Beware of SSD

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rickryan.com

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Dec 9, 2009
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Had a bit of a scare last night. As you may remember, I've changed out HD>SSD on several laptops and computers with very few problems. Last night I decided I wanted to upgrade my photobooth, which is a 24" Lenovo ThinkCentre running Win10. The Apricorn software which came with the HD dongle didn't work so I downloaded a copy of EaseUs. It got about 50% of the way thru the copy when it froze. After waiting a while, I hard booted, only to find that the boot track was now messed up. Dead PC and I'm scheduled to supply photobooth tomorrow (Saturday). Ran down to Best Buy and bought a copy of Win10 home and fortunately Windows was able to repair itself. Just thought I'd mention it as a reminder that these upgrade don't always go smoothly. Don't try them on a critical machine, 48 hours before you're suppose to use the computer.
 
I live life dangerously. I'll even hit "Update now" 30 minutes before show starts.
As long as you have backups, why not ..
 
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Had a bit of a scare last night. As you may remember, I've changed out HD>SSD on several laptops and computers with very few problems. Last night I decided I wanted to upgrade my photobooth, which is a 24" Lenovo ThinkCentre running Win10. The Apricorn software which came with the HD dongle didn't work so I downloaded a copy of EaseUs. It got about 50% of the way thru the copy when it froze. After waiting a while, I hard booted, only to find that the boot track was now messed up. Dead PC and I'm scheduled to supply photobooth tomorrow (Saturday). Ran down to Best Buy and bought a copy of Win10 home and fortunately Windows was able to repair itself. Just thought I'd mention it as a reminder that these upgrade don't always go smoothly. Don't try them on a critical machine, 48 hours before you're suppose to use the computer.

Why in the world would you re-purchase Windows? You have a valid license for that computer; all you needed to do was download the installer and format a flash drive or DVD.


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Why in the world would you re-purchase Windows? You have a valid license for that computer; all you needed to do was download the installer and format a flash drive or DVD.


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No. It was a refurb computer. No windows.
 
If it already had Windows on it previously, what I’m saying is that they don’t use a COA sticker for a product key anymore — the computer is essentially licensed in BIOS.

That means that if you have a blank hard drive and download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool for free from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO and install it to the blank SSD, it will just automatically register/activate without a product key or anything.

No need to re-purchase anything.

Edit: Some refurbished computers -may- have a product key sticker yet. If so it’s usually under the battery. If you had that then you would just need to enter that number when activating Windows.


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If it already had Windows on it previously, what I’m saying is that they don’t use a COA sticker for a product key anymore — the computer is essentially licensed in BIOS.

That means that if you have a blank hard drive and download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool for free from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO and install it to the blank SSD, it will just automatically register/activate without a product key or anything.

No need to re-purchase anything.

Edit: Some refurbished computers -may- have a product key sticker yet. If so it’s usually under the battery. If you had that then you would just need to enter that number when activating Windows.


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+1 W10 activation seems to be a lot looser than previous versions. With older versions if you had an OEM install you couldn't reinstall from your friend's retail disc. Which was ridiculous IMHO.
 
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If it already had Windows on it previously, what I’m saying is that they don’t use a COA sticker for a product key anymore — the computer is essentially licensed in BIOS.

That means that if you have a blank hard drive and download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool for free from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO and install it to the blank SSD, it will just automatically register/activate without a product key or anything.

No need to re-purchase anything.

Edit: Some refurbished computers -may- have a product key sticker yet. If so it’s usually under the battery. If you had that then you would just need to enter that number when activating Windows.


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Yes .. and no.

The key is now OEM provided (Dell, etc) in the ACPI table and can be retrieved automatically during the activation process in Windows 8 / 10. Theoretically, you will never be asked for a key to activate your machine. But to have the process run smoothly, you will need the right Windows 8/10 installation media that matches the one stored in BIOS. Or, you will be prompted to type in the right product key.

This does not apply to enterprise installations nor does it apply to home grown / custom built machines.
 
Are all the laptops for sale currently being offered by manufacturers switched to Sold State Drive?

I was just browsing new laptops at Best Buy. It seems everything is either a 128 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB SSD drive in the machines.

I can't buy a 1 TB or larger hard drive in a laptop any longer that is a new product?

Are manufacturers switching to SSD because it doesn't break down and freeze up like the older hard drives potentially could after so much use?
 
Are all the laptops for sale currently being offered by manufacturers switched to Sold State Drive?

I was just browsing new laptops at Best Buy. It seems everything is either a 128 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB SSD drive in the machines.

I can't buy a 1 TB or larger hard drive in a laptop any longer that is a new product?

Are manufacturers switching to SSD because it doesn't break down and freeze up like the older hard drives potentially could after so much use?
SSDs are considerably faster to boot and launch apps ... sometimes 4-5x as fast. Thankfully, pricing has come down to the point you can get a 1Tb SSD for less than $150. Laptop makers (especially Apple) are making much more profit on the SSD machines as they seem to be selling them at a higher price point.

If you're looking for a laptop and can stay away from Apple, I'd get one with a M.2 slot, put a 512Gb-1Tb SSD there (with the OS and swap/WM space) and put a 2Tb hybrid drive in the main bay .. best bang for the buck.
 
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Are manufacturers switching to SSD because it doesn't break down and freeze up like the older hard drives potentially could after so much use?
SSD's can have problems too - just not the same kind of problems - as there are no moving parts. Also, SSD's only have but so many read and write's.
 
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