Reformating a partition and Nand

[idata]

For the Intel X-25, to reformat the hard drive does it require a special utility to make the Nand in it like new or will a regular format do the job?

[idata]

Although I'm not sure what your intended configuration is, tell us if the following is correct. You have an Intel G2 SSD which you'll use for your OS drive. You also have HDDs that you'd like to be in RAID 0. You're using Vista 64 bit because your Win 7 license expired, but you have a disk for it (I don't get that, and BTW I have purchased Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit for $100 several times for different PCs, from newegg and CompUSA.) You want to install the Intel RAID software (BTW, Intel's latest RAID is called RST and should be downloaded from Intel, free of course) during the OS installation via the F6 option due to a glitch with Vista. Sorry, but you need to be very clear with these details, they are important!

Here's what I did with a new Intel G2 SSD and Vista 32 bit installation. With the SSD installed, I just did a simple Vista install, no driver F6 step. Of course, that was done in IDE mode. Afterwards, I download the Intel RST drivers, but did not install. Next you perform a Registry tweak to force Windows into AHCI mode. Instruction for that can be found here, first for Win 7 and then Vista, although they are virtually identical:

http://windows7themes.net/switch-to-ahci-after-install-windows-7.html http://windows7themes.net/switch-to-ahci-after-install-windows-7.html

http://www.itwriting.com/blog/288-enabling-ahci-on-vista.html http://www.itwriting.com/blog/288-enabling-ahci-on-vista.html

After the registry edit, you restart the PC and go into the BIOS and set your storage configuration to AHCI. Save and finish booting. Next, install the Intel RST driver, which gives you RAID and the best AHCI driver for your SSD. Then restart your PC and change from AHCI to RAID. Your SSD will still get full AHCI functionality. Save and finish booting. You should then be able to configure your RAID setup. If you are not creating a RAID array, skip the last BIOS update. Part of the point of doing it this way is to avoid the F6 step, which IMO can be "glitchy".

Regardless, you should secure erase the SSD, and using Win 7 with your SSD is better than Vista in general, due to it's native support of TRIM. The Intel Toolbox works fine on Vista, and keeps your SSD TRIM'd, although you depend on the Toolbox for that. My Vista PC with a G2 SSD works just fine, and as one hardware review web site wrote, "... makes Vista useable...", referring to it's otherwise sluggish performance. Actually, my Vista/SSD PC shuts down and sleeps faster than my Win 7/SSD PC, although they use different CPUs, etc.

[idata]

I bought the full version of Windows 7 ultimate.It came with a developers licence,now expired.The installation of windows 7 onto my SSD went without a hitch.I don"t mind Vista ,in fact I like Vista more than Win 7 for a variety of reasons.I've spent enough on this computer so another copy of Win 7 is out of the question.

I"ve read that the Windows 7 disk will cleanly delete and with a quick format make my SSD ready for installation of Vista.So you don't recommend using the F6 option?And why not simply install Vista with the BIOS preset in AHCI mode?

[idata]

I didn't say I don't recommend the F6 option, just that you must have the necessary equipment, a floppy drive or the driver on a flash drive, etc, and that it seems more prone to failure with some users.

Setting the BIOS to AHCI mode and not installing the correct driver when you do the OS installation leaves you without AHCI mode. Once you install the OS without the AHCI driver, the only way to actually enable the AHCI driver is with the registry edit. That is just an eccentricity of WIndows. That is discussed in the links I provided.

If you format your SSD on Win 7, it will send the TRIM command(s) to your SSD, but I'm not sure if that is equivalent to a full secure erase.

[idata]

For a new installation if you set the BIOS to AHCI both Vista and Win 7 will install a default generic MS AHCI driver if you choose not to F6 drivers for your specific chipset during the installation process. It is not possible to be in AHCI mode in the BIOS and IDE in the OS

Using the latest driver for your chipset is preferable to using the default MS AHCI driver but there is nothing stopping you from updating the default driver after the installation is complete. It doesn't really matter which way round you it. (i.e. during or after installation).

[mmokk]

vista and 7 have default drivers for ahci and intel raid, so you can skip the f6 step if setup sees your ssd. you can run the full irst package install after you get vista set up.