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Adding a SSD to Optiplex 790 mini tower
The Optiplex 790 is running Windows 7 64 bit. I want to put a 1TB SSD, load Windows 10 64 bit on the SSD and make it the primary hard drive and the existing 500GB hard drive containing Windows 7 as the secondary. I watched the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFbrBkauBc and estimate the process is similar. 1. Anything else I need to be aware of while adding another disk to Optiplex 790 mini tower? 2. Can I use SATA data cables for the SSD borrowed from another Optiplex 790? 3. Can I configure the BIOS so that the computer automatically boots from the 1TB SSD which has a clean install of Windows 10 64 bit? Thanks |
#2
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Adding a SSD to Optiplex 790 mini tower
t wrote:
The Optiplex 790 is running Windows 7 64 bit. I want to put a 1TB SSD, load Windows 10 64 bit on the SSD and make it the primary hard drive and the existing 500GB hard drive containing Windows 7 as the secondary. I watched the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFbrBkauBc and estimate the process is similar. 1. Anything else I need to be aware of while adding another disk to Optiplex 790 mini tower? 2. Can I use SATA data cables for the SSD borrowed from another Optiplex 790? 3. Can I configure the BIOS so that the computer automatically boots from the 1TB SSD which has a clean install of Windows 10 64 bit? Thanks When you install Win10, you'll be *unplugging* the Win7 drive. After Win10 is fully up, then you plug Win7 in again. Now, when the user wants to use it, they'll need "BIOS steering" to multiboot. They can use the popup boot menu, to select one drive or the other. The reason you're *unplugging* the Win7 drive, is to make sure the installed materials go *only* on the SSD. OK, so you're a value-added IT guy. You don't want the user to have to use the popup boot. Then... You boot Win10 (using the BIOS F2 and selecting the Win10 SSD to boot from). Once you're there (and the Win7 drive looks like a Data Drive to you in Disk Management), you go get yourself a copy of EasyBCD. It allows adding a second disk to the BCD of Windows 10. I keep a slightly older version here, not wishing to register for newer versions. Anything EasyBCD can do, you can also do with BCDEdit. It takes around four commands to add a new OS. After that, the machine will come up with a menu with two OSes listed, the user has 30 seconds to select the second OS if they want. But the drives are also independent. If you unplug the Win7 drive after using EasyBCD, the Win10 drive will still list two OSes. However, selecting Win7 when the Win7 disk is missing, will result in the user having to control-alt-delete and try to boot a second time. Until they figure out that Win7 isn't going to work (because the drive is missing). The Win10 choice in the menu, will of course work. if the Win10 SSD is pulled from the computer at this point, *no changes* have been made to the Win7 hard drive. It will boot as it always has, without mods being needed. However, you could profit from pressing F2 in the BIOS and adjusting the startup drive in such a case. Just like any computer reconfig, there could be some fiddling with the BIOS in such a case. I use the popup boot all the time on my computers, so the EasyBCD step will not be required here. I use popup boot even when I don't need to (as it gives a chance to verify the right disk drives are in the computer, before the boot takes off). As for the model number difference, I trust you will look through your downloadable PDF manuals for the 790 MT or whatever, and make sure a different style mounting bracket isn't needed. The one in the video looks like the "plastic ring" style with the two tabs on it. It looks a bit flimsy without the drive to strengthen it. And the computer probably won't have one sitting in the case either. So right there you've got a problem. You need to visually review the situation currently inside the 790, and make sure that somehow, you'll have the bracket that functions as the drive adapter. Most computer companies would put an empty tray in each slot, but the Dells and HPs of the world don't see it that way. And every $0.05 of cost they can save, counts. That's how Michael Dell can afford a new 10 speed bicycle every year. All those saved $0.05. The 780 user in the WinXP group, I think he had to go shopping for one of those adapters, so he could use the second slot in his 780. They probably don't make a 2.5" adapter, so you'll need some sort of adapter to fit in the Dell adapter, and adapt from 3.5" to one or two 2.5" drives. Your project is mostly a mechanical nightmare. Paul |
#3
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Adding a SSD to Optiplex 790 mini tower
On 3/11/2018 9:31 AM, Paul wrote:
