Guide how to do a windows installation with Intel rapid (MSata)

I know many people wondering how to make a clean install of windows if you have a Intel rapid(Msata) configuration...so i did a step by step......ps; (if you not install the intel rapid storage driver, your SATA operation will fail)
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1.....Go into BIOS under advanced (and just double check that SATA operation is set to Intel rapid smart tech)

2.....Then Go to DELL/support/drivers........and download Intel rapid storage driver.

3.....Open driver and choose extract driver without installing......Put this extract files on ex, your desktop or on a USB stick......(you need IT during the windows installation)......see image below.

4.....Now restart computer with the windows CD.....(press F12......and proceed as normal with the windows installation).

5.....soon you see "install driver".....browse to your extracted Intel rapid storage driver: named X64
......double-click.....and proceed with the Windows installation.

6...After windows installation is finished, just go inside Intel rapid tech software and start the acceleration on C:......now you have a cruel harddrive with awesome Cache.

you will be asked to "create" your Msata, choose 11.8GB......Why you do this is because the MSata SSD card have "one data-volume and one cache-volume"...the " data volume" is for your Hibernate/sleep mode partition.

Install all other common drivers as usual.....
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i tested it....and it works 100% perfect !
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edit...if you want the Intel rapid hibernate(sleep mode) partition....here how to do:
CMD - DISKPART - LIST DISK - SELECT DISK X - CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY SIZE=8192 ID=84


this how it should looks like after you extract the Intel rapid storage driver, step.3:

 

Thanks for the guide. So ever since I did a fresh install of windows on my separately purchased ssd I have been getting blue screens whenever my computer would try to wake up from sleep... My setup is I moved the 1 tb drive to the 2nd harddrive bay and installed the ssd in the first slot. Could my problem be because the msata drive has been interfering with a clean install of windows? If I follow your steps will this fix my issue?

usually the blue screen will say "critical_process_died"

 

do you use RST acceleration on your primary SSD ????? ..........trying cache up a real SSD with the Msata/RST configuration gains barely nothing......


im not sure this "wake up from sleep BSOD" has anything to do with RST.....it can be......

i would do a clean install windows IF this happened over & over again......no fun to live with

 

No I am not accelerating the ssd.. I am accelerating the 1 tb harddrive 5400rpm... And I have done 3 fresh windows installs and I am still getting the blue screen after waking up from sleep mode. I am at a loss

 

can you do "print screen" copy of your Intel rapid storage configuration.............(both on acceleration & manage)....

the thing is that you might did your RST configuration a bit wrong just because you use the acceleration on ( Port.1) second hard drive and not on ( Port.0) primary hard drive (which now is a real SSD)....im not sure though.

like this .....................(click to expand)


did you set the RST size to 11.8GB when you did your clean Win install ??? (because this matter is used in hibernate(sleep) mode, if i recall right.........

 

I completely formatted and removed all partitions the msata 32gb drive so I do not have an 11.8 partition. Here are the pics:

 

well...........one thing im sure of.......The Msata ssd card should have two separate volumes..... (see my RST configuration)

try to deactivate RST acceleration.........then reinstall Intel rapid storage driver.............then activate again...but this time in the right way. (when you coming to the last step.....you change ONE thing...set size to 11.8GB...then you automatically make 2 volumes as it should be)

it can depends why your hibernate/sleep mode goes wrong.


the last thing you can check is...........
you should have a 8GB Hibernate/sleep mode partition inside disk management/my computer (it usually named Disk.2 check you have one (without that partition, hibernate does not work).....im pretty sure you have this partition......but check it anyway.

 

d

To my knowledge, the only time the msata has to have two volumes is if you want the msata to be used partly as an acceleration drive and partly as a "start up device".. not sure of the official name but using the msata to increase the speed of your startups. Of course since I am using a ssd this is not necessary.

So if I set it to 11.8gb then what can I do with the remainder of the free gb's on the msata?

Also, I do not have an 8gb hibernation partition, That partition used to be on the 1 tb harddrive. As I am no longer using the 1 tb harddrive as my windows install device I removed that partition.. If the 8gb partition is supposed to be on my ssd drive then is there a way to put it there? I have hibernation completely disabled as well.

 

you not the first person getting problems with intel rapid tech and installing Windows on primary SSD harddrive.

if i was you and planning to use Intel rapid storage......i would install windows on my spinning hard drive (cache it up with Msata) and have my SSD in Bay.2 for other use.

making the sleep mode partition on your SSD is quite messy........its inside CMD....then Diskpart....and so on.

 

thanks for the help. Installing windows on the harddrive would completely negate the purpose of my ssd. Are aware of a thread I could read to find possible solutions?

