SSD | DataRecoveryUnion.com

I wanted to get another year or two out of my work laptop so I bumped the RAM to 8 GB and purchased a small (64 GB) SSD. In preparation for the install, I have been browsing the internet, reading up a bit.
I notice a fair amount of discussion on SSD concerning data loss and drive failure. I cant have that… I back up as much as the next guy (every several months), but I need it to be as reliable as a spinning HDD… Should I be nervous?
About the system:
HP G72 Laptop with 8 GB DDR3, 64 GB Patriot Torqx2 SSD (Windows 7/64 bit), Western Digital 500 GB (data drive)

I have used my OCZ Vertex 2 for a year and a half as my primary drive and have had no issues with it. Newer drives are even better. Here is a good place to start. Best SSDs For The Money

Hard Disk Repair

120G SATA III SSD or 1TB WD SATA III Caviar Black HDD

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM12 years ago11 years ago04 mins

Since I now am returning my 1tb SATA III Seagate Barracuda I am stuck in a dilemma. I’m trying to decide between A. OCZ Vertex 3 or going with 1tb WD Caviar Black.
My pc will mainly be used to game with the possibility of overclocking. I want a drive I can put my games and OS unless there is a better configuration I’m just not thinking about. The SSD feels kind of limiting in size, but maybe the speed is worth the compromise? Money is an object and I’m at max only looking to spend $250, but lower than that is very welcomed. Thanks in advance.

1. OCZ 120GB Vertex 3 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5-Inch Performance Solid State Drive (SSD) with Max 550MB/s Read and Max 4KB Write 85K IOPS

NAND Flash Components: 2Xnm Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND Flash Memory, Interface: SATA III 6.0Gbp/s, Form Factor: 2.5″ slim design form factor;

Life Expectancy: 2 million hours Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF), ECC Recovery: Up to 16 bytes correctable per 512-byte sector;

Max Read: up to 550MB/s, Max Write: up to 500 MB/s, 4KB Random Write: I/O Per Second (IOPS): 60,000 IOPS, Seek time: 0.1 ms, Controller: SandForce 2281;

2. Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA III 7200 RPM 64 MB Cache Internal Desktop Hard Drive

WD Caviar Black high performance 3.5- Inch SATA hard drive combines 7200 RPM, 64 MB cache, and SATA 6 Gb/s interface for the ultimate in power computing;

High performance electronics architecture features dual processors and bigger, faster caches for maximum read and write speeds;

StableTrac The motor shaft is secured at both ends to reduce system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking, during read and write operations. 5 year limited warranty;

If everything you want to store on the machine will fit in 120 GB, then get the SSD. If you need more storage, you will need either the hard drive or, if you can afford it or have a decent HDD lying around, the SSD with the OS installed on it and your data and music files and so forth on the HDD. If you go this route, ensure that no HDD is attached to the motherboard when you install the OS on the SSD.

In either case, you need one more drive: an external drive to back up anything that you still want to have tomorrow. This is one of the best investments that you can make; ask anyone who has had a hard drive fail.

Hard Disk Repair

New SSD Installed, Old Storage HDD Not Appearing

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM12 years ago11 years ago02 mins

I recently upgraded to a Vertex 3 for windows and programs. Runs fine with Windows 7 64-bit except I cannot access my 1TB storage HDD. It DOES appear in the bios and device manager but not in My Computer. I’m wondering if it has anything to do with AHCI mode and TRIM? Any help is much appreciated.

It was a “drive letter” conflict.

Please make sure you bring it “online” in disk management. Go to left-hand side, where it does show up in disk management, as Disk 0 or Disk 1, and make sure it shows “online” as the status. If it shows offline, then right-click that left-most panel and choose “online.”

Sorry if that’s a ‘basic’ answer, but you didn’t give much info.

You did say it shows up in Disk Management – I hope that is correct, vs. “Device Manager.”
Also, please double-check for any existing “drive letter” conflicts from before you moved to the SSD device – i.e., if you forget to re-allocate your old external storage device to a NEW logical drive letter, like G: or H:, for example, then it could be that your new SSD or some other device might try to claim the logical drive letter that was previously being used by the old storage device that you are trying to view.

I have had that happen to me before, and it was puzzling to figure out.

