Your experience booting and running Windows from the SSD should convince you there is a substantial benefit to using an SSD.

I copied files, and did not reinstall the whole program. You will need to do the minimal install option, though, to get fonts etc. onto your new boot drive. Use the one that says you will keep your RealTracks and RealDrums in another location.

The practical problem you face is that BIAB is too large to fit on many SSD drives unless you bought a huge one. It certainly won't work for me with the audiophile version, where those RealTracks and RealDrums files are 11 times larger than in the regular version and come on a 1.5 TB drive. So, what to do?

I have an SSD boot drive in all my computers now. For my music computer, I copied all of BIAB to the SSD EXCEPT the folders for RealTracks and RealDrums, since the program allows you to specify other locations for those in Preferences. I put the RealTracks and RealDrums on a fast 'regular' hard drive.

In general for decisions about SSD drives, it is preferable to put files you read from, but don't write much to, on the SSD (just because of the nature of it, and a finite number of Writes allowed). RealTracks would be a perfect fit, if they weren't so large. However, on newer SSD models, it seems there are enough Writes available before failure that the drive will outlast me, so I'm not terribly worried where things go anymore.

Two other tips:

If you replaced the boot drive with an SSD, you must go into Windows to TURN OFF DEFRAG for that SSD drive, to prolong its life.

You should also check to see that ACHI is set to ON for any older computer. This one is more complicated and requires Googling the steps. It will give your SSD a substantial speed boost, though, if you need to do it.


Last edited by Matt Finley; 06/21/15 06:23 AM.