Support Pages | DRAM & SSD Drive Support (2024)

FAQs

Why is my crucial SSD not showing up? ›

When your Crucial SSD is not showing or detecting on Windows, first check whether the SSD is properly connected. Ensure that the SSD USB cable is plugged into the correct port. If the cable connection is ok, there may be a chance of any faulty hardware you need to fix or replace.

You can tell if your SSD has a DRAM Cache by physically inspecting it or checking its specifications. One drawback of DRAM is that the information stored in the cache is not secure and can disperse in the event of a power failure or system crash.

SSDs store data permanently inside an integrated circuit, typically using flash memory. The flash memory inside an SSD means data is written, transferred, and erased electronically and silently — SSDs don't have the moving parts found inside mechanical hard-disk drives (HDDs).

Virtual memory (also known as a page file) is essentially a block of space on your hard drive or solid state drive allocated by the OS to pretend to be RAM when your physical RAM runs short for actively running programs.

The BIOS will not detect a SSD if the data cable is damaged or the connection is incorrect. Serial ATA cables, in particular, can sometimes fall out of their connection. Be sure to check your SATA cables are tightly connected to the SATA port connection.

The need for SSD caching

The objective of SSD write caching is to temporarily store data until slower persistent storage media has adequate resources to complete the write operation. In doing so, the SSD write cache can boost overall system performance.

In computing, a page cache, sometimes also called disk cache, is a transparent cache for the pages originating from a secondary storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD).

What not to do with SSD drive? ›

The age of the SSD determines its performance and longevity. Even if manufacturers claim that they can last for ten years, the average lifespan of an SSD is less than ten years. Above all, it depends on the usage.

M.2 SSDs are the fastest: M.2 PCIe NVMe SSDs are the most common type of SSD on modern systems. These small, rectangular drives look like sticks of RAM, only smaller. They are usually 80mm long by 22mm wide, described as size 2280, but some may be shorter or longer, so make sure you get one that matches your slot.

Note: Microsoft recommends that virtual memory be set at no less than 1.5 times and no more than 3 times the amount of RAM on the computer.

Even though SSDs are faster than HDDs, they're still slower than RAM. There are two reasons for that difference in speed. First, the memory chips in SSDs are slower than those in RAM. Second, there is a bottleneck created by the interface that connects the storage device to the computer.

When your SSD is not showing up in Windows, the primary action to take is to confirm whether your SSD is properly connected. Check if the SSD's USB cable is pushed in securely and plugged into the correct port. Also, check that the cable is not damaged and is fit snugly in the port.

There are a few reasons your M. 2 SSD may not show up. It could be that the disk is not formatted correctly or the drivers are not installed properly. Another possibility is that the BIOS is not configured to recognize the M.