Data Storage

Super Talent Reveals Storage POD Mini USB 3.0 SSD

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM12 years ago9 years ago03 mins

Can there be ever a period when a brand new SSD is not exciting? Doubtful. As the field of solid condition expensive is constantly on the whirl, Super Talent is presenting another option in to the mix, the ultra-portable Storage POD Small. It is a portable USB 3. SSD covered with a blue anodized, all-aluminum enclosure allows this drive to become both lightweight and rugged yet measure only 110 x 68 x 10 mm. Its top speed reaches over 260MB/s, but where this design really stands out is incorporated in the real life performance. Its on-board processor has the capacity to significantly accelerate real life performance by blending your computer data, in tangible-time, because it creates and decompressing data because it reads. Your computer data now uses less space and transfers more effectively than ever before. Copying the body now takes a small fraction of time it might undertake rotating media.

Fully backward compatible to USB 2., the Storage POD Small can also be full of many additional features. This drive includes a One-Touch Backup button that launches a backup routine that may support numerous machines. Just push the backup button and it’ll start to support all of your pre-determined data areas at creates speeds as high as 174MB/s. And also the Storage POD Small also offers a Read/Write change to safeguard your computer data from unintended creates, much like an Sdcard.

Obtainable in 60GB, 120GB and 240GB capabilities, the Storage POD Small has become shipping, there is however no public reference to cost.

Data Storage

Is SSD The Future Of Storage?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM12 years ago3 years ago07 mins

Guest post by: Peter Lee @ Computer How To Guide

Solid State Drives (SSD) are storage devices like that of Hard Disc Drives or HDDs. But, the technology used is considerably different. The SSDs do not, like in the case of HDDs and other magnetic storage media, use movable heads and instead use non volatile micro memory chips for storage.

Performance Advantage
Solid State Drives are faster when compared to the traditional Hard Disc Drives. The performance advantage can be attributed to various factors which affect the speed of accessing the information from the disc.
To understand the intricacies involved in the process of computing data, let us first try and understand the way a computer processes data, in brief.

How Data Is Computed
One needs to understand that all the data that is processed by the computer is only done in its RAM i.e. Random Access Memory, which is a volatile storage device. When a request is sent to the computer, it needs to fetch the operands (the variables that are required in the computation) from the non volatile storage and then send it to the RAM, where the request is processed.

The performance of the auxiliary storage device, in this case HDD or SSD, depends on how fast it can retrieve the information and send it to the primary storage i.e. the RAM.

Factors Affecting Performance
There are two factors that affect this time. One is the access time and the other is the latency.

Latency
Latency, in case of HDDs, is the amount of time that is required by the read/write head to position itself to the sector where the information is available.

Access Time
Access time, which includes latency, is the total amount of time that is required to access the information.

SSD vs HDD
Comparing SSD with HDD, we can say that the access time and latency of SSDs are much lower than those of HDDs, thus giving it a performance advantage. This could be attributed to the lack of a moving head in the SSDs.

Durability
HDDs have a read/write head which moves at 5000 to 7000 rpm (revolutions per minute). The read/write head is the most susceptible part of the HDDs, leading to head crash, which may prove fatal to your data. Though there are other ways in which a HDD may crash, a head crash is the most common and it results in the loss of your data. Data recovery techniques are extremely expensive and it advisable to avoid losing data.

Cost Comparison
SSDs were a lot expensive when they first rolled in. There has been a considerable decrease in the prices of the SSDs. Though there has been a decrease in the cost of these devices, SSDs are still costly.

Although the prices of SSDs and HDDs are comparable, the effective price of the device per one gigabyte of storage in case of SSDs is much higher than the price per GB in case of HDDs i.e. you could get a 500 GB hard disc for $100 whereas you’d only 60GB SSD for $100.

Is SSD The Future Of Storage?
Both, yes and no. While SSDs are fast compared to HDDs, they are expensive. SSDs have almost reached their threshold price i.e. cost reduction in case of SSDs is hard, if not impossible.
HDDs, on the other hand, have been evolving and their speeds have considerably increased.
HDDs can be used in arrays called the redundant array of inexpensive discs (RAID), by connecting them in a form of arrays. This technique, though, may seem somewhat unachievable by the masses, is quite common in the computing field and in fact, is easy. It offers higher speeds, more reliability as there are multiple devices in which your data is stored.

