Changed 1tb hdd to 2tb hdd now Intel RST doesn’t see it

Question

Hi

I replaced my old 1 tb hdd (used to be boot drive before adding SSD SATA) with a 2tb WD Black. Seems simple enough.....wrong

1st disk management wouldn’t recognize the hdd as valid until I changed it to MB’s (data drive now) and give it a drive letter. For some reason D wasn’t available as before. No problem it works great.

Then I go into Intel’s RST to set up for the new drive. RST comes up showing my SSD and ITSELF as data to be managed. My 2tb hdd is nowhere to be found.

I tried different settings in RST and many reboots, but nothing changed.

How do I get RST to see my 2tb hdd and get rid of seeing itself as another drive?

Thanks

Michael

OmenRIP · Accepted Answer

Just got a reply from Dell tech that the Samsung EVO and PRO are not compatible with any Alienware system due to the firmware on the Samsung does not do validation for the Aurora motherboards. Any other SSD PCIe should work.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it :)

OmenRIP · Accepted Answer

I found a way to have Intel Optane cache my 2tb WD Black. The secret to all this is to have that partition a gpt one, not a mbr.

I used AMOEI Partition Pro to convert the mbr to gpt. It booted into WinPE and did the conversion. The I installed Intel Rapid Storage Technology and Optane was connect to my WD. Also shown was my Samsung 860 Pro 256gb which is my boot drive. IRST had a check by it but it wasn’t included in the raid.

No data was lost by the conversion. I tried using diskpart but it didn’t work.

So we’ll see what Optane is good for (I pray and hope Intel was thinking about HDD not SSD). Maybe it’s worth it to spend $50 and get a 32gb Optane :)

Kudos to Kilenhad in the intel group for coming up with the general process. The reason I say general is his original process didn’t work for me.

Tesla1856 · Answer

I thought I could probably help ... until I saw your problem was related to Intel-RST .

Now you see why I avoid it at all costs. Now you know where it gets its reputation from. Cantankerous is a good adjective I think.

OmenRIP · Answer

Tesla, I think I’m going your route. I’m removing the Intel Optane M.2 and replacing it with a Samsung 970 Pro pcie. Then I’m done with optane :)

Tesla1856 · Answer

@OmenRIP wrote:

Tesla, I think I’m going your route. I’m removing the Intel Optane M.2 and replacing it with a Samsung 970 Pro pcie. Then I’m done with optane :)

Yeah, I just can't see using that slot for anything other than a NVMe-SSD (as C: with Windows booting from it and also all apps).

OmenRIP · Answer

Oh well, I think I’ll keep the Intel Optane :(. I’ve spent the last hours changing the BIOS, uninstalling the IRST drivers, rebooting, rebooting, and more rebooting getting Dell hardware scans or win 10 failing to boot on a device not found message. Probably the next time I open the case I’ll break one of my fans on my nice new 1080. My feeling is either 1) there is something else in the bios to change other than ACHI or 2) intel optane drivers are still in the system even though I turned off IRST and the requisite 2 boots. Can anyone point me to a thread where someone got rid of optane. I want to put in a Samsung 970 Pro 500gb, but it looks like if I can’t figure this one out, I’ll be returning it :(

Tesla1856 · Answer

@OmenRIP wrote:Oh well, I think I’ll keep the Intel Optane :(. I’ve spent the last hours changing the BIOS, uninstalling the IRST drivers, rebooting, rebooting, and more rebooting getting Dell hardware scans or win 10 failing to boot on a device not found message. Probably the next time I open the case I’ll break one of my fans on my nice new 1080. My feeling is either 1) there is something else in the bios to change other than ACHI or 2) intel optane drivers are still in the system even though I turned off IRST and the requisite 2 boots. Can anyone point me to a thread where someone got rid of optane. I want to put in a Samsung 970 Pro 500gb, but it looks like if I can’t figure this one out, I’ll be returning it :( Yes, others have reported strange trouble getting BIOS/UEFI-config to 'release' or stop being dependent on Optane. I think it's better to treat it as two separate procedures: 1. Properly uninstall Optane. Machine still works as normal HDD.2. THEN, start the SSD swap procedure. But no first-hand experience here ... I don't use Optane.

OmenRIP · Answer

Unfortunately I already have Windows swapped to an 860 pro sata which works great. I just don’t think I need optane caching on that drive, but on my 2 tb spinner. But I can’t get optane to recognize the spinner, so that’s why I wanted to stop using it and put in something more valuable in the slot.

I’ve tried and tried and can’t get your #1 to work. I guess that’s the crux of my problem. I didn’t turn off secureboot in my all my workarounds, so I may try that.

I’ve ordered a PCIe to m.2 nvme adapter that I’m going to try out. Maybe I can get some use from my 970 pro yet. Get a 32gb optane stick and be done with it. But there’s GOT to be a way.

I got a call into Abraham over at Dell he’s in tech support and should know the what’s why’s and how’s of doing what I want to do

thanks for the reply Tesla....Mike

Tesla1856 · Answer

@OmenRIP wrote:

1. 860 pro sata which works great. I just don’t think I need optane caching on that drive,

2. But I can’t get optane to recognize the 2tb spinner,

1. Correct

2. A while back, someone posted that Optane only works on boot drives.

OmenRIP · Answer

Secondary/Data SATA Drive Acceleration with Intel® Optane™ Memory   This quote from Intel seems to imply that Intel Optane can be used on a ‘secondary’ drive.

OmenRIP · Answer

@Tesla1856 wrote:

@OmenRIP wrote:

1. 860 pro sata which works great. I just don’t think I need optane caching on that drive,

2. But I can’t get optane to recognize the 2tb spinner,

1. Correct

2. A while back, someone posted that Optane only works on boot drives.

What backward thinking by intel. That’s why I want to get rid of it. If I could afford (or there was a good one) I’d buy a 2 tb SSD SATA in a minute to replace my WD black spinner.

Tesla1856 · Answer

@OmenRIP wrote:

Secondary/Data SATA Drive Acceleration with Intel® Optane™ Memory

This quote from Intel seems to imply that Intel Optane can be used on a ‘secondary’ drive.

Maybe that poster was incorrect, or the feature was recently added to Intel-RST.

Tesla1856 · Answer

@OmenRIP wrote:

Just got a reply from Dell tech that the Samsung EVO and PRO are not compatible with any Alienware system due to the firmware on the Samsung does not do validation for the Aurora motherboards. Any other SSD PCIe should work.

Yet Dell & Alienware ship machines with NVMe SSD's like
- PM961 (an OEM Samsung 960 Evo)
- SM961 (an OEM Samsung 960 Pro)
... and they work fine, BTW.

If Samsung 970 EVO/PRO (Retail/OEM) NVMe-SSD's are truly "not compatible" then Samsung and Dell need to fix it. Someone might need to issue a fix.

M.2/PCIe/NVMe is an Industry Standard like SATA/AHCI.

https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/Aurora-R7-adding-additional-SSD-SATA-storage/td-p/5907131

Alienware Desktops

Changed 1tb hdd to 2tb hdd now Intel RST doesn’t see it

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