ThinkPad W520 Intel SSD - constant drive access & superfetch

[npish]

I bought the W520 w/ SSD (i.e. Intel SSD 320 Series 160GB) and it seems like the drive is constantly being accessed for some reason (the indicator light is always flickering). This is the first SDD I've owned, and I'm wondering if this is common to the drive type? Initially, I figured it was the Windows indexing service, but it hasn't really stopped. Also, is there some way to see which applications/processes are accessing the drive? I did a clean install after receiving the machine, so there shouldn't be any errant bloatware-type processes running...

I also downloaded the "Intel SSD Optimizer" software, and ran the tool (I frankly have no idea what it's doing.) I noticed that the "System Tuner" of the app recommends disabling Superfetch on an Intel SSD-- does anyone have any thoughts/opinions on this suggestion?

[mgo]

I have been running SSDs on my ThinkPads for about three years now. Intel (as you may have noticed) recommends disabling SuperFetch, and others also suggest clearing the "allow indexing" checkbox in the drive's properties menu, since the SSD does not need to index, thanks to its inherent speed. (but do not disable Search- a separate function)

"SSDlife Free 2.1.36" will give you an idea of life expectancy if your SSD. (or so they claim) You will be pleasantly surprised at the results if the report is at all accurate.

I run the operating system and program executables on the SSD, and my major multimedia files and archives are on a separate mechanical drive in the Ultra Bay slot. (speed is still impressive, since the calls for the multi files are done quickly by the SSD and the multimedia file then launches nearly instantly.

[npish]

thanks much for the info mgo-- so do you disable both SuperFetch and indexing on your SSD? on a somewhat related note, I noticed distortion when playing a long MP3 file from the SSD-- a kind of distortion I usually associate with a kind of delay that sometimes occurs when playing files from a USB-connected HDD-- and I have a feeling it has something to do with this constant access to the drive somehow interrupting Winamp's processing of the MP3 file-- would this make any sense given how SSDs work? when I copied the file to an HDD, the instances of this distortion seemed to decrease.

I guess I should find some primer on using solid state drives and their proper maintenance...

oh one more question: do you defragment your SSD?

[freakwave]

You can get a very good idea about file activity with the ProcessMonitor:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysi ... 96645.aspx

It shows you exactly what process is accessing which files.

Just one advise about the SSD you have. I was very happy with the intel 320 performance, but last week, that thing just died. So please perform backups on a regular base. My last backup was a week old, so I lost quite some work. I know, stupid me. I am running SSD's since several years and my experience is they do fail, and when they do, they do not behave like harddrives, where most of the time, they die slowly and you are still able to rescue stuff.
My SSD 320 died with a BAD_CTX 00000130 error. Intel knows that. It should have been fixed with the latest firmware. I had the latest firmware!

Wolfgang

[npish]

yikes, thanks for the warning freakwave. it seems the many benefits of SSDs over HDDs come with some serious caveats. do you have any general recommendations for boosting performance on this drive?

[mgo]

I "splurged" and bought a 256 gig SSD to run in my W500 UltraBay slot. I notice no such distortion or delays when playing music from there. I have not played music from my main drive which has the operating system on it. I do not run WinAmp, so cannot tell you if that is the problem.

Yes, I do disable both SuperFetch and indexing. (but not Search) SuperFetch is designed to help speed up repetetive load times on a mechanical drive... a feature not needed with a SSD, according to what I have read about SuperFetch. I disable SuperFetch by means of Services, and using a Registry hack. One can Google for the howto on that. It's easy.

No, do not Defrag a SSD. (And do go in to make sure the Windows Defrag scheduler is disabled. It doesn't always auto-disable Defrag Scheduler when a SSD is present, if Windows is not "aware" of your specific SSD drive brand or type.)

The thinking out there is that defragmentation shortens the drive's life, and is just not needed. SSDs do not "fragment". However, I am running a 3rd party paid program, "Perfect Disk" which claims to not defrag, but does manage free space and other optimizing tasks on the SSD. Not sure if that is all "snake oil" but I'm watching to see the results over the next few months.

thanks much for the info mgo-- so do you disable both SuperFetch and indexing on your SSD? on a somewhat related note, I noticed distortion when playing a long MP3 file from the SSD-- a kind of distortion I usually associate with a kind of delay that sometimes occurs when playing files from a USB-connected HDD-- and I have a feeling it has something to do with this constant access to the drive somehow interrupting Winamp's processing of the MP3 file-- would this make any sense given how SSDs work? when I copied the file to an HDD, the instances of this distortion seemed to decrease.

I guess I should find some primer on using solid state drives and their proper maintenance...

oh one more question: do you defragment your SSD?

[Q-Ball]

I bought the W520 w/ SSD (i.e. Intel SSD 320 Series 160GB) and it seems like the drive is constantly being accessed for some reason (the indicator light is always flickering).

Uninstall Intel Rapid Storage Technology; that should do the job.

I had the same problem a while ago (from a clean install, no less); pulling that program did the trick.

That problem isn't unique to SSDs, by the way; models with standard hard drives will NEVER spin down because of that program.

[npish]

thanks for the suggestion Q-Ball, but I don't think I installed Intel RST after doing a clean install. would it appear as such in add/remove programs?

[Q-Ball]

Yes, it would. Actually, if it's not there, I'd try pulling the entire "SSD Optimizer" package and see what happens.