Recommendation
As the SSDs are expensive, it would be better if they are used wisely. Also, there is a lot of demand for storage today. So, it would be advisable to have an SSD as well as a HDD. The SSD can be for the OS and other installation files, and the hard disc can be used for storing content like audio and video files. By having this combination of storage drives, you can even format your drives separately, not worrying about your data.

This way, you would save money while having faster accessible speeds.

Data Storage

Popular SSD(Solid-State Drive) Brands

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM13 years ago3 months ago04 mins

Why Buy Solid-State Drives?

These solid state drives are more expensive and come in smaller data sizes. Well, for mobile users, SSD technology offers more benefits over traditional hard drives with spinning parts. These pluses come in the form of much more efficient power usage and battery life for the computer it’s being used in like laptops. Solid State Drives have no movements so they consume less power and allows SSD drives to be able to withstand large impact loads – like dropping your laptop. The US military has been using SSD technology for a while now where harsh conditions and frequent impacts are the norm.

Popular SSD Brands:

Intel® Solid-State Drives

The Intel® SSD’s unique, innovative technology designs provide longer battery life, faster system responsiveness, and more durability, for a better user experience.

Intel® Solid-State Drive 510 Series
Intel® Solid-State Drive 320 Series
Intel® Solid-State Drive 311 Series
Intel® Solid-State Drive 310 Series
Intel® X25-E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive
Intel® X25-M and X18-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drives
Intel® X25-V High Performance Value Solid-State Drive

Corsair Solid-State Drives

Maximum performance for the ultimate system. The Corsair SSD product line offers the highest performance in Read/Write speeds of up to a maximum read speed of 285MB/s and write speed of 275MB/s. If speed is what you are looking for Corsair SSD’s are the perfect choice

Force Series GT
Force Series 3
Performance 3 Series
Force Series

Kingston SSDNow Solid-State Drives

With the increasing need to stay connected, Kingston offers a new line of Solid-State drives
to improve your computer’s performance. Flash technology makes SSDNow drives faster,
more durable and reliable than standard mechanical hard disk drives.

CURRENT DRIVES

SSDNow S100
SSDNow V100
SSDNow V+100
SSDNow V+100E
SSDNow V+180

LEGACY DRIVES

SSDNow E-SERIE
SSSDNow M-SERIES
SSDNow V+ SERIES
SSDNow V-SERIES

OCZ Solid-State Drives

Solid State Drivescategory, OCZ Technology Group, Inc. has built on its expertise in high-speed memory to become a dominant player in the manufacturing and distribution of solid state drives (SSDs), a disruptive, game-changing technology that is replacing traditional rotating magnetic hard disk drives (HDDs).

OCZ PCI-Express solid state drives
OCZ’s High Speed Data Link (HSDL)
SATA solid state drives
OCZ Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) Solid State Drives
OCZ USB 3.0 drives

Crucial Solid-State Drives

Solid-state drives are the rugged, reliable, battery-efficient alternative to traditional hard drives.

ADATA Solid-State Drives

ADATA is committed in developing cutting-edge SSD technology and offers complete SSD product lineup that brings extraordinary performance. SATA 6Gb/s,SATA 3GB/s.

Hard Disk Repair

What Are SSD-Optimized File Systems?

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM13 years ago3 months ago06 mins

Prior to SSDs, or solid state drives, all data was stored on magnetic spinning hard disk drives (HDDs). Many computers still have HDDs, but this is changing due to the better performance of SSDs. For instance, HDDs have moving parts, are more susceptible to breakage, are louder, heavier, and provide irregular performance when it comes to accessing data. SSDs fix all of those problems.

A cheap example of a solid-state drive is a thumb drive used to store a gigabyte or two of data. It is becoming more and more cost-effective to create larger SSDs to hold data due to their increased speed and performance. However, there is one problem: SSDs typically don’t last as long as HDDs unless the file system is optimized to accommodate them. They can’t handle as many write/erase functions as HDDs, meaning they don’t last as long. If an SSD is being used as a hard drive, files may be written and erased hundreds of times per day, making it necessary for operating systems to take certain precautions for solid-state drives.

