Alienware m17 r3 (2015)

Helious74

Reputable
Nov 14, 2015
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4,510
I bought an alienware m17 r3 back in October to replace an Asus G74VW machine. The Setup is as Follows:

128 GB M.2 Sata SSD (STOCK/BOOT SSD)

250 GB M.2 Samsung EVO 850 SATA SSD

17" UHD Display

I know the Computer came stock with the 128 GB SSD but I thought if I put in the 250 GB it would have cloned over to it but I was wrong. I used the Cloning software that I got from Samsung to clone the drives but no joy. So I left them in place and had my Adobe CC on the 250 GD drive only. Now after only a month I am worried that the Drive size is worrisome. Its over 54% but all of the programs are on the 1 TB HDD. But my C drive is still getting full and I keep it clean with CC Cleaner and Windows Cleaner.

Also I was thinking about putting the New Samsung M950 Drive in the machine say the 512 GB size one in PCIe? Will the m17 r3 with that drive? Also how can I clone the drive to replace the 128 GB because I tried the Samsung cloner it did nothing and when I restored the machine using the Alienware Rescue USB drive they gave me it would not give me the option to install on the 250 GB drive only the 128 GB drive. I am worried that I cant upgrade the dive and run out of room. Thanks
 
Hey there, Helious74.

Congrats on the new computer. :)
Basically from what I see about the laptop model, you should be able to use a PCIe drive as in its specifications you have the following options:
PjwNqxg.jpg

This should mean that the laptop's mobo has a PCIe slot available. Note that I'd recommend that you contact the computer manufacturer's customer support and have them confirm that information, so that you don't end up buying a drive which you might not be able to use.
As for upgrading the SSD and cloning your OS to a new one, I really don't see why you'd end up with an empty drive after performing a clone. You can try out this tutorial here: http://lifehacker.com/5837543/how-to-migrate-to-a-solid-state-drive-without-reinstalling-windows. It's on how to migrate your OS from an HDD to an SSD, but the process is basically the same. Since you don't need to "Slim Down Your Current Drive" you can just skip to the step explaining how to migrate your OS.
Regarding the SSD getting full right now, you might want to take a look at these SSD tips: https://www.maketecheasier.com/12-things-you-must-do-when-running-a-solid-state-drive-in-windows-7/ (although the article is for Windows 7, the same tips are relevant for newer versions as well).

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD
 



I should have been more clear on that sorry. When I first got the machine I got the rescue media I installed the larger one in slot one and the original in slot two. When I ran the install it never gave me the option to install on the 250 GB SSD only the 128 only even though it was initialized. No matter what I did even dell could not figure out why it would never let you install on a 250 GB SSD to upgrade the 128. It's so wierd
 
This is really odd indeed. Have you tried connecting the new SSD to the old one's port, to see if the same thing happens? Other than that you could try the new drive with a different computer, then download an SSD diagnostics tool and test the drive with it, to see if anything unusual pops-up. You could also check if there are any available firmware updates for that SSD.

Please keep me posted.
 
I have no change I even removed all drives and even put in a 500 GB SSD in slot one and it says no drive to install put the 128 in and it works out in the 1TB HDD and no SSD it again says no drive to install. Any Ideas as to what's going on?
 
I'm not sure what that rescue media is supposed to do exactly and if you can install Windows from scratch or it's to return your laptop to it's factory default state by repairing/restoring your current OS. If its the second option perhaps it's searching for the drive with the OS on it and thus the reason you don't get the option to install it anywhere else. Try downloading the exact same version of Windows your laptop came with (e.g. if it came with Windows 8.1 64bit Ultimate - you should download the same) and create installation media, to try and install Windows on one of the other SSDs (without any other drives connected to the laptop during the installation process). There should be instructions on Microsoft's website on how to create a bootable installation media (e.g. USB flash drive or a DVD).
If that doesn't help, perhaps you could try returning the laptop as it's under warranty and ask for diagnostics, so that the guys there could figure out what could be the problem.