Well, first ... I suggest you download and read the Alienware Aurora R7 Service Manual PDF. That will answer most of your questions.
Your current config can have a bearing on how you proceed. Those 2.5inch SATA-3/600 drives are nice for large games and data,
but most users like a 512gb-1tb (tiny-flat) M.2-NVMe SSD as c-drive for Windows and all programs. It's also about 3-5 times faster than a SATA-Based SSD. It fits in a special slot on the motherboard.
Try not to mess-up your nice computer while working inside it. Maybe a friend can help you.
I've swapped new drives several times using the 2 pieces above and this will allow you to not "touch" the original drive so if something doesn't work out, you can always put the old drive back in.
1) connect dock and new sata ssd drive, turn on computer
2) install acronis true image, run, and go through full disk imaging
3) turn off computer, remove old drive, install new drive
4) should boot up ok with new drive
* after you're ok with it, you can add old drive into dock and format the old drive to reuse.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.4K Posts
0
October 7th, 2021 19:00
Well, first ... I suggest you download and read the Alienware Aurora R7 Service Manual PDF. That will answer most of your questions.
Your current config can have a bearing on how you proceed. Those 2.5inch SATA-3/600 drives are nice for large games and data,
but most users like a 512gb-1tb (tiny-flat) M.2-NVMe SSD as c-drive for Windows and all programs. It's also about 3-5 times faster than a SATA-Based SSD. It fits in a special slot on the motherboard.
Try not to mess-up your nice computer while working inside it. Maybe a friend can help you.
jdubyas
1 Rookie
•
52 Posts
0
October 8th, 2021 20:00
Western Digital will come with software to clone the current drive to the new drive.
Acronis True Image
Software and Firmware Downloads | WD Support (wdc.com)
You could connect the new drive directly inside computer but this external drive dock is very useful.
Amazon.com: Cable Matters USB 3.0 Hard Drive Docking Station (USB to SATA Docking Station) with 10TB+ Drive Support for 2.5 Inch & 3.5 Inch HDD SSD - USB-C Cable Included for Thunderbolt 3 & USB-C Computer : Electronics
I've swapped new drives several times using the 2 pieces above and this will allow you to not "touch" the original drive so if something doesn't work out, you can always put the old drive back in.
1) connect dock and new sata ssd drive, turn on computer
2) install acronis true image, run, and go through full disk imaging
3) turn off computer, remove old drive, install new drive
4) should boot up ok with new drive
* after you're ok with it, you can add old drive into dock and format the old drive to reuse.