If a file system is optimized to work with solid-state drives, the SSD can last as long as a hard disk drive of similar caliber. As more and more netbooks and computers are being built with SSD file storage hardware, it is becoming more and more necessary for the operating systems on these machines to have SSD-optimized file systems.

Who Are SSD-Optimized File Systems For?

Anyone whose machine uses a solid-state drive such as people involved with web hosting, streaming video, equities trading or another high-data-volume pursuit should be sure that they have a SSD and that their file system is optimized. While few netbooks, laptops and desktop computers produced for mass consumption have solid-state data drive hardware, there are several notable ones. These include:

* Asus Eee PC
* MacBook Air
* Lenovo Thinkpad
* Toshiba Portege R600
* Intel X-25E Extreme

As you can see, these include both low-end netbooks and high-priced laptops. As SSDs become less expensive to produce, analysts predict that more new computers will use SSD hardware. Many a dedicated server may also use SSD file storage due to the increased need for speed. Readers should check with their computers’ manufacturers to see if their machine uses an SSD file storage system, and should optimize their file systems accordingly. Non-optimized file systems run the risk of burning out the SSD prematurely, making it impossible to write or erase data and necessitating the purchase of new hardware.

Advantages of SSD-Optimized File Systems

* Operating system’s processes are better suited to solid state drives
* Make SSD hardware last longer

Disadvantages of SSD-Optimized File Systems

* May require an upgrade

Examples

The following operating systems represent SSD-optimized options you can take if you want to ensure that your system is its most efficient.

* Windows 7
* Sun Microsystems ZFS
* FreeBSD
* A variety of Linux systems
* Mac OS X 10.7

Conclusion

As stated before, not everyone needs to have SSD file storage. Currently, SSDs are still about ten times as expensive as comparable HDDs, though their performance improvement is arguably enough to offset the cost. As costs go down, more and more systems will be built with SSD hardware.

Given the fact that the big two OS providers, Apple and Microsoft, are switching to SSD-optimized file systems for their flagship products, many people won’t even have to worry about having an SSD-optimized system in the future. However, if you are still using an older operating system but plan to upgrade to newer file storage hardware, you should definitely consider switching to an SSD-optimized file system as well. Solid state may be on the horizon for mass consumption, but it is not yet fully here.

Data Storage

SanDisk Announces Agreement to Get Pliant Tech

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM13 years ago3 years ago05 mins

SanDisk, a worldwide leader in expensive memory storage solutions, today introduced a definitive agreement to get Pliant Technology, Corporation., the number one developer of enterprise solid condition drives (SSD). Underneath the the agreement, SanDisk can pay roughly $327 million in cash and supply certain equity-based incentives. The transaction, that has been authorized by the boards of company directors of both companies, is susceptible to customary closing conditions, including regulating review and approval, which is likely to near by the finish of SanDisk’s second fiscal quarter.

Pliant presently sells ultra-high end enterprise solid condition drives in line with the SAS protocol to satisfy the demanding performance, data integrity and reliability needs of enterprise storage clients. The business’s product roadmap includes PCIe-based solutions for high-performance compute servers. Pliant is really a leader in using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND in enterprise SSDs, and also the less expensive of MLC is really a key enabler for that broad adoption of SSDs within the enterprise market.

“Expensive memory is making significant inroads in to the enterprise by significantly growing application performance and reducing energy consumption, we feel the mixture of Pliant’s innovative technology and enterprise-level system expertise with SanDisk’s high-quality, large-scale MLC memory production is really a winning value proposition for clients. Our advanced expensive technology roadmap and expensive management capacity will complement Pliant’s talents and allow us lead the means by reliability and gratifaction within the Enterprise SSD market.” stated Sanjay Mehrotra, SanDisk leader and ceo.

“The Enterprise SSD marketplace is poised for considerable growth, with revenue forecasted to achieve $4.2 billion in 2015, up from $994 million this year, this trajectory is fueled through the growing utilization of MLC NAND technology, that will require extensive expensive management expertise to make sure effective adoption in enterprise programs.” stated Frederick Unsworth, research director at Gartner.

SanDisk needs the transaction to become dilutive to its non-GAAP earnings by 2% to threePercent in fiscal year 2011 and accretive to non-GAAP earnings in fiscal year 2012.

