[SOLVED] XPS 8930 + SSD + more questions

[Cheraena]

Hi. I've been getting so much help from this forum, but I still feel dumb as dirt. I'm the one who has had major problems with a 2.5 year old XPS 8930. First the OS was inadvertently installed on the HDD, as opposed to the SSD. Once that was changed, another issue arose.

A Dell onsite technician was here 10/18/2021. He replaced the motherboard and the SSD. Now the computer is running wonderfully well, and I want to do a bootable backup of the OS, so, in case something goes wrong, I can do a clean install.

Right now, I'm waiting for the arrival of a 128 GB USB. I thought this should be big enough, because my SSD has 78 GB on it. But I've now read that I should have even more space -- at least 300 GB -- on the USB. Is this true?

If it is, I would guess it's needed for what's on my HDD. Whatever is there amounts to .07 TB.

I'm totally confused. I'll admit that I didn't expect an HDD at all; I thought I would have an SSD, and that would be it. Now, I'm wondering: Once I get the 128 GB USB, and follow the AOMEI instructions for the backup, will I have a backup of the SSD, only? Or will I also have a backup of whatever is on the HDD? Since the HDD does contain files, I would guess that they're necessary.

I've worked on several computer prior to this one, and even managed some fixes when necessary, for myself and other people. But I'm starting to think I've gotten too much computer this time, and I don't know what to do with it.

So, basically, I'm wondering if a bootable backup of the OS will include what's on the SSD and the HDD -- and, should I order an even larger USB drive? Thanks so much for your help.

 

[USAFRet]

What will this 128GB USB drive be used for?
How much space is consumed on your current C drive?
What other drives and consumed space?


Please show us a screencap of your current Disk Management window.
Upload your pic to imgur.com and post the link here.

 

[Raena92]

Thanks much for your response. The 128 GB USB would be used to make a backup of (hopefully) my entire operating system, in case I would have to do a clean install.

Current C drive says 875 GB free of 952 GB. This is where the SSD is. Finally.
Current D drive says 1.74 TB free of 1.81 TB. This is the HDD, which I've admitted I didn't know I would have.

Windows Security wouldn't let me onto imgur.com

I'm sorry if this is too much trouble. I could try to copy the Disk Management page here, but it probably won't work.

Nope. Didn't work. Like I said, if this is too much trouble, just ignore me.

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks much for your response. The 128 GB USB would be used to make a backup of (hopefully) my entire operating system, in case I would have to do a clean install.

Current C drive says 875 GB free of 952 GB. This is where the SSD is. Finally.
Current D drive says 1.74 TB free of 1.81 TB. This is the HDD, which I've admitted I didn't know I would have.

Windows Security wouldn't let me onto imgur.com

I'm sorry if this is too much trouble. I could try to copy the Disk Management page here, but it probably won't work.

Nope. Didn't work. Like I said, if this is too much trouble, just ignore me.

Right now, your consumed space for both drives is larger than the 128GB USB.
77GB on the C (1TB SSD), 70GB on the 2TB HDD.

Even without the second drive, the consumed space on the C drive (77GB) is approaching the size of the USB drive.

We can go through a good backup routine, but you need a larger drive to save it to.

 

[Raena92]

Thank you again for your help. I need to order another USB, and, by now, I know the size I need!

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you again for your help. I need to order another USB, and, by now, I know the size I need!

Get a 1 or 2 TB external HDD.

 

[Raena92]

That's what I'll do. Thank you again.

 

[USAFRet]

For the proce

That's what I'll do. Thank you again.

For the procedure...

Mine is the first post, and refers to my NAS box, but could just as easily be an external drive or two.

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

forums.tomshardware.com

 

[Raena92]

I don't do any backups on a regular basis, because I don't really keep much on the SSD or the HDD. I do a lot of graphics and photo manipulation, so I do keep those on USB drives. However, they don't have to be bootable USBs. I know that, to get ready for a possible clean install, I'll have to make a USB bootable, and also change the boot order in the BIOS.

I asked Dell about this one time before, but they discouraged me from the move, saying there were so many ways to restore, refresh and reset Windows 10, that I should never have to do a clean install. However, this XPS 8930, unlike other Dells I've owned, has been a really negative experience so far. I had to send the tower back to Dell once, so they could install the OS on the SSD, because they had installed it on the HDD for some reason.

When I got the tower back, the system ran better, but, in my humble opinion, it still wasn't fixed. It went through a longish booting up process that seemed wrong to me, but I ignored it. Once the computer got going, it ran very well. Then, about two weeks ago, it simply wouldn't boot at all. That time, a Dell on site technician came out, and said both the motherboard and the SSD were toast. He replaced both, and the computer finally boots the way it should, and runs very well again.

The problem is that my Premium Support Plus runs out in February of 2022, and I can't extend it. So, if some disaster occurs, I won't be able to pay for the support. That's why I want to backup the entire system on a bootable USB -- because, as long as I can get the thing turned on, I have a half-assed chance of doing something. But not if there's a black screen on the monitor. Then, I can do nothing.

Thanks again so much for all your help.

 

[USAFRet]

For a clean install, this:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

For your actual backups, a 'bootable' full representation of your C drive is not needed.
The above linked Macrium Reflect, and an Image (or series of Images), and a Macrium Rescue USB is all you need.

 

[Cheraena]

OK, I'll do that, and thanks again.