I finally have my SSD now and am faced with the same questions BIC2 posed above.  I purchased a Sabrent 3.5" to 2.5" bracket/converter, however unlike other PC cases I'm use to in having easy, slide-out rails for adding other HDDs, the Dell case appears to be a bit trickier as I can't access all sides of the drive bays in terms of using screws on both sides. Can I get away with using screws on one side, is there something I'm missing in terms of this process?  I have heard of people using tape, etc. to "secure" their SSDs in their cases, given tey are so light, however this approach seemed a bit crude, but perhaps still viable.

I've installed a Samsung SSD in my XPS 8900 using the Sabrent adapter. Just remove the current primary HDD held in by 4 screws you see at the top of the drive cage and slide the Sabrent adapter with SSD in to replace it. See Service Manual here http://downloads.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_xps_desktop/xps-8900-desktop_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf

I made a point of NOT using my original drive; in case I have an issue with the SSD cloning I can just re-install the original HDD.

I did install another 1 TB HDD I had on hand, under the SSD. To do that you have to remove the drive cage (easily done), mount the drive then reinsert the cage. But no need to remove the cage if all you want to do is replace the primary HDD by the Sabrent-mounted SSD.

No need to use tape and I'd sure not advise it!

Phil

Very cool!  Thanks for the tips.  Now I just need my SAT cable to arrive in the mail tomorrow.

Hello,

I'm about to perform a very similar thing with my new XPS 8900 next week and wanted to see how the process went for you. I believe I will be following more-or-less your same strategy.

I plan on booting the machine, making sure Windows 10 is activated, and then making a recovery backup for the original hard drive and configuration on a separate drive.

Then, I plan on doing a clean install of Windows 10 after creating installation media to a USB drive based on this article: http://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/

I'm guessing this would also be a good time to download any necessary drivers from Dell here: http://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/19/product-support/product/xps-8900-desktop/drivers

Though, maybe I could do this after the SSD is installed?

Once this is done, I'll be powering the computer down and swapping the 2tb hdd for the 500gb Samsung EVO in the same location and connection.

Power it up and let the install begin.

Did you encounter any problems with this process? Does anyone see any problem with what I'm attempting? I'm assuming any changes to the BIOS would be unnecessary once the SSD has Windows 10 installed. Correct?

I'll then get the stock hdd back into the case and wipe it completely once the SSD is running Windows.

I'm hoping this is as simple as it sounds. Thanks for any input!

I wonder if you will get all the Dell recovery partitions if you install from a generic Win10 ISO or equivalent?  That's why I'd install from media created from the original HDD.

Phil

And you might want to read this thread en.community.dell.com/.../19659064

Hello, I'm about to perform a very similar thing with my new XPS 8900 next week and wanted to see how the process went for you. I believe I will be following more-or-less your same strategy. I plan on booting the machine, making sure Windows 10 is activated, and then making a recovery backup for the original hard drive and configuration on a separate drive. Then, I plan on doing a clean install of Windows 10 after creating installation media to a USB drive based on this article: http://www.howtogeek.com/224342/how-to-clean-install-windows-10/ www.howtogeek.com I'm guessing this would also be a good time to download any necessary drivers from Dell here: Product Support | Dell US www.dell.com We have analyzed your system and have results for a {0} ({1}). Do you want to view these results or return to support for {2}? Though, maybe I could do this after the SSD is installed? Once this is done, I'll be powering the computer down and swapping the 2tb hdd for the 500gb Samsung EVO in the same location and connection. Power it up and let the install begin. Did you encounter any problems with this process? Does anyone see any problem with what I'm attempting? I'm assuming any changes to the BIOS would be unnecessary once the SSD has Windows 10 installed. Correct? I'll then get the stock hdd back into the case and wipe it completely once the SSD is running Windows. I'm hoping this is as simple as it sounds. Thanks for any input!

I think I'd use the recovery media created from the original HDD to to the installation because I believe that would create all the original Dell recovery partitions on your SSD.

Phil

Thanks! I did read that thread throughout my research on the topic. I'm not planning on cloning the hard drive, nor do I want to use the recovery media to install on the SSD. The recovery would be just in case something goes wrong on the install. For Windows 10, I still plan on using the media creation tool directly from Microsoft to get everything on the SSD.

I don't recall that many Dell programs on my Dell XPS 8900 when it was new.

Phil

Hmm, I don't know. I'm not even sure I would need to have the Dell recovery partitions if I was doing a full, clean install. I figure that once it is installed on the SSD and all the drivers are back, I could run another recovery backup so if anything went south, then I could return to that state. Unless The new install wouldn't permit a recovery partition from the Microsoft-generated install media. Though, that doesn't make much sense to me why it wouldn't.

I'm just trying to avoid having any extra pre-installed Dell programs lingering on the new SSD. If I would be able to simply install Windows 10 from the Dell backup without any other programs migrating over, then I may opt to go that route.

Yeah, I'll see what else is on here aside from "additional software" listed on the breakdown. I know it has a Cyberlink media suite, and a couple of mcafee programs that I really don't want.