XPS 8930, boot failure

Since you're going to clone the HDD onto the new SSD, you don't need to make the Win 10 USB stick.

No drive bay is "upstream" or "downstream" of the primary HDD. The drive connected to the blue SATA data port on the motherboard is the primary (boot) drive, regardless of which bay it's mounted in or whether it's a HDD or a SATA SSD.

You can mount the SATA SSD in any bay that's convenient, preferably with minimal impact on air flow inside the case, that can be easily reached by a SATA data cable from the motherboard and a SATA power cable from the PSU. You might need a SATA data cable with right-angle connectors to make it easier to connect the SATA SSD so the cable doesn't rub/hit any other components at either end. You can use any unused SATA power cable that's attached to the PSU. They're all equivalent.

It doesn't matter which order you physically install the new SSDs. What matters is which one you want to be the boot drive. If you make a new SATA SSD the boot drive now, you'll have to clone it when you're ready to install a NVME SSD. You'll want the NVME SSD to be the boot drive because it will be ~5-6x faster than the SATA SSD.

If this were my PC, I'd just go with a NVME SSD and make it the boot drive. A SATA SSD could be installed later, if your HDD dies and/or you just need more routine storage space than available on the existing HDD.

A SATA SSD is ~3-4x faster than a HDD, so it does offer some speed benefits, but unless you constantly access the HDD to read/write giant files, you probably won't see much overall advantage from a SATA SSD that isn't the boot drive.

Thanks for your prompt answers Ron.

Now I am clear that window 10 USB stick/CD is not required. That helps a lot to clear the confusion.

I will upgrade to NVME SSD directly in 3-4 days. I will keep you posted how it goes.

I wish for best of luck for installation success. I have never done NVME SSD upgrade in desktop before. Only in laptop for regular SSD and that time the installation process were not so smooth. 

I probably will not need more regular SSD set up after successful NVME SSD upgrade set up and booting properly. 2TB is quite enough for me and I will have HDD storage. Thanks for explaining me how the SATA power cable and data cable works.

Sam

Ron,

I received the M2 2.5 screws but they are not the right size. They are thicker and longer than M2 2.5 screw so I shouldn't use them for NVME SSD. They can actually damage the NVME SSD because they are actually even thicker(I think at least 3mm size or more and longer, 3mm or more) than the screw I have. I will just use the screw I have which I have searched for the one and half day to find it. I will try to return wrong screws within 30 days. I checked in amazon website as someone sent me the link and the web site described as M2 2.5 that is why I ordered it but they are not the right size as advertised. It is just a waste of time and money when the item is not as described.

sam

Sorry to hear about those screws. Possible they just sent the wrong ones..?

Win 10 21H1 is the latest version. Glad it's working ok for you.

Click Start>Run and type in: msinfo32.exe and click OK. When that opens, click System Summary in left panel and look in right panel for the version of BIOS that's currently installed. BIOS v1.1.16 is the latest and fixes another bunch of Intel security issues.

Your decision whether to update BIOS or not. I'd do it before installing the NVME SSD, but that's just my choice. If you decide to update, do it using a non-bootable USB stick with only the BIOS .exe file on it. Plug USB stick into PC with power off. Then boot and tap F12 to open the menu. Look for the option to flash update BIOS and follow the prompts. Then just leave the PC alone, even when it appears to have shut down completely, and wait until it gets itself safely back to the desktop.

BIOS data doesn't get saved in a drive image so it makes no difference when you make an image relative to when you did a BIOS update.

You can image a drive as many times as you want. Depending on the software you're using, you may be able to select whether to over-write the latest image or save a new one. There may be other settings that can be changed too.

At least in Macrium, there's a setting to delete the oldest image before saving a new one when there are already 5 images, but that number can be changed or disabled. And Macrium also has a setting to delete the oldest if there's less than a certain amount of free space available on the external drive where the new image will be saved.

I try to save at least a couple of images to be safe...

Hi Ron,

I don't think they send the wrong ones, they send 16 screws but all are equal or > 3*3. But I will check with the seller soon, sometimes they don't know what they are selling and the ad doesn't match the goods. They send strange quantity like 9+7 screw but should be 8+8 in quantity. I think the screws may be for 2nd SSD bracket or something else, not for M2* 2.5. I know it because they are too think and too long for M2* 2.5 screws and I measure them also.

I check my bios version and surprisingly I am at Dell Bios version/date 1.1.16, 1/6/21, the lastest version.

Since it is the latest version, shall I make another clone of HDD and save it ? I have a clone I made it in new HDD when I got my desktop back to function first time about 5-6 days ago. I am thinking it I make a new clone the old clone will be deleted ? Is that okay to make another clone with the new HDD  I have made a clone before ?

Hi Ron,

I just received 2TB NVME SSD  a moment ago because of some delay. I read the instruction from samsung and there are 3 softwares I was instructed to download to HDD first, I think, 1. Samsung magician 2.Samsung data migration and set up exe 3. Samsung NVMe SSD Evo plus fire ware. Per instruction from Samsung Data migration, " If you are cloning the source drive to Target Drive(Samsung NVME SSD) using this software(data migration), make you to install Samsun NVME drive first".

