How to add SSD mSATA mini-card cache on Dell XPS One 2710

I just added an mSATA SSD for hard drive caching on my Dell XPS One 2710 without re-installing Windows 7. The SSD cache is set to accelerate my single HDD (C:drive w/Win 7). I did a lot of online research before I started, and this worked for me. Your mileage may vary. I always first create a restore point, back up critical data and have a system recovery disc or USB drive on hand before making any changes like this.

My system arrived from Dell as ordered with 8GB of RAM and a 2TB hard drive with Win 7 Home Premium pre-installed. Intel Rapid Storage Technology program was also pre-installed and accessible in the Control Panel, even though no SSD was installed at the factory. After receiving the system, I upgraded the memory to 16MB and installed all Win 7 updates along with MS Security Essentials and updates.

Adding the SSD cache was a bit more complicated than simply snapping an mSATA SSD into the system board mini-card slot, but not very difficult. The biggest obstacle was to change the SATA mode in BIOS from ACHI to RAID mode without having to re-install Win 7. On systems like mine with a single HDD (containing the OS), the default Win 7 installation disables a few registry items that are required to use RAID in SATA mode. These registry items must be enabled before the system BIOS settings for SATA mode can be successfully changed from AHCI to RAID as required for SSD caching. My research found that if the SATA mode in BIOS is switched from AHCI to RAID without changing the registry, Windows will not be able to load.

Fortunately, I found an easy fix for this in the Microsoft support Knowledge Base, Article 922976. This article has a “Fix It” button (MS Fix it 50470) which will make the needed registry changes automatically in just a few seconds. (Running the Fix It enables the registry items required to change from AHCI to RAID). I did not change the BIOS setting to RAID until these changes were made. The “Fix It” registry changes was, I believe, the single most critical step in successfully installing the SSD caching without re-installing Windows from scratch.

Once I ran the Fix It, I rebooted and everything worked. I shut down and disconnected the power cord,.

Now, I followed Dell’s instructions in the XPS One 2710 Owner’s Manual to install my mSATA mini-card SSD device. I installed a 64GB Crucial mSATA mini-card in the mSATA mini-card slot on the XPS One 2710 system board (as shown in the Owner’s manual). I did need to get two tiny screws from a local computer repair shop to secure the mini-card to the locking posts on the system board. Dell nor Crucial supplied them. Then I replaced the system board shield and back cover and plugged in the power cord.

Immediately after powering the system on, during the POST when the big Blue Dell logo is on the screen before Windows begins to load, I pressed the F2 key to enter the system BIOS setup. Navigated to the Advanced tab and selected Onboard Device configuration, then selected SATA Mode. I changed it from AHCI to RAID. Save and Exit. The Intel Option ROM configuration screen briefly appeared and then Windows booted. Everything worked.

Next step was to go to Control Panel and launch the Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) program, which recognized my mSATA SSD as a RAID drive. On the screen was an “Accelerate” button. I clicked it and then setup the SSD RAID drive to accelerate my 2TB HDD system drive. (There are several articles about how to do it, but it’s pretty transparent.) The Intel RST limits caching to 64GB, so no matter how spacious the mSATA SSD is, only 64GB will be available for caching/acceleration.

After setting up the Intel RST for acceleration, I rebooted. The Intel Option ROM configuration screen pops up briefly immediately after POST before Windows loads, but I ignore it. If it did not present at this point, I’m not sure how one would ever make changes to RAID drive configurations if needed. But it doesn't seem any changes are needed for this installation, and the disk caching seems to be working perfectly and without incident. The new mSATA caching SSD does not appear in My Computer because it is simply a cache for the HDD (which continues to appear). The only place I see the SSD status is in the Intel RST application in Control Panel.

I understand that the Intel RST caching "learns" over time which items to keep in the cache, based on individual usage, and that performance improves as this learning process continues. So far, I am pleased with the performance improvements I am seeing.