Clean install Win10 AND disable RAID

[thejudge0081]

If this is already covered elsewhere, I apologize - I couldn't find it.

I have a refurbished Dell Precision M4800. My ultimate goal here is to have the onboard SSD contain only a clean Win10 OS and apps. A new (not yet installed) HDD will be a 2nd independent drive for data storage.

The laptop came with Win7, and it's SATA operation mode is set to "RAID on". I've already performed the in-place upgrade, so it is currently setup with Win10 and RAID on.

There are two independent processes here that I'm envisioning being combined into one:
Clean Win10:
1. In-place upgrade (completed)
2. Clean install from USB/DVD media following that well documented process.
Disable Raid on:
1. Change SATA Operation to AHCI
2. Registry changes that I'm probably not qualified for.
3. Find and install missing drivers that support AHCI (I am only vaguely aware of this step)

Here's my conceptual combined procedure:
1. In-place upgrade (completed)
2. Start w/ USB/DVD media in. F2 for BIOS.
3. Change boot order for USB/DVD, AND change SATA Operation to AHCI.
4. Save and Exit. Follow the Win10 installation process.

Does this sound reasonable? Am I missing critical steps? Thanks!

 

[Lutfij]

Apart from the model number please narrow down the specs of your laptop since there is alot of other variables involved when hunting for appropriate device drivers. According to Dell product support page there are a number of drivers available including a BIOS update with version A16. Have you downloaded and installed all of the aforementioned?

When you specify RAID on are we looking at RAID 0 or 1 or is this a small ssd cache'd RAID setup whereby you have an HDD coupled with an msata SSD of small capacity acting as the cache? If its RAID 0 or 1 then either will erase any data existing on your drives. The issue here is with your method/copy of Windows 10 where your activation data is bound to your hardware and their specs. If you want to perform any hardware changes without a 25 digit Windows 10 activation key then you'll need to install Windows 7 onto your system with the RAID moved to AHCI mode in BIOS and follow up any/all updates to be eligible for Windows 10's free upgrade offer.

The rest is understood by you judging from the way you've posted above 😉

Just to be sure,
1| Open up laptop, change hardware(include SSD and HDD), go into BIOS set RAID to AHCI, have USB installer as primary boot option and then perform clean installation of Windows 7, while restarting for the first time (during installation) set SSD as primary boot device and continue installation.
2| Update OS until you get upgrade to Windows 10 option
3| Upgrade to Windows 10 and install device drivers as found on Dell's support page.

Hope that clears things for you.

 

[thejudge0081]

I think I can hunt down the drivers and BIOS update. I hadn't done that yet. Thanks for sharing the link though, that was a big jump start.

"RAID on" is just the default SATA Operation mode in the Dell BIOS. It doesn't specify which, but i think it defaults to RAID 0 unless you change that elsewhere. The PC came with a single SSD drive. I had read conflicting things that either the AHCI switch will wipe the drive, or I needed to wipe the drive myself and then make the switch. I think you answered that question for me.

Wow - I had no idea that with my upgraded Windows 10 that I can't add hardware. That's frustrating. I'm glad I thought to go ahead and upgrade and configure this thing the way I want. So if I understand correctly, I'm about to install/upgrade Windows 3 times, the third time being the clean installation of 10. I've got a bit of additional research to do, but you have been very helpful in pointing me in the right direction. I may need to follow up later. Thank you!

Side note - It's back to Dell for unrelated repairs. The motherboard fried before I could try any of this. I've had it for 2 weeks! The silver lining here is it gave me the chance to do my research before doing something stupid.

 

[thejudge0081]

The issue here is with your method/copy of Windows 10 where your activation data is bound to your hardware and their specs. If you want to perform any hardware changes without a 25 digit Windows 10 activation key then you'll need to install Windows 7 onto your system with the RAID moved to AHCI mode in BIOS and follow up any/all updates to be eligible for Windows 10's free upgrade offer.

Just to be sure,
1| Open up laptop, change hardware(include SSD and HDD), go into BIOS set RAID to AHCI, have USB installer as primary boot option and then perform clean installation of Windows 7, while restarting for the first time (during installation) set SSD as primary boot device and continue installation.
2| Update OS until you get upgrade to Windows 10 option
3| Upgrade to Windows 10 and install device drivers as found on Dell's support page.

I reverted back to Windows 7, but I am running into troubles with the "clean installation of Windows 7" step. I'm not able to download the ISO file from Microsoft using my 25 digit key (found using the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder). Microsoft sites pre-installed systems among other reasons for not allowing the download. I do have my factory recovery USB ready to go. I prepared it just in case, but not was expecting to use it. Would the factory recovery media suffice, or does it truly need to be a clean install?

 

[thejudge0081]

Final update: the solution was a bit simpler than this, but I think spending time in the research was right for me. This was the perfect time to get my new computer setup exactly like I wanted.

Since Windows now accepts Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 product keys, and/or because I had previously updated to 10 and Microsoft saw my motherboard at the time, skipping ahead to the Windows 10 clean install worked. Here's what worked:

1. Download / Create USB for Win10.
2. Add 2nd HD.
3. Boot with Win10 USB. BIOS changes as mentioned above.

It couldn't be simpler. Thanks for your help! You got me pointed in the right direction on a lot of details!

 

[Lutfij]

Sometimes the easiest of solutions are the easiest to overlook until found by trial and error. I'm glad to hear that your system is running fine after the hardware and OS swap.

Cheers!
😉