t wrote: The Optiplex 790 is running Windows 7 64 bit. I want to put a 1TB SSD, load Windows 10 64 bit on the SSD and make it the primary hard drive and the existing 500GB hard drive containing Windows 7 as the secondary. I watched the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFbrBkauBc and estimate the process is similar. 1. Anything else I need to be aware of while adding another disk to Optiplex 790 mini tower? 2. Can I use SATA data cables for the SSD borrowed from another Optiplex 790? 3. Can I configure the BIOS so that the computer automatically boots from the 1TB SSD which has a clean install of Windows 10 64 bit? Thanks When you install Win10, you'll be *unplugging* the Win7 drive. After Win10 is fully up, then you plug Win7 in again. Now, when the user wants to use it, they'll need "BIOS steering" to multiboot. They can use the popup boot menu, to select one drive or the other. The reason you're *unplugging* the Win7 drive, is to make sure the installed materials go *only* on the SSD. OK, so you're a value-added IT guy. You don't want the user to have to use the popup boot. Then... snip... They probably don't make a 2.5" adapter, so you'll need some sort of adapter to fit in the Dell adapter, and adapt from 3.5" to one or two 2.5" drives. Your project is mostly a mechanical nightmare. Â*Â* Paul The OP doesn't actually write that he wants any sort of dual boot setup and arranging for it just complicates the process unnecessarily (unless he actually wants/needs dual boot and didn't think to mention it). The process of simply removing the HD, installing the SSD and doing a clean install of W10 and then setting the SSD as the boot device in BIOS would be less stressful by far. Personally, I've normally just installed the SSD and cloned the existing HD installation and all data files over and upgraded from there but if he really wants a clean install, so be it. As for mounting, I've done several SSD installs where no mounting beyond a bit of double-stick foam tape were needed and one where just tucking the drive into a corner where the stiffness of the cables kept it in place worked for years. |
#4
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Adding a SSD to Optiplex 790 mini tower
John McGaw wrote:
On 3/11/2018 9:31 AM, Paul wrote: t wrote: The Optiplex 790 is running Windows 7 64 bit. I want to put a 1TB SSD, load Windows 10 64 bit on the SSD and make it the primary hard drive and the existing 500GB hard drive containing Windows 7 as the secondary. I watched the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFbrBkauBc and estimate the process is similar. 1. Anything else I need to be aware of while adding another disk to Optiplex 790 mini tower? 2. Can I use SATA data cables for the SSD borrowed from another Optiplex 790? 3. Can I configure the BIOS so that the computer automatically boots from the 1TB SSD which has a clean install of Windows 10 64 bit? Thanks When you install Win10, you'll be *unplugging* the Win7 drive. After Win10 is fully up, then you plug Win7 in again. Now, when the user wants to use it, they'll need "BIOS steering" to multiboot. They can use the popup boot menu, to select one drive or the other. The reason you're *unplugging* the Win7 drive, is to make sure the installed materials go *only* on the SSD. OK, so you're a value-added IT guy. You don't want the user to have to use the popup boot. Then... snip... They probably don't make a 2.5" adapter, so you'll need some sort of adapter to fit in the Dell adapter, and adapt from 3.5" to one or two 2.5" drives. Your project is mostly a mechanical nightmare. Paul The OP doesn't actually write that he wants any sort of dual boot setup and arranging for it just complicates the process unnecessarily (unless he actually wants/needs dual boot and didn't think to mention it). The process of simply removing the HD, installing the SSD and doing a clean install of W10 and then setting the SSD as the boot device in BIOS would be less stressful by far. Personally, I've normally just installed the SSD and cloned the existing HD installation and all data files over and upgraded from there but if he really wants a clean install, so be it. As for mounting, I've done several SSD installs where no mounting beyond a bit of double-stick foam tape were needed and one where just tucking the drive into a corner where the stiffness of the cables kept it in place worked for years. This is for a customer machine though. While duct tape or a nylon wrap might work for us, the customer expects a bit more than that. And a little adapter shouldn't cost too much. It'll cost more in time to find one online than anything else. Right now, my SSDs are resting on the bottom of the PC on the test machine. Nothing at all holds them in place. I couldn't put the machine in a shipping crate like that. With all sorts of loose stuff bouncing around. Customer machines should be at least a bit "cretin-proofed" :-) Paul |
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