AMD Confidential—Advance Information

AMD StoreMI User Guide

Publication # 57141 Revision: 1.0

Issue Date: March 2021

Advanced Micro Devices

© 2021 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contents
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... 4
Revision History ............................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 6
Chapter 2 System Configuration Requirements ..................................................................... 7
2.1 Product Support ................................................................................................................. 7
2.2 Operating System ............................................................................................................... 7
2.3 Storage Devices ................................................................................................................. 7
Chapter 3 Installing StoreMI .................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Uploading Logs.................................................................................................................. 9
Chapter 4 User Interface Overview........................................................................................ 10
4.1 Source Devices ................................................................................................................ 10
4.2 Cache Devices.................................................................................................................. 10
4.3 StoreMI Devices .............................................................................................................. 11
4.4 Actions ............................................................................................................................. 12
4.5 Viewing Device Details ................................................................................................... 13
4.6 Status Indicator ................................................................................................................ 13
Chapter 5 Working with StoreMI .......................................................................................... 14
5.1 Creating a StoreMI Device .............................................................................................. 14
5.2 Separating a StoreMI Device ........................................................................................... 18
5.3 Clearing the StoreMI Device Cache ................................................................................ 19
5.4 Deleting a Partitioned Device .......................................................................................... 20
5.5 Freeing Allocated Space to Unallocated Space ............................................................... 21
Chapter 6 Additional Features ............................................................................................... 22
6.1 Configuring Applications ................................................................................................ 22
6.2 Configuring Updates ........................................................................................................ 22
6.3 Rescanning Devices ......................................................................................................... 23
Chapter 7 Uninstalling StoreMI ............................................................................................. 24

Contents 3
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List of Figures
Figure 1. StoreMI Installer ................................................................................................................ 8
Figure 2. Final StoreMI Installer Screen ........................................................................................... 9
Figure 3. Source Devices Pane ........................................................................................................ 10
Figure 4. Cache Devices Pane ......................................................................................................... 11
Figure 5. Initial StoreMI Devices Pane ........................................................................................... 11
Figure 6. StoreMI Devices Pane 1 .................................................................................................. 11
Figure 7. Initial Actions Pane .......................................................................................................... 12
Figure 8. Actions Pane 1 ................................................................................................................. 12
Figure 9. Actions Pane 2 ................................................................................................................. 13
Figure 10. View Device Details ...................................................................................................... 13
Figure 11. Status Indicator .............................................................................................................. 13
Figure 12. Unavailable for Selection............................................................................................... 15
Figure 13. Used in StoreMI ............................................................................................................. 15
Figure 14. StoreMI Device Name ................................................................................................... 15
Figure 15. Splash Screen ................................................................................................................. 16
Figure 16. StoreMI Home Page....................................................................................................... 16
Figure 17. Select Cache Size Pane .................................................................................................. 17
Figure 18. StoreMI Devices Pane 2 ................................................................................................ 18
Figure 19. Separate StoreMI Device ............................................................................................... 19
Figure 20. Clear Cache .................................................................................................................... 20
Figure 21. Delete a Partitioned Device ........................................................................................... 21
Figure 22. Partitioned Device.......................................................................................................... 21
Figure 23. Rescan Devices .............................................................................................................. 23

4 List of Figures
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Revision History
Date Revision Description
March 2021 1.0 Initial release

Revision History 5
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Chapter 1 Introduction
AMD StoreMI technology is a powerful tool for the PC enthusiasts who want to improve load
time, boot time, file management, or system responsiveness. It has the following features:

• Accepts HDD and SSD pairings of any capacity

• Automatically pairs your most-used files with an SSD cache for peak performance
• The StoreMI caching algorithm prioritizes and caches more frequently accessed files when the
cache is full
AMD StoreMI technology has a new algorithm that makes it simple to use. The StoreMI
configuration replicates your most-used files to an SSD of your choice, leaving the original copy
intact. The software seamlessly redirects Windows and your applications to use the faster mirrored
copy. Even if the SSD cache is removed or disabled, all your files remain intact on the hard drive.

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Chapter 2 System Configuration

Requirements

2.1 Product Support

For more information, refer to the Product Support section of the official StoreMI website
(https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/store-mi).

