How to get faster booting?

[unplanned bacon]

These are minor things, but my rig takes roughly 90 seconds to boot (40+ of them staring at a welcome screen). How can I make it go faster???
Is this just an inevitability of the boot drive being mechanical (it's virtually empty though)?

Also Xbox Music is giving me trouble, music is stopping, it's force ALT+Tabbing out of games and throwing up things like can't play this song and headphones not connected when they are and are working. Is there a way to sort this and is there another service like it (Windows 8 actually got this one right)?

 

[Keemann]

Buy an SSD. My PC boots up in about 25 seconds with the Kingston HyperX 3k 120GB.

 

[canadianvice]

Well, look at your startup programs using msconfig or soluto. If you have a lot starting up, that will make your boot slower.

A lot of that is simply the mechanical drive though - if you've ever got $70 laying around, throw in a solid state. 90 --> 10.

 

[Keemann]

Ah yes ^ msconfig - get rid of startup programs that you don't need

 

[J_E_D_70]

You an also go into BIOS and turn off ports/functions you're not using to speed up the POST (e.g. RAID controller, IDE ports, serial ports).

And as stated, SSDs are smokin' fast.

 

[unplanned bacon]

Not really looking forward to another clean install and redownloading all my stuff

Thing is SSDs are so expensive for the capacity and I've spent way too much on storage already, could have just used that money in the initial buy and got a 770 or maybe a 780 if it wasn't for the mistake I made with the drives at the very beginning

Would a 60GB SSD be enough? I hear a lot about Samsung Evo drives. SSDs aren't quite big enough to use as my C, but are too big for just an OS

 

[canadianvice]

Not really looking forward to another clean install and redownloading all my stuff

Thing is SSDs are so expensive for the capacity and I've spent way too much on storage already, could have just used that money in the initial buy and got a 770 or maybe a 780 if it wasn't for the mistake I made with the drives at the very beginning

Would a 60GB SSD be enough? I hear a lot about Samsung Evo drives. SSDs aren't quite big enough to use as my C, but are too big for just an OS

Plenty for Windows (Windows is < 30GB) and some of your main programs. After that, go on the HDD, which is what silicon valley intended. It'll cover you for startups on many of your apps, and your HDD should be fine for the rest.

I have two SSD's, one for Windows and 1 for games, but I really would not have purchased the one for games with hindsight. Load times on games are kind of meh, and so it was moot.

If not, just wait for a daily deal or something and you can get 120GB around that price. As for redownloading your stuff.... I guess? I would just use a hard drive or create a Windows easy transfer file to store on it. That should expedite the process some.

 

[Keemann]

A 60GB SSD would be plenty as you will only need to install the OS. All of the other programs/data can be stored onto hard drives. (You could put the hard drives in RAID 0 if you have two or more, this would increase the performance of the readable/writeable speed).

 

[unplanned bacon]

How do I make that file? I should probably say I'm in the UK so prices are rather elevated compared to the US

 

[canadianvice]

How do I make that file? I should probably say I'm in the UK so prices are rather elevated compared to the US

Canada >: (

Anyhow, I don't think they'd inflate the prices that much...
As for the file, I really don't remember - if you go "Windows Easy Transfer" you could probably figure it out from there. It'll only move over some of your major settings and whatnot, but if you want my best suggestion, just take what you need onto a USB hdd and wipe the pc with the firey passion of a thousand suns.

 

[unplanned bacon]

How do I make that file? I should probably say I'm in the UK so prices are rather elevated compared to the US

Canada >: (

Anyhow, I don't think they'd inflate the prices that much...
As for the file, I really don't remember - if you go "Windows Easy Transfer" you could probably figure it out from there. It'll only move over some of your major settings and whatnot, but if you want my best suggestion, just take what you need onto a USB hdd and wipe the pc with the firey passion of a thousand suns.

I forget how I wiped the drives first time, but I guess I need to disconnect the 2 mechanical ones when Windows is re-installed?

What about Corsair drives versus Samsung Evo? Or even Kingston?
Kingston: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-120GB-Solid-2-5-inch/dp/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396479775&sr=8-1&keywords=120GB+SSD
Samsung: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-120GB-Basic-Solid-State/dp/B00E391KA8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396479775&sr=8-2&keywords=120GB+SSD
Corsair: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CSSD-F120GBLS-Series-Phison-Toggle/dp/B00EENTYFQ/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1396479775&sr=8-11&keywords=120GB+SSD

Or somebody else like Cruicial?
I'd need one of those tray things to mount it though wouldn't I?

 

[canadianvice]

I'm a fan of Crucial and Corsair, but honestly, if you're looking for a more budget SSD, Kingston offers some great options too. As for wiping your HDD's, I would just format them with the Windows disc while you're getting your partitions all worked out.

