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    Problems installing system image file on SSD

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by navywings22, Mar 13, 2011.

  1. navywings22

    navywings22 Notebook Guru

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    I recently picked up a Samsung 256GB 470 SSD for my Alienware M17X R3. I had the laptop delivered with a 750GB HDD which I plan to use in my second HDD bay. I have no problems physically installing the drive. My problem is that I have tried many ways of transferring my original system image file from the HDD to the SSD with no luck.

    Here is what I have done:

    Created a system image file (131GB) on an external HDD as well as a backup set of DVD's with the same file on them.

    Installed the SSD in the drive slot 0

    Left the HDD out of the machine and used a boot disc to boot the computer.

    I followed all prompts to recover the drive using the image file but that's where the problem lies. When I get all the way to the recovery phase it starts and immediately says the recovery has failed and that there is no disk that it can execute a recovery from. I tried using the DVD's and when I put in the last disc as prompted it says there is no image file that it can recover from. Same when using the first DVD.

    I put my internal HDD in slot 1 (secondary slot) and windows boots from it instead, obviously. All ports work and the computer recognizes the external HDD. I tried simply transferring the image file from the external HDD to the SSD and them boot off of it but that doesn't work either.

    I then downloaded the trial version of Acronis 2011 and created a backup image file on the same external HDD. With the boot disc that Acronis burned I started the process again with just the SSD installed. Using that program I am able to pull up the backup file from the external HDD but it does not recognize the internal SSD for me to transfer the cloned file to.....

    This round about stuff is annoying me. I know it's probably something I did wrong but if I could just get the computer to recognize both the backup file from the external HDD and the destination being the SSD it should be as simple as recovering the file from one to the other and rebooting from the SSD.

    Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions welcome.

    I have been reading other posts and I know they're have been a few people with similar issues but none have had an answer for my specific issue (that I have found).

    Thanks guys
     
    navywings22, Mar 13, 2011
    #1