Needs help on Installing SSD and using HDD as data drive on Inspiron 17r SE

I need some help on what to do for installing an SSD and then using the included HDD as a data drive on an Inspiron 17r SE. Id also like to put the included Msata to use by having it cache the data drive.

 

I too would appreciate it very much (not bought one yet though..) also what drivers and essential software to be loaded too.

 

Same here. I haven't purchased one either yet but it would be good info to know when I do purchase it in a few months.

 

Hopefully someone could do a guide too maybe. I would do one but I probably will wait a while before upgrading to SSD but I'd appreciate seeing one first

 

haha its cool. It'll be a few months for me until I may get this computer but yes a guide would be nice.

 

It is actually fairly straightforward. You want to make sure you back up any data you have on your Dell-installed hard drive first, and then shut down.

Detach the power cable and remove the battery.

Remove the L-shaped plate from the bottom of the unit by loosening the two screws and gently pry loose.

When you look inside the unit, you will see the primary hard drive bay, which will have your Dell-installed hard drive in it. There will be a second, empty silver hard drive cage in the seconary bay. You want to remove the 4 screws securing the primary hard drive adapter and then gently slide the adapter/hard drive out. Be sure to ground yourself prior to handling the hard drive or touching any electrical components. When the primary drive is out, you will want to remove the hard drive from the adapter by removing the 4 flat screws along the sides. The hard drive will slide right out. You want to then install your SSD in the same orientation so that the SATA adapter will be oriented correctly. Secure the SSD to the silver adapter with the 4 screws and then slide it back into the primary bay using gentle pressure. Secure the adapter with the 4 screws you removed earlier.

Remove the secondary bay adapter and install your Dell-installed drive using 4 hard drive screws. Note that the fit for the secondary bay is EXTREMELY tight, so if you have old screws around that have any thickness at all to the screw head, the adapter will likely not fit. I therefore used the screws for the primary bay in the secondary bay and used my old hard drive screws in the primary bay (there is more clearance here for fatter screw heads). Reinstall the hard drive/adapter and secure with the 4 screws.

Put the L-shaped cover back on and you are good to go!

I did a clean install of Windows Home Premium on my SSD using an old disc I had here at home. The activation code for your PC is underneath the battery in the battery compartment. After I installed Windows, I downloaded all the drivers from the Dell site and reinstalled everything without all the bloatware. Strangely, the Dell site didn't have the drivers for the Centrino wireless adapter, so I found those in the old Drivers folder on the old hard drive.

You want to be sure you have Intel Rapid Storage technology enabled in the BIOS and after your clean install, you want to install the Intel Rapid Storage Technology software immediately. Note: The old Dell-installed hard drive will not show up in "My Computer" until you install this software. When I ran the program, it automatically had the mSATA SSD associated with the data drive, and acceleration was enabled on that drive. I didn't have to do anything extra, fortunately.

There are a couple of caveats, though:

Using the mSATA drive with your data drive will prevent you from using the AHCI drivers for your SSD. You will have to be in Intel Rapid Start Techology mode in the BIOS (modified RAID, from what I understand). AHCI is required to enable native TRIM in Windows 7, so you will lose TRIM functionality if you use the mSATA drive with the data drive, as you won't be able to use AHCI.

Also, after I installed the SSD, I lost access to the Dell Sytem Recovery Tool, which allows you to reset your computer to the factory state. I kept the recovery partition, and if I want to do a factory reinstall, I probably just have to shift the Dell drive back into the primary slot and the tool will probably become functional again. This is an important footnote, as you might need to revert to the factory state if your computer ever requires service by Dell.

The computer was fast before I upgraded to the SSD, but the SSD is clearly faster. I have the 256gb Samsung 830, and while I didn't like having to give up native TRIM support, I tried to compensate by overprovisioning the drive somewhat to allow the native garbage collection to do what TRIM won't be able to. Be sure your computer is working well before you do this, however. My first 17R SE was defective, and after a failed attempt to fix it with on-site service, I had to send it back for an exchange. I am glad I hadn't touched the computer prior to having the service done. If you are fairly confident your system is working properly and that you are going to keep it long term, I think the SSD upgrade is well worth the expense and minor effort.

Good luck!

 

Thank you very much sir! Do you think using the Msata caching for the data drive would be necessary? I mean I would like to put it to use but if it will effect my experience in any way then Id rather not use it. Also whats the pro and cons of TRIM support not being usable with intel smart response?

 

......just install windows on ssd and then use a 7200rpm HD for data with msata3 for faster cache

or why not use msata3 for windows

1- Go to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Disk Management
2- Find the mSATA GB SSD, you would know which one it is from the size
3- Right click on the part where it says Disk 0, then choose convert to basic disk, if that option wasn't available, choose convert to Dynamic Disk, then try right clicking again until you see convert to basic disk
4- Once it is a basic disk, you would see it in the partitions list when you are trying to install Windows!

 

So I could add the msata into windows to add a bit more space? That also works because I know using the msata to cache a data drive isnt really needed

 

well, some use their msata3 for windows.......and their ssd for data....you with me ???

 

Kind of haha. Im still learning. So basically you're saying I could put windows on the msata and use an ssd as the data drive? What about the HDD that comes with the computer? The version of the inspiron 17r se im looking at is the one with the 1tb hdd and the 32gb msata.

 

It's going to depend on what you want to use your computer for. You could use the mSATA drive for Windows and install all of your programs on the primary SSD. You could then keep any music, videos, and other media on the data drive (the mechanical HD). If your data drive is primarily for media, caching it is not going to really speed up anything.

On the other hand, if you are planning to run any programs off the data drive, accelerating it might be helpful.

Just remember, the mSATA 32GB SSD is the Samsung PM830 (not to be confused with the 2.5 inch Samsung 830 series), and its write performance will be significantly lower than most of the 128/256/512 GB SSDs for desktops and laptops. Read performance should be quite good. I would therefore recommend that if you install Windows on the 32GB SSD, disable the swap file or place it on the primary SSD.

 

I would be installing some programs on the mechanical drive also. Mainly games id say though as my main used programs would be on the ssd.

 

This sucks. I am planning to install a Samsung 830 SSD for Windows and use the 1 TB drive as a data drive. I don't like the fact that I won't be able to use the 32 GB mSATA SSD to RAID with my 1 TB drive since then I would be sacrificing TRIM support which needs AHCI mode for the Windows on the Samsung SSD.

I wish there was a way around this but it doesn't seem like it. I don't want to sacrifice my Samsung SSD without TRIM support so that the data drive is faster.

 

Yea I dont really want to sacrifice TRIM either as it is important for the SSD so I guess the Msata would be a dust collector atm for my configuration except I don't have the laptop yet.

 

also can someone show me what the 4 extra screws I would need will look like for screwing the hdd to the bay 2?

 

You can use 2 screws from the original hdd... It should be ok with only 2 screws provided that you put them on a diagonal

 

haha I wasn't thinking of that. Thank you!

 

or use this:

 

Nah, it's a little underpowered for laptops. I prefer to use one of these for big jobs like this -

 

Thats one fugly airsoft M4!

 

It's a fake nailgun

 

Cant I just use this?

 

Don't be ridiculous....

You'd need to attach some nails to the top first

 

Good call! Thanks I think Ill just stick to duct tape. lol