SSD drive optimize

Question

Hey,

I have three computers, all with a version of Windows 10 Insider Dev. That is, updates made  almost weekly.
All three machines also have an SSD drive.
When I make the updates, I have to change the setup  that  change Optimize On -> Off. Because the update always changes it to On.
The SSD should not be optimized because it does not speed up its operation.
The option only consumes the SSD unnecessarily. You would think that Microsoft would be able to check which drive is in use,
and in the case of an SSD, the optimization would not be changed to On. This is not a big problem, but not everyone will notice
change the optimization.
hrtm58.fi

Answer 1

SSD drives are not optimize in the same manner as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD).  Hard disks are defragmented using the "Optimize" feature in Windows 10.  For SSD(s) optimization is basically running "Trim" which frees up the space / blocks which previous contain a file or part of a file that  was deleted but Trim has yet to make it available for reuse. Using Optimization  on an SSD does not cause any wear on a SSD where as failure to run Trim / Optimize (which by default runs in the background when you computer is idle) where as "Optimize" as on a schedule (Default is every 10 days) or on demand.

What you do not want to do if you have a SSD is run Defragmentation software as it will not result in a performance boost and "does" cause excessive wear on the SSD. However unlike SSD drives, Hard drives do perform better after defragmenting the hard drive.

So for your SSD "Optimize" but do not defrag.

https://www.pcworld.com/article/3188460/when-to-check-defrag-and-optimize-storage-devices.html

J W Stuart: https://www.pagestart.com

Answer 2

Hi,

Just as a side note.. I have noticed this as well, and not just with SSDs..

I use a 3rd party defragger because of it's extra features, so I turn off the scheduled Windows Defrag tool..

Recently.. sometime in the last 6 months to a year, Major windows updates turn the scheduled optimization back on.. I also find that irritating.. I discovered this accidentally when a 8TB HDD was running continuously for an unknown reason.. Very aggravating, especially when you forget to turn it back off..

I am not worried about the wear and tear on my SSD.. I have abused it badly over the years and it is still working good.. I think that the former issues of defragging and overwriting on SSDs is ancient history..

CrystalDiskInfo shows more power on cycles and TBs written on the SSD than most of my HDDs..

The issue is the program accessing my drives of any type, behind the scenes, without my permission..

Answer 3

Hi hrtm58,

As far as I know Windows will only Optimize when necessary although analysed is done more often.

Of course, it is up to you how your computer is set up and here is a write up about Trim.

What is SSD TRIM, why is it useful, and how to check whether it is turned on | Digital Citizen

Answer 4

Hi BryceSor,
So my biggest problem is that the computer is doing something I haven’t allowed. SSD optimization is one thing I see as a pointless measure. Analysis and optimization are, of course, different things, but both make unnecessary use of computer resources. If for some reason I want to optimize the SSD drive, I can do it manually. Like I said, this is not a big problem. I regret my poor English language skills, this is written using a translator.

Answer 5

Hopefully this Doc helps:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/defrag

Scheduled task The defragmentation process runs scheduled task as a maintenance task, which typically runs every week. As an Administrator, you can change the how often the task runs by using the Optimize Drives app.

• When run from the scheduled task, defrag uses the below policy guidelines for SSDs:
  • Traditional optimization processes. Includes traditional defragmentation, for example moving files to make them reasonably contiguous and retrim. This is done once per month. However, if both traditional defragmentation and retrim are skipped, then analysis isn't run. Changing the frequency of the scheduled task does not affect the once per month cadence for the SSDs.
  • If you manually run traditional defragmentation on a SSD, between your normally scheduled runs, the next scheduled task run performs analysis and retrim, but skips traditional defragmentation on that SSD.
  • If you skip analysis, you won't see an updated Last run time in the Optimize Drives app. Because of that, the Last run time can be up to a month old.
  • You might find that scheduled task hasn't defragmented all volumes. This is typically because:
    • The process won't wake the computer to run.
    • The computer isn't plugged in. The process won't run if the computer is running on battery power.
    • The computer started back up (resumed from idle).