Increase the performance and lifespan of your SSD

[John Doe]

Anybody else consider the possibility that periodically moving the
swap file on an SSD might help prolong its life while reaping the
benefit of an SSD swapfile?

In other words... Instead of putting the swap file on a conventional
drive, keep it on your SSD. Every once in a while, but just the swap
file so that Windows moves it to another location. You can do that
easily enough by deleting the swap file and then copying files to
intrude on that former swap file space. Then you have Windows make
another swapfile in a different location.

 

[Rene Lamontagne]

Anybody else consider the possibility that periodically moving the
swap file on an SSD might help prolong its life while reaping the
benefit of an SSD swapfile?

In other words... Instead of putting the swap file on a conventional
drive, keep it on your SSD. Every once in a while, but just the swap
file so that Windows moves it to another location. You can do that
easily enough by deleting the swap file and then copying files to
intrude on that former swap file space. Then you have Windows make
another swapfile in a different location.

My Swapfile is on my D: spin drive, Always has been, always will be.
My SSD will die one day in the future Then I will buy a new one.
Just can't waste time worrying about minor possibilities.

Rene

 

[Rene Lamontagne]

And what is the benefit of that.


Fine, but my post is meant for technically oriented users. You
know, people who enjoy making the most out of their systems. If
you are computer illiterate, you should stick to asking questions.

Question? No I won't waste my time with you.

Rene

 

[John Doe]

Try finding discussion of whether (pagefile.sys) is manipulated by
SSD wear leveling, and then get back to me about being technically
oriented. Until then, consider yourself a troll...

--

 

[John Doe]

Anybody who's done any reading about SSDs knows about wear
leveling. But as any technically inclined user knows, an algorithm
doesn't always cover every base. The (pagefile.sys) is different
from practically every other file in Windows. I have searched
hard, but not found anything conclusive or authoritative about an
SSD handling (pagefile.sys).

--

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

Extraneous newsgroups snipped.

Try finding discussion of whether (pagefile.sys) is manipulated by
SSD wear leveling, and then get back to me about being technically
oriented.

Any file writes are handled by wear leveling since wear leveling is
handled at the SSD firmware level so *any* file write is seen the same
by the SSD.

Until then, consider yourself a troll...

Pot, meet kettle.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

On Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:43:59 +0000 (UTC), "John Doe"

Anybody who's done any reading about SSDs knows about wear
leveling. But as any technically inclined user knows, an algorithm
doesn't always cover every base. The (pagefile.sys) is different
from practically every other file in Windows. I have searched
hard, but not found anything conclusive or authoritative about an
SSD handling (pagefile.sys).

That's because (as any technically inclined user knows) pagefile.sys is
a file. To the storage medium, a file is a file, no matter what
purpose the OS puts it to. Wear leveling is done in the SSD firmware,
which sees any file write the same as any other so wear leveling
applies.

--
Zaphod

"Yeah. Listen, I'm Zaphod Beeblebrox, my father was Zaphod Beeblebrox
the Second, my grandfather Zaphod Beeblebrox the Third..."

"What?"

"There was an accident with a contraceptive and a time machine. Now
concentrate!"

 

[Brandon Staggs]

on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 20:43:59 +0000 (UTC):

Anybody who's done any reading about SSDs knows about wear
leveling. But as any technically inclined user knows, an algorithm
doesn't always cover every base. The (pagefile.sys) is different
from practically every other file in Windows. I have searched
hard, but not found anything conclusive or authoritative about an
SSD handling (pagefile.sys).

Wear leveling is done on firmware level. Your pagefile is just more
sectors on the SSD. There absolutely zero benefit to managing this
yourself. I certainly wouldn't waste time messing with the page file
on the remote possibility that my SSD is defective and not doing its
own wear leveling.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Anybody else consider the possibility that periodically moving the
swap file on an SSD might help prolong its life while reaping the
benefit of an SSD swapfile?

In other words... Instead of putting the swap file on a conventional
drive, keep it on your SSD. Every once in a while, but just the swap
file so that Windows moves it to another location. You can do that
easily enough by deleting the swap file and then copying files to
intrude on that former swap file space. Then you have Windows make
another swapfile in a different location.

The SSD wear leveler does a better job of this than you possibly
could. Leave it alone.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Anybody who's done any reading about SSDs knows about wear
leveling. But as any technically inclined user knows, an algorithm
doesn't always cover every base. The (pagefile.sys) is different
from practically every other file in Windows. I have searched
hard, but not found anything conclusive or authoritative about an
SSD handling (pagefile.sys).

Why would the SSD know or care that it was in the pagefile? It's just
a frequently written block.

 

[John Doe]

Firmware shmirmware. Back when I bought an IBM PC, using some
instruction from a Peter Norton book and the C programming
language, I wrote directly to video memory. The operating system
deals directly with hardware drivers. Just because wear leveling
is done by firmware, doesn't mean it does it all.

--

 

[John Doe]

Why would the SSD know or care that it was in the pagefile? It's
just a frequently written block.

The SSD might not, but Windows does. Windows is able to deal on a
very low level with hardware.

 

[John Doe]

I've seen conflicting opinions about whether (pagefile.sys) is
handled like any ordinary file with respect to SSD wear leveling.
Somehow I doubt that information is available to anybody except
Microsoft, Intel, and similarly situated hardware engineers. So I
wouldn't just brush it off.

--

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From: Loren Pechtel <lorenpechtel hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt
Subject: Re: Increase the performance and lifespan of your SSD
Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:54:31 -0800
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Anybody else consider the possibility that periodically moving the
swap file on an SSD might help prolong its life while reaping the
benefit of an SSD swapfile?

