> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.iodd.kr/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.iodd.kr/various-functions/iodd-trim-tool.md).

# IODD TRIM Tool

**Platform**: Windows 64-bit\
**License**: Freeware

***

## Download

* [**Download the latest version of IODD TRIM Tool**](https://dir.iodd.kr/util/IODD_TRIM_Tool/)

***

## 1. Overview

IODD TRIM Tool is a Windows utility for sending TRIM commands to **external SSDs connected through USB-SATA bridges**.

Windows automatically performs TRIM for internal SATA/NVMe SSDs, but external SSDs behind USB bridges often do not receive the same automatic optimization path. This tool is designed to maintain external SSD performance and long-term health.

{% hint style="success" %}
**Universal Compatibility** This tool is not limited to IODD products. It can work with external USB SSDs from other manufacturers when the USB bridge and SSD support the required TRIM command path.
{% endhint %}

### Key Features

* **3-stage TRIM strategy**: DSM TRIM -> SCSI UNMAP -> ATA Pass-Through fallback
* **BOT/UASP support**: BOT prefers ATA Pass-Through, UASP prefers DSM/UNMAP path
* **Full Device TRIM**: TRIM over the entire device range
* **Free Space Only TRIM**: TRIM only unallocated file-system areas while preserving existing files
* **Real Test mode**: practical TRIM validation via write/delete/TRIM/verify workflow
* **Write speed chart**: 2-second time-series capture and post-run visualization
* **Drive inspection**: detailed partition, volume, and free-space analysis
* **Dry Run mode**: simulation without sending actual TRIM commands
* **Read-only drive awareness**: file output is disabled when running on read-only media
* **8 languages**: Korean, English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, German, French, Russian

### Quick Start Guide

1. Select the target disk.
2. Select the TRIM mode.
3. Review options such as **Dry Run**, **Flush Volumes before TRIM**, or **Initialize after TRIM**.
4. Click **Start**.
5. Confirm the target disk in the warning prompt.
6. Monitor progress and completion popup.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Full Device TRIM is destructive.** It can make existing data unrecoverable. Back up first, and use this mode only when initializing or repurposing a drive.
{% endhint %}

***

## 2. System Requirements

| Item      | Requirement                                                 |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| OS        | Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)                                    |
| Privilege | **Administrator required** for low-level pass-through paths |
| Device    | SSD connected via USB-SATA bridge                           |
| USB Port  | **USB 3.0 or newer required**                               |
| Transport | BOT (Bulk-Only Transport) or UASP (USB Attached SCSI)       |

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Important** Run the tool as Administrator. Without elevated privilege, required storage commands can be blocked by Windows.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**USB note** Use a direct USB 3.x connection when possible. USB 2.0 links are often unstable or too limited for reliable command behavior on many bridges.
{% endhint %}

***

## 3. What is TRIM?

TRIM is an ATA command (`DATA SET MANAGEMENT`, `0x06`) that tells an SSD which logical blocks are no longer in use.

### Why TRIM matters

* **Sustains write performance** by giving the SSD cleaner free blocks
* **Reduces unnecessary write/erase cycles** and NAND wear
* **Improves long-run consistency** under repeated workloads
* **Helps internal garbage collection** work efficiently

### When to run TRIM

* After deleting a large amount of data
* When write speed has dropped noticeably
* After long use of an external USB SSD without maintenance
* When OS-level automatic optimization is not available for your external setup

***

## 4. UI Layout

The application consists of a top toolbar and three main tabs:

```
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| [IODD Products] [IODD Manual] [License] [TRIM Info] [How To] [Language] |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| TRIM Execute | Drive Inspect | Real Test                         |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                  |
|                       (Tab Content Area)                         |
|                                                                  |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
```

***

## 5. Top Toolbar

| Control               | Description                         |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **IODD Products**     | Opens the IODD product page         |
| **IODD Manual**       | Opens the IODD help site            |
| **License**           | Shows freeware license information  |
| **TRIM Info**         | Shows TRIM concept/benefit guidance |
| **How To**            | Shows quick usage guidance          |
| **Language selector** | Changes application UI language     |

***

## 6. TRIM Execute Tab

This is the main operation tab for TRIM execution.

### 6.1 Disk Selection

Select a target disk from the drop-down list. Typical item format:

```
PD8 | Samsung SSD 860 | 465.8 GiB | BOT | O:(FAT32) | TRIM:YES
PD6 | Generic         | 111.8 GiB | UAS | P:(NTFS), Q:(exFAT) | TRIM:YES
```

Displayed fields:

* **PD#**: PhysicalDrive number
* **Model**: storage model string
* **Capacity**: total disk size (GiB)
* **Transport**: BOT / UAS / Non-USB
* **Volumes**: drive letters + file systems
* **TRIM capability summary**: `TRIM:YES/NO`, `APT:N/A`, etc.

