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Inspiron 17R SE 7720 - Checking configuration of mSata drive following Windows 10 upgrade.
I have upgraded my laptop from the original Windows 7 to Windows 10 and would like some advice about the configuration of the mSata SSD. My understanding of the situation is that the mSata drive is (or at least should be!) configured effectively as a cache for the C drive, storing the most frequently used files and therefore offering some of the benefits of an SSD whilst at the same time keeping the storage capacity of a conventional hard disk drive - in much the same way as Seagate did with their Momentus XT drives.
Following the Windows 10 upgrade, I am not sure that the mSata drive is still working as it should and I can find no documentation to assist me on the subject. Also, since the price of mSata SSDs has dropped substantially, I would like to consider the option of replacing the existing 32Gb SSD with a bigger one - say 128Gb, which at least in theory should give a very useful speed boost cost effectively.
Can anyone provide any further advice on the configuration of the mSata on the 7720, and whether what I am proposing is actually a feasible option?
Many thanks.
ejn63
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March 2nd, 2017 04:00
Upgrading to Windows 10 generally breaks IRST, which then must be reconfigured (see below).
Yes, a native SSD is far faster than even a hybrid setup -- but 128 G is very confining for use as a boot drive. Consider 256G a more practical minimum size for a Windows boot partition. Also remember that the mSATA interface in this system is 3G, not 6G -- so you won't get the full speed boost you would from installing a 6G SATA 2.5" SSD in place of the hard drive.
It's also true that mSATA (which this system uses) is now obsolete technology - it's being rapidly supplanted by M.2 form factor drives (which your system cannot use).
This is the documentation for installing IRST
www.dell.com/.../SLN286337