Installation

[nmharleyrider]

I install all my software on a drive other than the C drive and most programs allow you to change the install drive. Has anyone figured out a way to do this with Calibre. I am using a solid state drive for the OS and don't want to clutter it up with other software programs.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by nmharleyrider

I install all my software on a drive other than the C drive and most programs allow you to change the install drive. Has anyone figured out a way to do this with Calibre. I am using a solid state drive for the OS and don't want to clutter it up with other software programs.

I'd guess Calibre portable should do the job. Just attach a USB stick to your computer (some of them are a good 32 B in size if not more) and use that.
Calibre Portable And you might get more replies if you post in the Calibre forum rather than the general discussions one.

[Dr. Drib]

Moved out of the GENERAL DISCUSSION forum, and into the CALIBRE forum....because, well.....because this post is about calibre.

Please post responsibly.


Don
(Moderator)

[kovidgoyal]

Click the Advanced button on the installer.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by crich70

I'd guess Calibre portable should do the job. Just attach a USB stick to your computer (some of them are a good 32 B in size if not more) and use that.

FYI Calibre portable can be run from any OS drive, it doesn't have to be on a USB stick.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

FYI Calibre portable can be run from any OS drive, it doesn't have to be on a USB stick.

I'm sure it can. I was just using that as an example of one way it could be run while not on the main hard drive.

[hidden.platypus]

Every time I see this I wonder if it's not a problem that falls into the "You're doing it wrong" category. What's the point of buying a super fast drive (said drive bought so as to maximize speed) and then negate the speed increase by moving all the programs that would benefit from the increased speed to another, invariably slower, location?
Granted I don't have an SSD drive (or know anyone I trust who does; I'm still not convinced they're more than a marketing gimmick) so I'm probably wrong about this.

I used to have a registry hack that would force all programs to install to a separate drive, but that's only because I'm a bit of a dick (I like it when my computer does what I tell it and not the other way around) and more than a little ignorant.

Once I learned about drive imaging and discovered macrium...the registry thing was unnecessary.

[Katsunami]

Hidden.platypus: I've been running my computers from an SSD for the last four years, and even the oldest one (6 years now) flies. The reason it does however, is because I installed all programs to the SSD, so they start really fast. If you don't, and keep only the OS on the SSD, the only thing an SSD will get you is a faster startup.

I use my HDD's for data, and games of which I don't really care about startup time. They're mostly older, written for 1998-2006 era computers (except for a few), so they start in a few seconds, even from HDD.

[hidden.platypus]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

The reason it does however, is because I installed all programs to the SSD, so they start really fast. If you don't, and keep only the OS on the SSD, the only thing an SSD will get you is a faster startup.

That's precisely what I figured. I could never understand why people would move the programs to another drive and still expect to reap the (purported) speed benefits of the "faster" drive.

That being said... Is SSD that much faster? I mean how much faster can it be?

What does it do that's faster? My HDD starts my rig in about 47 secs. The browser that's not Chrome takes 2 secs to start cold. Less than a sec if it was already in RAM. I'm just finding it difficult to believe an SSD doesn't hit the diminishing returns barrier the minute one ponies up the cash for it.

And I'm not knocking you (or anyone else that owns one). Like I said I'm just having difficulty believing that they're more than a way to get you to purchase another hard drive. And then another one since most SSD's don't come with oodles of space.

That being said if I found out that they used less power I'd need to snap up 3, not now--but right now!

[theducks]

SSD avoids rotational and seek latency

SSD is still limited to the SATA port and data bus speed limits.
In other words, you are still limited to the slowest point in the chain
(Like my all my SATA3 drives on my SATA1 mainboard bus )

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by hidden.platypus

That being said... Is SSD that much faster? I mean how much faster can it be?

Yes, it's that much faster. You know the little logo animation Windows 7 does when it starts up? Well, using a computer from 2008 (upgraded with an SSD in 2011), the screen goes blank and switches to the login screen before that animation is done.

What does it do that's faster? My HDD starts my rig in about 47 secs.

The SSD doesn't rotate, so it is not affected by fragmentation of files or seek time (place of a file on the disk). If you load a file or program from an HDD, and the files are fragmented or spread out, the disk has to wait until the platter rotates the file (or file fragment) under the reading head before it can be processed.

The SSD has no such problem: any file can be found and loaded instantaneously, independent of its location or number of fragements.

The browser that's not Chrome takes 2 secs to start cold. Less than a sec if it was already in RAM. I'm just finding it difficult to believe an SSD doesn't hit the diminishing returns barrier the minute one ponies up the cash for it.

Believe it... an SSD is faster, even in a 6 year old rig over here. At work, I have a computer with a much faster CPU (one of the latest i5's), but it also only has 4GB RAM (my own has 8GB, since 2008 already), and it uses a normal SATA disk.

The difference between these computers is so big that I'd rather use my 6 year old laptop at work, which also has an SSD an 8GB RAM, than the computer with the i5 CPU.

And I'm not knocking you (or anyone else that owns one). Like I said I'm just having difficulty believing that they're more than a way to get you to purchase another hard drive. And then another one since most SSD's don't come with oodles of space.

That being said if I found out that they used less power I'd need to snap up 3, not now--but right now!

First: you don't need a huge SSD. 128GB is fine for OS and applications, and even some of the newer games, if you'd want to.

