Why Does SSD Run Slow? (7 Fixes)

As we have heard, an SSD (Solid-State Drive) slows down when you fill it up. If you keep writing files or running applications on it, you will be paying for more time than ever before.

Unfortunately, your computer may freeze while playing games, cutting videos, writing essays, etc. SSD is faster than HDD (Hard Disk Drive), however, this is only possible when disk space is not filled.

This disk slows down when the percentage of available data is 70%. So, if your SSD is slowing down and you want to know why does SSD run slow, read on.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Even though SSDs are faster they tend to slow down quickly.
• SSDs do not store data while optimizing disk space.
• Disk space management is very important and can be done manually or through a third-party tool.

7 Reasons Why SSD Run Slow (with Fixes)

This is because SSDs can only write and store data to an empty block, and if a block is not open, solid-state drives must delete data marked as deleted and then fill it with new data.

Listed below are some reasons and their solutions for why the SSD runs slow and how you can resolve this issue.

1. SSD Not Optimized

One useful way to improve the slowdown of SSD drive is to optimize SSD space. As we know, storage space affects SSD speed, and disk space adjustment is essential.

Traditionally, third-party tools can help you increase the size of a room, but this requires a reserved space next to its destination station.

If you choose it, you need to remove the volume first. Most of us do not want to get rid of important things unless we decide to give them all up.

Solution

You should start by downloading a free version of any reliable third-party tool specifically created for managing disk space.

With this free disk management, you can resize, shrink, delete, format, merge and create partitions without data loss.

2. Limited Space

SSDs have limited space available and once they start filling up quickly, this free space decreases rapidly. This causes your SSD to slow down as it is unable to access data at the same speed.

Solution  

SSD Data Recovery

Data Recovery from SSD:

First, you should understand that you need to get a powerful data recovery tool.

Data recovery works well with all common operating systems and storage devices; it supports many file types. Therefore, it is the first choice of many Windows users.

Step 1: Download a data recovery installer (do not save the program to SSD). Then launch the application to complete the software installation.

Step 2: Run the software and copy and paste your license into the text box of the Registration window; finally click the Register button. If you are using the trial version, you can skip this registration step.

Step 3: Connect the SSD to your computer and make sure it shows up in Disk Management. If the SSD is an internal drive in your computer, skip this step.

Please read this page carefully if you find that your SSD is not recognized by the computer:

Step 4: Select Logical Drives if you want to recover files located on a specific SSD partition. Then find the SSD drive in the list.

Note: If the target SSD contains only one partition or suddenly becomes RAW (disks disappear), select Devices and find the SSD.

Step 5: You should double-click the SSD disk to start a full scan (you can also finish this operation by selecting the disk and clicking the Scan button in the lower right corner); then wait for the scan to process.

Step 6: Browse the found sections and folders one by one to select all the files you actually need. Then click Save to open the Save Path dialog.

Step 7: Browse the available disk and select one with sufficient free space; then click OK to confirm this action. Now wait until the SSD data recovery is complete.

Step 8: Finally, you should click OK on the prompt saying that your selected files have been successfully restored.

In order to increase SSD’s speed, it is necessary to expand space available. This can be done by

Step 1. Shrink partition to free space for partitioning

If there is enough unallocated space on the hard disk to extend the target partition, go to step 2 and continue. If not, please free up some space first:

• In Partition Manager, right-click on the partition next to the target partition and select “Resize/Move”.
• Free up space by dragging the partition ends, leaving enough space behind the target partition, click “OK”.

Step 2. Expand the destination disk.

Right click on the target partition you want to extend and select “Resize/Move”.

Extend a partition by dragging the handle of your target partition into the unallocated space.

Step 3. Save all changes.

Click “Run Task” and click “Apply” to save all changes.

Other tools to clean junk files:

Run Disk Reorganization to clean junk files

Step 1. Search for “Disk Reorganization” from the Start menu. Click to open it.

Step 2. Select the drive you want to clean up, and then click OK.

Step 3. Delete the scanned junk files.

Consolidate and optimize disks

Step 1. Look for Defrag in the Start menu. Then click to open the program.

Step 2. You can optimize SSD performance by selecting target drives. Select the drive and click “Optimize”.

3. Make Sure AHCI Mode is Enabled

AHCI mode is important for SSD performance. If it is disabled, your device may experience an unexpected boot error. Therefore, check if AHCI is enabled.

Solution

Step 1. Right-click the Start icon and select Device Manager from the menu.

Step 2. Expand IDE ATA/ATAPI drivers.

If “Enable” is displayed, click to change it. Disable – Leave.

If you cannot find this driver, see Dell – Dev.  “IDE ATA/ATAPI driver” is missing from management.

4. Disabled TRIM

Check if TRIM is enabled

Solid state drives store data differently than hard drives. To write new data to the device, you must first erase the existing data.

The cleaning process takes a lot of time, which can slow down the speed of the SSD.

