SSD install (mostly works)

[A_Guy]

I just installed a 120GB OCZ SSD and it seems to be working great (with one small exception*).

I did not follow the standard advice of performing a clean install of Windows as I had zero interest in reinstalling all the applications and losing all of my desktop personalizations.

Here's how I got it to work.

1. Several weeks before I bought my SSD I partitioned my one 500GB hard drive.
a) First up was major defragging and clearing of free space (CCleaner, Defraggler - free downloads from filehipp.com)
b) Using Windows built in Disk Management tool I shrunk the main partition and created a new partition. (97 GB = C: = "OS", 343 GB = 😧 = "DATA")
c) I moved all my C:/Users data to the new 😧 as D:/Users and created a Junction from C:\Users to D:\Users so that all the pre-existing paths would continue to work.
d) Then I let it run for several weeks proving this new arrangement worked.
2. I bought my new SSD (OCZ Agility 3, 120 GB)
a) I made a good and complete backup of my computer. My preference is the backup provided with Windows Home Server (v1.0)
b) download driver for the network card. You want the 32bit Vista drivers even if you're using 64bit Win 7 (because the backup/restore software doesn't care one whit what OS you boot from when you're using their restore CD). Unzip this (don't get the .EXE version) and copy it to a USB stick.
c) (turn off, unplug, remove battery) I moved the HDD from bay 1 to bay 2 and installed the new SSD in bay 1. Reboot and use Disk Management to partition and format the SSD. (This step might be unnecessary)
d) Boot computer on restore CD and restore the C: image to the new SSD.
e) Reboot computer (you're still on the old OS partition for now) and in an Admin CMD window use bcdedit to make the partition on the SSD bootable.
f) Reboot and you'll be prompted to choose which of two OS images to boot from. They have the same name so you might get it wrong the first time.
g) Once you're booted on the SSD, use Disk Management to remove the drive letter from the old OS partition. I also used diskpart to mark the partition as inactive.

I plan on leaving the old OS partition intact for a few weeks until I know the new SSD is working well. Then I will make a backup, remove all the partitions on the HDD and restore my data to it, enjoying all the new space re-acquired form the old OS partition.




*My one trouble spot is that I cannot refresh the Windows Experience Index. My old HDD based value was 5.9 and that low number dragged down the stats for the whole machine. From what I've read, I expected a number over 7, but instead the tool that updates the rating crashes every time. Everything else seems to be running happily. The boot times do not scream, but they are faster - and not in a way that you have to use a stopwatch to prove it, you can tell.

[A_Guy]

Still on the trail. One post showed how to scan for corrupt files. Did that, found some that can't be fixed.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

Run a CMD as Administrator...

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>SFC /SCANNOW

Beginning system scan. This process will take some time.

Beginning verification phase of system scan.
Verification 100% complete.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.
Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For example
C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

C:\Windows\system32>

Hmm, it's only files relating to the Chinese interface that are broken. Don't think I care. Although what happened to the disk to cause them?

... removed for clarity

2012-07-20 11:48:13, Info CSI 0000018a [SR] Verifying 100 (0x0000000000000064) components
2012-07-20 11:48:13, Info CSI 0000018b [SR] Beginning Verify and Repair transaction
2012-07-20 11:48:13, Info CSI 0000018d [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD" of Microsoft-Windows-IME-Simplified-Chinese-Core, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2012-07-20 11:48:13, Info CSI 0000018f [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD" of Microsoft-Windows-IME-Simplified-Chinese-Core, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2012-07-20 11:48:13, Info CSI 00000190 [SR] This component was referenced by [l:202{101}]"Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.7601.17514.WindowsFoundationDelivery"
2012-07-20 11:48:14, Info CSI 00000193 [SR] Could not reproject corrupted file [ml:520{260},l:62{31}]"\??\C:\Windows\IME\IMESC5\DICTS"\[l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD"; source file in store is also corrupted
2012-07-20 11:48:14, Info CSI 00000195 [SR] Verify complete

... removed for clarity

2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 000005fc [SR] Repairing 1 components
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 000005fd [SR] Beginning Verify and Repair transaction
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 000005ff [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD" of Microsoft-Windows-IME-Simplified-Chinese-Core, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 00000601 [SR] Cannot repair member file [l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD" of Microsoft-Windows-IME-Simplified-Chinese-Core, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_AMD64 (9), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 00000602 [SR] This component was referenced by [l:202{101}]"Microsoft-Windows-Foundation-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~6.1.7601.17514.WindowsFoundationDelivery"
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 00000605 [SR] Could not reproject corrupted file [ml:520{260},l:62{31}]"\??\C:\Windows\IME\IMESC5\DICTS"\[l:22{11}]"PINTLGB.IMD"; source file in store is also corrupted
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 00000607 [SR] Repair complete
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 00000608 [SR] Committing transaction
2012-07-20 11:53:00, Info CSI 0000060c [SR] Verify and Repair Transaction completed. All files and registry keys listed in this transaction have been successfully repaired

[A_Guy]

Aug 4 update. I had given up on trying to get the score to compute and since it seemed that it was aan isolated problem I'd forgotten about it and just gone on with life.

Was poking around and just saw that the score was now populated!

The old score for the primary hard disk was 5.9 and the new score is 7.8 - the 5.9 had been the limiting score previously, now the limiting score is 7.2 and is connected to graphics. And since I can play my favorite game at 60fps on the highest settings, I'm happy with those too!

Oddly enough the RAM score dropped from 7.6 to 7.5 - what's up with that????

[Gorman]

Don't trust the Windows Experience Index 😉