In other words... Instead of putting the swap file on a conventional
drive, keep it on your SSD. Every once in a while, but just the swap
file so that Windows moves it to another location. You can do that
easily enough by deleting the swap file and then copying files to
intrude on that former swap file space. Then you have Windows make
another swapfile in a different location.

The SSD wear leveler does a better job of this than you possibly
could. Leave it alone.

 

[John Doe]

If this were a waste of time, it wouldn't generate so much
interest. I seriously doubt this thing really knows what it's
talking about...

--

 

[Brandon Staggs]

on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:59:55 +0000 (UTC):

Just because wear leveling
is done by firmware, doesn't mean it does it all.

Actually that's exactly what it means. Instead of just guessing, why
not look up "static wear leveling" and read about it? Don't waste
your time deleting and moving files in hopes that you will by accident
do something better than your SSD is designed to do on purpose and by
default.

Look at it this way: let's say you have an almost-full SSD with a PE
cycle limit of 10,000 (to pick a number), how many times do you think
you have to "move" your page file to effectively handle wear leveling
on your own over, say, three years?

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

Anybody else consider the possibility that periodically moving the
swap file on an SSD might help prolong its life while reaping the
benefit of an SSD swapfile?

In other words... Instead of putting the swap file on a conventional
drive, keep it on your SSD. Every once in a while, but just the swap
file so that Windows moves it to another location. You can do that
easily enough by deleting the swap file and then copying files to
intrude on that former swap file space. Then you have Windows make
another swapfile in a different location.

I don't understand how you think "moving" the swap file (on purpose,
every once in a while) will imporve anything. The way the controller
works, the "swapped" information is "moved" to a new location on the
SSD every time new data is written. Data is "never" written back to
the old cells on a (relatively new) SSD. Only very old SSDs (or very
full ones) didn't write to previously erased cells, because erasing
cells is much slower.

 

[John Doe]

Spammer

--

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Subject: Re: Increase the performance and lifespan of your SSD
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Are you on some sort of medication?

 

[John Doe]

I did with this troll said, I searched for

"static wear leveling" "pagefile.sys"

And received a total of four results, none of them useful.

I wonder why so much interest from the UK.

--

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Subject: Re: Increase the performance and lifespan of your SSD
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on Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:59:55 +0000 (UTC):

Just because wear leveling
is done by firmware, doesn't mean it does it all.

Actually that's exactly what it means. Instead of just guessing, why
not look up "static wear leveling" and read about it? Don't waste
your time deleting and moving files in hopes that you will by accident
do something better than your SSD is designed to do on purpose and by
default.

Look at it this way: let's say you have an almost-full SSD with a PE
cycle limit of 10,000 (to pick a number), how many times do you think
you have to "move" your page file to effectively handle wear leveling
on your own over, say, three years?

 

[John Doe]

I don't understand how you think "moving" the swap file (on
purpose, every once in a while) will imporve anything.

I don't see why you are so confident that the SSD wear leveling
algorithm would treat (pagefile.sys) like any ordinary file.
Obviously it doesn't, considering a reboot is required whenever
that file is changed.

The way the controller works, the "swapped" information is
"moved" to a new location on the SSD every time new data is
written. Data is "never" written back to the old cells on a
(relatively new) SSD. Only very old SSDs (or very full ones)
didn't write to previously erased cells, because erasing cells
is much slower.

But obviously (pagefile.sys) is not manipulated like any ordinary
file. Otherwise a reboot would not be required whenever it's
changed.

As far as I know, the operating system addresses the swap file
differently than other files. That's why it is unmovable on the
drive. Seems to me it would be addressing the actual locations on
the drive, instead of working its way through drive software.
Unless you're an engineer, I'm very sure you don't know better.

 

[Charlie Hoffpauir]

I don't see why you are so confident that the SSD wear leveling
algorithm would treat (pagefile.sys) like any ordinary file.
Obviously it doesn't, considering a reboot is required whenever
that file is changed.


But obviously (pagefile.sys) is not manipulated like any ordinary
file. Otherwise a reboot would not be required whenever it's
changed.

The SSD doesn't "know" it's dealing with any particular file. How can
it know it's handling pagefile.sys "now"? And a reboot is required for
"many" things in windows, including (sometimes) installing new
software.

As far as I know, the operating system addresses the swap file
differently than other files.

That's why it is unmovable on the
drive. Seems to me it would be addressing the actual locations on
the drive, instead of working its way through drive software.

It's certainly not unmovable on the drive. I've moved mine several
times.

Unless you're an engineer, I'm very sure you don't know better.

Actually, I am an engineer, but that has nothing to do with the
discussion.

The simple fact is that rotating disks can write new information to a
location without specifically erasing the old information first. A SSD
can't do that . It has to do an "erase" in a cell before it can
"Write" to the same cell. But it doesn't do it cell-by-cell. It does
it in blocks. So when it writes "new" data to the swap file, it CANNOT
write it into the same blocks where the previously written data was
stored.... or if it does, it has to wait for the erase to take place,
which takes a lot longer than the write. So the whole idea of making a
SSD fast depends on writing to previously erased locations, and
depending on the garbage collection to take care of erasing no longer
needed cells and getting them ready for the fast writes to come at a
later time. .... So, new swap file data is always written to "new"
locations on a SSD. Because the old data can't be erased before the OS
tells the controller that the old information has been "replaced" by
the new.