install w7 on mini card SSD

Hello,
I just received my M4600 from dell, and it has
- one mini-card SSD, 128 GB
- one HDD, 500 GB
the SSD already has 2 partitions on it, one with "reserved (OEM)" (78 MB) and one labelled "OS", system partition, of 2 GB. The rest (117 GB) is unallocated.
I have a MSDNAA licence key for windows 7, so I ordered the M4600 without windows, to install it myself later. And I wanted to install it on the SSD.
So, first, I tried to install it on the unallocated space. It goes well, then when rebooting, it does not go to the windows partition, but instead stays on its stupid 2GB blank "system" partition, which has nothing, probably no MBR, or a blank MBR.
The win7 DVD automatic boot repair utility (the graphical one, AND the fixMBR command) did not find anything.
When I tried to format back the unallocated space, and extend the 2GB system partition, it failed, nothing happened.
All I have left is to format completely this system partition, and then the fixMBR should see there is absolutely nothing left, and shoult set my new win7 partition as the system one.
The problem is, I am afraid to do so, as I know there are special factory tunings necessary for my mini-card SSD to be recognized as a hard disk, and I am afraid part of these settings are stored in this system partition.

So, any help? I see 2 solutions:
- find a bootable CD with a tool to say "no, this is no more the system partition, this other one is, and shut up"
- delete the system partition, use fixMBR, and hope it will work...

Thanks!

EDIT: solved, the whole problem was about the MBR beeing on the HDD all along, even though it had no OS and the OS was on the SSD, and the factory dell setting was to have this HDD in second boot position. So, to M4600 with 2 disks and Freedos owners who want to install w7 themselves on the SSD: once w7 is installed on the system partition of the SSD, switch the bios to boot on the HDD, and leave the "Raid on" sata configuration. Nothing else seems necessary...

 

all you need is just delete 3-rd partition you created and extend 2GB one. Do it through w7 disk

 

Actually I just did it. But I could not extend the 2GB one, I had to format it first, then extend it, then reinstall win7. You know what happened? now I have a persistent "bootmgr missing. Press ctrl+alt+del to reboot". I found no way to get around it now...no fixmbr, no diskpart, no fixboot, nothing...help...

 

install windows on hdd and try to recover os drive of ssd

 

what do you mean by "recover os drive of ssd"? Fix the installation? Start the HDD OS, go to some tool and fix the SSD installation of windows?

Actually I have interesting news:
due to a wrong modification of mine in the bios (I switched to ATA instead of some RAID mode - my disks are not in raid, but still), I had to take out phisically the HDD, and to replace it after correcting the wrong change. By doing that it placed the HDD as first drive for boot. And then, w7 could start...for 2 seconds. During the start up screen, it freezes, then throws a blue screen, too fast for me to read, and reboots. But still...the MBR seems to be on the HDD! Why, I don't know. But it is there...I will try removing the HDD again and forcing a complete install on the SSD. Maybe it will work...

EDIT: I just went back to RAID ON in bios, and miracle, it could start completely...But the boot drive is still the HDD...ANd in windows, once on, there is only one drive displayed, and I can't even know if it's the ssd, or the HDD with one single partition of only 117 GB...any idea?

EDIT 2: Ok, added the second disk because it had no ntfs partition. now both disks show up, and the system was indeed installed on the SSD. So the whole problem was about the MBR beeing on the HDD, even though the system was installed on the SSD and the HDD had no operating system on it...! everything for the boot seems to be stored on a partition at the beginning of the HDD drive, I guess I will have to be very carefull with this first partition on the HDD!
Anyway, thanks for the help and for reading me

 

It will work.

I ment to use partition recovery software.

What you should do:
switch to AHCI mode. No RAID or IDE modes at all!!!!!!
Then swap HDD away.
put Windows 7 disk and try to extend/create OS partition till the end of SSD.

Then boot from SSD. If you have success then put inside HDD and delete all partitions from it... If you won't boot with HDD inside then use hot plug.. which means connect HDD after you booted from SSD.

 

Ok, I understand what you say. It would have probably worked. Anyway now the problem seems solved as I said in my edited previous message...by keeping raid on mode and MBR on HDD (boot #1), system on SSD (boot #2). So, great!

 

good for you.
But I have to say that:
raid between ssd and hdd is what no one recommends. Hdd is slower than ssd.
It is better to install OS on SSD when ther is no HDD inside. So MBR will be on the SSD. Before you filled all by your data.

 

Yes, I understand for the usual raid, but here, it is "raid on" on bios, but the 2 drives are not configured in any raid...the "raid on" bios option just adds a screen in the startup, that says that both drives are not in raid, but allows to configure it...so the only thing left on the HDD is the MBR itself, and as after that it does not go back to the HDD as all OS files are only on the SSD...I guess it should not slow down the system, should it?

 

Well... there is almost no slowdown. Maybe 3 second max. Because at first it will check MBR on HDD and only then goes to SSD.

The main problem that you can't change HDD later:
- it may fail
- you want to change it on bigger one or better one.
- you want to put it in another laptop or even desktop to transfer DATA using SATA2 interface instead of using flash drives or network etc. You will have to stuck with both SSD and HDD inside forever... or you miss your OS with all settings and programs.