I haven't put the NVME SSD to the desktop yet. I want to ask whether that data migration should download into NVME SSD before the cloning of primary HDD or download directly to NVME drive before the cloning ?.  Per your instructions, I can put the NVME disk into desktop and start step 1-8 but I am not sure that cloning software wheter from samsung or Ease us or Macrium Reflect can be done before step 1-8 ? or after step 1-8. And data migration software from samsung can go into which step in the set up ?   But I think once I put in NVME SSD, I may be able to see the drive and I should start formatting and copying to the NVME drive or no ? Shall I wait until the boot to NVME drive is working ?

Sam

Hi Ron,

I just got the new NVMe SSD today in afternoon. Upon looking at instructions from Samsung, they suggest to install NVME Driver first before installation of Data migration software. I have placed NVME drive in the desktop and reconnect mouse keyboard and monitor and power on the desktop a moment ago.

I found out that I cannot see the NVME drive yet. Shall I go ahead with step 1-6 per your instruction with cmd prompt now  ?  Will I be able to see NVME drive after AHCI mode is enabled ?

I bought 2 TB NVME drive since I don't want to resize the partition. If you can reply to me what should I do I appreciate your help because I am new with installation of NVME in desktop. The Samsung instructions in the included booklet are the same as the ones at time of Samsung Evo/Qvo 860. They don't include any instructions for NVME set up except where to put NVME drive to the slot. Please help me, I don't want to make mistakes in setting up. Thanks.

Regards,

Sam

Where don't you see the new SSD, in BIOS, Windows Explorer or Disk Manager?

You should have changed BIOS from RAID to AHCI first, the way I described above. But since the SSD is already installed, change BIOS now, but be sure to follow the procedure using the commands I listed. If you don't do it that way, Win 10 may/will become unbootable on the HDD.

And as I also said, Samsung drivers don't work well when BIOS is set to RAID, so don't install any of their software until after BIOS is set to AHCI and you can see the NVME drive.

If you still don't see it in Win 10, you may need to use diskpart to initialize it.

Thanks Ron. I have gone through 1-8 now, after changing to AHCI mode and after restarting window normally after  booting in safe mode,  I have Wifi back and I go to disk management and I can saw the NVME drive as disk "0" and it asked me to choose MBR or GPT. Which one I choose or shall I clone the HDD first now ?.  I tried to choose GPT x 1 but it won't allow me. I know that Disk "O" is NVME from 1.83 TB and Disk "1" has all the 6 partitions. 

I cannot see NVME drive in when I click computer yet ? Do I need formatting the new drive or I can back up the old HDD to external drive first ? Thanks again.

Sam

I saw the new SSD in BIOS and disk manger but after set up as new volume for NVME, it show up in the my computer also now. From here I should clone the Drive C or install the NVME driver from samsung to NVME drive ?.  I have download NVME driver but hasn't install to Drive C or Drive G(the new NVME drive). Is there a way to choose where NVME drive get installed ? Thanks. Please reply to me asap if possible as I am not sure what is the next step.

Sam

I have failure to boot to NVME after cloning with Samsung magician. Ease of us has no use in cloning. I gave up last night and today I tried to check and redo all the steps and now I can clone successully with macrium reflect. Upon restart window can restart normally but I don't which one is the boot drive now. I can see window sign in orignial HDD but not in NVME drive. My NVME drive has 55C  and HDD has 44C. Can you tell me how to check which is the boot drive please ? I didn't disconnect HDD since I didn't know which one is the boot drive and not sure if NVME drive has window in it but I made sure I was able to clone all the partitions with soft ware just a moment ago including window 10 restore partitions. 

Can any one share the experience with NVME installation problems in XPS 8930 please

Macrium Reflect to the rescue, again...!

Were BIOS and Win 10 changed to use AHCI before you did the cloning with Macrium?

As I've said multiple times already, you have to power the PC on and open the Boot Menu by tapping F12. Select the option to boot from the SSD on that menu. With the HDD connected, the PC will boot always from the HDD unless you use the F12 menu option.

Until you confirm the PC will boot from the new SSD via the F12 menu and all your apps and files are accessible, don't do anything further.

Thank Ron for your help !

I have made sure the BIOS to use AHCI before cloning with Macrium. I don't know how to change Win 10 to AHCI. How to check.

Now I can see all the partitions as exactly in the HDD and I use the F12 and choose NVME which show as HDD1 in the bios set up. I choose the NVME to boot and window boot seems a little faster but I don't know how to confirm the boot drive. Can you instruct me how to check which one is the boot drive. The 2 drives are exactly the same now so I don't want to disable the HDD without knowing the desktop is booting from SSD.  Can you reply me asap as I cannot shut of the computer until you help me. I read in the Dells community that some suggest to take out HDD drive, some suggest to delete the EFI partition of HDD with partdisk but I cannot do so until you can tell me how to confirm  which drive the XPS 8930 is booting. Both drives are exactly the same now except the drive letter. I now saw in macrium reflect that original HDD is assigned "F" and no window signs on it and NVME is "C" drive and has window signs on it. Can you determine which one is the boot drive now ? In disk management it didn't say which one is HDD and vice versa because no name of the disk F or C and both disk look exactly the same.If I go by my computer, drive C has window sign and Drive F has no window sign and no name appear on the drives so I want to identify the drives correctly which one is NVME/HDD and which one is Boot drive. Please help me asap today if you can. I have to go work at night. I want to finish the upgrade job quickly today. Yesterday was too hot and I couldn't finish upgrade unfortunately and NVME SSD arrive in afternoon.

Macrium reflect is good, and it is free. Not even Samsung software or EaseUS can do that. they are Paid items for me.