Mint 18 and SSD Drives

Daniel~

Daniel~

Chief BBS Administrator
Staff member
A while back...I think I was in Mint 15 or 16 I learned that Mint doesn't take full advantage of my SSDs,

But ThunderRoad was good enough to help me by creating an fstab entry to correct this deficiency.
So...Now I'm wondering if Mint 18 has caught up with SSD so I would no longer need to do this...
Or
if not can I use the fstab ThunderRoad created?

So I guess this is an open letter to ThunderRoad.... But I thought it might be of interest to others as these drives continue to replace the spinners...
 
I'd like to know if an extra fstab entry is sill needed in Mint 17.3 and 18 as well. Thank you for letting us know about this, Daniel~!
And a big thank you in advance if ThunderRd or any other GOL member knows the answer to this!
 
All I had to do on Fedora was enable the fstrim service. I'm not sure about Mint.
 
Thanks Gizmo...ah...how does one go about doing that? Or can one do that in Mint?
 
I've had my SSD for a few years now and never did anything in Mint. If Mint isn't using it to the full capabilities I wouldn't know... its super FAST
 
booman said:
I've had my SSD for a few years now and never did anything in Mint. If Mint isn't using it to the full capabilities I wouldn't know... its super FAST
Click to expand...
Then you my friend REALLY need to take a long look at the Addy I posted.
Just finished carrying out the instructions myself, at lest I did no harm! ":O}

According to the Author Carrying out the SSD setup is vital for the lifespan of your SSD as well as speed!.

Besides...TR told me so! ":O}
 
OK Then! Who has an SSD they had no idea needed special love and care...besides me and Boo I mean...":O}

Because...if you do...then this post is for you...and me and Boo of course!! ":O}

Did you know that defragging an SSD is a huge no no!? Windows can trash your SSD with defraging?
Did you know you should never use "Hibernation" when shutting down!!??
Have you set the trim properly?

Me and Boo didn't!

If your using an SSD...you owe it to yourself and the self of your SSD to read this article and possibly, beyond this point I have no idea what' might be good for you, implement them to your betterment?.":O}

Here it is again, in case you misplaced it already Boo.":O}

https://sites.google.com/site/easylinuxtipsproject/ssd
 
Last edited:
That guide is making my head-spin :confused:
Specially with the warning of "older drive" and "crucial drive" and on and on and on
It sounds like Mint 18 automatically has some features to handle some of this stuff.
I'll be upgrading very soon
 
Don't be so lazy! LOL
It's actually a very good guide! Just slow up a bit and all will become clear to you":O}
Mint 18 lacks several IMPORTANT settings!
Would I bother you if it wasn't important?
Damn right I would!

But this is bothering with a purpose!

I can see I've left to much power in my readers hands!!

If you have read this post and you have an SSD you boot to;
Then like Boo you need to make a few simple adjustments to ensure it's long life and best practices usage.

Your a busy man Boo, so wait if you like until you upgrade or install Mint 18.

But THEN you, like all Mint 18 users,with SSD's, you need to do this!

Besides, TR told me to!!
Not this time, the last time when he went to a good deal of trouble on behalf of Mint 18 users yet to be born":O}

I think it was actually Mint 15 or 16 we were working in. But the SSD hasn't changed and Mint still needs help with setting up an SSD, So I'm guessing this is still a very good idea!
 
Eep. Complicated enough, and how. I think I'll wait for the automagical Mint 18 Cinnamon update. Then I'll (hopefully) dive in to these SSD optimization instructions. It never crossed my mind to try to defrag my SSD.

Question, please. A very recent auto update made me change UEFI access. Now I'm asked to respond to a new prompt during boot. I hope that the change was really necessary. Sometimes I do wonder.
 
Hi George, good ta see ya!
I use UEFI, but have from install, which maybe why I wasn't asked and don't get your boot message. I'm pretty sure your fine. But to be sure, can you post the message your getting at boot?

I'm GUESSING that when you installed you left it in doubt, perhaps in your BIOS/UEFI settings and Mint wanted to know how you wanted to boot!

As to updating your SSD settings, it's not hard, just go slow and read each part carefully and check back here if in doubt! ":O|
This is a bit of a lengthy [procedure for us newbs. But it just cut and paste.one step at a time.":O}

Let me know if you find yourself in doubt as to what to do...If I don't know the Big Guys will step in and see us through! ":O}
 
Last edited:
Ok, I ran an update and re-booted, no message...so I'm thinking I'm probably right about the update you received...But post it so we can know more.
 
Enabling TRIM for your SSD on linux only requires you to add a mount option to the fstab file. Enabling TRIM as a mount option is supported by most filesystems, even vfat support it. If you are running UEFI boot then you have one partition with vfat which is where the bootloader is located.

Another option which might be useful is also an option called noatime. Normally when you access a file on your system, the metadata for the file will update to show when the file was last accessed. The noatime option never updates this, which saves you a write to the SSD when you are simply opening a file. Do keep in mind that a few programs, like Mutt will not work properly when noatime is used. I use noatime myself, and none of the programs I use are affected by this.

You can post your /etc/fstab file if you wonder if these things are enabled on your system.
 
I will try and remember to past my fstab from my computer at home
 
Got no message from UEFI today when I booted. I guess that the change demanded by the Mint update "took hold."
Maximum lifetime of my SSD would be nice, but I'm not in a hurry to make those recommended changes. After I have Mint 18 Cinnamon running nicely I may tackle them.
 
Who made your SSD Drive George? Give me the model n#o and I'll poke around for easier to use utilities for you.
 
Very generous of you to offer such great help, Dan~! Thank you! I think it will be better to wait until I have Mint 18 Cinnamon installed before diving in to setting everything optimally. It's amazing how small SSD's are compared to spinning drives.
 
Up to you George, I don't see an advantage either way, so...it's up to you!":O}
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top