How to: Properly re-align your SSD/HDD partitions
This is how to properly align your solid state drive or hard drives partitions This can improve read and write speeds drastically as well as extend the life of your SSD.
Check out this before and after: (link)
How to: Check partition alignment of your drive(s)
Simply download and run AS SSD: (link)
In the top left it should say a # in green followed by - OK.
If it has a # in red followed by - BAD then your alignment is off and you are loosing performance and possibly reducing you drive's life.
Example:
Also you can:
- Hit the Start menu .
- Start up Msinfo32.exe when it pops up
- Head to Components > Storage > Disks. Look for your drive and find the "Partition Starting Offset". If this number is divisible by 4096 (that is, if dividing it by 4096 reveals a whole number and not a decimal), your partition is correctly aligned.
***FIRST THING!*** - Before you attempt realigning be sure to back up the hard drive. This is always a risk of data loss!
How to: Realign your SSD/HDD partition(s) with Mini Tool Partition Wizard
Quote:
Originally Posted by xotox 
There is an more easy way to re - align your SSD. It's called "Mini Tool Partition Wizard"
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a multifunctional partition manager, able to finish almost all common partition management operations, including aligning SSD partition. You just need to select the partition that must be aligned and then click "Align Partition". Then click "Apply" to perform the operations and aligning SSD partition will be finished easily. It worked perfectly for me.
There is an more easy way to re - align your SSD. It's called "Mini Tool Partition Wizard"
MiniTool Partition Wizard is a multifunctional partition manager, able to finish almost all common partition management operations, including aligning SSD partition. You just need to select the partition that must be aligned and then click "Align Partition". Then click "Apply" to perform the operations and aligning SSD partition will be finished easily. It worked perfectly for me.
How to: Realign your SSD/HDD partition(s) with Acronis True image
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Basically it is simple:
To make the system image with Acronis True Image:
- Make a system image of your OS partition to a secondary drive. (.tib file)
- Then you make the bootable media.
- Boot the Acronis bootable media.
- Delete all partitions on the drive.
- Restore the image. (.tib file)
To make the system image with Acronis True Image:
- Select backup data/partitions.
- Check off all the partitions on your drive.
- Choose your image destination.
- Change the backup scheme to full backup.
- Have it validate your image after creation.
- To finish just click Backup now.
How to: Realign your SSD/HDD partition(s) with Gparted Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
You will need:
Textual Guide:
- Backup your OS partition(s) first in case an error occurs during this process (link)
- Windows install or repair disk to fix the error upon boot up which you will most likely receive after the realignment is complete
- Download and burn Parted Magic to a USB/CD (link) or unbuntu or simialar to run gparted
Textual Guide:
- Boot up parted magic.
- Open parted Editor
- Select your main drive in top right
- Shrink the main data partition. Right click the partition > drag slider to shrink the partition > align to none > Resize/move > apply
- Move the partition. Right click the partition > In Free Space Preceding set to 20MB > align to none > apply
- If you have another partition, Right click the partition > In Free Space Preceding set to 10MB > align to none > Resize/move > apply
- Right click the first partition > In Free Space Preceding set to 4MB > align to none > Resize/move > apply
- Move any other partitions. Right click the partition > In Free Space Preceding set to 0MB > align to none > Resize/move > apply
- Expand your Main partition, Right click the partition > drag slider to expand the partition > align to none > Resize/move > apply
- Boot up off your drive now, you will have a boot error. Reboot, put in the repair disk, it will repair the error and you will boot up fine.
- You may get a disk check prompt, you can run it or ignore, it doesn't matter.
Intel's tool: (link) Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
Acronis AlignTool* – Intel® SSD Edition
The Acronis AlignTool* – Intel® SSD Edition fixes a partition alignment issue caused by Microsoft Windows XP* installation of New Technology File System (NTFS).
The Acronis AlignTool* – Intel® SSD Edition fixes a partition alignment issue caused by Microsoft Windows XP* installation of New Technology File System (NTFS).
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