Installing Momentus XT hybrid

Hhello everyone this is my first post and i was wanting to know how i would go about replacing my 5400rpm hdd in my m11x. I have a external disc drive and not sure the exact steps. Im not to much tech savvy but can follow directions. Would appreciate someone to help with the exact steps. Thank you

 

1.) remove bottom cover
2.) remove old hard drive
3.) install new hard drive
4.) replace bottom cover
5.) plug in external CD Drive, insert Windows 7 install disc
6.) Boot computer, press key to start windows install when prompted
7.) Install windows 7, get coffee.
8.) Once installed, go to dell website, download drivers, install one by one, rebooting when prompted
9.) Search these forums for instructions on restoring the alienware customizations such as wallpaper, alienware login logo, etc.
10.) install old drive in external 2.5" HD enclosure (under $10 from amazon if you don't have one)
11.) plug in old drive, browse to your old user folder and copy over data to new user, or use windows easy transfer to get old account data copied over.

 

Ok thank you very much for the quick answer. So its as easy as removing the old hard drive inserting the new one and installing Windows 7 again. Im still waiting on the m11x so it will be brand new with nothing on it. Do i still have to copy the data from the hdd im removing? Or can i just start using the laptop with the new hybrid hdd from the first boot?

 

If you have an R2 make sure you remove the plastic adapter from the original hard drive. The port for the for the R1 and R2 is different. Not sure about teh R3. But no matter what they are all compatible.

(the adapter comes attached to the m11x's original hard drive for the R2)

 

Its the m11x R1 so i dont have to remove the adapter do i? Can i just install the hdd from the first boot and not have to worry about copying any files from the old hdd onto it?

 

Nope. You are good to go. Just replace the hard drive and install windows on it. Make sure to switch the boot order in bios by pressing F12 at start up to boot from CD.

 

Just install the new HD. When you try to boot the computer it will complain about no operating system found. When it sees no OS installed on the HD it should try booting from the CD. You'll see a prompt that says "press any key to start windows 7"

Here's a link.

Its pretty self explanatory. If you have a USB flash drive I highly recommend going to dell and downloading all the drivers onto it before you do the swap. I don't remember if the default drivers on the Win7 install disc work with the wireless adapter, so this will save you a headache if so.

I basically did the same thing when I swapped a SSD into my m11x R1. It's very easy. Good luck!

 

Thank you DeeVu and Mephiska. Helped alot and now i know what to do. Glad i decided to join the forums.

 

I suggest that you download all the necessary driver first (from Dell) and store it on your thumb drive before you start the procedure on replacing the harddrive.

 

Momentus XT doesnt have a driver.

 

He means the necessary drivers for everything on the computer. I did that when I found out my M11x shipped. Tossed all the needed drivers on a USB to save time.

 

Is it possible to clone your old HD and run it on your new one? If so, wouldn't that remove the need to redownload everything??

 

Hey DeeVu got a couple more questions if u can answer please. Have u played Starcraft 2 on your m11x i7 and if u have what settings were u able to use. Could u tell me if my m11x R1 could at least play Starcraft 2 on medium settings with low physics and high textures? And also can i have my m11x always overclocked from the first boot and is it safe to do so?

 

Yes and No. I get asked this question about once every couple of weeks from friends/family/coworkers. I am sure most other geeks around here do too. I have heard every argument for and against it. Here is both my personal views, and those of microsoft. Take each of them as 'in a perfect world'.

Personally:

I have done this under very specific circumstances. Changing hardware (motherboard excluded) should not cause any issues with using an existing hard drive or moving a windows load/cloned load. A new motherboard (especially one of a different manufacturer) I always reload the OS. While this is overkill if the MB is the same (due to a hardware failure) it is just personal preference to reload the OS.

If you have a built OS on a fairly driver generic windows load, I would say that it would be fine to just dump it back on a HDD to speed up your install time. HOWEVER, if you have a specilized load with specific drivers for specific hardware, I would really think twice about dumping it back on. Only speaking from experience here, but some drivers just do NOT like each other. Trying to install an ATI card with an NVIDIA card comes to mind when I think about driver conflict issues. Seems like a no-brainer but without knowing more about your reasons and setup, I would just say reload.

Microsoft :

Well, I was going to provide the link of the KB article but either it is gone or they are doing something to the Knowledge Base. Either way, know Microsoft even says it is good practice to wipe and reinstall Windows every 18 months. This is just due to trash and malware, along with accumulated junk.

A long time ago I began the practice of making an image for restore every year. Istill hold that tradition and thanks to Windows Home Server (for incremental backups of all PC's in my house) and Amahi (Linux based Home server for VPN and Storage) I have all of my needs met. If I or someone else in my house gets something 'bad' or has to reload for any reason, within 2 hours the PC is back in complete operation.

If going just from one HDD to another on the same system, honestly, I don't see the reason to need a reload. A good cloning Utility and you should be well set. Now moving that HDD to another machine, like a desktop is a different story.

Again, personal opinions only...

 

Well how do i go about cloning the old hard drive and the copying it to the new one? Sorry if its a bad question i just am a noob at these things. I figured id do these steps and correct me if u see a flaw somewhere.

1. remove old HDD
2. insert new momentus xt SSHD
3. boot computer for first time pressing f12 to boot from windows cd (included with laptop)

should be good to go to set up for first time use and setup right?

 

Yes, that will do fine for the beginning of a reinstall. There is a sticky on the main page, up fron the M11x on how to do a complete reinstall and get the Alienware look and feel back. Make sure you follow the steps there. I think BatBoy is the one who posted it.

A reinstall seems daunting to a lot of people but in all reality it is not hard to do and once you have done it, they are simple. If I can talk an 80 year old blind woman how to reformat and reinstall (did that about 10 years ago) I am positive that you can do it.

 

Change of plans i decided to not order the m11x r1 and the momentus xt and decided to get the m11x r2 with a 250 gb hdd 7200 rpm. Has the i5-520um so it should be better at playing starcraft 2 and other games than the core2duo right?