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Replacing SSD

BearCat
Level 10
I've been running a Crucial M4 128 GB SSD for a couple of years now and I want to replace it a Crucial M500 240GB SSD. I plan on putting the 128GB into my daughters laptop. I've never secure erased before. Crucial doesn't have a utilty for doing it so I've downloaded Parted Magic. I havn't tried the program yet. This is my plan
Start the computer and boot into Parted Magic (it's on a cd).
Secure erase the old SSD
After the erase is done shut off the computer remove old SSD and install new SSD and Windows.

Does this seem the proper way to do it or is there a better method? The old SSD should be ready to install into her laptop now, correct?
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TenBlade
Level 11
Have a read through this http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD-Knowledge/SSDs-and-Secure-Erase/ta-p/112580
Exerpts:

Follow these steps to delete partitions in Windows:

- Ensure the SSD is connected and is not the boot drive
- Right click Computer and select Manage
- Under Storage, select Disk Management. A list of the connected drives will appear
- In the lower right hand pane, find the drive you want to erase
- Right click on each partition and select Delete Volume.

... let the drive sit idle for an extended period, ideally at least overnight. This will allow an in-built function called Garbage Collection to clean all the cells...

Looks like you should install new SSD first, then connect old SSD externally with proper wire (probably comes packaged with cloning utility).
Secondly, concider other manufacturer, personally I´m a sucker for Samsung´s SSDs. Here´s a review, I urge you to find more, to get broadest angle on SSD.

BOLTS4BREKFAST
Level 12
Are you interested in cloning the 128gb to the 240gb prior to the secure erase so you don't have to do a clean install on your system?

Or are you WANTING to do a clean install on your system with the new 240GB SSD?

As far as your secure erase method.. it should work just fine.
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BearCat
Level 10
I already have the new 240GB Crucial. Got it for a good price. $140 CDN delivered to my door. I considered the Samsung drives but a lot of people aren't happy with their warranty in Canada.
Tenblade I considered your method of installing the new SSD and then hooking up the old one and erasing it. My concern with that method is booting up with two SSD's both running the same copy of Win 7. Or don't you think it would be a problem? Letting it sit and idle while it does the garbage collection would be good.
Yes, I want to do a clean install of Windows on the new drive. Been a while since I've done it.

BearCat
Level 10
This Parted Magic disk I have isn't working. I'll just let Windows 7 take care of it when I install it in the laptop. I'll make sure Trim is working after I get it all set up.
Thanks for your input guys.