How To Install OS on SSD
I received my ASUS ZenBook UX32V from MEI MicroCenter
It is supposed to have an SSD drive and an HDD installed. It does.
Here is what the BIOS is reporting:
Serial ATA Port 0
Device Type: Hard Disk
Model Name: Hitachi HTS545050A7E380
Serial Number: TE95123RG8P67V
Serial ATA Port 1
Device Type: Hard Disk
Model Name: SanDisk SSD i100 32GB
Serial Number: 121700101035
I noticed that this laptop is taking about the same amount of time to start up as my desktop that does not have an SSD drive.
I also noticed that, when it is really, really quiet, I can hear the hard drive running at boot time.
1) How can I tell if the operating system (Windows 7 Home Premium) is installed to the SSD drive or not?
2) Will I have to move the SSD drive to SATA Port 0 in order for the OS to install on it instead of the HDD?
I would just take it back to MicroCenter and tell them to 'just fix it' but they are about an hour away.
I thought if anyone here could give me some ideas I would try that first.
I have no qualms about re-installing - the data on the drives is expendable.
I would be hesitant to swap the drives if that's what is needed here.
Thanks in advance for any ideas, hints or suggestions you might have.
/David C.
It is supposed to have an SSD drive and an HDD installed. It does.
Here is what the BIOS is reporting:
Serial ATA Port 0
Device Type: Hard Disk
Model Name: Hitachi HTS545050A7E380
Serial Number: TE95123RG8P67V
Serial ATA Port 1
Device Type: Hard Disk
Model Name: SanDisk SSD i100 32GB
Serial Number: 121700101035
I noticed that this laptop is taking about the same amount of time to start up as my desktop that does not have an SSD drive.
I also noticed that, when it is really, really quiet, I can hear the hard drive running at boot time.
1) How can I tell if the operating system (Windows 7 Home Premium) is installed to the SSD drive or not?
2) Will I have to move the SSD drive to SATA Port 0 in order for the OS to install on it instead of the HDD?
I would just take it back to MicroCenter and tell them to 'just fix it' but they are about an hour away.
I thought if anyone here could give me some ideas I would try that first.
I have no qualms about re-installing - the data on the drives is expendable.
I would be hesitant to swap the drives if that's what is needed here.
Thanks in advance for any ideas, hints or suggestions you might have.
/David C.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
ASKER
Thanks for the responses and excellent ideas!
I'll let you know how things turn out.
/David C.
I'll let you know how things turn out.
/David C.
ASKER
In the end, it was my mis-understanding as to what "Instant On" really meant.
ASKER
In the end, it was my mis-understanding as to what "Instant On" really meant.
ASKER
Wait! Where did all that I just wrote disappear to? Argh!
ASKER
I'm too tired to write all that again all over from the beginning. I'll try again tomorrow morning. Sorry about that.
ASKER
One of these days I'll be wise enough to know NOT to compose in a web form.
I composed my latest message and clicked the 'Accept Multiple Solutions' button.
When the page refreshed, it cleared what I had typed from the text entry box.
Anyway -
Here's how things turned out . . .
I drove over to MEI MicroCenter after work today.
When I walked in there was a short line at the Repair counter. A person came up and set my expectations really LOW - he told me that there was a $70 minimum fee and that the next available day to work on systems dropped off today was September 4th. I suppose that reduces the line in some cases, but I figured he was talking about systems out of warranty. He directed me to fill out a form - which was kinda nice because by the time I finished it, I was next in line.
The person I spoke with at the counter was very polite and seemed knowledgeable and to understand the topic we've been discussing here. She politely excused herself saying that she was going to speak with the technicians and disappeared to a back room.
After a few minutes, she returned with Hayward who also very politely introduced himself to me. Hayward patiently explained that he understood why I would think that the SSD drive would be the drive to boot from, but that it is far too small to hold the entire operating system. He explained that when the product description says "Instant On" that it doesn't mean it turns on instantly. A more accurate description would be 'Resumes from stand-by instantly' or something like that. The SSD drive is designed to hold the system image that is reloaded when you open the laptop and you see that screen that says "Resuming Windows".
Hayward even took the time to explain that this laptop is designed to rarely need to be shut down and rebooted. He said that when I am finished with it, I should simply close the lid. When I'm ready to use it again, simply open the lid and it will be 'instantly on'. At that point I remembered the ASUS advertisement for it saying 'Always On, Always Connected'.
Now it made sense.
So, a little customer education is all it took.
Which is nice, because I LOVE this laptop so far - and I did NOT want to go until September 4th or after without it.
Thanks for reading and for all the great thoughts and ideas.
/David C.
I composed my latest message and clicked the 'Accept Multiple Solutions' button.
When the page refreshed, it cleared what I had typed from the text entry box.
Anyway -
Here's how things turned out . . .
I drove over to MEI MicroCenter after work today.
When I walked in there was a short line at the Repair counter. A person came up and set my expectations really LOW - he told me that there was a $70 minimum fee and that the next available day to work on systems dropped off today was September 4th. I suppose that reduces the line in some cases, but I figured he was talking about systems out of warranty. He directed me to fill out a form - which was kinda nice because by the time I finished it, I was next in line.
The person I spoke with at the counter was very polite and seemed knowledgeable and to understand the topic we've been discussing here. She politely excused herself saying that she was going to speak with the technicians and disappeared to a back room.
After a few minutes, she returned with Hayward who also very politely introduced himself to me. Hayward patiently explained that he understood why I would think that the SSD drive would be the drive to boot from, but that it is far too small to hold the entire operating system. He explained that when the product description says "Instant On" that it doesn't mean it turns on instantly. A more accurate description would be 'Resumes from stand-by instantly' or something like that. The SSD drive is designed to hold the system image that is reloaded when you open the laptop and you see that screen that says "Resuming Windows".
Hayward even took the time to explain that this laptop is designed to rarely need to be shut down and rebooted. He said that when I am finished with it, I should simply close the lid. When I'm ready to use it again, simply open the lid and it will be 'instantly on'. At that point I remembered the ASUS advertisement for it saying 'Always On, Always Connected'.
Now it made sense.
So, a little customer education is all it took.
Which is nice, because I LOVE this laptop so far - and I did NOT want to go until September 4th or after without it.
Thanks for reading and for all the great thoughts and ideas.
/David C.
ASKER
Yeah - I know I paid for it - but it's a hassle to drive two hours and who knows how much longer at the store to get it taken care of. If I need to, I'll drive over there this coming Saturday.
I think I found out for sure that Windows is installed to the HDD by visiting:
Computer Management -> Storage -> Disk Management
I right-clicked one of the volumes listed in the top half of the window and chose Properties. Then I clicked on the Hardware tab.
I see the two drives listed: Hitachi HDD and the SanDisk SSD as above. I highlighted one at a time and then clicked the Properties button. Here is what I found:
SanDisk SSD i100 32GB
Disk: Disk 1
Type: Basic
Status: Online
Partition Style: GUID Partition Table (GPT)
Capacity: 30534 MB
Volumes: Capacity:
4096 MB
26435 MB
Hitachi HTS545050A7E380
Disk: Disk 0
Type: Basic
Status: Online
Partition style: GUID Partition Table (GPT)
Capacity: 476812 MB
Volumes: Capacity:
25600 MB
DATA(D:) 286164 MB
OS(C:) 164847 MB
So - I could use the recovery partition to reinstall using the SSD for the OS?