How to Initialize Your SSD for Windows®
Before you can use your new SSD you have to initialize and partition it. If you are performing a clean installation of your operating system, or cloning to your SSD, it is not neccessary to follow these steps.
How to Find Your Firmware Revision for Windows®
To find out which firmware revision your SSD is running, follow our guide.
Why Did my SSD Disappear from my System?
In most cases, your SSD can be returned to normal operating condition by completing a power cycle, a process detailed below which will take a few minutes, followed by optimizing your power settings for SSD use.
Initialize an SSD in OS X® Yosemite and earlier
Follow our step by step guide to initialize and partition an SSD with your Mac®
Fixing an "Unable to write to the last block of the device" Error in OS X®
Try our step by step guide to fix an "unable to write to the last block of the device" error in OS X®
Replacing Manufacturer AHCI Drivers with Standard Microsoft® SATA drivers
Abnormal performance in Windows® operating systems after upgrading to an SSD, such as slower benchmarks than expected or system crashes, can result from outdated or poorly supported storage controller drivers.
Acronis® True Image® for Crucial Overview
Crucial offers a full guide for migrating your original drive's contents, as well as assistance with installation.
Methods for Erasing an SSD
Our Storage Executive tool offers a Sanitize Drive function and a PSID Revert function, both of which will erase an SSD's contents.
Initialize an SSD in OS X® El Capitan and later
Before you can use your new SSD with your Mac® system, or install macOS® onto it, you have to initialize and partition it first. Follow the steps in this article if you are using OS X El Capitan or later.
SSD Firmware Update on a Mac® System
To update the firmware on your SSD, follow our step by step guide. Please ensure you are using an internal SuperDrive® for the update, and that your SSD is internally connected to a SATA port.
Reset Your SSD with Windows® DiskPart
These steps show you how to use the Windows DiskPart Clean command to quickly delete any partitions on the SSD and reset it to an uninitialized state.
My SSD Used to Be so Much Faster
Crucial SSDs use active garbage collection to perform background clean-up. For Active Garbage Collection to have an effect, the SSD needs to have periods of idle time.
Optimizing your SATA SSD
View Crucial's guide to optimizing your SATA SSD. Please note, you should check support or documentation from your OS vendor to ensure ideal settings and stability.
My Crucial® SSD has Bad Sectors
The easiest way to keep track of the number of bad sectors on an SSD is to run ChkDsk (short for "check disk") in Windows®.
Setup of Hardware Encryption on Crucial® SEDs via Bitlocker
Windows® 8.1 and 10 Professional/Enterprise versions automatically support encryption key management of SEDs through an application called BitLocker®.
SSD Troubleshooting for a MacBook Pro® Computer
Is your MacBook Pro computer with a Crucial® SSD extremely sluggish or giving you an error when trying to format or reinstall macOS X®? Here are some troubleshooting steps to follow to figure out your problem.
How to Find Your Firmware Revision (Mac)
To find which firmware revision your SSD is running, follow the steps in this article.
Why Does My SSD Show up as Smaller than Advertised?
f you look at the specifications of any storage device, you will see a note that says something along the lines of ”1 GB = 1 billion bytes. Actual usable capacity may vary.”
Create Bootable Media with Acronis True Image for Crucial
Occasionally systems won’t reboot into the Acronis boot-loader. This will result in the system rebooting, but not going into the Acronis program to finish the clone. To get around this, a bootable copy of Acronis is required.
An Overview of Crucial Storage Executive
Crucial Storage Executive gives Crucial customers additional reporting and utilities for diagnosing problems with their Crucial solid state drives
Trim and SSD Performance: Why is it Important?
In a nutshell, Trim is a feature that helps increase the efficiency of your SSD by preparing data blocks for reuse.
SATA Controller Modes Explained
Depending on your system, multiple SATA controller modes might be available in your BIOS or UEFI to manage how a SSD operates with the rest of your system.
More Information About Storage Executive
The following article contains some of our frequently asked questions about Crucial® Storage Executive, its general use, and some of its specific functions.
An Overview of Hardware Encryption
If you want to protect your data and keep it secure then you should consider activating a form of encryption on your computer.
SSDs and SMART Data
A SMART enabled storage drive monitors itself and collects data, and this data can be read and interpreted with the help of utilities capable of reporting the SMART data to the user.
Storage Executive Fails to Update the Firmware on My SSD
There is something in the system that is interfering with Storage Executive, preventing it from intiating the restart and subsequent loading of the Linux® firmware updating boot sequence.
Installing an SSD in a Server, NAS, or Workstation
Unlike traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), a solid state drive (SSD) is composed of flash memory that stores data.
Why Is My SSD Capacity Smaller After Cloning?
When cloning from a smaller hard drive to a larger solid state drive, there is potential for system recovery partitions to prevent the cloning software from properly scaling your C: drive.
Why Doesn't My Desktop Recognize My SSD?
