Has anyone tried an SSD in the X41? *PICS*

[ntrl]

YES!

I build new devel kernel's version 2.6.26rc8, and UDMA100 will work

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root@tpx40:/usr/src# uname -a
Linux tpx40 2.6.26-rc8 #1 SMP Mon Jun 30 00:12:32 MSD 2008 i686 GNU/Linux
root@tpx40:/usr/src# 
root@tpx40:/usr/src# dmesg | grep ata
[    0.000000]  BIOS-e820: 000000002f6e0000 - 000000002f6f7000 (ACPI data)
[    0.000000] PERCPU: Allocating 39592 bytes of per cpu data
[    0.004000] Memory: 758752k/777088k available (2152k kernel code, 17764k reserved, 761k data, 360k init, 0k highmem)
[    0.004000]       .data : 0xc031a2ff - 0xc03d8900   ( 761 kB)
[    0.337429] ACPI: EC: GPE = 0x1c, I/O: command/status = 0x66, data = 0x62
[    1.851953] libata version 3.00 loaded.
[    3.405125] ata_piix 0000:00:1f.1: version 2.12
[    3.405136] ata_piix 0000:00:1f.1: enabling device (0005 -> 0007)
[    3.405575] scsi0 : ata_piix
[    3.406125] scsi1 : ata_piix
[    3.407478] ata1: PATA max UDMA/100 cmd 0x1f0 ctl 0x3f6 bmdma 0x1810 irq 14
[    3.407524] ata2: PATA max UDMA/100 cmd 0x170 ctl 0x376 bmdma 0x1818 irq 15
[    3.576287] ata1.00: ATA-0: SILICON POWER, 20070831, max UDMA/133
[    3.576338] ata1.00: 15662304 sectors, multi 0: LBA 
[    3.576392] ata1.00: FORCE: xfer_mask set to udma100
[    3.592226] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[    3.600229] ata1.00: FORCE: xfer_mask set to udma100
[    3.616257] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/100
[    3.616299] ata1: EH complete
[    4.503453] ReiserFS: sda2: using ordered data mode
root@tpx40:/usr/src# hdparm -tT /dev/sda

/dev/sda:
 Timing cached reads:   1288 MB in  2.00 seconds = 643.81 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:  136 MB in  3.01 seconds =  45.21 MB/sec

[hurdadurda]

since there seem to be a respectable speed increase using ATA 100 under Linux, can you tell us if you can do the same thing for WinXP (i.e. run UDMA 5/6 aka ATA 100/133)?

[ntrl]

In Windows XP all working fine.

[aceo07]

Slightly off topic, but it is possible to put the ssd setup (addonics dual cf ide adapter) into the X22?

Does the addonics adapter screw into the X22 drive tray? From what I remember of my x22, the drive mounts on the tray and the tray is pushed in. Unfortunately I don't remember mounts on the addonics adapter.

[generalachoo]

So,

I just got a 4 GB lexar card 300x.

I also have the addonics dual bay adapter. I tried to do the install today, but I ran into a huge problem.

The computer does not seem to recognize the drive. Even though the red LED on the addonics adaptor itself lights up (I am assuming this means correct alignment) XP and the Laptop refuse to recognize the drive.

I have not done any formatting or gimmicks with the lexar drive. I just took it from the package, popped it into the CF adaptor and put it into the X40. Please let me know how to solve this issue!

Thanks.

[dbregman]

Read back throught the thread - for Lexar and SanDisk they show-up as removable media. You need to do some 'tricks' to get them to show as a fixed drive. That is why I took the chance with the Transcend. Both the Trancsend and the Kingston show as a fixed drive and can work with XP "out of the box". If you are using Linux, then the issue goes away.

Check back a few pages in the thread for the Hitachi formatting utility.

[generalachoo]

I used an NTFS partition instead of a FAT32 partition. I am wondering if this is okay.

I have a lexar 300x CF card.

Please let me know.

EDIT: Also where can I get bootprep.exe from. I have searched numerous times online.

Thanks

[dbregman]

I have not had to go throught the process, but I found a good description here:
http://www.eggheadcafe.com/forumarchive ... 183157.asp

[generalachoo]

Where do we get this winxp embedded stuff? Also I can do the other stuff ,but I just cannot get to bootprep.exe.

That is the real problem here

[kunfuchopsticks]

In Windows XP all working fine.

img]http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/2845 ... vl9.th.png[/img]

img]http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/2707 ... ra9.th.png[/img]

great results!

Note from Admin: Do NOT include images in your quotes.

