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Aurora R7, Unable to change primary boot drive to SSD
I just got my new Alienware Aurora r7. I installed my old SSD in it already and it is detecting it, but for some reason in the BIOS when I try to change the boot order the only options I'm getting is "windows boot manager, ipv4 or ipv6." This does not allow me to change the SSD to the primary boot drive.
I am able to boot into the drive manually by pressing F12 at boot and selecting the SSD drive, and it worked and everything, but after I reset the computer it boots back into the HDD instead of the SSD.
How would I go about permanently changing the boot drive to use my SSD as the primary drive and the HDD as additional storage space? I have went all through the BIOS and cannot find a solution that works.
Please let me know if there's a way I can fix these issues.. Thanks in advance.
Tesla1856
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17K Posts
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April 28th, 2018 12:00
1. OK
2. was it completely blank (no partitions) or does it have old Windows or any OEM partitions on it?
3. I think the days for doing it this way left-us when we switched from Legacy-BIOS systems, to be better UEFI-based systems.
Usually, you Image or Clone.
4. That is promising. I think there are 2 ways
a. Upgrade install Windows (with only desired C: hooked up) ... selecting option to "keep data".
b. see this thread.
https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8910-keeps-loading-from-old-drive/td-p/6050340
AlaskaWolf
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April 28th, 2018 14:00
So, correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds to me like your system came preconfigured from the factory to boot from the HDD, but you installed an SSD that already has a bootable Windows OS installed from another PC. Correct?
If so, I would just build a Windows installation USB while booted from the HDD and start over in all honesty. If that SSD was created on another motherboard, eventually the Windows Activation servers are going to catch it and fail it. When Alienware changed out my mobo, my Windows activation lasted all of 8 hrs before the Activation Servers caught it and deactivated my Windows installation. The activation code Alienware gave me for the new motherboard wouldn't work, and I ended up spending WAY too much time on the phone with Alienware, and then Microsoft. Microsoft's new anti-piracy works like a charm! :Smile:
You can try this, it might work (then again it might not):
- Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.
- Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Search box, and then press Enter to start the System Configuration utility.
- Select the option Boot Tab; from the boot tab list select the one that you want to set a default.
- Click on Apply, OK and then click Restart and check if it helps.
Still, you'd probably be money ahead to boot up from the HDD and use the Windows 10 media Creation tool to create an image and start over. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
andrew MM
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December 12th, 2018 14:00
There is some small partition etc on the dell boot drive and who knows what other dell specific things they put on harddrive?
what I did , I install acronis to the boot hard drive, clone the whole hard drive to a new SSD (wipe out everything on there in the process)...then unplug the harddrive and plug in the SSD.
everytime drive got unplug, the default boot sequence got reset..
I then do F2 during boot and change the sequence again to use the clone disk as the first boot.
It works and replaced the HD and it boots super fast.
I did try to put a existing boot SSD drive from Auroa R4 into the R7...but it just won't take it...
so the only way is clone the HD drive that comes with R7
Tesla1856
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December 12th, 2018 16:00
1. Right. It's likely the Dell Factory Restore partition you see. There is a post here about it, but for me, I prefer a "clean Windows Install".
2. Never had much luck doing it that way. Remember, these are UEFI systems with SecureBoot abilities. I've found the best way to create that "Windows Boot Manager" entry is to clean install Windows to lone drive.
https://www.dell.com/community/Alienware-Desktops/M-2-NVMe-bootable-options/td-p/6073037
Pegapalo
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May 19th, 2021 08:00
I went to the same problem you are having with a new SSD I installed. I could manually reboot from it but I can make the BIOS reboot from the SSD on its own. It will always go to the HDD which I wanted only as a backup drive.
Steps to follow:
1- get into the BIOS by pressing f2 at the start of machine.
2- Once in the BIOS go to Security and then to Secure BOOT (at the bottom) click disable
3- Go to Boot and click on Add File for primary boot (of something like that) click.. There you should see the two drives (two sets of bunches of letters) Click on HDD2 one.. then click again in BOOT then click again in BOOT EFI once there click and it will ask you to give it a name ( I gave it SSDX). It will tell you that the name was accepted. Close everything , and go back to SECURITY and enable SECURE BOOT back on...
4- Save changes and reset...
5- Now your PC will reboot from the new DRIVE..