EDGE Boost SSDs are OS-independent and will run on any system supporting the corresponding SATA interface and form factor.  Please consult your system user manual to determine which form of Boost SSD is right for you.

A manufacturer specific server tray is needed for most servers to install an SSD into it.  Please contact an EDGE Memory representative if you need a server tray with your Boost Server SSD.

The following instructions are designed for formatting as a secondary drive in Windows 7.  Other versions of Windows will be similar, but may vary.  If using a Mac, please access Utilities -> Disk Utility -> Partition to initiate a format.  If doing a clean install of the SSD (as a primary drive), please install and follow the instructions provided on the operating system install disc.

1.  Right click on Computer (or My Computer) and select Manage.

2.  Select Disk Management in the left pane.

3.  You will receive an Initialize Disk prompt—this will only apply to any unformatted  

     devices you have installed (i.e. – the SSD).  Choose MBR, note the Disk number

     (ex Disk 1, Disk 2, etc) and select OK.

4.  In the bottom pane of Disk Management, find the disk number from step 3.  Right-

     click on the unallocated box and select New Simple Volume.

5.  The New Simple Volume/Partition wizard will appear.  Select Next on the first

     screen.

6.  On the Specify Volume Size screen, ensure the Simple Volume size number

     matches the maximum disk space (default).  Select Next.

7.  Assign a drive letter not already in use to the SSD.  Select Next.

8.  Choose a file system format (NTFS recommended for Windows) with a default

     allocation unit size and give the SSD a Volume Label name.  Check perform a   

     quick format and uncheck enable file and folder compression.  Click Next.

9.  Review the wizard summary and select Finish.  The SSD will be formatted.  Once

     complete, you can close Computer Management.

In order to use any flash storage device, including SSDs, you must first format the device.  As a result of formatting, some storage capacity is unavailable for use (typically around 7%).  For example, a 240GB SSD will have roughly 223GB available for use after formatting.

Not all systems support drive encryption (also called the ATA Security Password)—please consult your system’s user manual to ensure this feature is available.  Enabling this function varies from system to system, but the following is a typical example (IMPORTANT:  Your SSD will be permanently inaccessible if you forget or lose your password!):

1.  After installing the SSD, access your computer’s BIOS during system startup.

2.  Select the “Security” option.

3.  Select the “Password” option.

4.  Select the option displayed as “Hard Disk Password” or similar for the Boost SSD.

5.  Create and reconfirm a password.  After complete, the encryption function is active. 

     You will need to input your password every time you start your computer to access

     the SSD. 

No - SSDs never need to be defragmented.  In fact, defragmenting an SSD can reduce the lifespan.  If your system is set up to defragment automatically, you should disable or turn off defragmentation when using a Boost SSD.

One of the disadvantages to flash memory is that flash cells will eventually wear out.  To make sure EDGE Boost SSDs lives a long, productive life, wear-leveling ensures that data is written evenly to the drive.  This prevents any one cell or group of cells from being “over used” and wearing out prematurely.

Durawrite extends the endurance of the flash inside EDGE Boost SSDs by better managing the way data is stored.

TRIM is like weight loss for your SSD.  TRIM helps your Boost SSD run more efficiently by removing old blocks of data that are no longer in use.  Without TRIM, an SSD does not know these blocks can be deleted, and the operating system has to “search” for available blocks to write data.  As this happens, SSD performance suffers and TRIM addresses this problem.  TRIM is a function of only newer operating systems, such as Windows 7 and 8.

Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) predicts and

warns users of SSD failure. If the Boost SSD detects any critical errors, abnormal

temperatures, etc., a message appears on screen, warning the user to take

action to prevent potential data loss.

MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) is the predicted time of operation before an SSD will fail. This is normally expressed in number of hours.

Please view the how-to guide on securely erasing an EDGE SSD of all data here.

SSDs can fail or become corrupt if power is suddenly lost during data writes.  This is of particular concern in a server/datacenter environment where data is constantly being written.  EDGE SSDs with Power Fail functionality utilize “tantalum capacitors” that supply power temporarily to an SSD that loses power, allowing the write to finish before shutting down.  This process protects the SSD from potential failure or corruption in such an event.