You may need a tray, but if you want a really cheapass way of doing it, just get a thin piece of wood cut to size and put some pegs in it. If you buy some SSD's, they may (they'll be labelled) come with a mounting kit which means it has the 2.5->3.5 converter. Ebay also sells the plates really cheap.

How I tend to partition my system:
C:\\ --> SSD (Usual windows stuff)
D:\\ ---> User files (right click Downloads etc. and set the location to your old mech drive)
G:\\ ---> Games. I pick G because reasons. This should go on your mechanical drive too.
C:\\Program Files (HDD) --> I use a mounted partition on the HDD to this empty folder on C. Stick the programs you don't care about much in here.

I also have my cache for my browser (chrome) moved into its own file at the user profile root on D:\\ (--user-data-dir=DIR flag) since SSD's can have higher wear than an HDD, though this realistically is probably not necessary.

 

[unplanned bacon]

So how do I make my default save location the solid state? Or my default save location the Green drive and the Black the install location for programmes???

Would I need to disconnect my secondary drive so it will create a new system reserved that it'll actually use

 

[unplanned bacon]

And would I need to remove my board to put in the SSD? Using a Zalman Z11 Plus case and the SSD spot mounts at the back of the motherboard tray

 

[canadianvice]

Well, for starts, how much do you know about partitioning? That'll give me a base point for my explanation. As far as mounting your ssd... if the ssd mount is behind the motherboard, you should not have to remove it.... usually the other half of the case can be removed as well for access. If you're not comfortable using that, you should probably just use a bay adapter in the 3.5" bay.

For setting up the drive, put both in at first and format your previous storage. Then disconnect it and restart and install Windows on your ssd. Then you can plug the mechanical drive in and use that for other storage.

Ideally, how your configueation should be set up is that on your ssd you install just windows and some main programs, you'll have to tell other programs you want on your hdd where to install. As for the hdd, just move your user folders how i said and they should be your default save locations.

 

[unplanned bacon]

I can format my secondary from within Windows, but as far as I know C won't let you unless you do it through the Windows install disc. So are you saying just move the files?

 

[canadianvice]

I can format my secondary from within Windows, but as far as I know C won't let you unless you do it through the Windows install disc. So are you saying just move the files?

C is going to be a blank SSD, no? You'll probably need to format it using the disc. I was just saying you might as well get two birds with one stone and format them at roughly the same time.

Step #1: Get the files you want to keep onto external media (USB HDD)
Step #2: Format your hard drive
Step #3: Format the SSD (if necessary), using the Windows 7 Disc
Step #4: Make sure the HDD is unplugged, and install W7 on your SSD
Step #5: Boot into Windows (make sure your Mobo sata port for SSD is set to default controller)
Step #6: Edit the registry and enable AHCI
Step #7: Change controller to AHCI
Step #8: Reboot into Windows 7
Step #9: Partition the HDD (I have one for users, one for games, and a mounted NFTS folder for Program Files (HDD))
Step #10: Move user folders to HDD (Right click --> Change Location --> New Location)

This is something of a rough outline, if you google getting an SSD set up, you can see the full guide on how to do it.

 

[unplanned bacon]

I guess the question is Corsair (most expensive) vs Samsung Evo 840 vs Kingston vs SanDisk (cheapest and packs 8 more gig)
The other question is whether I can do it now or not/at all

According to pictures and manual I don't need to move my board to install an SSD

EDIT: Hadn't seen you'd already stated your preference. Installing to an SSD sounds hard from what I'm reading, can't I just put Windows disc in, select the SSD and go away? I'd need my current mechanical drives unplugged while that does its thing though wouldn't I?

 

[unplanned bacon]

Do SSDs take SATA to SATA cables or different kind?

 

[Keemann]

Do SSDs take SATA to SATA cables or different kind?

Yep they still use SATA cables.

 

[unplanned bacon]

I've gone for the Samsung Evo 120GB 840. I was wondering whether I should try converting to UEFI BIOS (currently in Legacy because I couldn't get UEFI working)

 

[canadianvice]

It's harder, by a bit, sure. Try it. You'll come around quickly

 

[unplanned bacon]

just got to sort the whole steamguard thing. it's going to have three computers in there which are actually the same one, but registered multiple times because of all these clean installs. Does UEFI actually give any advantage over Legacy?

 

[canadianvice]

just got to sort the whole steamguard thing. it's going to have three computers in there which are actually the same one, but registered multiple times because of all these clean installs. Does UEFI actually give any advantage over Legacy?

For booting? Not that I know of. As far as Steamguard goes - isn't it just an email?

 

[unplanned bacon]

just thought I might need an SSD tray!!! I'd thought about this earlier, but my case manual only mentions it for one mounting location which is a 3.5 inch slot I think, but not for the other where I plan to put it (which is an actual SSD mounting location)