New SSD problems

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I recently got a 500GB SSD from Newegg for backups.  I quick formatted it but when I copied files to it using TeraCopy, I got errors.  TeraCopy has been reliable for me for years.  The info provided for the failure from TeraCopy isn’t very good, IMO.

I then tried a full format but that didn’t help.  Got errors again on the copy/verify.  I’ll take this up with the TeraCopy folks or their community.

I’ve tested the SSD and it comes out good.  One thing I am curious about is what is the ~110mb of used space?  This didn’t go away on the full format.  When I look at the partition, I see the usual 16mb in the front.  Then I see the remaining space.  I DO NOT see this 110MB “used space” represented graphically.  Anyone know what this is/does?

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I would not use an SSD for backup. They are less stable when powered off than HDDs.

When do you get the errors? Copy, verify?
Do a manual verify and see if the backup is OK.
Can you copy some (lots) of files using Explorer and see if it’s OK.

Where do you see the 110MB used space? Explorer?

cheers, Paul

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Many would disagree about using SSD as a short-term backup medium.

I put two screenshot files showing the 110MB used space in my original post and don’t know how they got lost.  The forum software here leaves much to be desired.

Let me try the attach again:

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It’s probably the file allocation tables – they have to go somewhere.

cheers, Paul

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But then why don’t the disk maps show the space used graphically?  This is the only empty drive I have right now, so I can’t tell if this is normal for other drives also..

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Some memory cards are formatted this way as also, the 16 megabyte could be a small empty partition.

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As to the backup use..

For a small OEM/enterprise licensing installer I used from 2018 to 2020 and had no problems at all – they’re a heck of a lot faster than spinning drives we used previously though you need to pair them with a reputable USB3 dock and replace the USB wires if performance dips.

I think we used Teknet ones, but they were in use some years before we got the SSDs (got them not long after USB3 was a new thing, had to make the case..). The important feature here is they have an electronic switch so the drive gets “told” the power is going (so gets to clear it’s cache) and then it is switched off electronically, not by the parting of two bits of metal in its power circuit..

The drives for formatted manually to UEFI but the boot was enlarged to 30Gb, and either a WinPE image or the Windows 10 boot image (ie no files recovery key) was applied to that partition. The remaining user partition was used to store the FFU or partition images for the job. They weren’t kept; they were created by script starting from source files on a monthly basis and we just added new ones or latterly just swapped in the newer cumulative update.

Of course not many want to use DISM but the obvious thing to note is using the Windows boot enabled us to both see what we’re doing (UEFI drivers) and power off with certainty. Some engineers preferred clonezilla,  but it wasn’t always the easiest to operate. The other big advantage with SSDs is handling damage is a lot less likely – you can drop a SSD “a bit hard” on its flat on a desk and I’ve never had damage. HDDs not so happy in that situation- and they definitely don’t respond well if you move their axis while they’re spinning either!

If a SSD misbehaves, diagnose with manufacturer tools or cyrstaldiskinfo it like you would any other..

 

 

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ibe98765 wrote:

But then why don’t the disk maps show the space used graphically?

Because it’s not optional space, it’s part of the partition / format?

cheers, Paul

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Paul T wrote:

Because it’s not optional space, it’s part of the partition / format?

That doesn’t answer the question.  Maybe I will give Crucial a call and see if their support can explain what is in that 110MB.

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I have nothing but praise for my Samsung 128Gig SSD for surviving my house fire in June. After bulling it out of a heap of melted aluminum and plastic I plugged it back into my old 3gig Core2Duo and it came right up without even a re-start. It was directly in back of the flames you see in the picture, no more than 4′ from the start of the fire and had also had the ceiling fall in on it. It’s also what I’m using to write this post

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