Alienware 14 , cannot make 80gb ssd as bootdrive

It is set up as a cache drive, not as a storage or boot drive.  You'll need to break the cache setup and change the configuration to use the drive as your boot device.

80G is too small for a Windows drive - yes, Windows will load - but you will have to be very, very vigilant about what you install on the system as time passes.  Even if you install your applications to another drive, pieces will require space on your Windows drive - and 80 G can fill very quickly.  If you want to use the mSATA drive as a boot device, upgrade it to a 256G or larger drive.  Anything 128G or smaller will be very restrictive in the long term.

Thanks for the answer :-)

How do I change the settings? Becasue I want to use the SSD as the main drive..  ??

When I ordered my alienware 14 it was not possible to select an ssd greater than 80 gb  ??

well  first off it will require formatting, then reinstalling windows onto the drive.... so make sure you got windows dvd or USB  and all drivers for system before attempting..

again 80 gigs IS WAY TO SMALL  on my M18X R2  windows 8  took almost 80 gigs after installed updates, alienware drivers ect.... and this was in april :O so honestly its a waste of time im running 4 solid states and trust me.. I only got a few games installed.. CSS CS:Go ..  tf2 ect(orangebox +) and pushing 200 gig mark

I believe tho a basic windows 8 OEM  dvd install is around 25 gigs before updates(alienware OEM INSTALL  isn't the same)  remember a full formatted drive wont be 80 gig more like 75 ... then all alienware stuff then nee dto leave room for swap files ect...

Thanks for the reply.

Butwhat do I doat my computernow?

This meansthat Ihave bought a newlaptop forapprox.17000DKRwith assdhard drivethat Ican not use foranything.

<ADMIN NOTE: Substitute character removed as per TOU> dell:-(

Whichssdhard driveshould Ibuy?type (mSATA)size?

  Andif Ireplacethessdhard drive.waivesthe warranty then?

Hi TTR1000 - The 80GB mSATA drive installed on Alienware laptops was never meant to be used as a boot drive, it was designed as a way to accelerate a larger drive without having to spend lots of dollars on a dedicated SSD (Which is a bit of a mute point now with SSD's being so cheap) if you want to use an mSATA drive as a boot you may as well go for a 256GB so you at least have a little extra room.

Do you also have a 1TB 5200 R.P.M. HDD installed on your laptop?

Try using the 80GB mSATA to accelerate (Cache) the 1TH HDD, you may be pleasently suprised with the speed and find your happy enough with that.

I dont think replacing the mSATA drive will void your entire warranty, you wont have a Dell warranty on your new mSATA but a manufacturers from whoever you choose to buy from, so at least you will be covered

The ssd cache will greatly improve the read speed of your hdd and make your system feel more snappy.
Try leaving it alone, boot speeds with an ssd cache are almost identical to an ssd only system. Not everything will load as fast but you probably won't even notice...

Quick question though, Is your system using intel smart response technology for the caching?

I thought SRT had a limit of 64gb, why did dell include an 80gb ssd for caching?
Was this done simply to over partition the ssd and make it last longer?

It's possible the remaining portion of the 80gb msata is exposed as a 10.5GB data partition. At least, this is what I see from the drive configuration that ships w/ the 1TB + 80gb msata.

When I tried to clean everything out and reinstall the OS, I was unable to 'combine' the space so they are either on two separate physical drives or two virtual drives established by the BIOS.

I was unaware that the 80GB could be configured as a std SSD (albeit a small one) so I didn't bother booting into the RAID configuration and mucking w/ that setup.

I would be interested in hearing from someone that did actually configure the 80GB as a stand-alone SSD as I could then install a 120GB and use the 80GB as a secondary drive. This is still a bit cheaper than putting in a 240/256GB SSD.

hello Andrews,
would you please teach me how to use the 80GB mSATA to accelerate (Cache) to the 1TH HDD?