4 Posts
0
2185
XPS 8900, SSD pre fail warning
Hi I have an xps 8900 with a samsung ssd cm851 m.2 2242 32gb and have just received a smart warning that the drive is failing. The HDD is fine and I think that is where win is. Do i just swap out this ssd for a larger one or are there more steps involved like backing up and cloning? I apologise but I am of a vintage that is not tech savvy. Any help or advice will be warmly welcomed. I am terrified that if the 32gb ssd fails I will have lost all.
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
•
44.3K Posts
1
December 11th, 2018 17:00
Hard to predict how much the 32-GB SSD improves performance since I don't have this model PC. IIRC, the 32-GB SSD was an optional upgrade, meaning systems without that upgrade couldn't be so slow to be "terrible".
And performance with/without the SSD cache will depend on how many windows are open, how many apps you're running at same time, how "intensive" those apps are, how much RAM is installed, etc, etc.
"Backing up" your hard drive usually means copying your personal files onto external media, but that doesn't include any Windows files or other software that's installed. "Imaging" means you create a copy of the hard drive that includes everything on the original drive.
So you could restore an image that's stored on an external drive onto an internal hard drive and be up and running as soon as the image has been transferred. If you had only backed up your personal files, you'd have to install Windows, all its updates, all your apps, all your personalized settings etc. on the internal drive before copying your personal files onto it, meaning hours/days...
As for size of external USB hard drive needed to image your 1T drive, it depends on how much is stored on the 1T now and how much compression the imaging software uses to squeeze the data onto the external drive. At "medium" compression level, Macrium says you'll see ~60% compression factor in your image, according to their site. They don't say how much compression you get using something higher than "medium".
And you'll want to use their "Intelligent sector copy method", so empty space on your drive isn't included in the image and that means less space needed.
Keep in mind, the higher the compression, the longer it takes to create the image on an external drive, but probably worth extra time to save drive space. Your PC has USB3 ports so connecting a USB3 external hard drive will be faster than using a USB2 port with either a USB2 or USB3 external drive.
Only you can decide whether to replace the 32-GB cache now or try to live without it. Either way, you really should image the 1T before... :Crying:
robert p
4 Operator
4 Operator
•
9.4K Posts
1
December 11th, 2018 10:00
Hi Defrack,
Thanks for posting. Apologies that your system is not performing as expected.
First thing to do would be to backup your device. Once completed, try running a systems diagnostics. Please run Dell Support Assist, paying particular attention to the hard drive tests. Be sure you run the long test so that all the sectors can be checked.
If you need further assistance, and the system is under warranty, please contact me privately. Be sure to include your personal information (name, address, telephone, email) and your computer's service tag number in your message. Thanks.
If there is no warranty, then you could contact our Out of Warranty team to get a quote for a paid service call -http://dell.to/1vnT6CQ
Defrack
4 Posts
0
December 11th, 2018 11:00
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
•
44.3K Posts
2
December 11th, 2018 11:00
As Robert said, image your system immediately. You can use the free version of Macrium.
EDIT: You're sure the Smart warning is only for the SSD?
For the record, the 32-GB SSD is only a cache for Windows. So your personal files are on the 1T HDD. After you back up, you could try breaking the RAID array by pressing CTRL-I (that's a letter " i ") during boot to open the Intel RST BIOS interface. From there, you can delete the RAID/Cache volumes and then set the HDD status to Non-RAID. You might also have to reboot again and press F2 to enter Dell's BIOS setup to change the SATA mode from RAID to AHCI.
Breaking the RAID means Windows won't use the SSD to store/retrieve files quickly, so you might see some decrease in system performance but that should save you from having to install a new 32-GB SSD and reimaging the HDD from your backup. If you break the RAID, you can just leave that old SSD installed, but I wouldn't store anything important on it because it might die without any further warnings, or you can physically remove it from the PC...
Defrack
4 Posts
0
December 11th, 2018 11:00
Thank you RoHe for the quick response. Yes it is indeed the 32gb ssd. As per your advice, would there be a dramatic drop in performance should I choose to break the raid array? If I need to back up fully may I ask what size external HD would be needed?. I am not tech savvy and of a vintage where this stuff scares me to mess with :) Thank you very much for helping.
Also when you say image my system I have no idea what that is. Is it the same as backing up everything to an external hard drive?
Defrack
4 Posts
0
December 12th, 2018 03:00
I can't thank you enough for taking your time to explain all that to me. I now have a way forward. So glad there are good folks out there willing to help those of us with little to no technical computing knowledge. :) I believe breaking the raid array after full back up will be my option and if I do have intolerable (unlikely) performance drop then I can always swap out the 32gb for a bigger newer ssd. Thank you and Robert for all the help. Kind regards, Derek.
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
•
44.3K Posts
0
December 12th, 2018 10:00
You're welcome. Glad we could help.
Post back after you image the 1T and break the RAID to let us know how it went and whether you miss having the cache drive or not.