Storage disks mixed up

[Doug4907]

Hi Good People,

I recently needed to totally rebuild my Alienware Laptop 17/R3. I had no issues with malware, etc, but small system problems began building up.

My Laptop has a 1TB SSD with a M2 interface, and a 2.5 HDD with the usual SATA interface. I bought the laptop new, with Win 10 Pro 64bit installed on C:\ (In Control Panel... Disk Management, this was disk 0, as it should be.)

To do the rebuild I downloaded from Windows, and prepared the USB install stick. Just to be doubly safe I moved everything off my D (data) HDD, leaving it empty, which may have added to my later problems, see below.

Using the USB stick to do the fresh install, got usual warnings about reformatting, etc and I made a point that the installation was going to Disk 0.

All went fine, I reinstalled my shitload of software, copied data back to D:, and continued on thinking all was well.

But it wasn't. I started noticing that amongst other things, software installations were moving slower than before, large apps (eg Photoshop Elements) took longer to load. Hunting around in Control Panel ... Disk Management, I was alarmed to see that the original SSD drive was now drive 1 ! The long and short is that the OS and programmes are on the slower 2.5" HDD (yes, ID as Disk 0, and my data is on the m2 SSD Disk 1.

It seems that Disk 0 and Disk 1 hvave been swapped?

I have a habit of not being clear. So let me summarise.

Initially, when bought
Drive 0 C: SSD (M2) 1TB OS, programmes
Drive 1 D: 2.5" HDD 1TB Data

Currently
Drive 0 C: 2.5" SSD 1TB OS, programmes
Drive 1 D: SSD (M2) 1TB Data

I had thought that Drive 0 would have stayed SSD (The laptop has never been opened to change hardware)

Please, what can I do to fix this?

Doug

 

[spadam2009]

I recommend when installing Windows to ONLY have one drive installed during installation. This is mostly to prevent the install from putting required partitions on other drives. This would also help in your case of not being able to easily determine which drive you're installing to

 

[Barty1884]

0 vs 1 shouldn't matter, provided your OS is still on the "C" / boot drive.

Do you have 2.5" HDD or SSD?

From your description, you've installed your OS to the wrong drive (which, from your initial description, is an HDD). That's your issue.

No way to fix that, shy of reinstalling your OS.

 

[Peter Martin]

when you install windows, you should first disconnect ALL other drives before booting, then delete all partitions on that drive and let windows installer handle it from there. after install of os and programs, then hook up other data drives

 

[Doug4907]

Yes, I know. With my previous Desktops that was the way I had always done it. But anyone that has tried to pull apart a relatively new 17/R3 told me that it is one hell of a task (A Dell technician told me) , with some things glued, a multiple number of different screw sizes etc. Despite that, I would have normally done just that. Getting old is a bastard and I have rapidly aged in recent months such that my eyesight is stuffed, and my hands are too shaky to hold a small screwdriver.

Let's say that I can get someone to disconnect my data drive, (fat chance that will happen), I guess I will need Drive 0 disconnected??? (see below) Will drive 1 then automatically become Drive 0, ready for a reinstall? This is where my understanding fails me. I always thought that Drive 0, was always drive 0. I hard lesson.

Question: if I clone the current drive C (on the 2.5" drive) will I be able to put that on the SSD??


I must apologise, the last part of my OP question should have read this way

Initially, when bought
Drive 0 C: SSD (M2) 1TB OS, programmes
Drive 1 D: 2.5" HDD 1TB Data

Currently
Drive 0 C: 2.5" HDD 1TB OS, programmes

 

[Doug4907]

I haven't sorted out this forum yet .... again sorry.

It is 03:15 in my part of the world and I'll have to look in sometime in a few hours. That's the trouble living in Aus

 

[Barty1884]

The actual numbering sequence (0 vs 1) doesn't matter one bit.

You could clone the drive, but you'd be better off just reinstalling your OS to the SSD and making sure you select the correct drive during install.

While it's always recommended to disconnect any secondary drives, I never do - and I've yet to have an issue.

That's the trouble living in Aus

I thought this was the trouble living in Aus?

 

[Barty1884]

PM from OP

Pls excuse me for answering via a Private Message. I tried to reply to you in the forum, but each time it looked like I was answering my own OP.
In reply to me, you said, "The actual numbering sequence (0 vs 1) doesn't matter one bit." When I tried to reinstall Win 10 I wasn't given the option of C;, D:, etc. The option was disk 0 or disk 1.

In my laptop Disk 0 has always been the 1TB m2 SSD, and Disk 1 has been the 1TB 2.5" HDD.

So, on reinstallation, I chose 0, and installation proceeded, only to find that Disk 0 was the 1TB 2.5" HDD. Are you saying that I should have been given the option of C: or D:, not 0 or 1.

I called Dell for help and they said that this has occurred with some laptops, but the problem hasn't been isolated. I will continue to push them.

I'm not saying you should be presented with C or D - that's a Windows configuration.
What I am saying is, provided you select the appropriate drive (so the SSD becomes "C"), it doesn't matter whether that drive is known as disk "0" or disk "1".

If you selected "0", and that turned out to be the HDD, then reinstall and select disk "1". Once you've installed the OS, confirm the drive now known as "C" corresponds to the SSD and, if so, that's perfect.