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December 5th, 2020 06:00
Aurora R11, SSD upgrade from 1TB to 2TB (Boot Drive)
Hello Alienware Community,
I ordered a new Aurora R11 that has gone into production and I just realized I mistakenly chose the 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s instead of 2TB SSD + 2TB SATA. The order cannot now be canceled and I don't want to wait another month for the production of a new order.
My questions:
1) How easy is it to replace the 1TB SSD with a 2TB SSD and what would be a recommendation of a brand of SSD for speed as a replacement 2TB M.s PCIe NVMe SSD?
2) How do I transfer the Windows 10 Pro OS to this new SSD and retain the license? Can someone please guide me to any documentation?
Thank you in advance
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Doghouse Reilly
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396 Posts
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December 5th, 2020 06:00
1.) If you take a gander at the R11 Service Manual on this Dell web site, you will see you have to remove the video card in order to get at the NVMe SSD. Also on this web site is a listing of Dell approved NVMe SSDs.
2.) If you clone your current SSD, you shouldn't have a problem with the license as long as only one hard drive is using that Windows key. The Macrium and/or Acronis True Image web sites should be able to answer your questions regarding cloning.
r72019
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December 5th, 2020 07:00
Since you're starting with a new PC, I would suggest taking the opportunity to clean install, eliminate the RAID config, the Dellware, and Intel RST.
1. Create a bootable windows 10 flash drive here (must be at least 32 gigs
2. Install the new drive in the old drive's slot.
3. Change raid to ahci in bios f2, and windows boot manager for boot selection
4. Boot from windows 10 drive by hitting f12 on startup and selecting the new drive
5. Install win 10. It will activate the license automatically you don't need to do anything. The licence follows the mobo, not the hard drive.
You can get awcc from dell, if you add support assist change the default settings to remind you of updates but don't auto install updates. Remember not to let it install Intel RST. Also, be careful with bios updates.
r72019
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December 5th, 2020 07:00
I forgot to mention, after you've verified everything works, you can add the oem drive back on the bottom x16 (x8) slot using a $10 pcie adapter, and you will have a total of 3TB of m2 nvme drive space.
You can image the oem drive for backup to c:, and then wipe it completely including the boot partition. Your pc allows for boot from pcie so depending on your bios selections you could also it as a dual boot option for example.
r72019
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December 5th, 2020 07:00
Link for free win 10 media
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d
Link for add in pcie card for the m2 drive
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Controller-Expansion-Profile-Bracket/dp/B07VYWR91T/
As an alternative option you can just add a new 2tb m2 nvme drive as a storage drive and leave the 1tb boot drive alone.
Doghouse Reilly
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December 5th, 2020 07:00
By the bye, you may not need the second terabyte of storage for a while. I have 9 games, thousands of RAW photographs, Windows 10 Pro and recorded television programs on my C drive and as you can see, I still have room before hitting one terabyte.
r72019
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December 5th, 2020 08:00
Clarification, on #4, when I said boot from win 10 drive, I was referring to the bootable flash drive with the win 10 media.
Britonish
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December 5th, 2020 09:00
Thank you - this is extremely helpful.
Britonish
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December 5th, 2020 09:00
Thank you for the fast response this is very helpful and also your advice on the size of the harddrive. I do a lot of video production so I'm trying to keep my OS running fast and smoothly.
AuroraHasManyFans
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118 Posts
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December 5th, 2020 22:00
If your Aurora R11 is the same as mine, there should be 2 additional 2.5" SATA drive bays left empty.
You can just install a 1TB Samsung 860 Evo or a 2TB Samsung 860 Evo. They are reliable SATA SSDs. They are almost the same speed as the NVMe SSD, except for large file transfers.
I find myself preferring the a dedicated SSD for the Windows 10 OS. Unlike Windows 7, Windows 10 has a lot of background I/O's, causing games (program) to stutter if the game is installed on the same SSD as the OS.
ryanphotoeditor
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August 6th, 2024 00:18
@r72019 I found my pc was having conflicts with downloads on software. In an attempt to correct this I clicked the "Data Wipe on next boot" option from the dell bios menu. I believe I also hit the erase device and media.. Is there a way to boot my pc again? I'm new to doing this from a usb. I guess I'm essentially starting as if I recieved it used and completely wiped..any advice would be greatly recieved!