Solution

You do not need to worry as TRIM comes here to initialize deleted data cells before automatically overwriting the data.

Follow the step-by-step tutorial to make sure TRIM is enabled:

Step 1. Open Windows Search and search for cmd in the box. Select “Run as administrator”.

Step 2. At the command line, type and press Enter: fsutil behavior query disableteletenotify.

Step 3. Then check the command line and evaluate whether TRIM is enabled on the SSD.

NTFS DisableDeleteNotify = 0 – This means “TRIM is enabled”.

NTFS DisableDeleteNotify = 1 – this means “TRIM is disabled”.

If TRIM technology is not possible, you can continue typing on the command line.

Type command: fsutil behavior setting disabledeletenotify 0

Then press enter to enable it.

5. Write Cache is Disabled

Write cache is needed to improve SSD performance. However, this leaves your computer vulnerable to data loss when it comes to equipment power outages.

Solution

So, if you decide to continue, follow the instructions to enable TRIM:

Step 1. Right-click the Start icon and select “Device Manager”.

Step 2. Expand “Disk drives” and click “Properties”.

Step 3. Select the Policies tab and then select the “Enable Write Caching on Device” option.

Step 4. Click “OK”.

6. BIOS Settings

Your system’s boot time settings have disabled AHCI mode, thereby further slowing down your computer and SSD.

Solution

Enter BIOS and enable AHCI mode

Step 1. Press “Windows R” to open the Run box and type “msconfig”. Click Enter.

Step 2. Go to the Boot tab and select “Secure Boot” under Boot Settings.

Step 3. Save the changes and restart your computer.

Step 4. Enter BIOS: Turn on computer > press F12 or F2 or DEL to enter BIOS setup > Change SATA mode from IDE to AHCI > Save changes and exit.

Step 5. Reboot PC> Repeat Step 1> Uncheck “Secure Boot” in Boot tab.

7. Windows Settings are Restricting SSD

On a Windows 10 PC, it’s easy to notice that your SSD is slowing down. Users want to speed it up in every possible way, but they don’t know how.

This section offers methods to help people optimize SSD to speed up Windows. Try them one by one until your SSD speed improves.

Solution

So, the methods can be divided into two categories according to the two types of situations where the SSD slows down. In both cases, SSD disk space is the deciding factor when it comes to speed.

How to boost SSD in Windows 10 when running out of space?

Method 1: Delete unnecessary files and folders from SSD.

Method 2: Disable hibernation (this can free up a lot of disk space for you).

1. Open Windows Search.
2. Enter cmd.
3. Right-click the command prompt and select Run as administrator.
4. Type powercfg -h off and press Enter.

If this is not the reason why the SSD is slowing down, go to the next part.

Boost Windows 10 Startup Speed

Your SSD can run slowly in Windows 10 and affect the speed of your PC. How to overclock an SSD to boost Windows 10 boot speed?

• Disable internal VGA.
• Adjust starting order.
• Update BIOS.
• Check for hardware errors.

Method 1: Disable the built-in VGA

According to the long boot delay for Windows 10 users, the onboard VGA feature is responsible for slowing down the SSD speed. They said the system went from a typical 1:15-1:30 startup time to 15 seconds.

How to disable it:

1. Restart your computer.
2. Boot from BIOS settings.
3. Find the Advanced BIOS Features/Advanced Chipset Features section.
4. Find the Onboard VGA feature and disable it.
5. Exit BIOS and click Yes to save changes.

Note: The exact names of the settings depend on the motherboard.

Method 2: Adjust the boot order

If the order of the boot devices is not set correctly, Windows 10 will also boot slowly on the SSD. In this case, you must change the boot order to prioritize the SSD, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer and enter the BIOS by pressing the corresponding buttons.
2. Open Advanced BIOS.
3. Open Hard Disk Boot Priority.
4. Use the up and down arrow keys to select the SSD as the first boot device.
5. Exit BIOS and save changes.

Method 3: Update the BIOS

Since the BIOS is always the first software that the computer loads, it naturally affects the boot speed. Like any other software, the BIOS is regularly updated by the computer or motherboard manufacturer. The main functions of a BIOS update are:

• Fixing new bugs
• Optimizing cache functions
• Making necessary hardware corrections
• Improving compatibility with new devices
• Etc. update the BIOS and download and install it correctly on your computer.

Method 4: Check for faulty hardware

Try removing all unnecessary hardware from your computer and see if the SSD speed can be improved.

• VGA card
• USB device
• Sound card
• DVD-ROM

If any hardware connected to the computer is damaged or undetectable, the operating system continues to search the cache. That is why the SSD slows down.

Conclusion

All in all, an SSD can suddenly slow down for a number of reasons.

If this happens to you, the first thing you should do is save your data (at least the important data) because the SSD can fail at any time.

After that, you should try the methods mentioned in the previous section to try to effectively fix why the SSD runs slow.