2.2 Operating System

Windows 10 x64 May 2019 Update (build 18362) or later

2.3 Storage Devices

• At least one rotational HDD of any capacity. The HDD must be connected to a SATA port
provided in the AMD processor or chipset.
• At least one unformatted, uninitialized, unallocated SATA or NVMe SSD for storage
acceleration. If using a brand new, unused SSD, simply plug the SSD into the system. Most
new SSDs will offer a default name to identify it in the AMD StoreMI Cache device menu. A
used SSD can be re-used as an AMD StoreMI cache device. However, all the vital data must
be backed up by the user and any existing partitions/volumes must be deleted before
proceeding.
• The former AMD StoreMI tiering software must not be installed.
• The system should not be configured for RAID storage.
• The maximum drive count is 16.
• A few systems will require additional NVMe® to be connected to the system. The SATA SSD
on the board will not be able to fulfil the minimum 2 storage controller criteria for StoreMI to
install and function.
• The storage devices connected to the third-party SATA AHCI controller ports are not
supported by StoreMI. You must connect the storage devices to AMD specific SATA AHCI
controller ports for StoreMI to support it.

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Chapter 3 Installing StoreMI

Note: Depending on your system, the prerequisites such as device drivers and other software
packages might be installed. So, do not click Cancel/No in any of those dialog boxes or
close the windows that appear. Otherwise, the installation process will cease prematurely.

Complete the following steps to install StoreMI on your PC:

1. Download the .exe file from the official StoreMI website

(https://www.amd.com/en/technologies/store-mi).
2. Locate the AMD_StoreMI.exe on your PC and double-click it.
The initialization is done to ensure that your system meets all the prerequisites (processor and
motherboard), which is likely to consume some time. The StoreMI installer is displayed after
the initialization is complete.
3. Click the Install button to use the default Install Location or to install StoreMI in a specific
location your choice, complete the following steps:
a. Click Additional Options. The default Install Location is displayed.
b. Click the Browse button and select the location on your PC to which, StoreMI should be
installed.
Note: The Create Desktop Shortcut checkbox is selected by default. You can clear the
checkbox if you do not prefer a desktop shortcut for StoreMI.

The following figure shows the StoreMI Installer:

Figure 1. StoreMI Installer

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4. You can do one of the following:

− Click the Restart button to restart your PC, it is recommended that you use this option for
a proper install.
Note: Without a restart, StoreMI might not work as expected.
− Click the Close button to exit the StoreMI Installer.
The following figure shows the final StoreMI Installer screen:

Figure 2. Final StoreMI Installer Screen

You have installed StoreMI on your PC.

3.1 Uploading Logs

If the StoreMI installation fails, complete the following steps:
1. Access the logs in C:\AMD\StoreMI\Logs.
2. Upload them to the AMD community (https://community.amd.com/) with all the essential
details.

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Chapter 4 User Interface Overview

The StoreMI User Interface (UI) consists of the following panes:

• Source Devices
• Cache Devices
• StoreMI Devices
• Actions

4.1 Source Devices

This pane displays all the physical HDDs that are available in your system. Using StoreMI, you
can pair them to the available SSDs to help optimize the performance.

The following figure shows the SOURCE DEVICES pane:

Figure 3. Source Devices Pane

4.2 Cache Devices

This pane displays all the available physical SSDs and the SSD partitions that are created. These
devices can be used to store the most frequently used processes/applications on the paired HDD
for faster retrieval and better performance.

The following figure shows the CACHE DEVICES pane:

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Figure 4. Cache Devices Pane

4.3 StoreMI Devices

This pane displays all the virtual/StoreMI device(s) that have been created by pairing the available
HDD and SDDs.

The following figure shows the STOREMI DEVICES pane initially:

Figure 5. Initial StoreMI Devices Pane

The following figure shows the STOREMI DEVICES pane after a StoreMI device has been
created:

Figure 6. StoreMI Devices Pane 1

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In the figure, the data displayed represent the following:

• 160 GB: StoreMI size of the HDD

• 60 GB: Size of the cache device
• Cache Space Used: Percentage of SSD used to accelerate the I/O of the HDD

4.4 Actions
The following figure shows the ACTIONS pane initially:

Figure 7. Initial Actions Pane

The actions that you can perform on the devices will be displayed only in the following scenarios:

• When you select one device in each of the SOURCE DEVICES and CACHE DEVICES panes
as shown in the following figure:

Figure 8. Actions Pane 1

• When you select a device in STOREMI DEVICES pane as shown in the following figure:

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Figure 9. Actions Pane 2

4.5 Viewing Device Details

You can hover your mouse cursor over any of the devices to view the corresponding details as
follows:

Figure 10. View Device Details

4.6 Status Indicator

The status of all the devices (physical, virtual, and partitions) is displayed on the top-right corner
as follows:

Figure 11. Status Indicator

Green color indicates that the device is online, whereas red indicates that it is offline.

