SSD's a reasonable replacement for HDD on a desktop?
 

Hi,
I'm looking for opinions and hopefully experience here. I'm looking at my 3rd HDD failure now and have had it with these things. Is a SSD a reasonable replacement? Will it be supported by Linux (Ubuntu)? Are there any SSD's out there that won't break the bank in cost? Any special tips, ? Etc.

Thanks in advance,
Matthew

they work fine ...you will need to use slightly different mount options.

the cost is the main thing.

http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2008/0...-state-drives/

SSDs are certainly a viable alternative on a desktop machine, and are supported under any operating system. However, cost is considerably higher than traditional drives, though this is coming down with time. This year we should start seeing SSDs fall under the $100 mark, at least in the lower capacities.

It is important to remember though that SSDs can still fail, just because there are no moving parts doesn't mean it will last forever. They are less likely to be damaged by accidental means (like dropping), but with time they will certainly fail just like anything else.

But...

The more interesting question is if there is a reason for those HDD failures that you should address. If the failures were all recent, similar, and of good quality devices, you might look to what caused their demise before risking the same fate for a replacement.

Thanks everybody!
I will definitely look into acquiring a SSD.
I noted and read most of the entries at the "Tombuntu" site and it certainly cleared out a few cobwebs. However, I wonder how many of the tweaks are still necessary and/or valid since we've (some of us) gone on to EXT 4 and the entries are dated Sep. 2008.? I'm now using Ubuntu 9.10
Matthew

To : thorkelljarl

I bought a Seagate disk some years ago that developed bad sectors and sent it back to Seagate who replaced it with another. This one, likewise developed bad sectors after about a year and the above was repeated again.
Once again, the bad sectors were uncovered by SMART and have increased over time. Seagate says that it's replacement disks are "Re-furbished", whatever they mean by that. I don't have a very high opinion of Seagate.
Matthew

I have an EEE701 (early netbook) and its storage was limited. It has a SD card slot though.

SDHC cards (16GB) have been unreliable for extending its capacity and this is (I believe) the same technology that makes "SSDs".

The SDHC Cards either work, apparently indefinitely, or fail, fatally, within a few weeks or months. I promise myself that I will get better at keeping receipts!

I have a mixture of HDDs (with platters, motors, head-positioning mechanisms and all that are up to 12Y old. Still working fine. Some newer ones have failed within weeks or months though.

YMMV, but there's no easy, or guaranteed solution for the safety of your data, apart from daily backups.

An SD card and a SSD are certainly not the same thing, and really have no bearing on the reliability of each other.

In fact it should be noted that the EEE 701 is one of the first consumer devices to come stock with an SSD. Notice that you have had considerable failures with the external SD cards, but presumably none with the internal SSD you have been using since day 1.

[perhaps off-topic] I have had no problems with the internal SSD on my 701. External SD cards: yes.

So can you explain the difference: How is the hardware different?

They( SSD and SD card ) look to be the same to me ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_memory ) but just packaged / presented differently.

All,
What a great site!
Until I can make my mind up which SSD will suit me and whether it's affordable now, I thought I would create a small failsafe. I have an unused 16 GB USB SanDisk. I couldn't get it to boot correctly on previous Ubuntu V.s but it boots fine now. I subscribe to a Ubuntu Mag. and this latest came with a Ubuntu 9.10 disk on it, which I just used to upgrade this system-hence, my 'bad sectors' were uncovered.
So, I have the disk mounted with the OS on it, and have an unformatted USB 16GB drive that I would very much like to place V. 9.1 on. Then I'll only have to keep to my routine of backing up my personal data on another disk with an eye to the HD failure. How do I do that?
Matthew

All,
Many thanks for your help.
I figured out how to create the startup disk on the 16G USB-san plug in.
I could not get this to work with any of the 8.* versions but it has been fixed in the 9.1 version.
I've got a fail safe now.
Matthew