How to format my Samsung 850 EVO (500GB)?

[Jak_Sparra]

Hi,

Ok, so I have successfully installed Windows 8.1 on my samsung xp941 m.2.

My 'old' Samsung 850 EVO is now a spare storage device, how do I correctly 'format' it so that it deletes the old copy of windows and everything else on there so it's like new? Because once I do that I want to install the Samsung Magician software and set it up correctly before installing Steam and a handful of games.

 

[Karsten75]

Open Windows Disk Management and format it from there.

Right-click on Computer icon, Choose Manage from the context menu and you'll find it.

 

[iceblitzed]

yes the easiest way is to right click and do quick format.
nothing advanced is necessary.

 

[Jak_Sparra]

Open Windows Disk Management and format it from there.

Right-click on Computer icon, Choose Manage from the context menu and you'll find it.

Ok, thankyou for the replies.

I did that and now the 500GB drive shows only 419GB free space? In Disk Managments it shows 46.58GB Unallocated. How do I get that back? I think maybe it had something to with 'over provisioning'. Whatever that is.

 

[Karsten75]

yes the easiest way is to right click and do quick format.
nothing advanced is necessary.

If it was uses as a system (boot) drive, there may be a few partitions on it so it's best to go to Disk Manager to check and remove all the partitions so the volume is a single, basic volume.

 

[Jak_Sparra]

yes the easiest way is to right click and do quick format.
nothing advanced is necessary.

If it was uses as a system (boot) drive, there may be a few partitions on it so it's best to go to Disk Manager to check and remove all the partitions so the volume is a single, basic volume.

Ok, so I'm in Disk Manager and I can see the disk, it has 'New Volume' (F) 419.18 GB NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition) in a box with a blue bar above it. To the right of it is a smaller box with 45.85GB Unallocated. and the box has a Black bar across the top and diagonal lines though it.

Which bit do I click on and what option do I choose to make it one single basic volume?

If I right click on 'Disk 3 Basic 465.76 GB Online, I have options to 'Convert to Dynamic Disk' or 'Properties'.

If I click the New Volume F 419.18 GB NTFS bit I get these options:-

Open

Explore

change Drive letters and Paths

Format

Extend Volume

Shrink Volume

Delete Volume

Properties

Help.

If I right click on the BLack box it has the option of 'New Simple Volume', Properties.

They all have the option for Help.


Not sure what to do.

 

[iceblitzed]

delete the smaller volumes/partitions then merge them with extend volume

 

[Karsten75]

Ok, so I'm in Disk Manager and I can see the disk, it has 'New Volume' (F) 419.18 GB NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition) in a box with a blue bar above it. To the right of it is a smaller box with 45.85GB Unallocated. and the box has a Black bar across the top and diagonal lines though it.

Which bit do I click on and what option do I choose to make it one single basic volume?

,,,,


Not sure what to do.

So delete all the partitions.

At that time, install Samsung's Partition Magic tool. Let it overallocate and then create a volume.

Over-allocation extends the life of the SSD by leaving spare blocks that can be used when in-use blocks fail.

 

[iceblitzed]

Ok, so I'm in Disk Manager and I can see the disk, it has 'New Volume' (F) 419.18 GB NTFS Healthy (Primary Partition) in a box with a blue bar above it. To the right of it is a smaller box with 45.85GB Unallocated. and the box has a Black bar across the top and diagonal lines though it.

Which bit do I click on and what option do I choose to make it one single basic volume?

,,,,
that d would do it

Not sure what to do.

So delete all the partitions. Then allocate one single, basic partition and then format that.

 

[iceblitzed]

that would work

 

[Karsten75]

Oops, I was too slow. Check my-updated response.

 

[Jak_Sparra]

Ok,

done, thanks for your help.

After I managed to make just one volume, I then installed Samsung Magician, I've set a 10% over provision and set the drive to 'OS Optimization' - 'Maximum Performance'.

I notice an option for 'RAPID Mode'. It says 'Limitation: RAPID mode accelerates only one SSD, even though the system may have more than one 840 PRO, 840 EVO, 840....'

Should I set this to 'Enable'? Will this in anyway negatively effect my Samsung xp941 256GB M.2 SSD?

My plan is to have BF4, EVE-Online and ARMA3 installed on the m.2 drive where the OS is. And then a handful of other games on the 850 EVO.

I don;t know if I'm supposed to have some other software to manage the m.2?

 

[iceblitzed]

I wouldn't recommend setting it.

don't worry much about software optimization.

ignore that use this guide

http://www.thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-ultimate-windows-8-edition/

 

[Jak_Sparra]

I wouldn't recommend setting it.

don't worry much about software optimization.

ignore that use this guide

http://www.thessdreview.com/ssd-guides/optimization-guides/the-ssd-optimization-guide-ultimate-windows-8-edition/

Ok thankyou.

Plenty to read there so I might be awhile before I have nay more questions.