Why Doesn't My Desktop Recognize My SSD? Follow these steps if you are having issues with your desktop's 2.5 inch SSD recognition
M.2 SSDs: Common Questions and Important Differences
What is the difference betwen SATA and PCIe M.2 drives? The main difference is that PCIe and SATA M.2 drives have different controllers.
Different Types of Drive Encryption and Security
Generally, we can break down these types of security into three forms: software encryption, hardware encryption, and ATA security.
Molex to SATA Adapter Cables Can Be Dangerous to Your SSD!
Molex to SATA adapter cables are a very simple and cost-effective alternative to buying a new power supply.
Using an SSD Externally as a Data Drive Via USB
All of our 2.5” SSDs can be used externally as data storage drives where they can be installed in an enclosure and connected via USB.
SSD Is Not Recognized by Your Laptop
If you are having issues getting your laptop to recognize your SSD, follow our step by step guide.
Can I Update the SSD Firmware From a Bootable USB Flash Drive?
The firmware update can be run from a bootable USB flash drive, provided the SSD is connected via SATA directly, and the computer can boot from a USB flash drive.
Trim and OS X® operating systems
This articles contains a video showing a benchmark with Trim enabled, then with Trim disabled. You will see fluctuations in speed in both cases, but these fluctuations would not be noticeable under normal use.
How to Schedule a Check Disk on Your Drive
Windows® Check Disk is a very powerful tool for repairing problems with information on a drive that can lead to issues with Windows®, or issues with cloning an image to a new SSD.
How Do I Install OS X® onto My New Crucial SSD Using Recovery Mode or Time Machine®?
Recent Mac® systems will have an OS X Recovery mode built-in allowing you to reinstall a fresh version of OS X that is currently installed on your system.
An Overview of mSATA and M.2 SSDs
Some systems require PCIe-based devices, while others require SATA-based devices. Some can use both, but might need to be configured to one mode or the other in your system's UEFI or BIOS.
A System with an SSD Crashes When Resuming from Sleep
Crashing that occurs when your system comes out of a sleep or standby state is typically caused by your system's power management while transitioning to/from sleep.
Adjusting Space for Windows® System Restore
Windows System Restore can result in SSD space being used. This is space that you might want for your own apps or data storage.
How to Install an SSD into a Mac Pro® Computer
Crucial's guide shows how to install an SSD into a 2008-2012 model Mac Pro computer using an Icy Dock converter.
iMac® System Fans Are Noisy and Fan Speed Has Significantly Increased After SSD Upgrade
Some earlier iMacs systems use a separate plug-in temperature sensor cable, which attaches to a socket on the original HDD to determine the drive temperature and adjust the fan speed accordingly.
I See a Flashing Question Mark on the Screen When Booting from My SSD (Mac® Systems)
If you attempt to boot from an SSD without an operating system installed, a flashing question mark appears to indicate that there is no bootable device.
Does Defragmenting an SSD Cause Any Long Term Performance Loss?
The short answer is you don't have to defrag your SSD. Mechanical drives have a relatively long seek time of approximately 15ms, so every time a file is fragmented you lose 15ms finding the next one.
I'm Not Achieving the Benchmark Speeds I Expected
Performance can vary depending on hardware, software, and other system configurations. Our easy guide will ensure your SSD is configured correctly.
Helpful SSD Accessories
The Crucial® SSD Install Kit contains every additional part needed for a typical install of a 2.5 inch solid state drive (SSD) into most laptops or desktops.
Can I Update the SSD Firmware from an External CD Drive?
No, this does not work. When using a bootable CD to run the firmware it will not work in an external CD drive connected through a USB port
My SSD Shows a Raw Partition. What Do I Do?
When you see a RAW partition in Windows, this means the system does not recognize the file structure on the partition.
My Operating System Will Not Install on My SSD
If you are having an issue installing your operating system on your SSD, this guide provides troubleshooting tips to help.
Acronis Image Backup and Recovery Guide
To minimize software conflicts that can result in errors, we recommend this operation be done using bootable media for Acronis, as well.
New SSD Installed in a Mac® Computer Is Booting Slowly
After upgrading the storage drive on a Mac® to an SSD, on rare occasions the new drive is not automatically set as the Startup Disk. Read our guide to correct it.
SSDs in Non-PCs and Accessories
Users have reported SSD read and write speed increases seldom affect DVR performance, as regular hard drives are not a bottleneck to recording broadcast television.
Driver Error Occurs When Installing Windows® 7 from a USB Drive
f you receive a driver error when you are trying to install Windows® 7 or older from a USB drive, double check whether that drive is plugged into a USB 3.0 port.
How to Transfer Your Data from a M.2 PCIe SSD to M.2 PCIe SSD If Your System Only Has One M.2 Socket
You can do a direct clone to copy the information from your current PCIe M.2 drive to a new Crucial one. To accomplish this, you will need to purchase a USB to PCIe M.2 adapter cable.