[ntrl]

Maybe somebody to be interesting.
Video clips:

Windows boot and work

Linux on ssd

I make special deb file Linux kernel for Ubuntu 8.04, where working UDMA100, sound and WiFi on X40. If somebody need this, i share it.

[generalachoo]

So I decided to just quit wasting time and get the SSD installed with NTFS.

Everything works fine. HDTune shows an average of ~ 43-44 MB/s. Boot time is 15-20 seconds from power button to windows usability (hourglass dissapears).

Now I am not sure if this is a combination of the nlite installation I had (250 MB) and the SSD.

Now:

How do you guys manage software on your SSD? Do you install programs like Mozilla Firefox on the C: (lexar drive) or would you install on a slower, less expensive CF card.

Also, for those using NTFS, aside from turning off the page file and enabling EWF is there anything you can do?

Thanks

[dbregman]

How do you guys manage software on your SSD? Do you install programs like Mozilla Firefox on the C: (lexar drive) or would you install on a slower, less expensive CF card.

Since my C is a 16gb Transcend I have been installing everything on that (Opera, Office, etc.) I now have all the apps I want and still have 9.08GB left. I have the slightly slower Sanddisk Extreme III 16gb as a D drive and a 16gb SD card. So I have plenty of room.

Also, for those using NTFS, aside from turning off the page file and enabling EWF is there anything you can do?

I did not enable EWF, but just turned off page file, indexing and last file access. Let me know how your expeience with EWF turns out, I might try it. Are you using a RAM disk? Are you redirecting to the D drive?

[JWay]

Where do we get this winxp embedded stuff? Also I can do the other stuff ,but I just cannot get to bootprep.exe.

That is the real problem here

I know you've intstalled a ssd intead of your dual addonics/cf combo. I have done a little reading up and you can only boot on one of the two slots. Perhaps that was the problem.

Does anyone else have an experiences working with the master/slave on the addonics dual?

Anyone using a raid stripe yet - and have benchmarks of it? Are there bottlenecks in doing so with the addonics (presuming that I use matching cfs)

BTW http://www.sansdigital.com/compact-flas ... /cr2t.html
is starting to look interesting

[JWay]

5) Once the install is complete and XP is up and running, install the Hitachi microdrive disk drivers for your CF so that it treated as a fixed disk. (Google is your friend)

That's a great post. I just want to clarify what you are working with - in part 5 you describe installing microdrive drivers. So this means CF flash is in the master and microdrive in the slave on the addonics. So I presume the installation is on the cf flash and the microdrive is used for your intensive swap files.

- If this is the case then it is very close to what I was planning and because I haven't really started yet it saves a load of time and money.

What would your opinion be on running twin cfs in a Raid 0 format?
- In that scenario I was thinking of rerouting the swap files to a microdrive in a delkin cardbus. But it seems more common/easier to root the swap files to the RAM. Tomorrow my new ram is going it to make it 2048 mb, so I guess that's better than a cardbus solution?

- I am curious to know how the official SSD deal with all these issues.

sorry about digging up old stuff again

[pacalis]

So I decided to just quit wasting time and get the SSD installed with NTFS.

This is a perfect example of why reading the forum would have been useful.

Had you read the forum would have taken you about 10 minutes longer than a windows install to buy the dual addonics adapter, a kingston 266x memory card, and install it.

Kingston's are recognized as fixed disks so they are easy to install. They're nearly as fast as a Sandisk or Lexar and often much cheaper. Put a 8Gb SandiskIII SD card in and you're at 16Gb for about $150. And you still have a spare slot in the addonics for the next gen CF.

My x40 is still working awesome. I just bought a logitech nano mouse (tiny receiver that you can leave in all the time) for $45 at costco.

Good luck to all of you with your x40s!

[generalachoo]

^^Actually, I read the thread a few times over, and the Lexar 300x and the Sandisk Ex. IV are known as being the two fastest cards, though removable.

Being a software engineer, I thought I could figure out how to make the Lexar 300x load a FAT32 XP partition. I was crippled by lack of a floppy drive, and just did not want to deal with it.

I prefer my 4GB Lexar 300x which is faster and cheaper than the kingston (29.99 at Frys off from 84.95 this 4th of July weekend). I used the dual addonics adaptor of course, and a 2GB SD card in the reader.

That gives me 6 GB, which is more than enough for the computer needs.