ABOUT SANDISK

SanDisk Corporation is really a world leader in expensive memory storage solutions, from research and development, product design and manufacturing to branding and distribution for OEM and retail channels. Since its founding in 1988, SanDisk continues to be finding in expensive memory and system technologies which have provided customers with new and life changing digital encounters. SanDisk’s diverse product portfolio includes expensive memory cards and embedded solutions utilized in wise phones, pills, digital camera models, video cameras, digital media gamers along with other consumer electronic products, in addition to USB expensive drives and solid condition drives for that computing market. SanDisk’s items are utilized by customers and enterprise clients all over the world. SanDisk is really a Plastic Valley-based S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company, using more than half its sales outdoors the U . s . States.

ABOUT PLIANT TECHNOLOGY

Pliant Technology’s Enterprise Expensive Drives (EFDs) really are a new class of solid-condition storage products that integrate effortlessly into enterprise information systems and significantly improve performance, reliability, energy efficiency, and TCO. Pliant’s Lightning EFD family provides breakthrough enhancements over present day greatest carrying out hard disk and SSD storage solutions for a variety of data I/O intensive enterprise programs. Pliant Technology has roughly 80 employees and it is located in Milpitas, California.

Hard Disk Repair

Useful Solid State Drive Articles

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM13 years ago3 years ago02 mins

Solid State Drive Buyer’s Guide
Should you consider upgrading to a solid state drive? Weigh all the pros and cons and evaluate the cost and value of doing so by reading this guide.

The Ins And Outs Of Solid State Storage
The benefits introduced by solid state drives are undeniable. However, there are a few pitfalls to consider when switching to this latest storage technology. This article provides a rundown for beginners and decision makers.

17 SSDs Rounded Up
Which SSD should you buy today? Seventeen flash-based drives battle across a benchmark suite that include throughput, I/O performance, consistency, power consumption, efficiency, and the best overall bang for the buck. The time is right to upgrade.

A look at the NAND itself. How an SSD works at the lowest levels:

http://www.lostcircuits.com/mambo/ […] 9&Itemid=1
http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/ […] hp?t=65372

Write caching, wear levelling and the importance of partition alignment:

http://www.lostcircuits.com/mambo/ […] 2&Itemid=1

A broad overview of everything SSD (including TRIM):

http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3531
http://anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=3631 (A follow-up of the previous Anandtech article. Touches on a few more details, but it’s more of a review of OCZ drives than a good overview of SSDs. Worth reading if your SSD has an Indillinx controller.)

More links will be added here when I find them or when somebody else points me to them.

Data Storage

Samsung Solid State Drives Overview

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM13 years ago3 years ago03 mins

A solid-state drive(SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data. SSDs are distinguished from traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), which are electromechanical devices containing spinning disks and movable read/write heads. SSDs, in contrast, use microchips and data is retained in non-volatile memory chips and contain no moving parts. Compared to traditional HDDs, SSDs are typically less susceptible to physical shock, quieter, and have lower access time and latency. SSDs use the same interface as hard disk drives, thus easily replacing them in most applications.

With faster boot-up time, file searches, app start-ups, and less downtime and power usage, you’ll know why Solid State Drives are the best choice, and where hard drives got their name.

Top 10 reasons why to choice Solid State Drives:

Speed Up Your Boot-Up
Zip through File Searches
Trim File Transfer Time by Almost a Third
Start Applications in Seconds
Double File-Compilation Power
Cut Downtime by Half
Reduce Power Consumption
Master Multitasking
Cut Video-Editing Time
Take it Anywhere

Samsung Solid State Drives Overview:

64GB Solid State Drive – 470 Series
MZ-5PA064
$139.99
Specifications
2.5″ Form Factor/Serial ATA/64GB Capacity
Up to 170MB/s Write Speed/Up to 250MB/s Read Speed

128GB Solid State Drive – 470 Series
MZ-5PA128
$279.99
Specifications
2.5″ Form Factor/Serial ATA/128GB Capacity
Up to 220MB/s Write Speed/Up to 250MB/s Read Speed

256GB Solid State Drive – 470 Series
MZ-5PA256
$549.99
Specifications
2.5″ Form Factor/Serial ATA/256GB Capacity
Up to 220MB/s Write Speed/Up to 250MB/s Read Speed