new computer

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Re No need to defragment an SSD quite true but… you must ensure that "Trim is enabled. It should be enabled by default but occasionally it's not.

[FalcoParticipant @falco]

Raymond,

Could you please explain that a little bit more?

John

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Falco on 07/11/2019 23:56:35:

Raymond,

Could you please explain that a little bit more?

John

.

Wikipedia has a helpful page: **LINK**

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trim_(computing)

Which reminds me: I received my annual request today, for a small donation …

It seems like good value, compared with many things that we waste money on at this time of year; and yet:

[quote] You are part of the 2% of readers who donated to support Wikipedia. [/quote]

MichaelG.

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

Spot on Robert, I am not a big computer user but wanted a reliable machine that was not too slow. With the work that was done on my machine I think I have achieved that objective. The computer runs like new and is a "green" alternative to buying a new machine. I don't think that buying a new computer would have got me a really noticeable improvement in performance for what I do, so for me I think I made the right choice. Time will tell.

Doug

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

Posted by Mike Poole on 07/11/2019 00:18:23:

I have a cheap cloning tool that you just pop the drive to be cloned and the new drive in then press the button, 2 hours later job done, worked a treat to replace my old drive with a SSD hybrid drive.

Mike

That seems an interesting tool now that EaseUS Todo Backup no longer includes disk cloning in the free version. Can you say a little more about this tool. What's it called, where did it come from, and how much was it? Or maybe a link to it.

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Don't know which duplicator Mike uses, but CPC have a few, varying in price from £70 to £700.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Douglas Johnston on 08/11/2019 09:52:14:

Spot on Robert, I am not a big computer user but wanted a reliable machine that was not too slow.

…

so for me I think I made the right choice. Time will tell.

Doug

True, but the machine is only 'reliable' because it has given 9 years trouble free service. But don't forget it just failed!

Happened to be the hard-drive, but the fact of life is several other components are ageing too. Heat over time isn't good for electronics, and excess heat is likely if the cooling system is blocked with fluff or the cooling fan is past its best. Lots of things cause old computers to give way, sooner or later it will become 'Beyond Economic Repair'.

Professionally, laptops are usually lifed at 3 years, mainly because they get dropped, soaked or lost. Desktops are typically budgeted for replacement every 5 years, and Servers 7 years. Servers last longer than desktops because they run continually in a temperature controlled room – kept cool with hardly any power cycling.

Of course computers can and do last much longer, but statistically 9 year old computers are much less reliable than new ones. Computer reliability follows the bathtub curve. Due to a sprinkling of manufacturing faults brand new machines – less than 1% – are much more likely to fail than any that have run OK for a couple of months. Once they get to a certain age – perhaps 6 years – reliability gradually goes to pot, much as I'm doing. It's so sad – I used to have hair and run about!

Dave

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Falco, The page that Michael linked to will explain it clearly to you. and much better than I can. If Trim is not enabled [ and as I said it SHOULD ] but tech gremlins can on occasion have it disabled. it will seriously degrade the performance / life of the SSD. When enabled It optimizes the SSD and ensures that it will run at optimum speed regardless of age/use. and is related to the deleting of data much the same as Defrag does in Mechanical Hdd's.

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 08/11/2019 11:36:30:

Posted by Douglas Johnston on 08/11/2019 09:52:14:

Spot on Robert, I am not a big computer user but wanted a reliable machine that was not too slow.

…

so for me I think I made the right choice. Time will tell.

Doug

True, but the machine is only 'reliable' because it has given 9 years trouble free service. But don't forget it just failed!

Happened to be the hard-drive, but the fact of life is several other components are ageing too. Heat over time isn't good for electronics, and excess heat is likely if the cooling system is blocked with fluff or the cooling fan is past its best. Lots of things cause old computers to give way, sooner or later it will become 'Beyond Economic Repair'.

Professionally, laptops are usually lifed at 3 years, mainly because they get dropped, soaked or lost. Desktops are typically budgeted for replacement every 5 years, and Servers 7 years. Servers last longer than desktops because they run continually in a temperature controlled room – kept cool with hardly any power cycling.

Of course computers can and do last much longer, but statistically 9 year old computers are much less reliable than new ones. Computer reliability follows the bathtub curve. Due to a sprinkling of manufacturing faults brand new machines – less than 1% – are much more likely to fail than any that have run OK for a couple of months. Once they get to a certain age – perhaps 6 years – reliability gradually goes to pot, much as I'm doing. It's so sad – I used to have hair and run about!

Dave

I am a glass half full kind of chap and will take my chances with the reliability of the computer. I can understand that a 5 year cycle may well make sense in a commercial setting but in my position I am quite happy to take the risk of another breakdown. If such a breakdown occurs in the next year I will just take it on the chin and buy another computer, only having lost the repair cost which was less than one third of the price of a new machine. Anyway I would still have the 500Gb SSD which could have further uses. If on the other hand it lasts another 5 years, which is perfectly possible, I will be quids in (provided I too last another 5 years- but remember I am an optimist! )

Doug

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