Samsung MZ-7PC128N User manual

Rev 3.0
Samsung SSD Magician
User Manual

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Copyright ©
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
This material is copyrighted by Samsung Electronics. Any unauthorized
reproductions, use or disclosure of this material, or any part thereof, is
strictly prohibited and is a violation under copyright law. Samsung
Electronics reserves the right to make changes in specifications
contained herein at any time and without notice. The information
furnished by Samsung Electronics in this material is believed to be
accurate and reliable at the time of publishing, but Samsung Electronics
makes no warranty, whether express or implied, with respect to anything
found herein.
Trademarks and Service Marks
The Samsung Logo is the trademark of Samsung Electronics. Adobe is a
trademark and Adobe Acrobat is a registered trademark of Adobe
Systems Incorporated. All other company and product names may be
trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

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Contents
CHAPTER 1................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.1 PRODUCT OVERVIEW............................................................................................................................................................6
Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................................6
Cautions..................................................................................................................................................................................6
System Requirements.......................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 HOW TO USE SAMSUNG SSD MAGICIAN .....................................................................................................................9
Installing Samsung SSD Magician..............................................................................................................................9
Samsung SSD Magician Basics ................................................................................................................................. 10
System Information ........................................................................................................................................................ 11
Performance Benchmark.............................................................................................................................................. 12
Performance Optimization.......................................................................................................................................... 13
OS Optimization .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
Firmware Update............................................................................................................................................................. 16
Secure Erase ...................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Over Provisioning............................................................................................................................................................ 18
Disk Clone .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Site Link ............................................................................................................................................................................... 20
CHAPTER 3................................................................................................................................................. 21
3.1 FIRMWARE UPDATE BASICS .............................................................................................................................................. 22
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Cautions............................................................................................................................................................................... 22
System Requirements.................................................................................................................................................... 23
3.2 WINDOWS-BASED FIRMWARE UPDATE .......................................................................................................................... 24
Updating Firmware with the Windows-Based Firmware Utility ................................................................ 24
3.3 DOS-BASED FIRMWARE UPDATE UTILITY BASICS........................................................................................................ 27
Creating a Boot Disk for the Firmware Update................................................................................................ 27
3.4 UPDATING THE FIRMWARE WITH THE DOS UTILITY.................................................................................................... 33
Using the DOS Firmware Utility ............................................................................................................................... 33
CHAPTER 4................................................................................................................................................. 37
4.1 SECURE ERASE BASICS ...................................................................................................................................................... 38
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Cautions............................................................................................................................................................................... 38
System Requirements.................................................................................................................................................... 39
4.2 WINDOWS-BASED SECURE ERASE ................................................................................................................................ 40

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4.3 PREPARING THE DOS-BASED SECURE ERASE UTILITY ................................................................................................. 41
Creating a DOS-Bootable USB Drive containing the Secure Erase Utility ........................................... 41
4.4 USING THE SECURE ERASE UTILITY............................................................................................................................... 44
Starting DOS SSD Application .................................................................................................................................. 44
CHAPTER 5 ................................................................................................................................................ 47
5.1 LIMITATIONS ........................................................................................................................................................................ 48
General Limitations ........................................................................................................................................................ 48
Firmware Update Utility Limitations....................................................................................................................... 48
Secure Erase Utility Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 48
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................. 50
6.1 APPENDIX ............................................................................................................................................................................ 51
Troubleshooting ............................................................................................................................................................... 51
Firmware Update Utility ...................................................................................................................................................................51
Secure Erase Utility.............................................................................................................................................................................52
GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................................................. 54
7.1 GLOSSARY............................................................................................................................................................................ 55

