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Rebuilding my AW17 from bare metal

Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by MatthewAMEL, Jul 27, 2014.

MatthewAMEL Notebook Consultant

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Any suggestions/guides/links to rebuilding my AW17 from a bare metal install with Windows 8.1?

Assume no AlienRespawn.

The whole PC is backed up via CrashPlan. I have a new 1TB 840 EVO mSATA SSD and a 1TB 850 SSD to install.

MatthewAMEL, Jul 27, 2014

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J.Dre Notebook Nobel Laureate

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There are some guides lying around, but the process is pretty straight forward. Are you planning to use the mSATA for storage?

Let me know what you think of that 850 PRO. I'm planning on purchasing some of them to replace my Dell SSD's.

J.Dre, Jul 27, 2014

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DDDenniZZZ Notebook Deity

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You will need a genuine windows 8.1 ISO. Try and get your activation key otherwise there are workarounds (special file) to add to installation ISO to bypass the CD key requirement.

Install Windows 8.1 without a Product Key (Skip Key Input)

All drivers you need are on dell website. No huge issue what order since windows finds most generic drivers so you should have a functional laptop.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware/556721-how-clean-windows-7-install-driver-install-order-guide-alienware-systems.html

Is a good guide, but order isn't a huge issue.

DDDenniZZZ, Jul 28, 2014

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