Ubuntu MATE 18.04 will be landing very soon and we take a look at the Beta 2 release. To find out more about Ubuntu MATE: https://ubuntu-mate.org/

Linux Mint has warped my brain and now I can’t use any other distribution of Linux.

To get your brain warped, click here: https://linuxmint.com/

It is tempting to use a utility like the dd command or CloneZilla to transfer all data from a HDD to a new SSD. DON’T DO IT! You should backup your personal data and re-install the OS to the new SSD. Gparted or the Ubiquity Installer will format SSD’s with the proper partition alignment and optimize the file system (ext4) for the best performance. You may get less than optimal performance if you just clone the old drive to the new SSD.

SSD CHECK

cat /sys/block/sd(x)/queue/rotational

(x) = driver letter

ALIGNMENT CHECK:

parted /dev/sd(x)
align-check opt (n)

(x) = drive letter.
(n) = partition number.

Proper alignment avoids excessive read-modify-write cycles.

TRIM

The TRIM command enables an operating system to notify the SSD of pages which no longer contain valid data. This prevents unnecessary overwrite operations which can reduce SSD performance and increase wear. Ubuntu/Linux Mint do this automatically, once weekly. Once per week is enough! Running fstrim excessively can contribute to SSD wear. Let the system handle it for you. There is no need to add the “discard” option to any fstab entry. TRIM is applied to a swap partition on the SSD at boot time.

sudo fstrim -v –all