Installing a 60 gig SSD

[Flifast]

Q.  Installing the hardware is not a problem, but how do I move or migrate my OS to the SSD?  Would I reinstall Aces High on the SSD or try to copy it to the SSD?  I do not have a windows 7 install disc, but I can retrieve the product code from the current HD.

Q.  Will this SSD improve game play and will it help me get the first shot on spawn campers?

Flifast

[BrockS]

Why don't you run both drives. Put AH on the SSD separate from the drive with the OS. I have mine set up that way. OS on a regular HDD and all my simulators on the other.

[Flifast]

That would be the easiest , but I'm not sure I'd get full use of the SSD on boot up from cold?

Flifast

[BrockS]

No it won't improve your boot up time but your games will theoretically run faster since the SSD will be running separate from the OS and background services on the HDD. Move all your games, photoshop etc to the SSD and just keep the OS on the origional drive. Clean the HDD up with Wise Disk Cleaner, Wise Registry Cleaner and defrag. Go to msconfig, Google each start up item if you don't know what it is and the services. Turn off anything that is not neccessary. My PC boots off HDD in about 30-45 seconds (Windows 7).

I think if you check other forums online you will find this is the method most have used when adding SSD to a system that already has the OS on a HDD.

Also, keep your sytem as clean as possible. I have over a tera byte of storage space but actually use a tiny portion. I keep all media on an external storage device and went through my add/remove programs list and got rid of all uneccessary garbage. Be sure to defrag and run registry cleaner after you do though. I find a dirty registry is a big factor in boot times if since your computer has to go through a bunch of defunct and dead end registries on startup.

[Spikes]

I don't think it'll help with spawn campers, that is all internet lag.

[Bizman]

I do not have a windows 7 install disc, but I can retrieve the product code from the current HD.

If your computer came with the OS preinstalled, the reinstall media is most likely on your hard drive. Brand name computers also nag about making factory default reset disks until you tick the "don't remind me anymore" box. In that case you'll find the disk creator in the Start menu, in the brand folder. With the dvd pack you'll be able to reinstall your OS to the SSD after removing the HDD. If your computer has a pirated OS, forget about the above.

In any case you can move your OS to another HDD with a disk cloning program. There may even be one bundled to the SSD. You might have to uninstall most of the programs, though, and remove all your files before cloning, since the SSD's tend to be a lot smaller than HDD's. Tidying your OS as BrockS advised is not a bad idea either.

AFAIK putting Windows and the most important (speed wise) programs on the SSD and using the HDD as a storage for files is the way to build a fast rig. Just as a side note, there has been a lot of debate about AH's disk usage during gameplay, which may break an SSD prematurely.

[BrockS]

AFAIK putting Windows and the most important (speed wise) programs on the SSD and using the HDD as a storage for files is the way to build a fast rig.

This is also a way to go. I tried cloning my OS and it didn't work out too well so I had to reformat and reinstall everything. My files cloned but the OS didn't work. I I guess where you put the OS is debateable. Pros and cons for both. As for me, I use FS2004 with a lot of add-on software. I found it ran better when it was on a drive separate from the OS. That way the computer isn't having to read (run) both the OS and game from the same drive. One drive runs the OS and the other is dedicated to the game. I suppose it depends what priority you put on speed, boot and OS or your games/programs.

Which ever you do, make sure all from SSD is backed up somewhere. I have read a lot of reviews where people have turned on their computer and got a "drive not installed" message. And, unlike a HDD, I'm not sure SDD data is recoverable (I may be wrong on this one).

As for your OS back-up. Go to Computer in your startup menu. If your factory back-up is on your HDD you will see something like C drive and then another drive that appears to almost be full. That is your OS back-up. And as stated above there is a windows utility to use this to burn a disk for reinstalling windows.

[Bizman]

Just a side note: sometimes the recovery partition is hidden and can't be seen in Computer. In that case the manual is your friend, or Google. Like, "reinstall <Brand, model> facture defaults"...

[Flifast]

All good news.

[Bizman]

Just a side note: sometimes the recovery partition is hidden and can't be seen in Computer. In that case the manual is your friend, or Google. Like, "reinstall <Brand, model> factory defaults"...

Must have been half asleep while typing...

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Just a side note: sometimes the recovery partition is hidden and can't be seen in Computer. In that case the manual is your friend, or Google. Like, "reinstall <Brand, model> facture defaults"...

Manual is your friend and any computer that comes with a manual is your enemy.