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Chapter 5 Working with StoreMI

This chapter comprises of the following sections:

• Creating a StoreMI Device

• Separating a StoreMI Device
• Clearing the StoreMI Device Cache
• Deleting a Partitioned Device

5.1 Creating a StoreMI Device

For your hard disk, you can create a StoreMI device. Your hard disk can be paired to an available
SSD to help enhance the speed and performance. The mostly frequently used files on the hard disk
will be stored in the SSD for retrieval when required.

You can create a StoreMI device using one of the following options:

• The whole SSD: If you use this option, the entire space (except some space for the essential
programs) will be used for the StoreMI device creation.
• By partitioning an SSD: If you use this option, only the selected space will be used for the
StoreMI device creation. The remaining space will be available in the CACHE DEVICES pane.
If that remaining space is unformatted, you can do one of the following:
− Delete it to make it available for the StoreMI device creation.
− Use that space for storing data by initializing it from the Windows Disk Management.
Note: You can create a maximum of 4 StoreMI devices.

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If a source or cache device cannot be used for creating a StoreMI device, it is added to
UNAVAILABLE FOR SELECTION section as follows:

Figure 12. Unavailable for Selection

The devices (source or cache) utilized by StoreMI are highlighted as follows:

Figure 13. Used in StoreMI

The name of the StoreMI device for which a device (source or cache) is used is displayed beneath
the respective device as follows:

Figure 14. StoreMI Device Name

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Complete the following steps to create a StoreMI device:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop.

Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the search box.
The initialization takes place to ensure that all the prerequisites and other dependencies are
met. The following screen is displayed till that process is complete:

Figure 15. Splash Screen

After the initialization is complete, the StoreMI home page is displayed.

The following figure shows the StoreMI home page:

Figure 16. StoreMI Home Page

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2. In the SOURCE DEVICES pane, select the hard disk, to which you want to pair one of the
available SSDs.
Note: The HDD must have a valid Windows 10 partition with a drive letter present on it in
order to be available for selection.
3. In the CACHE DEVICES pane, select the SSD of your choice. The Select Cache Size (in GB)
pane is displayed right below the selected SSD.

Figure 17. Select Cache Size Pane

4. In Select Cache Size (in GB) pane, select the Reserve remaining space for future use in
StoreMI checkbox if you want to format the space remaining after the selected cache size. If
you select this option, the remaining space will be readily available for creating a StoreMI
device.
Note: The space selected will not be available for use on Windows.

5. Use your mouse cursor or right/left arrow keys on the keyboard to adjust the slider to the size
that you want to use as cache. The minimum cache size is 8 GB.
Note: By default, the entire SSD is allotted.

6. In the Action pane, click on the Create StoreMI device button. The virtual/StoreMI device is
displayed in the STOREMI DEVICES pane as follows:

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Figure 18. StoreMI Devices Pane 2

You have created a StoreMI device.

5.2 Separating a StoreMI Device

A StoreMI device is created after a successful pairing between a hard disk and SSD. Complete the
following steps to separate a StoreMI device:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop. The StoreMI home page is displayed.
Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the search box.

2. In the STOREMI DEVICES pane, select the required StoreMI device.

3. In the ACTIONS pane, click on the Separate button. The virtual/StoreMI device is separated.
The cache used in the StoreMI device is deleted and the SSD is formatted to be used for one of
the following purposes:
− A different StoreMI SSD and HDD pairing
− Standard use as a storage device if available in Windows Disk Manager
The following figure shows the Separate button:

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Figure 19. Separate StoreMI Device

You have separated a StoreMI device.

5.3 Clearing the StoreMI Device Cache

After a StoreMI device is created, some frequently used processes/programs might consume some
of the cache.

If desired, complete the following steps to clear the StoreMI device cache:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop. The StoreMI home page is displayed.
Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the search box.

2. In the STOREMI DEVICES pane, select the required StoreMI device.

3. In the ACTIONS pane, click the Clear Cache button. The StoreMI device cache is cleared.
You can view the StoreMI device cache utilization in the Cache Space Used section of the
STOREMI DEVICES pane as follows:

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Figure 20. Clear Cache

You have cleared the StoreMI device cache.

