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XPS 15 9560 - useless 32GB mSATA SSD
I have an XP 9560 that came with a 32GB SSD and 1TB HDD.
Windows 10 is nearly impossible to keep on what space is given by the 32GB SSD, but even when moving personal folders, programs, etc to the 1TB drive, I still get "not enough space" constantly.
Since I can't seem to get around that issue, I'd like to install the OS on the 1TB drive, but there's no option to select a partition when installing Win 10. I even went into the BIOS and disabled the SSD, but the recovery media reenabled it and used it for installation.
What can I possibly do to overcome this problem?
samos1111
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July 26th, 2017 06:00
> The way it came from Dell was with the OS on the SSD
Are you sure? It is meant to come with a single logical drive which is supposed to be mainly the HDD, with the wee SSD acting as cache invisible to the user, as configured in the RAID controller (Intel Smart Response Technology if I recall correctly).
To recover the correct original state, you should wipe the SSD, set up the RAID cache configuration in BIOS, and reinstall.
But you will be happier if you ditch the small 32GB cache SSD and replace it with a proper m.2 NVMe type SSD, for instance Samsung 960 EVO 250GB or larger. You can keep the HDD for slow storage but run all important things from the fast SSD. The cache solution is not so efficient in practice.
ejn63
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July 26th, 2017 04:00
The 32G drive is designed to be a cache for the hard drive - not as a separate operating system drive. Remove the SSD from the system and install the OS to the hard -- you can then re-enable the cache as you wish. Note however that doing so will result in a major performance decrease relative to what you're seeing with the OS on the SSD.
mallard1113
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July 26th, 2017 05:00
The way it came from Dell was with the OS on the SSD.Thanks! How do I disable it without opening up the back to unplug it and voiding the warranty?
mallard1113
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July 26th, 2017 13:00
I'm pretty sure it did, but I could be mistaken. It DOES however, definitely recover to that configuration.
I'll try to get the BIOS configured and recover to the correct original state.
If I replace the SSD won't I have to open the machine and void the warranty?
samos1111
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July 31st, 2017 15:00
> If I replace the SSD won't I have to open the machine and void the warranty?
You will have to open the machine. But not void the warranty, unless you break something. The service manual describing the relevant procedures is available online. Plus, you can take out your system disk if you have to send it for some hardware repair.