Windows 10: Using an SSD as a USB Data Drive

I have an "old" SSD (250 GB Samsung 840 EVO) available to use as a USB 3 data drive for some not-too volatile data - a Lightroom data catalog that benefits from being fast to read and write. I formatted it and put a 220 GB NTFS partition on it - leaving about 16 GB unallocated.

I put it into a USB 3.0 drive case and plugged it into a USB 3.0 port. It SEEMS to work, but I"m getting some odd behavior. I started Lightroom and everything worked fine, but the partition I created sits there 100% busy. I exited Lightroom and it shut down but the process is still sitting there and the partition is still 100% busy. It's been churning for the last couple hours, although according to the Task Manager there's no data being read or written.....

I"ve got the Samsung Magician software running, but I can't even run the performance benchmark...

Anybody got any ideas about what is likely going on?

:)

 

Bootmgr corrupt

That's not looking good. Do you need to try to recover data from the SSD still? Possibly you could boot from the USB and still load Windows from the SSD. You would have to make a bcd on a USB to do this (assuming the SSD is still readable).

To make the USB bootable to launch Windows on your SSD:

Boot with the install USB as before and get the Command Prompt. Replace the USB stick with another small one, formatted FAT32 (for a UEFI PC). Try running diskpart to see if the SSD is detected OK.

diskpart

list vol <--- this will list the drive letters assigned to the SSD and USB and show any without drive letters as well.

exit

Setup the USB to boot Windows on your SSD. If the USB is drive F: the command to make it bootable for Windows on your SSD would be:

bootsect /nt60 F: /force /mbr

bcdboot C:\Windows /s F: /f ALL

Sometimes what you expect would be drive C: gets another letter. The diskpart list vol command would show this ig it happens.

(If your PC is not UEFI, the USB has to be instead formatted NTFS and marked Active.)

Another thing that could be tried is running chkdsk on the SSD C: drive:

chkdsk C: /X

 

Windows 10 on HDD to a new SSD

I already have a 500gb SSD as my "C" drive in my laptop, with a second regular drive for data. When I tried to install Windows 10 on to it, the install failed as it recognized my SSD drive as a USB drive (which it is not). Hopefully MS can figure out
a way to fix this.

 

You likely should have opted to use an eSata capable enclosure over usb since the drive is designed to work mainly with the onboard sata controllers. If you have the extra bay free internally that would be a fast and easy solution for seeing the drive plugged directly into a port which will solve the usb problems that unfortunately will persist.

Running the drive from the usb bus simply doesn't work out as you are seeing happen there. For seeing the drive kept external the eSata connection is simply an extension cable to the port on the board and still works from onboard controllers while the power source would be external namely the ac adapter for the enclosure used. You might have to look up a 3.5" model that takes both 3.5 and 2.5" drives however which would be a bit easier to find and less pricey for that option.

 

Unfortunately, the new laptop doesn't have an eSATA port. None of the ones I looked at do. And my USB 3.1c port is occupied with a USB3 hub. I don't have any more internal bays, so I can't put it there either. I'll do some rummaging over at Samsung, but it sounds like this SSD doesn't lend itself to being a USB drive. It may have to go on the shelf or get sold on eBay.

 

You could try something like this for your SSD works fine for external access connect to a USB 3.0 port.

 

A docking station would generally have it's own onboard controllers while still connected by usb. But then you are also looking at somewhat of a more stationary type accessory while the external usb enclosure powered by 3.0 port I figure is mobile.

As for storage drives in general the SSD has always been kind of the overkill by high price for that purpose where you can easily grab a good 1tb spinner these days for a much lower tag that wouldn't run into any of the usb problems an SSD would see. The main problem for SSDs is those are static memory as well as flash drives but are intended for internal application while mech drives are still a bit old school as far as being flexible enough to go into enclosures and docking stations.

I wouldn't be in a rush to simply toss the drive on Ebay however since you may end up having a use for it at some point. You may end up wanting a compact desktop model at some point where that would be the OS drive.

 

Thanks for the replies.. This wasn't a big thing - it was just an easy way to carry a catalog on a fast drive so when I needed it I could just plug it in. I have spare 1TB spinners, and 500GB spinners, and all sorts of other drives up to 4TB for image storage. It wasn't an issue of having storage, it was an issue of Lightroom being an absolute pig that can benefit from having the catalog on an SSD. I have 2, 1TB 7200 rpm HDD to hold the images I travel with, so it was just a shot at speeding things up....

I DID do some more fiddling and pulled the SSD from the USB port that's plugged into the USB 3.1-c port, and plugged it into a "regular" USB 3.0 port and it stopped acting flaky... SO, the spinning external hard drives are happy on the hub, but the SSD appears to want to be directly into a 3.0 port.

So, no eBay for this thing - most likely it'll go into another box at some point, but it looks like the hot setup these days is becoming m.2 sata SSDs. Regular SATA SSDs are already becoming old hat...

