[offenmeier]

Finally I decided to upgrade my booklet (the only upgrade available I reckon) and replace hard drive with an SSD. It was a total success, so I want to share the experience.

First, you need an SSD. I bought a Samsung 128Gb SSD from eBay, the one that is commonly used (AFAIK) in Dell's and Sony Vaio's wherever the SSD goes.

Also I used:

- bootable Windows Restore CD (built in "Backup and Restore" in W7 will create it for you)

- external bootable DVD drive

- external HDD to store the image

- Subway Rewards gift card (any plastic card will do)

- Torx screwdriver

- can of Coke as nutrition supplement (make sure not to spill though)

Note that  SSD is slightly bigger than the original HDD which is useful as you don't need any advanced magic with drive imaging. Also if I had a micro-SATA to USB adapter it would be a much shorter process (but a 3rd-party software would be required to clone the drive).

First stage was done with the old HDD still in place:

- disabled TRIM in W7 (AFAIK the US15W chipset doesn't support TRIM commands)

- did a bit of housekeeping to minimise HDD space utilisation (lose the hybernation, get rid of the System Protection and all saved restore points if you haven't done it yet, run some HDD cleaner like CCleaner etc., you don't want to take your trash with you onto the new drive)

- created a complete drive image with "Backup and Restore" function built in in W7 and saved it on the external HDD

Second stage (remember to be very careful on this stage):

- shut down

- disconnect all cables and remove the battery

- off goes the keyboard, use your credit card (this was the most tricky part, I found it quite hard to release the latches that hold it in place, but maybe because I was trying to be very gentle with the device)

- use Torx screwdriver to remove the metal shield under the keyboard

- remove old HDD and put the new one in

- assemble and power up in reverse order

Third stage:

- boot W7 Restore CD from external DVD drive

- restore image from external HDD onto the new drive

- after first boot there will be a driver installed, reboot after that

Fourth stage, now you need to do some tweaks to maximise the benefits of having an SSD in your booklet:

- run the SSD tweak utility, it does all the dirty job for you

- disable defragmentation schedule if you have one

- lose the ReadyBoost devices (my super-speedy SD card is now in my camera)

- disable HDD power-off in the power plan

- uninstall HDD protection utility from Nokia

That's all, enjoy.

Aftermath:

- really noticeable improvement of boot and application start times (except for Opera)

- almost immediate sleep and wake-up, also now I don't need to wait till the device tells me it's asleep before I pick it up and put it into the bag

- Disk Data Transfer Rate in Windows Experience Index went up from 4.4 to 5.6 for what it's worth

- the device actually became lighter a bit

- now I don't need to worry about upgrading the booklet because there are no more upgrades to do

OK thanks for reading, I hope it's helpful. I'm quite lazy, but if you ask me I'll post the links to:

- SSD tweak utility

- SSD tweak guide

- exact model of the SSD used

- particular auction on eBay where I got the SSD from

so long!

UPD: almost forgot, after putting the SSD in and booting to newly restored image I noticed that the 3G modem was gone! didn't appear in Fn+F10 menu, wasn't in the device manager. I was very disappointed at first, but then I remembered that I had a similar issue when unlocking it, so (having little faith though) I did the following:

- shut down

- disconnect all cables

- remove the battery

- wait 10 seconds and power up in reverse order

and guess what, everything was fine after boot. the device is present in Fn+F10 and is working, I tested it.

so if it happens to you, don't forget to do that before blaming yourself for breaking something! good luck.

[ceroberts75]

nice.

ill try the tweaker...minus the trim part!

here is the link to a blog that has the original maker...i thinkn.

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?49779-SSD-Tweak-Utility

[ceroberts75]

ok...i installed it and did the automatic setting then rebooted.

it should be safe to do so as the free version does not include changing the trim, which will mess up the booklet 3g making a full reinstall necesary...like i had.

anyway, it is a bit snappier, so thanks for the plug. kudos for thatone.

and my data tx rate is now 5.9...though my overall score is still 2.1 for the 3d data card.

[ceroberts75]

hey!

after using this software, my cpu usage went from idling at 80-100% and now sits comfortably at 30-45%!

[vonJack]

Could you please post your Samsund SSD model + firmware.

[ceroberts75]

he is using a samsung.

i am using an intel x18 80gb ssd.

[offenmeier]

here's the particular eBay auction I got it from

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250689425144&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

can't take the picture of the SSD (don't really want to disassemble booklet again), but I'm pretty sure that the model/firmware are like on the image in the listing:

model: MMCQE28GFMUP-MVA

firmware: VAM05S1Q

this is an OEM product AFAIK, so don't expect to find it on Samsung website. I remember seeing those on the photos of disassembled Dell's and VAIO's.

Now the links that I promised:

SSD Tweaker

SSD tweak guide for W7

..and here's how you disable TRIM in W7 (just remember you need to do this BEFORE imaging to the new SSD)

How to Disable TRIM Command
In the Elevated command Prompt windows, type the following:
fsutil behavior set disabledeletenotify 1

good luck!