Use **Refresh** to rescan disk list.

### 6.2 Disk Information Panel

After selection, detailed information is shown:

* Model, serial, capacity, transport protocol
* Volume details (file system, offsets, partition length, cluster details)
* ATA Pass-Through capability
* TRIM capability indicators
* ATA model/firmware related fields, when available

### 6.3 TRIM Modes

| Mode                     | Description                                        |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Full Device TRIM**     | Sends TRIM over whole disk range. **Destructive.** |
| **Free Space Only TRIM** | Sends TRIM only for free-space bitmap ranges       |

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Warning** Full Device TRIM can make existing data unrecoverable. Back up first.
{% endhint %}

### 6.4 Command Path Strategy

The tool automatically uses staged fallback:

| Order | Method               | Description                                                    |
| ----- | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1     | **DSM TRIM**         | Native Windows data-set management path                        |
| 2     | **SCSI UNMAP**       | Typical UASP path, with adaptive behavior on bridge rejections |
| 3     | **ATA Pass-Through** | Typical BOT primary path and final fallback                    |

Behavior depends on transport and bridge capabilities.

### 6.5 Main Options

| Option                        | Description                                                        |
| ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Dry Run**                   | Simulate without sending TRIM                                      |
| **Flush Volumes before TRIM** | Flush file-system buffers before execution                         |
| **Initialize after TRIM**     | Optionally initialize disk as GPT/MBR after full TRIM              |
| **Windows ReTrim only**       | Skip hardware paths and run Windows `Optimize-Volume -ReTrim` path |

### 6.6 Advanced Settings

When **Show advanced options** is enabled:

| Setting                | Description                                  |
| ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Timeout (ms)**       | SCSI timeout per batch                       |
| **Retry**              | Retry count on failed submission             |
| **Batch entries**      | Number of TRIM ranges per command            |
| **Batch limit**        | Max batches for test-limiting options        |
| **Allow system disk**  | Enables TRIM on system/boot disk. Dangerous. |
| **Mask serial in log** | Masks serial output in logs                  |

### 6.7 Running TRIM

1. Select disk.
2. Select TRIM mode.
3. Review options.
4. Click **Start**.
5. Confirm target disk in warning prompt.
6. Monitor progress and completion popup.

Use **Cancel** to stop an active run.

### 6.8 USB Guide

The **USB Info** button explains protocol behavior and practical recovery steps for failed paths:

* BOT: mostly ATA Pass-Through path
* UASP: DSM/UNMAP-first path with fallback logic
* Reconnect and re-detect guidance when bridge behavior is unstable

***

## 7. Drive Inspect Tab

Provides detailed partition/volume/free-space diagnostics for the selected disk.

### Functions

* **Inspect**: gather and display volume-level details
* **Export free-space CSV**: export free-space LBA ranges

### Summary Data

* Disk model, size (GiB + sectors), volume count, file-system list
* Total/free/used statistics (bytes, clusters, sectors, ratios)
* Additional transport and probe metadata
* Free fragment count, free sectors, and last used LBA context

### Volume Grid Columns

| Column                   | Description                      |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------- |
| Drive                    | Drive letter                     |
| FS                       | File system                      |
| Partition#               | Partition number                 |
| Style                    | GPT / MBR                        |
| Type                     | Partition type                   |
| Sec/Cluster              | Sectors per cluster              |
| Total Sectors            | Total sectors                    |
| Size (GB)                | Capacity in GB                   |
| Free Sectors             | Free sectors plus ratio          |
| Used Sectors             | Used sectors plus ratio          |
| Physical Start Sector    | Physical start offset in sectors |
| Partition Length Sectors | Partition length in sectors      |
| Cluster Bytes            | Cluster size in bytes            |

***

## 8. Real Test Tab

Real Test validates practical TRIM behavior by writing, deleting, trimming, and verifying files.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Validation mode** This mode is for validation, not routine maintenance. In most cases, one successful validation run is enough per bridge/SSD setup.
{% endhint %}

### 8.1 Test Workflow (STEP 1-4)

| Step       | Action               | Description                                                               |
| ---------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **STEP 1** | Pre-TRIM + file fill | Run free-space TRIM first, then fill about 1/3 with 500MB random files    |
| **STEP 2** | Delete + TRIM        | Delete every 10th file, flush, export free-space CSV, run free-space TRIM |
| **STEP 3** | Additional fill      | Fill remaining space with 1GB random files, leaving about 1GB free        |
| **STEP 4** | Verification         | CRC integrity check for 500MB files                                       |