 

Well as I was saying don't be in any rush to toss the drive there too soon! *Smile The only things multiple I toss on a hub would be flash drives while I still have a 1tb former second storage/backup drive thought at first to be on the way out(5yrs. old) put into the Sambrent combo usb/eSata enclosure I bought to replace the old AcomData usb 2.0 model now in use on the second desktop I run remotely for testing. I can store full image backups for the 7 Pro side of the dual boot as well as an image for each new Insider build when wanting to be able to roll back from any found to be problem laced? The TH2 update turned out to be the flop following the 10240 RTM however!

At least having 3 or 4 ports whether 2.0 or 3.0 on a laptop however is a BIG HELP at times! I know that from setting up a 10 laptop when going to visit someone and plugging in the stand with a 200cm fan as well as the usb powered speakers and separate trackball mouse to keep from wear on the flimsy touchpads most of them seem to end up with. One heavy finger can ruin the day leaving a large oval degrade as seen on the last laptop! That was from someone's son borrowing it constantly and heavy on the touchpad!

With all that the one 3.0 port is the life saver when bringing up a 3.0 16gb or swapping ports with the trackball for the larger 128gb flash drive when going to bring up something new. That still carries the factory warranty so no clean installs out of the Sept. OEM install when the model came out however! *Sad

That could certainly use an extra fast moving drive since USB 3.0 transfer of files isn't what it has been cranked up to be! Still slow as all H! I've been finding transfers going faster on 2.0 instead! 3.0 simply provides a slightly higher amperage to allow for 6 items instead of 2.0's 4 maximum.

 

Hi,

That would really be very peculiar. I'm running Sata spinners and SSDs from a simple sata to usb adaptor on USB 3.0 or 2.x ports and they all work fine under W10. Depending on the drive an external PS may be required but that comes with the adaptor anyhow.





Could it be the Samsung magician isn't playing well with the SATA to USB convertor ?

Cheers, *Wink

 

I believe the one GracieAllen has there is an older SSD that meant some older technology being used and where the problem is being seen. That would be like Sata I next to Sata 3 at the present time in a sense as to how the earlier drives would be a bit more particular about things while the newer drives have been updated to be a bit more flexible knowing people are more apt to be found using external enclosures on laptops, Tablets, ThinkaDink pads, etc. at this time! *really*Biggrin

Afterall there was the mention of...

you have to take into consideration there.

 

That's not an old drive, it's been superseded by 850 just couple of month ago. I have much older Kingston SSD that works just fine with USB2 adapter.
Lightroom must have done something to it, probably using as a scratch file drive. I would repartition it and reformat it.

 

It's not an "old" drive, just old in that the laptop for which it was a boot drive has been replaced. It's probably 18 months old and has the current firmware in it.

As for Lightroom, it was partitioned and reformatted prior to copying the catalog. Lightroom has never used it for a scratch drive.

As I said, once I moved it to a standard USB 3.0 port rather than using the USB 3 hub attached to the USB 3.1-c port it works fine. My "normal" 7200 rpm HDD(s) work fine plugged into the hub, but the SSD didn't like it. I had it plugged into the Windows 10 Professional desktop when I did the partitioning and formatting, plugged into a regular USB 3.0 port and it worked fine there. SO, I suspect there's something different when using the hub, but it's not a big deal since I can plug other things into the hub and use the SDD directly into a USB 3.0 port.

 

Hi,

That could well be it. The hub isn't "taxed" when using a regular spinner but is choking when a SSD is attached to it.

Cheers, *Wink

 

Is the hub usb or ac adapter powered? For any basic hub powered by the port you can't actually plug much in. For those with separate adapters being self powered on the other hand I have seen this problem with flash drives cleared where on one hub a number of brands simply work work since they tend to draw on the current heavier then the hub can provided since it is already taking some of that away while the self powered hubs carry their own weight.

When installed internally there is an abundance of current generally seen when a good supply is in use. SSDs should function as well as any other drive since the current levels are maintained. The first SSDs as well as later models were based on seeing that extra current typically seen when having been powered directly from the supply while newer models are a bit more energy efficient for use on laptops and lowered All in One type desktops with small power requirements there.

In contrast as far as seeing a mechanical drive in a usb enclosure being plugged into a 7 port self powered 2.0 hub along with a 16gb 3.0 flash drive both are working as normal. The blue arrow points to the 1gb WD Black Sata 3 hd in the usb/eSata enclosure while the yellow points to the 16gb Kingston 3.0 flash drive.





Remember the CyberPower 2.0 hub is self powered having it's own ac adapter and still will allow a second external enclosure with the WD Green 1tb Sata II drive to be plugged in as well as other flash drives both 2.0 and 3.0 type. The problem likely for not able to use the SSD does seem to point out a non self powered hub being the actual problem in further review.