4/26/2023 0 Comments Idefrag boot disk![]() ![]() The speeds on this SSD are incredible, and the impact they make on my MacBook Pro’s performance are easily observed and measured. ![]() But those were all subjective impressions how did the drive measure up in ojective testing? Applications launched notably quicker, and file copying also seemed to be noticeably faster. Subjective impressions and objective performanceĭuring the software update reboots, I got my first glimpse of the speed of this drive-reboots seemed very fast. Given this laptop isn’t my main computer, this is more than enough storage room for my needs. In addition, my internal drive has over 100GB available, and that’s before I clean out some of the redundant applications. When all was said and done, I had about 25GB left on my 48GB SSD, which is a good amount of free space. This took a couple of reboots, but I eventually had a machine with OS X 10.6.2 installed and ready for use. I also copied over many programs’ preferences and settings, to save myself the trouble of setting them up from scratch again.įinally, I ran Software Update and let it update the OS and installed applications. Once again, I didn’t copy everything, only the files and folders I access regularly. Technically you’ll be giving up a bit of speed, but you’ll keep a lot of read and write operations off of the SSD, which should help its longevity.Īfter installing my apps, I copied over key data files from the internal drive. If you have programs that use scratch disks, such as iMovie, Final Cut Express, and Photoshop, you may want to set them up to use your internal drive for scratch space. I expect it should work, but as of yet, that’s an untested theory. I haven’t tried this, but will probably do so to save myself having to reboot to use these programs. SymbolicLinker)) pointing to the originals on the internal drive. Note that you only need to do this for programs that install additional pieces when you install them programs that can be used via drag-and-drop should run just fine from the internal drive.Īnother possible solution would be to install everything from iLife, but then replace the rarely-used programs and their frameworks with aliases (or symbolic links, via Terminal or For example, I chose to only install iPhoto out of the iLife ’09 application suite-I rarely use GarageBand, iWeb or iDVD on my laptop, so I can just reboot and use them from the internal drive when the need arises. I didn’t worry about trying to make absolutely everything fit only those programs I use regularly are installed on the SSD. I then installed and/or copied my key applications from the internal drive to the external drive. Because the drive is only 48GB in size, it’s important to make the most of the space available. I customized the installation to minimize its size by removing excess printer drivers and the extra languages. Once installed, I inserted my Snow Leopard installation disc and started installing OS X on the drive. System Profiler then reported the drive as a serial ATA device, which is probably why it was usable as a boot disk. After testing the drive in this mode, though, I wouldn’t recommend it for normal use-it’s very slow when used in USB2 mode.Īfter I inserted the drive, it mounted nearly instantly in the Finder. That tiny little USB port is not an inbound USB port, but an outbound port-it’s there in case you want to connect the drive via USB2, for use with machines that lack an ExpressCard slot. And the light isn’t really that bright that’s the result of a long exposure in dim light.) (Click the image at right for a larger view of the inserted drive. When installed, the drive sits completely flush, revealing just an activity light and a miniature USB port. The drive in the ExpressCard slot, seen from the side and directly above. Sure, the performance isn’t what you’ll get from a leading-edge internal SSD, but compared to a hard drive, it’s still very good (as you’ll soon see). This is one of the most appealing factors about an ExpressCard SSD-installation is simple (and you get to keep your hard drive, too). Installing the drive couldn’t be much simpler-just insert it into the ExpressCard slot until it clicks into place, and then wait for it to appear in the Finder.
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