Hi,
I have HP Envy Sleek-book 6-1113TX. The laptop has been going relatively slow the past few weeks, I currently have a 500GB SATA and a 32GB mSATA. I don't know where Windows is installed on, is there anyway to check? and also, if it is not on the mSATA, would it go faster it was?
HP Envy Laptop Problem
cr7 on 17/08/2016 - 19:14
Last edited 18/08/2016 - 11:24 by 2 other users
Last edited 18/08/2016 - 11:24 by 2 other users
Comments
Ok so windows is on my C:/ drive, but my MSATA drive has one filed in it called 'recovery' and when I click on the file, this pops up https://gyazo.com/ed3170629cd9010dca630d1a4025dc2c ?
Leave the recovery file alone. That contains your Windows 8 installation media.
When you upgrade your 2.5" hard drive to a new SSD, you can do one of two things:
Completely reinstall Windows from the beginning to the new, empty SSD. RECOMMENDED for better performance, even though it might be more time consuming.
Clone the contents of the existing HDD to the SSD. NOT RECOMMENDED as this means any corrupt data or pre-existing issues with your operating system will continue to persist, since you're just straight-up copying your old data.
I find it rather odd that the recovery file is hidden in the MSATA drive rather than the normal HDD drive. If this is the case, it's actually rather advantageous as that means when the HDD is removed and replaced, you don't need to backup the recovery partition.
Normally, in most laptops, the recovery media is stored in a hidden partition on the 'main' drive (which would be the same physical drive you're running Windows on right now).
As scrimshaw says, SSD's now have lots of capacity and are cheap (unless you live in Australia).
You will get much better performance if you use one single SSD instead.Or at the minimum, see if you can get a 256GB SSD for all your stuff.
And then just get an external drive (2TB, 2.5in) and use that for storing all your other stuff (like videos, photos, and music you don't use often).But it might just be better if you get a new laptop instead.
Have a look on OzB and some deals, remember the eBay 20% discount as well.
Go to My Computer and look at the drives.
If your C:\ drive is the larger of the two (500GB), and going into it shows you the Windows folder then you're using the normal mechanical drive.
Depending on the configuration of the laptop, and whether you have enabled SSD SRT disk caching, the MSATA drive is currently being used as a cache and is only be used to store temporary files.
To quote Wikipedia:
Intel SRT is pretty much obsolete and no longer in use, while still supported by Intel, most laptops nowadays don't have a HDD and SSD setup anymore. A high-end laptop for example will just have a single SSD but it might also have extra space for a M.2 slot, or even a spare 2.5" bay if the laptop is large enough.
It was a popular feature in 2012-2013 when SSD's were relatively expensive.
However, big SSD's are very cheap nowadays and you will typically get much better performance by switching all your drives to a entirely solid-state setup. If you want better speed, just get yourself one of the SSD deals (2.5") on eBay, and disable the Intel SRT feature entirely.