Installing a SSD need advice.

I have read the install of a SSD into the New Alienware M17 R3 o this Forum. I have all the Drivers loaded onto a USB Drive and number to make easier. Is this the best place to Install them from or should i burn onto a CD/DVD to use. Have a New Crucial M4 512 ready to go on Thursday, can't Wait!! Also is it true that with these new machines it might only take several minutes to install Windows 7 back?

Thanks Rob

 

Doesnt matter from where you install the drivers. The wifi will not install, select it from device manager. Raid to ahci but you probably already knew that. SSD firmware should 0009.

Installing and updating everything will take hours so take you time.

 

Yes I will do the firmware update first. Figuring an hour there alone.
Then Doing a ACHI fresh install.

Did not know if the USB ports will work correctly right away or not.

Lucky for me i am not keeping the old Drive in computer so if things go wrong I will just switch back to RAID and plop the old drive back in. Also have a 750 GB Drive to drop in later as well.

Rob

 

Install your M4 on Port 1 (the middle cradle or slot) to assure Sata III operation. The firmware update to 0009 takes five minutes at the most -- fast and easy if you just follow the instructions from the Crucial download site. http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx

 

I suggest you use some of the tweaks in this thread and the install order from the one you have read. M17xR3 clean install SSD instructions and recommendations. Good luck.

 

I just installed Crucial M4 128GB yesterday First thing I did was update to 0009. Much easier process that with Vertex 3. Installation of Win is quite slow if you are installing it from DVD as me. Installation of drivers is quite fast.

 

Took me 7 hrs

 

Now im debating if I really want an ssd if it takes 7hrs D:

 

Great I have 8 Hours on Thursday! Just enough time!

Jas71: thanks for the heads up. Was looking for that thread again.

 

windows took about 2-3 hrs, drivers about an 1-2. restoring that alienware look and feel........2hrs. for me anyway, im a noob so anyone with the slightest idea what they are doing will do it alot quicker

 

Takes me about 2 and a half hours do the whole thing to my liking.

 

Agreed. Windows is quick, 30 minutes'ish. Drivers 1+ hours, update drivers & random driver issue fixing, another hour, total 2.5 hours.

 

This is exactly how long it should take. Any extra time would just be your personal customization.

 

Still thinking for me 7 hours.
Im sure something will not work correctly...Just my luck.

 

I had to redo this bout 2 times when I installed my ssd... took bout 3hrs each time... i kept getting the bsod while installing norton after everything was done. in the end i gave up on norton and went to mcafee. In the end it was worth it though

 

Well thanks for all the advise... It took two installs to get it right. The first time I installed in ACHI. Installed all drivers fine started get BSOD right after installing Macafee. I did not realize that it was the Macafee causing all the problems. This morning it started over and re-installed everything one more time.... Again right after MacAfee BSOD's started in full force... This time I installed in RAID. After now realizing the MacAfee might be the problem, in safe mode I was able to uninstall it. Since then there have been absolutely no problems following the order recommended here on the forums... Getting some great speeds I think.

.................Write.............Read
Seq..........491-509.........269-295
512k.........411-425.........265-285
4k.............15-25............60-70
4K QD32....210-222.........235-257

The are the highs and low over 5 test all pretty much in line from which I have read.

So all in all 2 DAYS to install. Darn MacAfee.... Now running MS essentials, no problems.

THANKS TO THE FORUMS FOR ALL THE HOW TO'S AND ALL THE KNOWLEDE AND EXPERIENCES SHARED!!!!!!!

 

Those are excellent results for the M4 (or almost anything else). Glad it's all working smoothly now.

 

Question, does the firmware update have to happen with the ssd as the secondary drive? Or can you do it as the boot?

 

Either way. For purposes of the firmware update, you boot from a CD/DVD, so the installed drives are just drives, with no real distinction between boot and storage or primary and secondary in another context.

 

What if I were to just clone my 320gb primary drive to a new SSD and make the SDD the boot drive, update the firmware and switch to ACHI in the BIOS?

Could I avoid all of the drivers, customization and window's seven reinstall time/crap?

 

i don't think you can just switch to AHCI. The only way this would work is if your original drive was installed in AHCI and then you did the clone....and it still may not work. Anyways, i have my SSD installed in Raid not AHCI. Intel actually recommends Raid

also, if you are cloning from a larger drive to smaller SSD, you'll need to compress it

 

I have installed 5 SSD's into a m17x r2 - m11x r2 - m14x r3 - m17x r3 and an Aurora ALX. All were cloned with HDClone4.0 great little cloning program as it will resize different size hard drives and also hard drives to SSD's took about 1 hour 10 minutes each and nothing to install since its a clone. Then I just put the old drive away in the old SSD box for back up. Comes with free copy or for faster, much faster the Pro for small fee.
Miray Software - HDClone - Hard disk copy, hard disk backup, hard disk rescue!

 

Cool! Thanks for that

 

Dat's what I'm talkin' bout Willis! Reps4U.

Now how about a YouTube video for the R3 using your method?

 

Which SATA mode are you using? (I couldn't find IDE mode in BIOS)

And Are u using a burned CD or a flash dirve as your boot drive?

I am made a flashdrive by using UltraISO, but somehow it's keep giving me some error message when I try to upgrade firmware