XPS 8900, M.2 NVMe SSD boot compatibility?

Hi Bob,

I am glad to hear that you are making progress! 

I don't think there is a way to check if the PC is using the HDD to boot other than by disconnecting it, or formatting it with removal of the EFI boot partition.  My PC still seems to access the HDD a little during boot up, even though it is being used purely for data storage - presumably the system is just registering its presence.  On my PC the SSD is the system drive C: (for OS & programs) and the HDD is the data drive (for my own files).

Regarding backups, a disk Image will enable you to completely restore the entire contents of a drive - OS, programs, data & settings - exactly as they were at the time the image was taken.  A Backup will only restore the file types selected - typically data files.  Thus if a drive fails you can fit a replacement drive, restore the Image, and the system will be up and running as before.  If you only have a file & folder Backup then you would have to re-install Windows and all your programs, re-set all your preferences and then restore your data from the backup - a much more laborious process.  In the situation you are in it would be very desirable to have a disk Image.

Bob,

I have just measured the boot time for my XPS 8900, from power on to the desktop, and it is 18 seconds (of course some things continue to load after reaching the desktop).  However, your time of 38 seconds does not seem at all bad....

Martin, I didn't measure from the power OFF state. I clicked on RESTART so perhaps my time would be a whole lot longer. I'm almost afraid to turn my computer off at this point. I've kept my computer running 24/7/365 for the past 3 years or so (connected to a UPS). I do put it in SLEEP mode when I'm not using it, but seldom (if ever) do I turn it off. I did turn it off to install the SSD and I'm surprised it booted with the correct time since my BIOS battery is from 2015.

Bob

Martin, here's a quick update: I hadn't planned on doing anything for a few weeks until I noticed I never put a second silicone heat strip before closing up my RIITOP PCIe card with M.2 heat sink. Since I had to shut down my computer and do that, I also disconnected the power and SATA connectors from my HDD to see if my computer would boot with only the SSD connected. 28 seconds later, I was able to login so everything is working well! 

I then created an image of the SSD and saved it to my External 2TB drive. Between the image and a rescue disk, I'm hoping that's all I need to worry about at this time.

I shut down the computer, reconnected the HDD connections and booted back up. All is a "GO!"

Thanks again for all your help and patience with me. Since I can still use my HDD, I'm not in a hurry to format it yet, but I will follow your instructions after a few weeks when I know my SSD is still working well.

Bob

Hi Bob,

I'm glad to hear that it is now all working well!

For comparison, I have just measured the re-boot time for my XPS 8900, from clicking "Restart" to the desktop, and it is 1 minute 7 seconds - so yours is doing very well indeed at just 38 seconds!

Like you, I leave my PC switched on (connected to a UPS) and set to sleep automatically when not in use - I usually only turn it off when I am going to be away.  Modern CMOS batteries are supposed to last 10 years (so very likely for the life of the PC): furthermore, I believe their life is extended if the PC is not turned off, because there is still power to the motherboard in Sleep mode and consequently the battery is not in use.  So we both should be OK for a while yet....

VIC384,

Thanks for the info and the link. Since I'm only using 120GB (24%) of my new 500GB SSD, I'm not in a super hurry to move the data yet, but since 48GB is in MYDOCUMENTS alone, I should probably move things sooner rather than later. And the info on "Change where content is saved" is definitely quicker than what I was thinking of doing. I appreciate all the info. 

I wish I could just use Macrium to click on the OS portion and say delete...but nothing is that easy! LOL

Bob

Thanks Martin, I don't feel so bad. After reading some posts where people can boot in 4.9 seconds, I thought 38 seconds was an eternity...LOL. I can't recall how long my old HDD took but I'm sure it was minutes. It's strange that a computer takes longer to REboot than it does to BOOT from being off. 

Bob

@AF_Bob To use your old 1TB HDD as additional storage you need to first reinitialize it which will basically wipe the OS, partitions, data, etc. from it. You need to reconnect the HDD, boot using the F12 Boot Menu to make sure you are booting from the SSD. The procedure to reinitialize the HDD uses DiskPart. Here is the procedure: 

https://macrorit.com/partition-magic-manager/initialize-disk-gpt-mbr-from-cmd-diskpart.html

Make sure you use the 'list disk' command to identify the HDD and the 'select disk' command to select the correct drive to reinitialize.

If you are using Windows 10, you can use the HDD as additional storage by changing where new content is saved. Go to All settings, System, Storage, and click on 'Change where new content is saved', then change where new apps, new documents, new music, new photos, etc. are saved to the HDD. You have to move (copy and delete) existing documents, music, photos, etc. Some apps prefer to be installed on the drive with the OS and existing apps have to be uninstalled and then reinstalled if you wish to put them on the HDD.

Just wanted to report another success story using the info provided in this thread. I few relevant details that may help others:

• My XPS 8900 has a build date of November 2015, and was still running with the original HDD from Dell (1TB 7200 RPM)
• I started by upgrading my bios to the latest available (2.8.0)
• I purchased the following items:
  • Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB ($150): https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-EVO-Plus-MZ-V7S1T0B/dp/B07MFZY2F2
  • I/O Crest PCIe SSD adapter ($13): https://www.amazon.com/Crest-NGFF-PCIe-Express-Adapter/dp/B01I5VABFY
• I installed the new card + SSD, then used Macrium Reflect to clone the drive. It took about 30 minutes to clone (drive is approx 50% full).
• My original drive has 4 partitions (original from Dell), and the drive clone process cloned all of the partitions.
• I did not have to mess with partition sizes since the old + new drive are both 1TB.
• The new card and adapter were recognized automatically without needing to install any additional drivers, etc.
• I did adjust the boot order in the bios, as documented in the instructions.
• I did NOT have to run the Fix Boot Problems from the Rescue CD. I temporarily disconnected the power from the old HDD and confirmed the SSD was still able to boot successfully without running this fix.

The only issue I've noticed so far is that the 970 SSD runs hotter than I would like. At idle, the temperature reported by CrystalDiskInfo hovers between 46-48C, and the temperature spikes up to above 60C under moderate to heavy load. This is with the case open, so I don't think it's a ventilation issue. I've ordered a heatsink ($7) to see if I can get the temperature down; it's scheduled to arrive in a few days, so I won't find out until then whether it's going to fit, and actually help.

https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Heatsink-Cooler-Silicone-Thermal/dp/B07WHSMSZX

The speed improvement is AMAZING! Before and after metrics from CrystalDiskMark below:

Hello Everybody

I was trying to find out if I can boot from the m.2 slot # 2 on the XPS 8900, but that answer I didn't see in this string of messages, I ordered a WD 2TB m.2 sata SSD, I'm satisfied with the speed as is and just wanted to get more storage and be able to boot from that drive, is the m.2 slot boot compatible?

regards 

I am booting from this slot without any problems or issues using a WDC SSD.

Another option, if needed, is to use a PCI-e adapter.  I have used these to boot as well.

It seems that you are aware of the problems and limitations of this slot but just in case:

• Speed is crippled at X1.
• 2280 M-Key only.