XPS 8930, changing boot order

Question

Hi, my pc came with both a hdd and a ssd but i always just used the hdd until recently. I cloned my hdd drive to the ssd drive but when I went to bios, I only see windows manager and clicking it doesn't open it. How do I change the order? Why did they have to make everything so confusing when it use to be so simple to do. I'm 68 now and not as tech savvy as i use to be, please help

Chino de Oro · Accepted Answer

It's still the best way to test.  Only when you know it will boot and everything is working properly with the ssd, you can then adding the hdd back, using Windows built-in tool Diskpart to clean the drive of all partitions, format it for data drive.

smileyagin · Answer

I was wanting to leave it and use for storage if possible

Chino de Oro · Answer

Just remove the hdd and windows manager will boot up the ssd

RoHe · Answer

@smileyagin - Always include exact PC model and version of Windows in your posts.

Are you sure you weren't already booting from the SSD and only using the HDD for storage? Dell typically sets systems up so the SSD is the boot drive (C:) with Windows on it when a HDD is also installed, which is configured as the Data drive (D:).

Windows Boot Manager should always be first on the boot options list in BIOS setup. And you can't change it directly.

Reboot and tap F12 when you see the Dell splash screen. When the F12 menu opens, select the option to boot from the SSD. Now make sure everything works correctly after booting from the SSD, and all your personal files are fully accessible.

When you're entirely satisfied the cloned SSD is working ok, you have to use Windows Disk Management to initialize the HDD. (ALL FILES DELETED!) Now you can reboot PC normally and it will boot from the SSD and you can use the HDD for storage.

If you close Windows and shut down PC before initializing the HDD, you'll have to use the F12 menu every time so it boots from the SSD, at least until you initialize the HDD, or disconnect it.

BTW: Before you initialize the HDD, please tell us what storage size is the SSD have and what size is the HDD...?

RoHe · Answer

@smileyagin - One more important thingy... When you boot from the SSD via F12 and check your personal files, make sure the files are actually on the C: SSD. If Windows is only finding them on the D HDD, you'll lose all of them if you initialize this drive.

smileyagin · Answer

Thank you, your advice was the easiest way to do it...i'll worry about hooking it back up later down the road or maybe just save it for if my ssd breaks!

smileyagin · Answer

Hmmm first of all, it auto had my pc above my post but guess it didn't show up? Well it's a Win11  xps 8930, 1TB Hdd/512GB SSD and no my primary drive was set as hdd and my ssd just had data on it.That's the way it came so I just left it that way til today. Again there were no options when i went into bios to boot to ssd, only windows management. Anyways I did what someone suggested and just for now unplugged my hdd so it booted to ssd now and my games are loading faster. It changed it from D to C, which was my hdd. I tried replying through my email and I guess that doesn't work so sorry for replying so late to your post. (i just copy/pasted what i tried to send a few days ago lol)

Chino de Oro · Answer

Glad to hear that it works for you. Keeping the HDD for back up also is a good idea. You can enjoy 100% solid state performance, a noticeable improvement. In case of a Windows crash, you can just connecting the HDD cables back, your system will be up and running again.

RoHe · Answer

@smileyagin  - Just keep in mind that everything on the HDD will be up-to-date only on the day you disconnected it.  Will it be acceptable to lose all your newest files, not to mention having lots of Windows Updates to install, should the SSD ever fail and you revert to using the HDD?

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XPS 8930, changing boot order

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