X25m 80GB READ is slow

[idata]

Hi,

I´ve a problem with my new SSD - the drive is up to date with the new 02HD Firmware, but my Read is too slow. Some hints for me.

Here is my system http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01635688&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en

thanks in advance

AS SSD Benchmark 1.4.3645.3568

------------------------------Name: INTEL SS DSA2M080G2GC SATA Disk DeviceFirmware: 2CV1Controller: amdsataOffset: 1024 K - OKGröße: 74,53 GBDatum: 28.01.2010 21:08:57------------------------------Sequentiell:------------------------------Lesen: 154,30 MB/sSchreiben: 78,52 MB/s------------------------------4K:------------------------------Lesen: 6,80 MB/sSchreiben: 8,21 MB/s------------------------------4K-64Threads:------------------------------Lesen: 78,31 MB/sSchreiben: 48,47 MB/s------------------------------Zugriffszeiten:------------------------------Lesen: 0,289 msSchreiben: 0,443 ms------------------------------Score:------------------------------Lesen: 101Schreiben: 65Gesamt: 215------------------------------

[idata]

Intel recommends using the RST 9.6 driver as it optimises performance and endurance. http://download.intel.com/support/ssdc/hpssd/sb/newusersguide.pdf http://download.intel.com/support/ssdc/hpssd/sb/newusersguide.pdf

That is not however going to solve your problem. You need to secure erase the drive.

Making a bootable USB saves dealing with floppy drives and burning disks. It's a bit tricky to set it up but it's worth it in the long run. Here is a tutorial on how to do it.

http://www.bay-wolf.com/usbmemstick.htm http://www.bay-wolf.com/usbmemstick.htm

Once you have created it you need to extract the HDDErase files on to the USB drive. As you boot up keep hitting F8 and ASUS gives you a boot priority option. Select the USB drive. If you follow the above you will see a Windows 98 boot screen. Navigate to the command prompt, select the USB drive and type hdderase.exe and then follow the instructions.

If you can't make a bootable USB just burn a bootable disk. (The more straight forward option).

Once you have erased the drive performance will be back to factory condition. Due to the problems you have mentioned with the controller I'm going to suggest that you do a fresh installation rather than reinstall the image. If you do this I'd suggest that you F6 the RST 9.6 driver during set up.

On a fresh install make sure you are in AHCI mode before you start and that the drive is plugged into an Intel SATA port.

I appreciate this is all sounds complicated, but once you have sussed it out its quite easy and painless.

Good luck!

[idata]

Darkgreen said: "All the instructions I've found seem to assume you either have a floppy drive that you can put DOS and HDDErase on and boot from -or- that I can boot from USB (which my nice high end ASUS motherboard cannot do )"

Darkgreen,

All modern Asus boards can boot from USB thumbdrives/harddrives etc - including all P6T variants.

Look at the BOOT section of the BIOS. Their is a "Boot Device Priority" setting which basically lets you choose whether the Floppy/DVD/or Hard Drive is the first thing that boots. But then you also have to set the "Hard Disk Drives" Setting which says WHICH hard drive is set as the boot drive. A much easier method for Asus motherboards it to just tap F8 when first booting and the memory is being initialized. Just before Windows starts loading, a Boot Menu will come up and allow one to boot from any device connected to the motherboard. (If one hits F8 right after Windows starts loading, the Windows Safe Mode Menu will show up which is different.) This page has a bunch of ways of making a bootable USB thumbdrive: http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm http://www.bootdisk.com/pendrive.htm Good Luck!

[RGiff]

There only a few USB floppy drives that will work with windows 7 , I have one that does work , thats how I installed my RAID drivers. I do not have it here to tell you the name , But you can go to the windows site and search for compayable hardware.

[RGiff]

Found it it is BYTECC , BT-144 and it works.

[idata]

Thanks everybody for the advice. Unfortunately while I can get my P6T to boot from USB (supposedly) and eventually I managed to get a USB stick to take a good DOS format (turns out not all can) I have yet to achieve the holy trinity of HDDErase (late version) / USB DOS boot that recognizes drives / SSD.

As a consultant I normally bill by the hour and this project has consumed enough time that I should have just bought a new computer 3 times and I'd be ahead. I've been pushing forward as it always seems like I'm just an hour from completion, but the rabbit hole goes deeper and deeper and there is no "sure" way to fix it.

I've also had plenty of time to consider that Intel sold us a "high performance drive" at high price that doesn't even perform as well as a cheap platter hard drive that costs 1/6th as much, they know it, and they won't even post software to help fix it. I can understand their fear of liability for admitting things and/or offering up software than might destroy data, but it's still a horrible way to treat customers.

Nowadays even moving a file from one directory to another causes a lengthy pause as windows tries to get the SSD to respond.

So - Change of focus:

1) What NON-INTEL SSD should I purchase to replace this with? I intend to copy the disk image over and just replace it.

2) What (legal, nonviolent) creative thing should I do to dispose of my effectively useless INTEL XM-25 that will have the maximum possibility of getting some blog writeups and press attention? Tape it to the window of a Best Buy with a note written in soap? Mail it back to INTEL with a "ransom note" ? Ideas welcome. Those who don't have one probably can't appreciate it but these first generation devices (that I paid about $350 for) are really less useful than a floppy disk drive, the delays are THAT long.