Question 1

Can i use this to have my operating system on it (windows 8.1 pro) and boot from this drive and use my 1tb drive as my main storage device?

Accepted Answer

Yes - the drive is a regular ssd drive that windows can partition and install to. 32GB doesn't leave a great deal of room to work with once windows is on there, however. You will want your program binaries on there too, so that eats it up pretty fast.
The ReadyCache software is the difference in the caching capability. The cache loads early in the boot process and speeds up the windows load a great deal. Regular users don't notice the difference between the cache and a SSD loading the operating system.
Also, the cache speeds up access to anything you use regularly. So, you may not often use parts of windows (wasted space on the ssd install) but you might open a large or a lot of data files regularly - those would load slowly off the 1tb drive.
So, if you already have windows installed, pop the drive in, download the software and then restart a few times to load up the cache. You can always reformat the drive and install windows on it if you don't like the performance.

Question 2

This is called a caching drive. Would it work as the only drive, holding the operating system? It's more than big enough as all my data is on external drives. After some years I only have 13 GB used on a 120 GB HD.

I see a Win7/8 version and a generic version. What's the difference and will the generic be suitable for XP and Vista?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can put your OS on it but it would be slower than just buying a regular SSD because the write speed is lower on the cache drive.

Brand	SanDisk
Series	ReadyCache
Model	SDSSDRC-032G
Device Type	Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Used For	Consumer

Form Factor	2.5"
Capacity	32GB
Interface	SATA III

Max Sequential Read	Up to 480MBps
Max Sequential Write	Up to 115MBps

Operating Temperature	0°C ~ +70°C
Storage Temperature	-55°C ~ +95°C
Max Shock Resistance	1500G @ 0.5 msec

Height	9.5mm
Width	69.85mm
Depth	100.5mm
Weight	53.3g

SanDisk ReadyCache 2.5" 32GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SDSSDRC-032G

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Item#: N82E16820171961