I am extremely happy with my NTFS install and have no regrets about the project cost < 50 dollars total

[gongo2k1]

i got my pny 266x 8gb.
here's the output of 'hdparm -it /dev/sda':

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/dev/sda:

 Model=CF8GHS                                  , FwRev=20080116, SerialNo=PNY00000000100300042
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM Fixed DTR>10Mbs }
 RawCHS=15798/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=576, ECCbytes=4
 BuffType=DualPort, BuffSize=1kB, MaxMultSect=1, MultSect=?0?
 CurCHS=15798/16/63, CurSects=15924384, LBA=yes, LBAsects=15924384
 IORDY=no, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4 
 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 
 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5 
 AdvancedPM=yes: disabled (255)
 Drive conforms to: Unspecified:  ATA/ATAPI-4

 * signifies the current active mode

 Timing buffered disk reads:  122 MB in  3.03 seconds =  40.22 MB/sec

powertop says i'm at 10.1W (from 10.9W with the regular hd).

results of 'time dd if=/dev/zero of=Desktop/test.dmp bs=1024 count=262144':

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262144+0 records in
262144+0 records out
268435456 bytes (268 MB) copied, 6.37347 s, 42.1 MB/s

real	0m6.377s
user	0m0.173s
sys	0m1.923s

i'm running fedora 9 on my x41 and using the ably adapter. i didn't do anything special to this, only added noatime to /etc/fstab.

[loyukfai]

Just wonder... This thread contains lots of valuable information but could be daunting to someone who's new to this... Maybe a FAQ or step-by-step guide could be prepared so to make this information more accessible...?

Edit: Sorry, my bad... Seems there's already one on ThinkWiki... : ) May need some updates and editing through... http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Compact_Flash_boot_drive

[sebtomato]

Hi,

I have been reading this thread with much interest. I have some questions/clarifications so hopefully someone with experience will be able to answer.

1) CF IDE adapter

I see that the addonics dual adapter is the clear choice for a X40. However, I can't find it in the UK (US online shops selling this don't ship to Europe). I was therefore wondering if an eBay equivalent (UDMDA) would still work.

I am thinking of this one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 3DWatching

img]http://maxorigin.com/A-Ric/regan/CF_44pins_B1_2.JPG[/img]

On the picture, it looks pretty much the same as the Addonics single card (I can't find a short male dual adapter on eBay with UDMA).

Do those fit in the HD caddy, in replacement of the HD?

2) If using a dual Addonics adapter, can you use different CF cards at the same time (different speed)

3) I have ordered a Transcend 300x 8GB card (UDMA, 45MB per second).

img]http://www.w2w.com/Images/150x150/TS8GCF300.jpg[/img]

Seems that the performance/price (£59) ratio is good, and 8GB should be enough for Windows XP and some space left.

Could someone confirm if this supports "fixed drive" (eg. is it possible to install XP normally). What is the actual speed experience, compared to the original Hitachi HD?

Does this support "wear levelling"? (can't find info on Transcend website)

Would the CF card seen as UDMA by the computer? Anything special to do to force UDMA?
What about hibernation time?

4) I see lots of debates between using FAT32 or NTFS? Any clear winner, in term of speed against a CF?

5) Does the cluster size matter when formating in either FAT32 or NTFS?

6) Do we get BIOS beeps/errors with the Addonics card on a X40?

7) Is it realistic to use the X40 SD card reader for storage? How would this compare to an IDE CF card, in term of performance?

8 ) Anybody with experience on using nLite for a X40 Windows XP SP3 build, optimised for CF? If I am planning to use Firefox as a main browser, is it still recommended to leave IE? Anything else to consider specifically?

Sorry for all those questions, and thanks in advance for sharing your experience of making an X40 faster.

Seb

Note from Admin: No warning = no inline images.

[dbregman]

Here are some answers for you

Could someone confirm if this supports "fixed drive" (eg. is it possible to install XP normally). What is the actual speed experience, compared to the original Hitachi HD?

Yes it shows as a fixed drive. I have the 16gb version and posted some comparisions earlier in this thread.

Does this support "wear levelling"? (can't find info on Transcend website)

Not sure but they have a lifetime warranty

Would the CF card seen as UDMA by the computer? Anything special to do to force UDMA?

It shows a UDMA Ultra 5 off the bat

What about hibernation time?

Slow but acceptable

4) I see lots of debates between using FAT32 or NTFS? Any clear winner, in term of speed against a CF?

I benchmarked both with the Transend and saw little or no difference.

6) Do we get BIOS beeps/errors with the Addonics card on a X40?