Second: they do use less power than a normal hard drive.

[hidden.platypus]

@Katsunami

I like your approach to reading. Any reason why you did/do that? As in set the goal, and then record your progress for each month etc.

Also can you recommend any good books about ninjas that are not by Lustbader. I don't know if you've read Cloud of Sparrows but I suspect given your nom de guerre you'd enjoy it.

[hidden.platypus]

@theducks: Thanks for the explanation. . .I just still don't see it. I'll buy another machine in 3 years or so and that will probably come with a SSD. So I'll see then.

I have a similar argument with my buddy who happens to be an Apple Fanboy. Serious, serious self-described "fanboy". As in: we're not closer friends because he can't understand how I'm so stupid I can't understand that Apple is far superior to every other computer manufacturer bar none. And I don't disagree with him. . . I have no idea how I would go about proving him wrong. But it doesn't matter. He likes to go on and on about something called the Retina display. And he knows all the impressive stats that go along with a Retina display. But when I look at it I'm hard pressed to understand the benefits of this thing. Does his display look better than mine? You bet.

But two thousand dollars better?

Not even if it came with a dinner date with the pope.

I feel the same way about the SSD. After adding extra RAM, how much faster can faster really be? You notice the difference between dial-up and DSL. But do you really notice the difference between 15MP/s downloads and 50MP/s? Maybe if you're downloading Blu-Ray quality videos on a daily basis. And one would question why a person would be downloading Blu-Ray quality videos on a daily basis wouldn't one?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by hidden.platypus

@Katsunami

I like your approach to reading. Any reason why you did/do that? As in set the goal, and then record your progress for each month etc.

It's a bit off topic, but here goes.

Spoiler:

I have a lot of hobbies. reading, chess, go, movies, the Hammond organ, computers and photography. I have noticed that sometimes one or more of those hobbies fall by the wayside for a year or more because I get sidetracked for one reason or another.

First, I didn't want that to happen with my reading, as it always has and probably will be my primary hobby.
Second, I am a re-reader. I re-re-re-re-re-read the books I really like, I live in a small apartment without the room to keep buying books, so I have been re-reading my own paper library for 10 years, until I got my e-reader in 2012. (I did get an e-reader at the end of 2007, but there were not enough books available, and Calibre as we know it today didn't exist, so I sold it.)

To make sure I'd keep reading, and more importantly, not re-read Lord of the Rings for the 87th time, I set myself some challenges. That's easy: just pick some goals, and try to attain them. After finishing one or more books, I update the challenge thread and my progress, to see if I'm still on track (which I'm not, because I'm much more busy than I expected when I set the goal).

Also can you recommend any good books about ninjas that are not by Lustbader. I don't know if you've read Cloud of Sparrows but I suspect given your nom de guerre you'd enjoy it.

I don't. The ones by Lustbader where the only 'real' ninja books I read after having them recommended to me.

If you are into fantasy a bit and don't shy away from novels categorized as Young Adult, you could read the Otori series, by Lian Hearn, starting with "Across the Nightingale Floor." These series are based on a fictional rendition of 16th/17th century Japan, including samurai ('Nobles'), Ninja's ('The Tribe'), two warlords fighting a Sekigahara-like battle... If you know anything about 16th/17th century Japan, you'll recognize a lot of elements.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by hidden.platypus

@theducks: Thanks for the explanation. . .I just still don't see it. I'll buy another machine in 3 years or so and that will probably come with a SSD. So I'll see then.

You can't 'see' this. You can only feel it by using an SSD.

I actually upgraded from the fastest consumer hard drive available, the Western Digital Raptor. The SSD blows it out of this solar system, with power to spare... as I only utilize 50-60% of the SSD's capability in my older computers.

I have a similar argument with my buddy who happens to be an Apple Fanboy. Serious, serious self-described "fanboy". As in: we're not closer friends because he can't understand how I'm so stupid I can't understand that Apple is far superior to every other computer manufacturer bar none.

It's not, because of only one thing: you do stuff the Apple way, or you don't do them. That's the only argument I need for not buying an Apple computer. I want to be able to *easily* upgrade and/or repair my own computer, and I want to be able to choose my own parts. That excludes any Apple computer, and especially the latest soldered/glued together models.

And I don't disagree with him. . . I have no idea how I would go about proving him wrong. But it doesn't matter. He likes to go on and on about something called the Retina display. And he knows all the impressive stats that go along with a Retina display. But when I look at it I'm hard pressed to understand the benefits of this thing. Does his display look better than mine? You bet.

A Retina display is just a high resolution screen. Yes, Apple was the first, by a few months, sticking one of those into a phone and laptop, but there are now a gazillion phones and laptops that have such displays.

I feel the same way about the SSD. After adding extra RAM, how much faster can faster really be? You notice the difference between dial-up and DSL. But do you really notice the difference between 15MP/s downloads and 50MP/s?

If you are only downloading 50 kB files, you don't see the difference between a 50 kB/s or a 50 MB/s download capability, but if you are downloading 50 MB files, you surely will. If you only edit text files, you don't see any difference when using an SSD, but if you use large programs that would take long to start (Photoshop, GIMP, Office programs, games) you'll notice the speed improvement. The larger the programs, the more you'll notice the SSD.