Introduction

Most SSD users are aware that TRIM is an essential Windows command that prolongs SSD life and ensures that their SSDs stay speedy. TRIM kicks-in after a file deletion in Windows and notifies the SSD controller of which data blocks should be wiped clean.

Like many SSD users I have always wondered whether TRIM actually works on my systems or not. We can check if TRIM is enabled simply by running the fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify command within an elevated command prompt. If the result is DisableDeleteNotify = 0 this means that TRIM is enabled. This however only means that the operating system is configured to send TRIM commands to the SSD controller; it doesn't necessarily mean that TRIM is fully functional. There is a method to check for TRIM functionality using a hex editor, but apart from that there hasn't been an easier and surefire way to find out whether TRIM actually works or not.

I came across some forum posts recently that indicated the existence of an easy-to-use freeware program which checks for TRIM functionality in a definite way. This utility is named "TRIM Check" and has been written by Vladimir Panteleev.

Let's take a look at it.