn they don't take any responsibility if their advice makes your computer smoke (so I guess I should also) but they definitely are the experts. Hope this helps.

When I was writing this, I put the Hitatchi HD that came with my CF-19 Mk4 with Win 7 - 32 to see what it showed from the factory -- AHCI. The Win 7 -64 I put on my CF-30 Mk1 also showed AHCI. One side benefit of all this was I renewed my memory on just how much faster a boot from an SSD is than one from the HD -- wow! I'm sure you'll like it.

Good luck
Brian

 

But I am thinking about running XP Pro and not W7....

My device manager shows;

WDC WD3200BEKT-00F3T0 ATA Device

I am currently running W7 on this one and had to flash the BIOS for that. But I would reflash to the stock BIOS when installing XP.

The other CF-30 I'd like to do first if currently running XP Pro and it just has the name of the hard drive type in Device Manager... Nothing about AHCI or SATA...

 

Now this is where we need Alex. I was asking this over a year ago when I bought my first SSD for my 30. I was running XP on it at the time. Will see if I can find it.

Did not find it butcheck this out http://aps2.toshiba-tro.de/kb0/TSB85017Z0000R01.htm

 

As I understand it, almost all SSD install programs will set up the new disk as AHCI. If not, you can use the Registry change I detailed in my first post. The only problem I can see is, after changing to AHCI, you won't be able to boot into a IDE mode/hard drive. Image the system and try it?

(Any particular reason you want to combine 2012 SSD with 2010 SATA with 1990 Win XP? )

 

Yeah <cough> I like W7 but it doesn't play well with some of the diagnostic stuff I load for my BMW & Porsche.

I have W7 on my personal CF-30 and liked it at first but then started having all sorts of network issues with it as well as having the screen go black in IE8/9 when I surf some sites. (The whole screen doesn't go black, just everything under the tab!)

It disconnects from my print server too.

I am new to even looking at SSD drives. Normal stuff is not an issue as I have been doing it so long.

However... The SSD will be going first into the work CF-30 that I bought. It's an MK1 similar to my personal one. But I am running XP Pro on it for now. I have one more license I think for W7 Pro... I might load it later....

 

In device manager look at the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.

My CF-19 Mk2 shows: Intel(R) 82801HEM/HBM SATA AHCI Controller

I'm using Win7 32bit.

 

Yup... It's there! THANKS!

The drive is ordered and on the way!

 

Holy FASTBOOT Batman! I just loaded XP on my work CF-30 with the new SSD and it booted up in 2 seconds after doing all the optimizations... I decided to go ahead and load W7 on it and give it a try. I'll get my diagnostic stuff to work on it somehow... I just looked up my old thread on installing W7 on a CF-30... I think I have one COA left for W7... So I'll give it a shot.

 

Congratulations and welcome to the speedy club!

 

I would recommend win 7 due to the fact XP lacks the ability to use the trim command. As you probably have read win XP was simply not designed to play nice with ssds because well they didn't exist in the general market at the time. That might be why I have W7 on my CF-29...and yes there is a SSD in there.. the ride in my truck tends to get a bit bumpy sometimes...and that's normally not when I want my navigator to die on me.

 

Yup... I went with the Kingston HyperX and loaded W7... I am glad that I did.

#1... I learned more about my CF-30
#2... My CF-30 is chined lightning fast now.

I boot in about 27 seconds now. PLUS... No more worry about POWER! I was on my CF-30 ALL DAY Sunday! Literally! From Noon to about 9pm and I still had a ton of time left over.

I like the suspend mode now... Close the lid and then pop it back open and you are immediately back on!

I may order another... Just because!