 

i understand.....but my point here is actually not that crazy, (because you have Intel rapid tech)....
if you just have a regular/standard SSD (no hardcore samsung 840 ultra-fast SSD)....then you get similar read/write speed as with a 7200rpm + Msata...........the difference is not big at all in startup time, etc, etc.

what points do your SSD give you in CrystalDiskMark ?? (just curious)

i still thinking your sleep mode/BSOD issues is either wrong RST install or no Hibernate partition.

 

Hi KSMB,

Thank you for sharing the experience regarding clean install of win7 with a msata. If I've already installed win7 without using the usb (your step 4 and part of 5) do i have to reinstall windows again? I can understand that when using usb with extracted RST-program, the main-disk will be partitioned differently (f.x. with an 8 Gb hibernate/sleep partition, which I don't have). My problem is that when launch the Rapid Storage software I don't have acceleration option (only 4 buttons instead of 5). Should I just delete all partitions on the main driver and reinstall win 7 again?

Thank you for your answer and help!

Kind regards,
Pengzi

 

sometimes Intel Rapid storage driver stays on your primary hard drive C: when you formate(install) windows

though.....you clearly say you not have any Hibernate partition...(that partition is for the Intel rapid technology....it give you much faster reboot/restart time

ps...you must create the intel rapid tech partition yourself inside CMD...(if you not know how to do...i can help you ).....((afterwards you will see the Intel rapid tech manager icon in the right corner, which means you have fast reboot time, etc))

its not hard..........CMD > diskpart > select disk > create partition primary size > detail disk > set id=84 override > exit

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i guess you have do a new clean install of windows....this time...follow my guide and you get everything to work.

this how it should look like:

 

Thank you KSMB . Now I see how the screen picture should look like, it'll be easy to follow! I'll do a reinstall later on - the only pain is the 133 new updates - and it takes for ever .

I have a quick question - don't know if you've experienced it yourself... I put my Win8 disk back in the 7520 and changed settings back to the original in bios and everything worked fine. I then tried to enable the acceleration by following Intel's instruction. When i restarted the computer, it would go into a wired mode - almost black screen (some cloud pattern beneath) apart from on the left upper corner a "Start" and on the right upper corner my login name and picture. What ever the key I push, nothing happens, when I click on my picture - there are three options "change account picture, lock and sign out". Change pic do nothing; When click lock it shows the start screen with time etc. and click on this will the screen show my normal login (with the picture in middle of the screen) shortly, but then go back to the same mode. The log-out doesn't help a lot either - Is there a way to go into win8 and disable the acceleration?

Thanks for your answer and help!

Pengzi

 

you need to do it right from start....either it wont work. (probably why you dont have any real acceleration

1......Go inside Intel rapid tech software and deactivate acceleration (on both ssd configuration and acceleration) (if you cant do this........move to step 2 and go further)

2.....Go into BIOS under advanced (and just double check that SATA operation is set to Intel rapid smart tech

3.....Then Go to DELL/support/drivers........and download Intel rapid storage driver.

4.....Open driver and choose extract driver without installing (very important)......Put this extract files on a regular USB stick...(you need IT during the windows installation)......see image below.

5.....Now restart computer with the windows CD.....(press F12......and proceed as normal)..... And OF COURSE have your USB stick plugged in.

6.....install windows on C: ........now you automatically have installed Intel rapid storage function on the computer from your USB stick.......NICE YEAH !


133 updates.........you mean windows updates ???? ditch them (if you use the win 7 service pack 1).......i never install all that crap from Microsoft anyway....just makes your PC slower..

 

Hi KSMB,

Thanks for your explanation!

After a holiday, I now managed to reinstall win7 on my Dell Inspiron 15R-SE with the Intel Rapid Storage option working well . However, when trying to setup the Intel Rapid Start Tech. I run into a problem: I used "Diskpart" in CMD to create a "8GB RAW primary partition" on the 32Gb msata card, but I couldn't convert it to a "Hibernation Partition" by using the command "set id=84 override". It says that: "The specified tyoe is not in the correct format. For more information on the command type: Help set". I don't know if you use this function or not and if you could provide me some more info here.

PS. the 15R-SE came with win 8 and "secure boot" turned on, but since the win 7 format the main disk differently than win 8, I have to use "Legacy boot". Is that the boot mode you are using too?

Thank you,
Pengzi

 

Just a quick feedback: searched in the net and found this "set id" to work with the Hibernation partition:

set id=D3BFE2DE-3DAF-11DF-BA40-E3A556D89593

And now my computer is working as expected. Thanks for the guide and your assistance.

Have a good weekend!
Pengzi

 

great
........to create hibernate partition.......write this as last step in DISKPART:
create partition primary size= 8192 id=84

(its just a shorter way......you can also write the code-strings in more steps.....but this is better)