5.4 Deleting a Partitioned Device

During the creation step, if you split SSD space to be used partially for StoreMI cache and
partially to create a partition, you will need to remove the partition to utilize the full capacity of
the SSD for StoreMI. However, whatever space was used for the cache (in creating a StoreMI
device) is available to use without deleting the partition.

Complete the following steps to delete a partitioned device:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop. The StoreMI home page is displayed.
Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the search box.

2. In the STOREMI DEVICES pane, select the required StoreMI device. The separated device is
displayed in the CACHE DEVICES pane as a Partitioned Device.
3. Select the required Partitioned Device. The Format Partition pane is displayed.
4. Click the Delete button. A confirmation message is displayed.

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Figure 21. Delete a Partitioned Device

5. Click the Yes button. The SSD corresponding to the partitioned device is displayed in the
CACHE DEVICES pane.
You have deleted a partitioned device.

5.5 Freeing Allocated Space to Unallocated Space

For any StoreMI device, complete the following steps to free the previously allocated space back
to unallocated space in order to use the full capacity of the SSD:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop. The StoreMI home page is displayed.
Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the search box.

2. In the STOREMI DEVICES pane, select the StoreMI device, whose cache must be merged with
the partitioned SSD.
3. In the ACTIONS pane, click the Separate button.
The SSD device corresponding to the cache space is displayed as a Partitioned Device in the
CACHE DEVICES pane as shown in the following figure:

Figure 22. Partitioned Device

4. Follow step 3 to 5 in the section Deleting a Partitioned Device.

The previously allocated space is freed back to an unallocated space and the full capacity of the
SSD can be utilized.

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Chapter 6 Additional Features

This chapter comprises of the following sections:

• Configuring Applications
• Configuring Updates
• Rescanning Devices

6.1 Configuring Applications

Complete the following steps to configure the Applications section:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop. The StoreMI home page is displayed.
Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the Windows search box.

2. On the top-right corner, click (Settings).

Note: You can click (Home) to go back to the StoreMI home page.

3. In the Applications section, you can do the following:

− From the Animations drop-down, select ON to view the transitions (between screens) in
the StoreMI user interface.
− From the Logging drop-down, select ON to maintain a record of the user actions
performed on StoreMI.
You have configured the Applications section.

6.2 Configuring Updates

Complete the following steps to configure the Updates section:

1. Double-click the StoreMI icon on your desktop. The StoreMI home page is displayed.
Note: Alternatively, you can also access StoreMI using the Windows search box.

2. On the top-right corner, click (Settings).

Note: You can click (Home) to go back to the StoreMI home page.

3. In the Updates section, you can do one of the following:

− From the Auto-Update Interval drop-down, select the frequency at which StoreMI must
be automatically updated.
Note: The minimum and maximum values for this interval are 1 and 365 day(s)
respectively.

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− Click the Check for Updates button to update StoreMI manually.

You have configured the Updates section.

6.3 Rescanning Devices

The Rescan button in the ACTIONS pane performs the following actions:

• It triggers a process in the driver that scans the SATA channels to identify new, legacy, or
removed disks.
• It reads the configuration information from each disk. When a disk is offline, it might be
brought online by using a rescan. A rescan also stops and then automatically resumes all the
tasks.
The following figure shows the Rescan Devices button at the bottom-right corner:

Figure 23. Rescan Devices

You can use this option if a device is missing from StoreMI and you suspect it should be present
or a device was removed, but it is still being displayed.

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Chapter 7 Uninstalling StoreMI

Complete the following steps to uninstall AMD StoreMI:

1. Before uninstalling, use the Separate button to disable any AMD StoreMI and then, back up
your data. After backing up your data, delete any partitions that were created.
Note: The data will be erased from the partition when deleted.

2. Use the Windows Apps and Features to select and initiate the uninstall.
During this process, if you have an active AMD StoreMI device or partitions, you will be
asked to confirm if you want to remove them and proceed. That will return the hard drive and
SSD to the state prior to enabling AMD StoreMI. Back up your data before proceeding to
delete any partitions that were created, as all the data will be erased during the process.

3. Click the Uninstall button.

The uninstallation process is complete.
4. (Optional) You can do one of the following:
− Click View Uninstalling Log to see the corresponding details.
− Click Share to provide your feedback in StoreMI.
The following figure shows the final uninstallation screen:

5. You can do one of the following:

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− Click the Restart button to clear AMD StoreMI. It is recommended that you use this
option for a clean uninstall.
− Click the Finish button to complete the uninstallation without a system restart.
You have uninstalled AMD StoreMI.

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