> 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
Q: TRIM fails on UASP devices. What should I do?
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.
Q: Why does `TRIM:NO` appear?
Either the SSD/bridge does not report TRIM capability, or capability is blocked or masked in the current transport path.
Q: Free Space mode says no bitmap ranges are available.
Check whether the file system is supported for bitmap/free-range extraction and whether volume metadata is accessible.
Q: Speed Chart button is disabled.
No speed data has been collected yet. Run at least one Real Test pass first.
Q: Full Device TRIM completed and disk layout looks gone.
Expected in destructive mode. Reinitialize the disk as GPT or MBR and recreate partitions.
***
## 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.*
---
# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.
## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://help.iodd.kr/various-functions/iodd-trim-tool.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.