### 8.2 Real Test Options

| Option              | Description                                                                              |
| ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Start Step**      | Start from step 1-4                                                                      |
| **End Step**        | End at step 1-4                                                                          |
| **Target Drive**    | Logical drive to use for real test workspace                                             |
| **Speed drop wait** | Wait time in minutes when write speed drops below threshold. `0` disables this behavior. |

### 8.3 Speed Drop Detection

The tool tracks speed using moving-average logic and:

* records speed every 2 seconds
* compares short-window speed against average trend
* inserts wait periods when configured and drop condition is met
* records wait intervals as zero-speed segments

### 8.4 Real Test Buttons

| Button                 | Description                                                     |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Start TRIM Test**    | Runs configured steps                                           |
| **Verify Only**        | Runs verification-only flow                                     |
| **Stop**               | Stops active test                                               |
| **Delete Test Folder** | Removes `trim_real_test` data set                               |
| **Export FileMap CSV** | Exports physical mapping info                                   |
| **Speed Chart**        | Opens time-series write speed chart. Enabled after data exists. |
| **Clear Log**          | Clears log and re-shows guide text                              |

### 8.5 Speed Chart

After a test run, **Speed Chart** displays:

* X-axis: elapsed time
* Y-axis: write speed (MB/s)
* sampled data every 2 seconds
* step boundary markers
* optional CSV export of chart data

### 8.6 Status Indicators

* **Status**: current operation/phase text
* **Speed**: current write throughput
* **Elapsed**: total run time
* **Step**: elapsed time within current step

### 8.7 TRIM Result Logs

Typical examples:

```
TRIM completed: batches=32/32, sectors=63,560,392
TRIM failed: success=0, failed=32, planned=32
```

### 8.8 Completion Results

* **Success**: integrity verification passed
* **Failure**: CRC mismatch detected
* **Canceled**: user stopped test

***

## 9. Multi-language Support

Select language from the top-right drop-down. OS language is auto-detected at startup.

Supported UI languages:

| Language           | Display Name |
| ------------------ | ------------ |
| Korean             | 한국어          |
| English            | English      |
| Japanese           | 日本語          |
| Simplified Chinese | 简体中文         |
| Spanish            | Español      |
| German             | Deutsch      |
| French             | Français     |
| Russian            | Русский      |

As of 0.2.0.28, speed-chart and real-test related labels/tooltips are fully connected to the translation table across supported languages.

***

## 10. FAQ

<details>

<summary>Q: TRIM fails on UASP devices. What should I do?</summary>

The tool automatically attempts staged fallback. If all paths fail:

1. Reconnect the device directly. Avoid unstable hubs.
2. Try another cable or port.
3. Use **Windows ReTrim only** mode when appropriate.
4. Check whether the bridge itself supports required commands.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Q: Why does `TRIM:NO` appear?</summary>

Either the SSD/bridge does not report TRIM capability, or capability is blocked or masked in the current transport path.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Q: Free Space mode says no bitmap ranges are available.</summary>

Check whether the file system is supported for bitmap/free-range extraction and whether volume metadata is accessible.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Q: Speed Chart button is disabled.</summary>

No speed data has been collected yet. Run at least one Real Test pass first.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Q: Full Device TRIM completed and disk layout looks gone.</summary>

Expected in destructive mode. Reinitialize the disk as GPT or MBR and recreate partitions.

</details>

***

## 11. Troubleshooting

| Symptom                    | Possible Cause                  | Suggested Action                                              |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Disk not listed            | Connection, cable, or hub issue | Reconnect, then refresh                                       |
| Admin privilege warning    | App not elevated                | Run as Administrator                                          |
| Repeated batch failures    | Timeout or bridge compatibility | Increase timeout, reduce batch pressure                       |
| Device disconnect behavior | Unstable bridge path            | Reconnect physically, wait for re-detection                   |
| CRC mismatch in Real Test  | Data path reliability issue     | Re-test with stable USB path; review bridge/SSD compatibility |
| No CSV/log output          | Read-only execution path        | Run from writable location/device                             |

***

## 12. License

IODD TRIM Tool is **Freeware**.

* Free to use and redistribute
* Provided **AS IS**, without warranty
* Commercial resale is prohibited
* Developer is not liable for damages, including data loss
* Reverse engineering, decompilation, and source extraction are prohibited

Copyright (c) 2025-2026 IODD. All rights reserved.

***

*This manual is based on IODD TRIM Tool v0.2.0.28.*