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Chapter 1
Preparation

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1.1 Product Overview
Introduction
The “Samsung SSD Magician” software (hereinafter, SSD Magician)
facilitates easy maintenance and use of Samsung SSD products
connected to a desktop or notebook computer.
In addition to providing information about the user’s system and SSD
product, Samsung SSD Magician also supports advanced features, like
SSD performance management, benchmarking for optimum performance,
new firmware updates, etc.
Cautions
1. Samsung SSD Magician software is only for Samsung SSD 470
Series and SSD 830 Series products and is not recommended for use
with other products.
2. Samsung Electronics is not liable for any data loss or other damages
that may occur while using the software.
3. Samsung is not able to provide any data restoration service in the
event of data loss.
System Requirements
Hardware Requirements
−Samsung SSD 470 Series (MZ-5PA064, MZ-5PA128, MZ-5PA256
Models) or Samsung SSD 830 Series (all models)
−Motherboard that supports the SATA Interface (SATA 3Gb/s or
SATA 6Gb/s recommended)
−Intel or AMD Microprocessor (x86)
−35MB or more of disk space

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Software Requirements
−Windows XP with SP3 or above (32bit or 64bit)
−Internet Explorer 7 or above
−Windows 7 Standard AHCI drivers, or AHCI drivers from your PC’s
chipset manufacturer
−Acrobat Reader 8.0 or above

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Chapter 2
Using SSD Magician

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2.1 How to Use Samsung
SSD Magician
Installing Samsung SSD Magician
1. Install the SSD Magician software from the Samsung Manual CD
included in the package with your SSD. You may also download the
Samsung SSD Magician software at www.samsung.com/ssd.
Please note where you save the file, as you will need it to continue
the installation.
2. Run the self-extracting setup file to start the installation.
3. Select the language that you prefer to use.
4. Accept the software license agreement to start the installation.
5. Confirm the installation path and click [Next]. Click the [Finish]
button to complete the installation.

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Samsung SSD Magician Basics
Start the Samsung SSD M ag ician Software
Start the SSD Magician Software by clicking the [SAMSUNG SSD
MAGICIAN] icon created on the desktop or the shortcut on the Quick
Launch toolbar. At the main screen, select a feature to use. You may also
find the Samsung SSD Magician Software in the “All Programs” folder of
the Windows Start Menu.

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System Information
The System Information menu shows information about your PC and the
disk(s) connected to it. “System Summary”displays information about the
OS and the main hardware components. “Disk Summary”displays
information about the disk itself, such as model name, serial number,
manufacturer, firmware version, disk capacity, and S.M.A.R.T information.

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Performance Benchmark
The Performance Benchmark feature tests SSD performance based on
sequential read, sequential write, random read, and random write and
compares the current performance results with past results.
Caution: Running the Performance Benchmark test too frequently may
shorten SSD lifespan. Samsung suggests that the Performance
Benchmark test be run no more than once a day.
For previous Performance Optimization and Benchmark results, click the
icon. Select any two entries from the list in “performance test history”
and click the [Compare] button to view their comparison results.
To schedule the Performance Optimization and Benchmark functions to
run at a later time, click the icon to set up the schedule.

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Performance Optimization
NOTE: Windows 7 supports TRIM natively, so this feature is less
necessary for Windows 7 Users. Those using Windows XP, which does
not support TRIM, should run this feature regularly to keep their SSD in
top shape. Of course, Windows 7 users can use Performance
Optimization as well if they wish to force Garbage Collection and TRIM to
run at a particular time rather than in the background.
The Performance Optimization feature automatically consolidates
disparate data and prepares invalid memory for future use. It
accomplishes these tasks by force executing two very important SSD
maintenance features: TRIM and Garbage Collection.
By nature, SSDs are a bit obsessive about how they organize their data.
They prefer to have it neatly stacked together, and they run more
efficiently when they can keep it that way. Everyday use makes this type
of neatness difficult, because the OS is constantly writing and deleting
data of various sizes, leaving data strewn haphazardly throughout the
SSD. Garbage Collection remedies this by combing through the Swiss
cheese of data left behind, collecting any data and carefully placing it
together.
TRIM helps to make Garbage Collection more efficient by preparing
invalid data for deletion. When the OS “deletes” data, the data does not
actually go anywhere. The space in which it resides is simply marked as
“free space” that may be used later. Unfortunately, the OS doesn’t let the
SSD know which data is now free, at least not without TRIM. TRIM allows
the OS to inform the SSD which data is no longer valid, allowing the SSD
to skip over invalid data when performing Garbage Collection instead of
moving around old data.
SSDs are just as particular about how they delete data as they are in
storing it, preferring to delete in blocks of equal size. Working in concert,
TRIM and Garbage collection allow the SSD to clear and prepare unused
and invalid blocks of space. SSDs perform faster when writing to empty
blocks, so the end result is better performance.

