Over the years, SSDs have become the standard option for primary storage due to their consistent performance and rapid file transfer speeds. In this article, we will outline some practical methods for maintaining your SSD. Let's dive in!

Why Is SSD Maintenance Necessary?

Solid-state drives (SSDs) have become popular in the PC market because they surpass traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) in terms of performance, speed, reliability, lifespan, energy efficiency, and more. However, similar to HDDs, SSDs can degrade over time and may experience reduced performance. This post will demonstrate what you can do to maintain your SSD on Windows 10/11.

Option 1: Thoroughly Clean Your SSD

When your SSD approaches its maximum capacity, file transfer speeds decline, and the system becomes unstable. Thus, avoid filling your SSD completely to prevent these issues. Over time, your SSD might accumulate a large number of junk files, invalid registry entries, unwanted programs, and more.

To clean your SSD or HDD, MiniTool System Booster is a great option. This PC optimization software is designed to maximize your HDD or SSD performance. It supports cleaning junk files, optimizing memory usage, defragmenting drives, and removing invalid registries on nearly all Windows systems.

Here’s how to maintain your SSD using MiniTool System Booster:

Step 1. Open this free tool to access its main interface.

Step 2. In the right pane, click on Performance Home and select Deepclean from the drop-down menu.

Step 3. Click START CLEAN and it will thoroughly clean your computer with seven cleanup tasks. You can run them individually or skip some based on your preferences.

Additionally, selecting the appropriate power plan while performing various online tasks can help reduce stress on your SSD’s flash memory cells. Visit the LiveBoost page where you’ll find seven available power options under PowerSense:

• Ultra Performance-Gaming
• Ultra Performance-Music/Video Production
• Ultra Performance-Graphics/3D/CAD Design
• Ultra Performance-Programming
• Endurance-Maximize Battery
• Balanced-Office Productivity
• Balanced-Web Browsing

Option 2: Update Your SSD Firmware

SSD manufacturers occasionally release firmware updates to fix technical issues or bugs. Updating your firmware promptly can help maintain your SSD. The firmware update process varies by manufacturer, so visit the official website of your SSD manufacturer or tools like Samsung Magician, Western Digital Dashboard, Kingston SSD Manager, and others to manually download and install updates.

Option 3: Enable TRIM

Enabling the TRIM command is crucial for SSD maintenance. With TRIM enabled, your operating system informs the SSD to erase and consolidate unused data blocks. This prevents unnecessary writes and prolongs the life of your drive.

TRIM is enabled by default on Windows 7 and later versions. For older operating systems, here’s how to enable TRIM:

Step 1. Search for cmd in the Windows Search box to locate Command Prompt.

Step 2. Right-click on it and select Run as administrator.

Step 3. In the command window, enter the command below and press Enter:

fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0

Option 4: Enable AHCI

AHCI, or Advanced Host Controller Interface, supports advanced SATA features like hot swapping and NCQ. Hot swapping allows SATA drives to be replaced without shutting down, while NCQ improves file transfer performance by reducing head movement and accelerating access times on drives using AHCI. To enable AHCI on your computer, follow these steps:

Step 1. Launch Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2. In the command window, type the command below and hit Enter.

bcdedit /set safeboot minimal

Step 3. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS menu.

Step 4. Change the SATA Operation mode to AHCI and press F12 to save the changes.

Step 5. Exit BIOS; your computer will automatically boot into Safe Mode. Open Command Prompt with administrative rights again and execute the following command:

bcdedit /deletevalue {current} safeboot

Step 6. After completing these steps, restart your computer, and it will automatically start with AHCI enabled.

Option 5: Disable Index

Windows Search Indexer (SearchIndexer.exe) provides instant search results, but it continuously analyzes files and media in the background, even when not actively searching, consuming additional CPU and RAM resources. Disabling Windows Search Service can conserve system resources and help maintain your SSD. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Press Win R to open the Run box.

Step 2. Type services.msc and press Enter to open Services.

Step 3. Scroll down in the service list to find Windows Search and right-click on it to choose Properties.

Step 4. Set Start type to Disable, click Stop, and save your changes.

Option 6: Disable Hibernation

If you’re using a laptop, hibernation saves your current state and shuts down to conserve power while idle. However, desktop PCs don’t require this feature since they remain plugged in. Additionally, the hibernation file occupies a significant amount of disk space as it stores a snapshot of your computer’s memory. Desktop users can follow these steps to disable this feature:

Step 1. Open an elevated Command Prompt.

Step 2. Type powercfg -h off and press Enter.

Final Thoughts

These practices will help reduce PC performance degradation and ensure your SSD runs at its full potential. Additionally, a tool like MiniTool System Booster is worth considering. Using it can significantly enhance your SSD’s speed and performance.

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