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XPS 8900 with Hybrid Hard Drive (256GB SSD and 2TB HDD) - Wiping and Reinstalling Windows 10 on SSD
Hi,
I have a XPS 8900 with the 'Hybrid' HDD config; 2TB HDD and a 256GB Lite-On SSD. The SSD appears to have several GB's ( I think around 3 or 4GB) of data on it but the contents don't show up in Explorer. I have heard that it's only used as cache to speed up the HDD but I have no idea why I would need that much room for caching. The machine currently uses the 2TB HDD for the O/S and to boot as far as I can tell.
In any event I am going to be wiping the system because of other issues and want to reinstall W10 on the SSD. What do I need to be concerned about trying to do that especially since there seems to be a lot of 'data' on the SSD.
FYI I have created the System Image and a System Repair Disc. I have also done a backup of my data files although not sure I grabbed Bookmarks from all my browsers correctly (so help there would be appreciated as well). I also have the W10 License Key should anything really go wrong in the process.
Thanks!
beamermt79
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February 9th, 2018 15:00
mattspc
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February 9th, 2018 15:00
and one more thing to toss in the mix.... I'm wondering if I should consider getting a better/faster SSD instead of reusing the Lite-On. My initial goal is to have the SSD for the faster O/S and app launch speed advantages and not to use to manage (read/write) files / data on a routine basis.
If so 2 questions;
- Should I look at only the SATA SSD's or also look at higher speed PCIe given the limits of the machine?
- Do I need to worry about any BIOS etc settings if I replace and hardware ?
Thanks again!
mattspc
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February 10th, 2018 16:00
Hey Beamer. Thanks for the quick reply.
I continue to be confused about this config.
Further scoop and maybe what I should have looked at initially:
So I continue to have confusion re: my plans after seeing the data above.
if I wipe BOTH drives and then install Windows on the SSD do I need to be concerned with the following:
Any additional help is appreciated.
Thanks
beamermt79
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February 13th, 2018 11:00
mattspc
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February 13th, 2018 19:00
Thanks Again.
Question on the generic Microsoft W10 vs the Dell version. What if anything do I need to be concerned about using the Microsoft version vs the one Dell uses? I have heard Dell has modified the O/S to make it theirs. For instance:
- Will the Dell Support app that monitors updates to drivers and the BIOS still work?
- How about the Dell version of all the drivers and BIOS?
Also I did find the License Key via a software app. Any issues using that for a Microsoft W10 install since it was Dell initially?
beamermt79
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February 20th, 2018 10:00