Adding drives to XPS 8700

The SATA port connections on the motherboard are probably all that really matters, assuming the SATA cables reach. The boot drive with the OS needs to be connected to SATA 0 on the motherboard.

You'll have to contact Dell for Windows Reinstallation media to install the OS on the SSD. If you're in the US or Canada, you can request it here.

Thanks, I assumed it didn't matter.

As for OS, I plan to use the Dell-installed Win 8 as a second boot option in a dual boot so will leave it alone. I have a fully licensed Win 8.1 pro that I want to transfer from my existing machine to the new one. I would love to be able to just install the drive intact and just do a repair install, but I suspect the hardware is different enough that it likely won't work, or if it does, I may regret not just doing a full and fresh install in the first place.

Don't understand why you want to have dual boot between Win 8 and Win 8.1.They're essentially the same OS with a just few fixes and improvements in 8.1.

You probably can't move the other drive with existing Win 8.1 into the XPS 8700.  Aside from hardware and driver issues, there may also be issues with the Windows product key embedded in BIOS on the Dell that's not going to match the product key for the retail version so it might refuse to boot, even if the hardware was identical.

And if you're using the same key with the Win 8.1 Pro install on the Dell, you may have to contact MS about validating Windows because the product key has already been registered to an entirely different PC.

Thanks. It's not a dual boot between 8 and 8.1 but rather 8.1 and 8.1 PRO. Regardless, what I more properly should have said is that I will set it up as a *temporary* dual boot. I just want to make sure that I can boot into the new machine with no issues or problems on the factory install 8.1 until I get all of my re-installation done of 8.1 PRO on my SSD and all my programs etc. Just in case something happens, I want the security blanket of the factory install working fine in another partition.

My goal will eventually be to delete the Dell Win 8 altogether.

I just ordered the 8700 with the SSD and want to do the same kind of thing, install OS on the SSD, 

Think I need to request the install media from dell, (comes with 8.1 Pro 64-bit)

Assume I would need to set the SSD as boot drive in the BIOS to do the install. 

Original HDD with the pre-installed OS can be disconnected or not used (no longer boot drive) until OS installed and working on the SSD. 

Just wondering if this makes sense or other methods anyone would suggest. 

Could you make a disk image of the HDD with initial OS and restore that image to the SSD? or something like that? Basically a System Restore like this:

http://www.dell.com/support/troubleshooting/us/en/19/KCS/KcsArticles/ArticleView?%20&docid=DSN_347576&~srd=true&sk=PC%20restore&scat=sup

I had no problems adding drives, and the SATA ports did not matter as the boot selection is set in BIOS (default was the original HD in SATA 0).

I just added another HD and SSD. That I used S/W to CLONE the original OS on the C: on the original drive to the SSD and set that drive (SATA port) to be the boot drive.

Since the 8700 utilizes Secure Boot and uEFI BIOS that was the easiest way to do that.

I shrank the original drive partition down to a low size and now have another partition on it. I did not wipe out the original drive OS either and using F12 I can still boot to in case Dell wants me to 'restore' the OS to the original if I should have a problem.