[offenmeier]

5.9, cool! Intel has obviously done the homework ha ha!

I'm surprised though you get 2.1 in 3d, mine scored 2.4, do you have the latest gma500 driver? there was one released in October I think

[vonJack]

offenmeier could you please check your SSD with CrystalDiskInfo 3.6.4, does it show TRIM support or not. I am going to buy similar model MMCRE28GTMXP and CrystalDiskInfo 3.6.4 shows it doesn't support TRIM. To make it simple, I just boot Windows 7 instalation disk with external DVD Drive and register later with number on the sticker in Booklet. 

[offenmeier]

CrystalDiskInfo 3.10.0 tells me that this SSD doesn't support TRIM, so I guess if you buy the same drive you don't need to worry at all about that TRIM-related mess.

[ceroberts75]

my booklet DID NOT like trim and i had to reduplictate my drive!

[offenmeier]

yeah, AFAIK the US15W chipset doesn't support TRIM. I heard that in the booklet the HDD is hooked up to the parallel interface with the SATA converter (just a rumor I heard) and maybe that's the reason the commend is not supported. once again, just a speculation.

really looking forward to a new driver for gma500, if this will happen some time in the future at all

[sz2903]

Finally, My booklet with my Intel x18 80G SSD.

Folks, don't  buy from ebay or web or you sure there is origianl SSD or it is not any OEM SSD.

I was brought from ebay for Intel SSD for HP netbook OEM. it been fool me for a month. and I could not use it.

Finally, I just buy a new one from INtel Dealer. it works.

[FezMonki]

Hello i have 2 questions.

The first one is if the OCZ Vertex 2 1.8" SSD will work fine with the booklet.

Specs (sorry for the italian page, just go on the bottom): http://www.drako.it/drako_catalog/product_info.php?products_id=8249

Second question is if a smaller drive will drain less battery. I know this is NOT the case with normal hd's since its the rpm that matters not the size, but im wondering if its the same thing with ssd's. Because ill go with the 40gig version any day for more mobility.

Thank you.

[stevenbarrett]

I just wish I could get the 3G to work with any hard drive !! mines a waste of time, I really needed on the move 3G and ended up buying an external dongle which kind of defeats the object.  I cannot find any drivers, the fn f10 only serves to switch the wi-fi off and the fn f11 key does absolutely nothing, rather apt really as its labled up 'Nokia' which just about sums up the help you can expect when buying this notebook - NOTHING !!  I note another user says the same,if you want to buy a notebook buy one from a computer company not a mobile phone manufacturer.

I'm really fed up with the whole exercise, so this one will be on EBay on the weekend !. 

[FezMonki]

Ill try and help you when i get mine mate. Dont get your hopes down for it, ive never been disappointed by nokia hardware and dont expect to be this time. Im trimming down a windows 7 version ad-hoc for the booklet, with only the needed drivers etc, hopefully using only 150mb of ram like tiny7.

[jas1978]

I'm about to upgrade to an SSD aswell. Before I do, I want to make sure that I do the right thing. The SSD I want to buy is a Kingston V+ 180 with 64GB, it's only about 110€ and seems to be quite fast. Unfortunately it consumes more power than the original HD, up to 3W to be precise.

This will of course affect my battery life, but how much? I can live with 7 instead of 8 hours, but I don't want to lose more than about 10%. The second question is about heat. The 3W the SSD consumes won't disappear, they will heat up my Booklet. Will it be noticable, does that shorten my Booklet's life?

One of the main reasons for upgrading to an SSD is that my Booklet is too slow for watching videos. VLC doesn't work properly, Windows Media Player does most of the time. DivX-Videos are watchable, VOB-Files are not. It takes about one minute to load them, sometimes there is no sound. Will an SSD improve the situation, or is this just a waste of money?

Thanks in advance

[winart7]

Hi offenmeier, ceroberts75 and eveyone. Im going to buy a SSD, and considering between Intel X18-M G2 160GB and Samsung uSata 128Gb MMCQE28GTMUP. Could you reckon which is better? and how about the TRIM support? the Intel is support TRIM right? however, if i buy the Samsung, do i need turn off the TRIM as offenmeier's post above? Many thanks

[ghderr]

Dear Offenmeir,  

I know your discussion was a while ago.  However...

I just added an SSD to my Booklet.  However, after completing everything ever so carefully, the computer will now not turn on.  Nothing.  It appears no power is getting to the unit.  However, when I plug in the charger, the blue "plug" outline lights blue but the "battery" light glows off and on a red color.

Do you know how I can get the unit to actually start.  The start switch is hard wired to the mother board so I know there are no problems with a wire.  I checked the power supply and that's giving the 19.5 volt output.

Can you suggest anything else?  Did you have a similar problem and how did you solve it?

Any assistance would be appreciated.  Many thanks!

ghderr

[GVA_SFO]

I have a question :

If you choose to setup an SSD from scratch, i.e.: install the SSD non formated (no duplic process), and using a OS bootable distribution CD, how to you deal with "Trim", to disable it ?