How to Optimize the SSD for Firefox

A solid state drive performs read operations very quickly, but you may want to minimize the amount of write operations to the drive to keep the access speed high. You can go into Firefox's configuration menus to change your download and cache directories so that they aren't stored on the SSD. This will ensure that you don't have many small writes being performed on the SSD.

Instructions

1. Open Firefox.

2. Type "About:config" in your address box and press "Enter." Click "I'll be careful, I promise!"

3. Right-click an empty space on this list. Choose "New." Choose "String."

4. Type "browser.cache.disk.parent_directory" in the field provided. Press "Enter." Type the drive letter for a drive that isn't your SSD. Press "Enter."

5. Type "browser.cache.disk.enable" in the search box at the top of this screen. Double-click this entry if it is set to false. Otherwise leave it alone.

6. Click "Firefox" in the upper left-hand corner. Click "Options." Click the "General / Downloads" tab. Click "Save files to" and choose the "Browse" button. Select a new download location that isn't on your SSD.

References

• The SSD Review: The SSD Optimization Guide
• Mozilla Zine: Unable to Save or Download Files
• Ghacks: Moving The Firefox Disk Cache To Another Drive