SSD defrag with 8.1

I've read of two different ways to fix 8.1's tendency to defrag SSDs. What are your thoughts on these methods, or is there a better method?

1) "This is a problem for anyone with an SSD updating from Windows 8 to 8.1. Your Prefetch, Superfetch and ReadyBoot parameters will be changed to incorrect settings during the update.

Windows Experience Index runs automatically on a clean installation of 8.1, but not on an update installation. This is necessary for setting the parameters correctly.

Microsoft unwisely chose to eliminate Windows Experience Index from the 8.1 version. But it is still available from a command prompt.

Open a command prompt
type in "Winsat formal -v" and hit enter
after it finishes, reboot 3 times. After that, your parameters will be set correctly for an SSD.

Thanks to Praz from the OCZ Forum for figuring this out. "
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows8_1-hardware/ssd-parameters-are-set-incorrectly-by-81-update/ce8b2524-bd3b-43d1-a5c2-7d6d2e20a3e7

2) "How to avoid defragmentation of your SSD

Do not:

Disable anything in Task Scheduler, because this blocks either HDD defrag or other maintenance tasks.
Edit the ScheduledDefrag task, because Disk Optimizer (dfrgui) won’t work until you agree to restore the default task parameters. Try it and see for yourself.

Regardless of what drives you have in your PC, there are two simple steps to get around the problem.
Step 1 — Exclude SSD from automatic maintenance

Open the disk optimizer (dfrgui):

Press "Change Settings ".
Press "Choose" and remove checkboxes from SSD volumes.

SSD Defrag Bug

Note. If all your drives are SSDs, you would have to disable the ScheduledDefrag task as a part of Step 2.
Step 2 — Create a new scheduled task for SSD retrim

The method I suggest may look strange at the first glance, but I’ll explain the reason behind it in a minute.

Open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc) and navigate to Library — Microsoft — Windows — Defrag.
Right-click the ScheduledDefrag task and export it with the name TRIM-SSD on your Desktop.
Open the XML-file in a text editor (e.g. Notepad) and change the description and arguments. In particular, the «Arguments» node must list only SSD drive letters and -l -h switches (TRIM and high priority respectively). For example:
<Arguments>C: D: -l -h</Arguments>

Sample task for SSD TRIM (see the highlighted lines)
Import the modified file to the Task Scheduler.

You’re all set! The new task runs when triggered by automatic maintenance. However, it only sends TRIM commands to the SSD volumes you specified, and does not defrag SSD by mistake. "
http://www.outsidethebox.ms/why-windows-8-defragments-your-ssd-and-how-you-can-avoid-this/#_Toc352763203

 

Barry, This Post in windows Forum by kemical Windows Forum Admin seems to say it all:
I recently acquired a new SSD and found that the wealth of set up information out there can be at times confusing. Depending on what you read you'll be told to switch off this and turn off that. Luckily for us Windows 8 and 8.1 are SSD 'aware' and should change their settings automatically as soon as an SSD is detected. Windows defrag for instance will no longer defrag the drive but will instead use Trim to keep the SSD optimised. So many guides tell you to turn this off which is pointless..
I think Arie has Posted something similar a while back. Neil.

 

Hi Neil, this is what Arie said on August 31st:

"OK, so I'm pretty confident I can say that Windows 8 does indeed defrag an SSD drive.

I have been recording my daily read & write counters, and the day before the defrag took place my daily total for those counters read:

Reads 110
Writes 403 "

http://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-8/108433-ssd-defrag-8-1-a.html#post631432

I believe this is only for SSDs that were upgraded from 8.0 to 8.1, not ones that had 8.1 as a clean install. My son is building a new computer, and we'll be putting 8.1 on it as a clean install, so I don't think it will impact us, but I wanted to have something to fall back on, just in case.

 

I think I messed up on the link, so here is another try. It is post #19.
http://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-8/108046-impact-defrag-command-ssd-2.html

 

This is why Window Defragger is no longer called Windows Defragger, but instead, is now called "Optimize Drives ". And consequently, it is CRITICAL for us, as users, to understand, and ACCEPT that "Optimize Drives" is NOT a defragging tool, but instead, uses its defragging feature on HDs, but not SSDs.

Windows 8 was specifically designed with SSDs in mind. SSD support was not something MS haphazardly threw in there and attached with duct tape. Windows 8 knows the difference between SSDs and HDs and applies the necessary "optimization" accordingly - and it is very good at it.

If other words - LEAVE IT ALONE! Don't even use 3rd party defraggers - unless you want to degrade the performance when using your HDs too! Remember, W8 was also specifically designed to boot faster and open your commonly used apps faster. And it does this by using its various fetch features, along with Optimize Drives to arrange files on your HDs for faster loading. 3rd party defraggers don't do that.

Besides, any advantage the improved efficiency of the 3rd party defragger is quickly negated (starting within seconds!!!) as you start to use the computer again, as files are updated and saved to the disk again - so IMO, a 3rd party defragger is just a waste of the very disk space you are trying to conserve and optimize.

It is critical to remember that Windows 8 (or 7 for that matter) is NOT XP. What was necessary with XP is not only not required with W8, but you likely will degrade performance if you dink with the default settings in W8.

With all due respect to Arie, to the best of my knowledge, no other expert or IT site have duplicated his results to come to the same conclusion. A lot of speculation out there, but that's it - as far as my research is finding. So unless his findings are validated, files saved on SSDs are not defragged by Optimize Drives in Windows 8.x.

What I have seen, however, is where poor task labeling and messaging in the process can make it appear that actual defragging was done. This is due, in part, to MS using (mis-using??) the term "Defrag" in some of the processes even though actual defragging (the physical grouping of previously fragmented file segments) is not happening. For example, Optimize Drives is still called "Defrag" in Task Scheduler.

And we all know that Microsoft has a lousy reputation for creating confusion when naming things. Like Windows Explorer (now File Explorer) and Internet Explorer, Windows Defender and the other Windows Defender. Outlook Express, Outlook, and Outlook.com.

 

Then what is the reason Microsoft won't come out and make a clear statement about this, ease everyone's concerns and look like a company who actually cares about its customers and not just its bottom line?

 

Removing a word in one place doesn't make for a clear statement from a company that cares for its customers. If I don't say I'm going to chop down a particular tree, does that make me an environmentalist?

 

You are asking for MS to document something the vast majority of users should NOT be dinking with - and never will have to dink with.

But nevertheless, they have documented it.

Improve performance by optimizing your drive

And at TechNet - Optimize Volume, my bold added,

And finally, if you manual tell Windows 8.x to "optimize" your SSD and you carefully watch the process, you will see the percentage of "Trim" completion. Do the same with an HD, and you will see the percentage of "Defragging" completion.

So it is well documented, but users aren't really paying attention to the right people.

 

That is where Barry has a legitimate complaint! I called up Help and Support from my start menu and plugged in "SSD" and got Nothing - 0 results.

Optimize. Nothing.
Defrag. Nothing.

 

Just trust me.......

 

No body is saying that. Not even MS. That is why they even suggest having a secondary anti-malware solution installed, besides their own MSE or WD.