18 R1, M2 2230 form factor adapter, Win 7 Pro

I received a msg from Dell's Virtual Assistant asking for the info included in the attachments to my original post.  But my email reply was rejected.

Hi @Geneous42   use the dell community email by clicking on the envelope icon in top RH corner. The Reply button will appear when you start typing into the text box. 

Hi @Geneous42  the original Alienware 18 Specification does not include M.2 slots. Remove rear panel to see if your 18 looks like the following image, with no M.2 slots. The 2.5" bay can be upgraded to accommodate a one or two M.2 Tray for SATA (not NVMe) storage cards. The Wi-Fi card could be updated, but it already has a Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac card. 

The new Windows 10 operating system has zoom video conferencing software. The existing Alienware 18 headphones and microphone combo port can then be used. 

The Alienware 18 Drivers & Updates support Windows 10, 8.1, 8.0 and 7 64-bit in the drop down menu. Perhaps your Win 7 wants a Wi-Fi driver update? 

If you are going to undertake these software and hardware upgrades, save your Windows Professional 7 drivers to optical disc, etc. just in case Windows 10 (free upgrade) does not automatically install them for you. 

Please click on Kudos to say thank you for response from another user. Please share an update on progress, so that other users derive benefit from your experience. Thank you. 

Hi @Geneous42  the storage capacity of Alienware 18 (R1), R2 and R3 models all accommodate two HDD in the 2.5" bay caddy that has 2 x 4 = 8 screws and whose cable has a dual SATA connector.

You can retain the HDD and add a single M.2 two SATA drive tray, or remove the HDD and have two M.2 two SATA drive trays to get 4 x 2TB = 8TB of M.2 2280 SATA storage. 

To demonstrate what can be undertaken, the following have been included:-
a) Upgrade/Replace Hard Drive video,
b) image of M.2 two SATA drive tray, and
c) image of M.2 2280 SATA Solid-State Drive (with its two notch connector).

Hi @Geneous42  the Alienware 18 has a slot for a 2230 Wireless Half-Height Mini-PCI Express Card, into which is installed a Wireless-N 2230 dual band WLAN and BT 4.0+HS (Bluetooth) card. (WLAN = Wireless Local Area Network)

Alienware 18 (P19E001) WLAN Card Installation and Removal Instructions  

Always check the wireless card specification.  For example: the Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 specification says,

Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 delivers enhanced Wi-Fi wireless performance with innovative Intel-only features for a richer mobile experience. This dual-stream (2x2), single band, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 4.0 product with Wi-Fi Direct combines better speed (up to 300 Mbps), range and reliability with Intel Smart Connect Technology, Intel Wireless Display, and Intel My WiFi Dashboard.

Real dual-band Wi-Fi chip speeds things up 2x2 HT80 802.11ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz the 802.11 Wi-Fi chip that enables mobile devices to transmit and receive data over the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands at the same time. 

The answer is no -- that card will not work with your system.  You need a mini-PCIe (not M.2/NGFF) card.  The 7265 card is available in that format:

https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Card-802-11AC-MIMO-2-4GHz-Intel-Wireless-AC/dp/B08HQT2J76/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=intel+7265+mini+PCIe&qid=1615136794&s=electronics&sr=1-2

Hi @Geneous42  the Alienware 18 is already supplied with a Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE card. Did you get the Dell updated drivers, and did these fix the Bluetooth problem? Have you enabled the existing Bluetooth capability?

Hi @Geneous42  do not know identity of WiFi card installed in your 18 R1. Evidently, it is a Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 LE card. Have made a comparison between two other WiFi cards. Your existing Wi-Fi card has two antenna connections, so your Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac card is capable of both 2.4 and 5 GHz, and Bluetooth 4.0. Not sure why there are problems. 

Was there a driver update for your Wi-Fi card?