What is the Difference Between the Latest Crucial SSDs?
At Crucial, we offer different SSD models to match your needs, ranging from cost-effective SSDs to our highest capacity cutting-edge version.
What to Know about Common SSD Specifications
SSDs have three form factors: 2.5-inch, mSATA, and M.2. The 2.5-inch form factor is used in many desktops and laptops.
BIOS/UEFI Configuration for Optimizing M.2 PCIe® NVMe® SSDs
When installing a new M.2 NVMe® PCIe® SSD, you may see some messaging that refers to configuring to increase speeds of NVMe SSDs, or enabling and disabling shared bandwidth of SATA and NVMe ports.
macOS® and App Benefits with an SSD
The videos show an SSD that has been installed in a MacBook Pro® system. The Macbook Pro has a major increase in speed with an SSD installed, compared to only having upgraded DRAM.
Acronis Reboots Computer without Cloning
When attempting to clone a drive using Acronis True Image for Crucial® on some systems that have a UEFI, it is possible for the software to be prevented from entering the correct environment to start the clone.
Cloned SSD Has No Sound
If you have cloned your original hard drive onto a new SSD and everything works except for sound, there are some steps that you can take that may resolve the issue without having to re-clone using bootable Rescue Media.
P1 SSD Not Booting After Cloning from SATA SSD/HDD
When cloning a SATA drive to one that uses PCIe interface like our P1 series of SSD, there is potential that you will be missing the correct drivers to boot to your newly cloned Crucial® SSD.
My SSD Won’t Detect in Crucial Storage Executive
There are some instances when Crucial’s Storage Executive software will not detect a Crucial SSD. Let Crucial walk you through the most common way to resolve this issue.
Clone almost finishes but then fails at end
Cloning with Acronis True Image is a fast, easy way to migrate copied data from one drive to another. However, there are some OEM systems which prohibit the cloning action.
Unexpected Error When Enabling Over-Provisioning in Storage Executive
If you receive an error message when attempting to enable Over-Provisioning with the Storage Executive® software, there are a couple of things to check to make sure your drive is ready for this feature to be enabled.
DPC Watchdog Violation Error
If you are receiving a “DCP WATCHDOG VIOLATION” error when using the Crucial P1®, dont worry. The issue can be resolved by following the troubleshooting steps listed below.
P1 SSD Disappears From System
If your system no longer recognizes the Crucial P1® SSD when in use or when coming out of sleep mode, several adjustments can resolve this.
Formatting a USB Storage Drive in Windows
To format a USB storage drive in Windows, connect it via a USB port and follow the instructions in this article.
Formatting a USB Storage Drive in MacOS
To format your USB storage drive in MacOS, connect it via USB port and follow the steps in this article
USB Storage Drive Not Detected in Windows
If your USB storage drive is not being detected by Windows this article will help you troubleshoot the issue.
USB Storage Drive not detected or “Device Not Correctly Connected” message for MacOS
If your USB storage drive is not being recognized by applications on your Mac, you may be able to fix this by reformatting the drive and ensuring the scheme is set as Master Boot Record (MBR).
USB Error in Device Manager
If a USB Mass Storage device is under Universal Serial Bus controllers but has a red or yellow error mark, follow the steps in this article.
Eject USB Storage Drive in Windows
When you are removing your USB storage drive from your computer, this procedure will help reduce the chance of corrupting your data.
Eject USB Storage Drive in macOS
To eject your USB storage drive properly, you can either click the Eject icon next to the device name in Finder or select the USB Drive icon on the desktop and drag it to the Trash.
SSD Is Not Detected by Acronis True Image for Crucial
You may receive an error "This product edition requires at least one Crucial SSD be installed in your system". There are a few things to check which can resolve this behavior.
How to use your Crucial X8 Portable SSD with Xbox One
How to increase storage on your Xbox One with a Crucial X8 portable SSD.
How to use your Crucial X8 Portable SSD with your Computer
Learn how to use your Crucial X8 portable SSD with your PC or Apple computer to store more photos, videos, music, and larger games.
How to use your Crucial X8 Portable SSD with your iPad Pro
Expand your iPad Pro storage with a Crucial X8 portable SSD.
How to use your Crucial X8 Portable SSD with Playstation 4
Increase your storage and gameplay on Playstation 4 with a Crucial X8 portable SSD.
I'm not getting the USB transfer rates I expected
A few factors can contribute to lower than advertised USB performance from connected devices. Read this article for solutions to several of these factors.
The best reason to get a Crucial SSD
Crucial SSDs are designed and developed by Micron, one of the largest NAND manufacturers in the world. This means, when you purchase a Crucial SSD, you are guaranteed reliability, innovation, expertise and customer support.
Save money and install your own SSD
Installing your own SSD is easy, affordable, and requires no technical skills. Learn how easy it is to install your own SSD>