mSATA FAQ: A Basic Primer

[bonoz]

I already used that to download/install drivers. But it still doesn't give me the package of software that comes stock with X220 tablet?

[addie56]

For what ever its worth, Just make recovery disks, remove your old drive and then use your new SSD and install win just like from Factory all over again. Then remove what ever broat you don't want. It makes life much more simple.

[bradatlarge]

For what ever its worth, Just make recovery disks, remove your old drive and then use your new SSD and install win just like from Factory all over again. Then remove what ever broat you don't want. It makes life much more simple.

If I were to do it again, today, I'd do this. Not the 'clean' install.

[sivikchen]

The OCZ Nocti mSATA is compatible with the x220, see my review here: OCZ Nocti mSATA 120GB Unboxing + Benchmarks

[rthayer]

I'm pretty late to this party, so I'm hoping some folks are still keeping an eye on this thread...

My T420 is on its way, and my 80GB mSATA drive is sitting right next to me ready to be installed. I feel pretty clear on the steps for installing the drive, but I'm thinking ahead to what would be a straightforward backup/recovery strategy for this dual disk configuration.

One approach I'm considering for easy OS recovery is buying a 2.5" spinner+enclosure and just cloning the mSATA drive to that on a periodic basis. The only problem I can see with that is I obviously can't replace the mSATA with the spinner should the SSD take a powder. So, if I understand things correctly, my choices for booting from the SATA clone would be to slap it into my internal SATA slot (in which case my data disk will be displaced) or put it in an ultrabay adapter (in which case my DVD drive will be displaced) until such time as I can get a replacement for the mSATA. Are there any other options I'm overlooking?

Also, for data backups, I'm a little cloudy on whether I could use the same disk I plan to use to clone the mSATA (e.g., with a separate partition for the data backups), or whether I would need a separate disk. It seems logical that I should be able to use a single disk to clone the OS and backup the data. But, for some reason, I feel a little uncertain about how this would work and whether I'd be able to simply install and boot to such a disk if the SSD were to go south.

As you can see, I'm pretty much a noob where cloning, backups, etc. are concerned, so any guidance would be appreciated, including any hardware/software recommendations anyone may have.

Thanks!

[dcgirl]

Can someone please give me a link to a write-up to install an SSD into our laptops? I'd go through each of this page in this thread, but I'm kinda in a rush. Have to catch a flight later tonight and I want to get this setup before I leave. Thanks!

Hi, did you find the link you were looking for? I'm actually looking for the same thing.

Thanks.


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Lenovo Y470 | Core i7 | RAM: 8GB | HDD: 750GB | SSD (to install):
128GB MyDigitalSSD mSATA SSD

[manchesterunited222]

I am interested in buying a 128gb mSATA for my T520 and using it as the main boot and storage drive. I will remove the other platter drive in the interest of reducing weight.

My concern is will the mSATA drive be reliable enough to use for storage? I do plan on doing backups, but in general are mSATA less or more reliable than regular hard drives?

[DStaal]

I am interested in buying a 128gb mSATA for my T520 and using it as the main boot and storage drive. I will remove the other platter drive in the interest of reducing weight.

My concern is will the mSATA drive be reliable enough to use for storage? I do plan on doing backups, but in general are mSATA less or more reliable than regular hard drives?

An mSATA drive is just a miniaturized SSD, for all intents and purposes. Reliability should be about the same as a regular hard drive. (With the failure profile of a flash-based drive, not a disk-based drive.) For a laptop, that generally means it's probably more reliable than a regular hard drive.

It's possible that there will be some differences inherent in the form-factor, which no one would have had a chance to see yet, given how new the form-factor is. However tech-wise, there's no difference between a regular 2.5 inch SSD and an mSATA. It's the same chips from the same manufacturers. Just laid out differently.

[thirdworld]

Thanks for the great post, I am ready to jump on the mSATA train...
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Thinkpad x220 | i7-2620M | IPS| 8GB DDR3 | Win 7 Pro x64 | 128GB MyDigitalSSD mSATA SSD |

[ZaZ]

What took you so long?