steps for installing new SSD + SSHD, including fresh install of OS

[LadyA]

I have a Dell XPS8500 desktop computer and the hard drive died (clunking noises and blue screen). I had Windows 10 "file history" turned on, so everything was backed up to an external hard drive, thankfully. I had also made a USB recovery thumb drive for reinstalling Windows 10. So I am not migrating things, just starting fresh with OS install and brand new drives.

So now I am (for my first time ever) about to install the brand new drives myself. I've been researching things for a while and trying to make sure I do this exactly right, but could use some added confidence by asking people that truly know what they're doing.

I got a Samsung SSD for the OS and programs, and then I also have a new Seagate SSHD (hybrid drive). I'd like to use that SSHD for all other media/personal files because I have a ton of pictures for my work and needed that large capacity 2TB drive (whereas the SSD is only 250GB).

Could you guys please confirm for me that these are the steps I should take and that I haven't left anything major out?

1) ground myself (I have an anti-static wrist band)
2) remove old, dead hard drive
3) connect new SSD for the OS in the SATA 3 (6Gb/s) port
4) turn on computer and enter BIOS
5) make sure it is set to AHCI (and not IDE)****
6) I read somewhere that I should make sure ACPI is enabled while in the BIOS? Is that true?
7) turn computer off and plug in my USB recovery thumb drive
8) turn computer back on and enter BIOS to change boot option to USB
9) then apparently the Windows 10 install will start?
10) if OS install is successful, do a "quick format" of the SSD (this I'm not sure about? I know you never do defrag or full format on an SSD, but read that I should quick format it since it's a new drive?)
11) install the Magician software from CD that came with the Samsung SSD, and use it to optimize the disk
12) confirm that TRIM is enabled (from command prompt, I guess?)
13) turn off computer and install the SSHD hybrid drive (will have to use the SATA II (3Gb/s) port for that one since my motherboard only has one SATA III port which will be used for the SSD; I already made sure the hybrid drive is backwards compatible with SATA II)
14) turn on the computer and format the SSHD? If so, then which method? Since it has an SSD portion, do I only do a "quick format?"
15) I already checked the Seagate website and there aren't any firmware upgrades for that SSHD hybrid drive (just recently bought it)
16) So now, as long as all that was successful, my computer should be all set to use?
17) Now I can just set the default save locations so that the media (pics, docs, music, etc) goes to the secondary SSHD drive? But do I need to set anything to make sure that the programs get saved to the primary SSD drive, or will that be automatic by default as long as I don't change the save location for those?

Is there anything I am missing, or that you recommend I should do in addition, or instead of, any of those steps?

****Just want to make sure: since I will have the SSHD hybrid as the 2nd drive, is it actually supposed to be set to RAID mode instead of AHCI? I've read so many online articles and instructions and I saw that somewhere and it confused me (everything else just said to set it to AHCI). Will the SSD portion of that hybrid drive still be used for caching or whatnot if I don't set it to RAID? And if it actually should be in RAID mode, then do I need that Intel SRT program?

Okay, thank you so much for your time, and looking forward to any comments or advice!

 

[USAFRet]

10) If the OS install works (and it should), you do not 'format it' after. That formatting is done during the OS install. Windows does this.

After the OS is installed on the SSD, boot up a couple of times, just to verify.
Install whatever drivers are needed for your hardware, primarily the LAN driver.
Verify the OS is activated.
Run through whatever updates are needed.

Later...much later...then connect the other drive(s).


SSHD + RAID + caching. Leave it alone. That drive firmware will do what it needs to do.

 

[LadyA]

Ah, thank you!! And I totally forgot that there would probably be a ton of Windows updates first. Do you think the Windows 10 updates will install most of the drivers I probably need?

When you say "much later" for installing the 2nd hard drive, do you mean like a couple days, or a certain amount of boot-ups? (I understand it's to make sure everything is working right first and making sure all the OS updates are successful?)

"SSHD + RAID + caching. Leave it alone. That drive firmware will do what it needs to do." -- do you mean that I should just set it to AHCI in the BIOS and that's it?

Thanks again for your reply!!

 

[USAFRet]

Ah, thank you!! And I totally forgot that there would probably be a ton of Windows updates first. Do you think the Windows 10 updates will install most of the drivers I probably need?

When you say "much later" for installing the 2nd hard drive, do you mean like a couple days, or a certain amount of boot-ups? (I understand it's to make sure everything is working right first and making sure all the OS updates are successful?)

"SSHD + RAID + caching. Leave it alone. That drive firmware will do what it needs to do." -- do you mean that I should just set it to AHCI in the BIOS and that's it?

Thanks again for your reply!!

1. Probably, unless you have something very specific. Logitech mouse drivers, for instance.
At the very least, have you LAN or WiFi driver ready. With that, you can get anything else you need.

2. A couple of bootups, just to verify it works.

3. AHCI is all you need

 

[LadyA]

Perfect, thank you so much! 😀