SSDs and Windows XP

[ZombieKohhi]

I have read some articles that say SSDs and XP aren't really compatible. However all of the articles are from several years ago when SSDs were new. Do current SSDs work with Windows XP without problems?  

[Levent]

As long as you are able to plug it, there is no reason why it is "incompatible". You will have to some third party software for trimming the SSD though. I have a netbook from 2008 with a SSD running windows xp. 

[tkitch]

assuming your motherboard works with them properly, yes.  

 

There are motherboard settings SSDs need to work right.

[Eigenvektor]

2 minutes ago, ZombieKohhi said:

However all of the articles are from several years ago when SSDs were new. Do current SSDs work with Windows XP without problems?

The problem isn't so much that SSDs are new, but rather that XP is old. And it hasn't received any updates since then.

 

You can certainly install it on an SSD, but it may not support some features that are needed for best possible performance (e.g. TRIM). And it may do things that aren't optimal for an SSD's endurance, because it isn't aware that certain read/write patterns are suboptimal or that caching may not be needed because the drive is fast enough etc.

[ZombieKohhi]

14 minutes ago, Levent said:

As long as you are able to plug it, there is no reason why it is not "incompatible". You will have to some third party software for trimming the SSD though. I have a netbook from 2008 with a SSD running windows xp. 

What software did you use?

[aramini]

And if it is a new install and you are trying to install XP on the SSD itself, if I recall correctly, you will most likely need to install the SATA drivers via the F6 method during WinXP installation. I don't think XP had native sata drivers installed in the OS.

[Levent]

8 minutes ago, aramini said:

And if it is a new install and you are trying to install XP on the SSD itself, if I recall correctly, you will most likely need to install the SATA drivers via the F6 method during WinXP installation. I don't think XP had native sata drivers installed in the OS.

Windows XP does not support sata natively. It doesnt matter if its an SSD or a HDD.

 

12 minutes ago, ZombieKohhi said:

What software did you use?

Since I installed my old 840 Evo to it, I just installed Samsung Magician. 

[mariushm]

So you can use SSDs with Windows XP - from Windows XP's point of view, it's a SATA device, just like a mechanical hard drive.

 

Because Windows XP is not aware it's a SSD, it won't send the TRIM command from time to time, which is a command that tells the SSD it can do some internal cleanup and optimize some things that would improve performance of the SSD.

So basically, if you write a lot of stuff on the SSD, as you write, there's some portions of the ssd memory which becomes unusable until some cleanup, so those memory areas are set aside, and as you keep writing, the ssd controller has to spend more and more time finding areas in your memory chips where data can be written. So, your SSD would become slower over time. The SSD controller needs to clean up and reset those areas and put them back in "production" but normally waits until it's ide (nothing reads and writes to the SSD for a period of time).  The TRIM command simply tells the SSD to start cleaning up, without waiting. 

 

Defragmenting programs like O&O Defrag  (shareware) or Defraggler (freeware) has options to send the TRIM command and I think there's versions which run on Windows XP.

 

BUT if you install Windows XP and some games and then issue a trim while the SSD is in  another computer, and then you install the SSD in a windows xp machine and mostly run windows and play games and don't write a lot of stuff .... it would take weeks to months until you'd notice the SSD slowing down due to having to run that TRIM command, because you're not really writing much data to the drive.

 

3 minutes ago, Levent said:

Windows XP does not support sata natively. It doesnt matter if its an SSD or a HDD.

 

Are you sure about that? I've used SATA drives with Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 without any problems. OK, I cheated a bit by enabling IDE compatibility mode in BIOS, but basically it was possible to install even Windows 2000 without "slipstreaming" text-mode sata drivers in the installation CD.

 

 

[aramini]

4 minutes ago, Levent said:

Windows XP does not support sata natively. It doesnt matter if its an SSD or a HDD

Yes, I know that. WinXP came out in the days of PATA/IDE, but SSDs use sata interface or Nvme (M.2, U.2, etc)

 

So that was my point. I mean if you read my reply carefully, it was inferred.

[aramini]

17 minutes ago, aramini said:

don't think XP had native sata drivers installed in the OS.

^^^

[CerealExperimentsLain]

20 minutes ago, aramini said:

And if it is a new install and you are trying to install XP on the SSD itself, if I recall correctly, you will most likely need to install the SATA drivers via the F6 method during WinXP installation. I don't think XP had native sata drivers installed in the OS.

You can just get a third party Windows XP ISO that had additional drivers slip streamed in.  Or slipstream them into your own drive.

I'm here running both Windows XP and Windows ME on Kingston SSDs, no problem.

[flibberdipper]

5 minutes ago, mariushm said:

Are you sure about that? I've used SATA drives with Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 without any problems. OK, I cheated a bit by enabling IDE compatibility mode in BIOS, but basically it was possible to install even Windows 2000 without "slipstreaming" text-mode sata drivers in the installation CD.

What exactly were you trying to accomplish by saying this? XP doesn't have any SATA drivers in vanilla images. Naturally if you make the board run them in IDE mode or slipstream shit in, then the drives will work. You're kinda moving the goalposts around there bud.

[BondiBlue]

5 minutes ago, mariushm said:

Are you sure about that? I've used SATA drives with Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 without any problems. OK, I cheated a bit by enabling IDE compatibility mode in BIOS, but basically it was possible to install even Windows 2000 without "slipstreaming" text-mode sata drivers in the installation CD.

You ran the drive in IDE mode, so of course no SATA drivers were needed. If you wanted to use the drives as proper SATA drives (enabling higher speeds than IDE) then you'd have to install a driver when installing Windows. 

[Levent]

5 minutes ago, mariushm said:

Are you sure about that? I've used SATA drives with Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 without any problems. OK, I cheated a bit by enabling IDE compatibility mode in BIOS, but basically it was possible to install even Windows 2000 without "slipstreaming" text-mode sata drivers in the installation CD.

 

7 minutes ago, Levent said:

Windows XP does not support sata natively.

I didnt say it doesnt support it did i? I also used SATA devices with XP. MSDN/NonModified ISOs do not come with SATA drivers.

[mariushm]

Ok, Ok, calm down everyone. Message received.

[aramini]

Yes, you will either have to use "F6" method to load the sata drivers at install or slipstream the sata drivers into the ISO prior to installation, as @flibberdipper stated. No native Sata drivers in WinXP, or 2000, or Me, 95, 98, 98 OSR2, NT4, etc

[aramini]

16 hours ago, mariushm said:

Because Windows XP is not aware it's a SSD, it won't send the TRIM command from time to time, which is a command that tells the SSD it can do some internal cleanup and optimize some things that would improve performance of the SSD.

You would also want to make sure to align the drive, which a tool like Samsung Magician or Acronis Drive Align tool or several other drive tools will do for you.

[ZombieKohhi]

Does anyone know of a guide that can walk me through the proper setup for using an SSD with XP? I don't want to get an SSD and then kill it by not setting it up right.

[Rysters Tech]

an ssd should work, just disable disk defragmenter and use a 3rd party utility for running trim operations.