No, I believe that is only on the X41

8 ) Anybody with experience on using nLite for a X40 Windows XP SP3 build, optimised for CF? If I am planning to use Firefox as a main browser, is it still recommended to leave IE? Anything else to consider specifically?

make sure you do not remove IIS or you can not use outlook. Also with my first nLite I removed something (not sure what) that would not let wireless work. Be very careful what you remove.

[dbregman]

I just noticed that having my Sandisk (d) as a removeable does not work for me. I can not install programs on it. I tried the Hitachi MicroDrive driver, but got the same no better driver found error as others. I tried ATCFWCHG.COM with no luck.

While it is okay to have that as just raw storage, I would really like to be able to install apps on it. So I need to figure out how to install apps on a removable drive, or convert it to fixed. Any ideas?

[weepy]

7) Is it realistic to use the X40 SD card reader for storage? How would this compare to an IDE CF card, in term of performance?

The internal reader in my x41t is quite slow. 2.8MB/s read, 4.7MB/s write with my a-data microSD, that reads 20MB/s and writes 14MB/s using usb reader. IMHO it is acceptable for storing/playing music and movies. Dunno if there is different reader in x40.

[coroa]

For all those europeans on frustrating quests for hardware shops outside of the usa.

there actually is a reseller of addonics hardware in the netherlands, it's called webconnexxion: http://www.webconnexxion.com/

Addonics AD44MIDE2CF
http://www.webconnexxion.com/raid/produ ... cts_id=561

can't wait for mine to arrive

regards,

jonas

[dbregman]

Well I thought I could avoid this process with the Trancend as the C drive and a SanDisk as the D drive. But having the SanDisk marked as removable meant that I could not install application on it - a pain.

So for those wanted to do this I thought I would document what I did, as I could not find anyplace where this was well documented.

1- google and download ATCFWCHG.COM
2- Get an ISO of DOS (I used 6.22) - google
3- Get a program to add files to an ISO - I used MagicISO
4- Add ATCFWCHG.COM to the DOS ISO
5- Burn the ISO to a CD - I used NERO
6- Put the SanDisk in the PRIMARY slot in the addonics card
7- Boot from the CD - note the ATCFWCHG.COM will not show up in a DIR
8- CD to R: - this is the actual CD, not the remapped A:
9- Run ATCFWCHG.COM /P /F

You should get a PASSED - it is now flagged as a fixed disk. I hope this saves some time for someone else.

[Shadowlinx]

1) CF IDE adapter

I see that the addonics dual adapter is the clear choice for a X40. However, I can't find it in the UK (US online shops selling this don't ship to Europe). I was therefore wondering if an eBay equivalent (UDMDA) would still work.

I am thinking of this one: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 3DWatching

img]http://maxorigin.com/A-Ric/regan/CF_44pins_B1_2.JPG[/img]

On the picture, it looks pretty much the same as the Addonics single card (I can't find a short male dual adapter on eBay with UDMA).

Do those fit in the HD caddy, in replacement of the HD?

I bought my Addonics dual adaptor from a UK retailer, Kustom-PC's: http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_5441.html. It showed as 'out of stock' for several weeks, but after emailing them about it they restocked within a few days.

-S

[kunfuchopsticks]

Here are more Adapter choices i came across: wonder if they work

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10310
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10886
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.9304


and SD to IDE: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.14362

ZIF to IDE: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10887

[gongo2k1]

the first one and the fourth ones might work, the others don't look right.

i wonder if sd->ide is worth it, the fastest ones only go to 20mb/sec which isn't any faster than the current hd. the size/weight/powersavings for using the sd card seem to be negated by all of the extra circuitry on the adapter that isn't necessary for the cf card.

[sebtomato]

the first one and the fourth ones might work, the others don't look right.

After reading a lot about compatible adapters, I came to the conclusion that only the Addonics one will work properly, as the IDE connector is placed differently from all the other adapters.

On all the adapters sold on eBay, and the ones above (except the SD one), the first IDE pin, identified by a white line in the corner, is at the top left. When using on a X40, you would need to have the CF card facing down to connect properly, and it may not fit properly.

The Addonics connectors have the first IDE pin on the top right, with the CF card up, so there is no issue fitting the card.

[sebtomato]

I benchmarked both with the Transend and saw little or no difference.

Hi,

Thanks for providing some answers. Regarding NTFS vs. FAT32, did you use the default cluster size?

Also, some people have claimed that NTFS with compression would perform faster (since less data to write), on top of being beneficial if small CF card. I wonder if this is negated by CPU impact.

Seb