Optimize SSD hard drive: the best tricks

Over time, even the fastest SSDs get slower. You should therefore regularly optimize the hard drives. The fast discs require the appropriate settings to be able to work again without problems. We have summarized the best tricks for you in an article.

Optimize SSDs: Activate AHCI

If you have upgraded your PC with an SSD, the SATA controller usually continues to run in IDE or RAID mode. However, the SSD requires the TRIM command, which only works in AHCI mode. You can change the Sata controller in the BIOS, but then Windows will no longer boot. The only way is via an entry in the registry:

1. Start the registry editor.
2. Navigate to the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Msahci" key. Double-click "Start" and change the DWORD value to 0.
3. Also search for the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ iaStorV" and enter 0 as the DWORD value.
4. Now you have to restart the computer and make the corresponding change in the BIOS. Under "Advanced Chipset Features" switch to "SATA mode" in AHCI mode.

Make SSDs faster: Check the TRIM command

As mentioned in the first section, an SSD absolutely requires the TRIM function, which releases deleted blocks again. Otherwise, the actually fast disk is getting slower:

1. Start the command prompt as an administrator.
2. Enter the command "fsutil.behavior.query.DisableDeleteNotify" in the terminal and confirm with the Enter key.
3. If you get "DisableDeleteNotify = 0", the TRIM function is active and you can close the command prompt.
4. However, if the answer is "DisableDeleteNotify = 1", the TRIM command is not activated. In this case, enter the command "fsutil behavior Set DisableDeleteNotify 0" and confirm again with the Enter key. The TRIM function is now activated.

Optimize SSD hard drives: It's even faster

The operating system must also be adapted for an optimal interaction between the computer and the SSD. A small tool does this for you:

1. Install the free tool "SSD Tweaker" on your computer.
2. The program recommends the optimal settings. You can take this over simply by clicking on the "Automatic optimization" button.
3. You must then restart the computer so that the changes are saved.

Faster SSDs: Clear the swap file

The swap file creates write accesses that cost performance. You could switch off the swap file, but that would lead to a crash if the RAM is exhausted. It is therefore better to delete the file each time you shutdown:

• To have the swap file deleted each time you restart, start the registry editor again.
• Navigate to the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Control \ Session Manager \ MemoryManagement" and double-click the "ClearPageFileAtShutdown" entry.
• Enter "1" as the value and confirm with "OK". In order for the change to take effect, you must restart the computer.

SSD on speed: Deactivate sleep mode

The sleep mode is a special energy saving mode. It protects the battery, but it means a lot of write access for the SSD. The SSD doesn't consume much power, so you don't necessarily need to go into sleep mode. Instead, you can deactivate it and use the standby function instead.

1. To deactivate the sleep mode, start the command prompt again as administrator.
2. Enter the command "powercfg –h off" and confirm with [Enter]. This deactivates sleep mode and deletes the "hiberfil.sys" file.
3. If you do not want to switch off your PC completely, use the standby mode. It ends all write access on the SSD and saves your data in RAM.

An SSD should not only work optimally, it should also last as long as possible. In the next article, you will learn how to extend the life of an SSD disk. We have tested the best SSDs for you and summarized them in our leaderboard.