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94235
January 3rd, 2016 15:00
Installing M.2 SSD in Alienware 15 R2
Hi,
I installed a Crucial 500 GB M.2 SSD in my Alienware 15 R2 in addition to the 1 TB HDD included.
I installed the SSD in the SSD 1 slot, leaving the SSD 2 slot open. Was this the correct slot for installation?
After installing, I ran the Acronis True Image cloning software included with the SSD. I indicated which disk I wanted to clone and which drive I wanted to be the boot drive. The software ran and then restarted my PC, but there was no confirmation of anything.
When I go to BIOS, this is what I see:
Fixed HDD None (1 TB HDD used to be listed here)
Second HDD Crucial_CT500M (500 GB)
M.2 SSD-1 None
M.2 SSD-2 None
In Windows 10, my D drive (1 TB HDD) appears in file explorer and can be read / written to. And C drive appears normally as well and shows 500 GB capacity.
PC now boots up in less than 10 seconds so I'm confident it's booting off the SSD.
So my questions are...
1. How can I confirm everything was installed correctly? Any diagnostics I can run?
2. Does it matter that the SSD, containing my OS on C drive is listed as Second HDD?
3. Does it matter that M.2 SSD-1 is listed as "None"?
4. Does it matter that my 1 TB HDD is not listed in BIOS but seems to be working fine?
5. Assuming it's installed correctly, are there any software changes I need to make now that I've switched to SSD? e,g, free fall sensor, others?
Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks!! :)
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17.1K Posts
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January 3rd, 2016 16:00
2. No. The OS boot drive can be any device number
3. No. Doesn't sound like you have any. M.2 SSDs look like small circuit boards
4. Look closer. Might be hidden in deeper uEFI screens
ezdalton
5 Posts
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January 3rd, 2016 16:00
Thanks for taking a look. The SSD I installed is definitely an M.2. That's why I'm confused as to why it doesn't show up as such in BIOS.
Anyone else dealt with this or have any suggestions?
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17.1K Posts
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January 3rd, 2016 17:00
Oh, right ... sorry. Not sure how I missed that. Well, some of my previous post still applies.
It's obviously working. Are you prepared to mess with it (re-do it) to fix the anomalies?
Discrepancies are likely due to needing a BIOS update or has something to do with you Cloning instead of Imaging. I usually Image to external drive, install only the SSD, and then restore to it. Finally, re-install the spinning drive as D:
There are several threads going about SSD upgrades on similar AW laptops.
ezdalton
5 Posts
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January 4th, 2016 02:00
Thanks again. I might've imaged it, I'm not sure. I just wrote "clone" because I thought the terms were interchangeable but I guess not. After all, the software I used is called Acronis True Image.
I am willing to mess with it if need be, but like you said, it seems like it's working. I just wanna ensure everything is set up properly before I start transferring all of my programs and data to that new machine...