While SSD drives offer faster read speeds than traditional HDDs, they still lag behind in terms of storage capacity. While the price of SSDs may be higher, the availability of cloud storage platforms like OneDrive or Google Drive has made it unnecessary to have storage units with multiple terabytes of space.
Although SSDs have considerably longer lifespans than the earlier models, their life cycles are still shorter than those of HDDs. If you want to maximize the lifespan of your SSD and increase its performance, here are some tips you can follow.
Remove unnecessary applications at startup
The introduction of SSDs, with their high reading speeds, has led many users to overlook the number of applications configured to start automatically when they turn on their computer. Disabling these applications not only frees up memory used by background applications but also reduces the time it takes for the PC to be ready for use.
To review and remove startup applications, access the Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and click on the Startup tab, which lists all applications set to start with the computer. To disable them, simply select the application and click on the Disable button.
Avoid storing large files
Storing large files, such as movies, on an SSD drive can cause lengthy read and write processes, which can ultimately reduce the lifespan of the drive. However, this does not mean that we cannot store this type of content on our PC. It is just not recommended to use an SSD for storing and downloading large files. Instead, it is better to use an external hard drive or an HDD unit that is designed for this purpose. This way, you can keep your SSD healthy and extend its lifespan.
Activate fast startup
Windows 10, like Windows 11, includes a feature that allows you to start your computer much faster, a feature designed to significantly reduce the time your computer gets ready to work. This option, called Quick Startup , is found under Power Options in Control Panel > Choose the behavior of the start/shutdown buttons .
Do not defragment drive
That’s correct! Defragmentation is not necessary for SSDs and can even be harmful to the drive’s lifespan. Instead of defragmenting, users should focus on other maintenance tasks like keeping the drive free of unnecessary files and running regular virus scans. Windows 10 and 11 are designed to automatically optimize and maintain SSDs, so it’s not necessary for users to take any specific action to maintain their drive’s performance.
Install all Windows updates
Indeed, installing Windows updates is crucial for maintaining the security and performance of your computer. Microsoft regularly releases updates to address security vulnerabilities and bugs, as well as to introduce new features and improvements. Failing to install these updates leaves your computer vulnerable to potential cyberattacks and can also lead to decreased performance over time. It is important to ensure that your computer is set up to automatically download and install updates, or to regularly check for and install them manually.
An example is found in the update that Microsoft released at the end of 2021 to solve a problem with SSD drives and that solves performance problems that only affected this type of drive. The number of this update is KB5007262, an update that, if we do not have it installed, we can do it from the Microsoft website by downloading the corresponding patch.