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Caution: Never remove the SSD during the Performance Optimization
process. It may result in data loss, damage, or malfunction of the SSD.
NOTE: For best SSD performance, check thatAHCI mode is turned on
for the PC. This setting is available in the BIOS.
For previous Performance Optimization and Benchmark results, click the
icon. Select any two entries from the list in “performance test history”
and click the [Compare] button to view their comparison results.
To schedule the Performance Optimization and Benchmark functions to
run at a later time, click the icon to set up the schedule.

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OS Optimization
Most operating systems are optimized for traditional HDDs. The OS
Optimization menu provides options to optimize the OS for working with
an SSD to improve system performance and maximize SSD lifetime.
This feature will check system settings to determine how they will affect
the SSD and recommend which features to enable or disable.

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Firmware Update
The Firmware Update menu is used to update the SSD to the latest
firmware provided by Samsung. Firmware updates may include
improvements in SSD performance, compatibility, user environment, etc.
Refer to “Chapter 3” for more details.

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Secure Erase
The Secure Erase feature provides the option to delete all data on an
SSD in a way that it can never be recovered, restoring the SSD to its
original performance.
There are two kinds of Secure Erase procedure. The first is a quick
Secure Erase of a secondary drive, such as when the SSD is the 2nd
drive and is connected using either SATA or eSATA. This can take place
while Windows is running because it will not affect the OS files. The other
procedure is a Secure Erase of the boot drive, which contains the
Windows OS. This must be completed with a DOS-bootable USB Drive.
To see full instructions on how to use the Secure Erase feature, refer to
Chapter 4.
Caution: It is strongly recommended that you BACK-UP any important
data before performing Secure Erase on your SSD. Data cannot be
recovered after a Secure Erase.

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Over Provisioning
The Over Provisioning menu provides options for resizing partitions on
the disk. The SSD will perform better and last longer if it has free space
available to use as swap space, and this utility will help you set aside
such space by resizing the partitions on your drive. Swap space is used
to perform routine SSD maintenance (TRIM and Garbage Collection) in
the background during idle time, allowing the SSD Controller to prepare
free blocks for the OS to use in the future. Because the SSD performs
best when writing to free blocks, the result is a better user experience
through reduced wait time.
Samsung recommends allocating 7~10% of the total volume of your SSD
for Over Provisioning space. Over Provisioning space is displayed as
unallocated space (or an unallocated partition) in the Windows Disk
Management program. The user can change the amount of space
allocated for Over Provisioning at his or her discretion.
Caution: Magician supports NTFS and raw (unformatted, unallocated)
partitions only.

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Disk Clone
The latest Samsung 470 series SSDs and all 830 Series SSDs come with
a full version of Norton Ghost to handle disk cloning.
If you have one of the SSD packages that came bundled with Norton
Ghost, please see the separate “Norton Ghost –Data Migration”User
Manual, available in the Site Link section of SSD Magician, for detailed
instructions on how to use this feature.
If you did not receive a copy of Norton Ghost, please refer to your model
number to determine your eligibility. If you purchased any of the 470
Series SSD models below and 830 Series SSDs, you can install
Norton Ghost from the CD that came in your box or by downloading
it from Samsung’s website at www.samsung.com/ssd.
Qualifying 470 Series SSDs
Basic Model
Upgrade Kit
Note
64GB
MZ-5PA064B
MZ-5PA064C
Paper box package
128GB
MZ-5PA128B
MZ-5PA128C
Paper box package
256GB
MZ-5PA256B
MZ-5PA256C
Paper box package
NOTE: If you have an older 470 Series SSD that did not come with
Norton Ghost, you may purchase it from www.norton.com or consider one
of its alternatives.

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Site Link
The Site Link menu provides links to multi-language versions of the
Norton Ghost software in both .ISO format and as simple setup files. You
can also find more information about Symantec online support and your
local call centers. Check this section to get user manuals and other
support.