M6600 Owners Thread

Ha, oops. Did you create a UEFI installation by accident, perhaps? Set the boot method to UEFI and see if it works?

(You can boot legacy or UEFI from the F12 boot menu, no matter what option you have selected in the BIOS setup.)

Otherwise, I'm at a loss.

 

It was a legacy boot and not UEFI. I read through this thread here dealing with the same problem:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/del...t-windows-use-msata-boot-partition-m4600.html

I ended up just formatting my mSATA and starting all over with a fresh install as suggested by HumanComputer. It was a painful process just trying to figure this out, and it was painful even getting it to work with a fresh install of Windows! I think it may have been more problematic with me using 3 HDDs + my mSATA vs. just 1 HDD.

Steps I did (I unchecked all the boot options except for mSATA (minicard SSD)) :

Remove all my HDDs, leaving only my mSATA and installed Windows 8 from USB (had to click F12 to go to boot options and select it).
It had to restart and do it's thing (finish installing)... except the M6600 wouldn't restart properly because it can't boot from just the mSATA inside alone.
I put in 1 of my HDDs and went to the BIOS and unchecked the HDD as a boot option, then it booted properly.
So now I put in my 2nd HDD and then unchecked that also in the BIOS. It booted up, but then I noticed that the drive wasn't actually showing up (it wasn't reading for some reason). I shut down and swapped the HDD positions and thought it might have been that slot or maybe my HDD that was broken. Well the HDD wasn't broken, so maybe it's the slot then because it still only read 1 HDD.
I booted up my Windows 8 USB and went to the command prompt and used diskpart / list disk etc. and saw that the disk was actually there / being read. So I decided to just try it again and it worked!

I actually went through a lot more trouble with that 2nd HDD (trying to use all 3 slots to see which combination would properly boot).
When trying to install that 3rd HDD, I of course unchecked it in the BIOS first, and had to restart my computer several times, fiddling around with the HDD positions again, and ended up with my initial setup and it just magically worked. I just don't understand...

Painful, painful process. And really it's all because the M6600 doesn't allow flexibility with reading that mSATA x_x

 

I just noticed that the Latitude E5430 I have has an updated windows key on the keyboard. I ordered it with Win 7, (upgraded to win 8) but the windows shortcut key is updated to reflect Win 8. Can we get it for our M6600 as I also upgraded that to Win 8?

 

If is shares the same keyboard as the M6700, then you could get the one for the M6700.

 

I just want to single key though. I know the Latitude has the same KB as the M6600. And the M6600 is the same as the M6700.

 

Welp ordered up the backlit keyboard today. Found a vendor with them New for about $35.

I was checking these out - New Dell PRO2X E Port Dock Replicator Precision M4500 M4600 M6400 M6500 M6600 | eBay

I see that its the 130w adapter, I would assume that I could just use my laptops PS with the dock?

Next question in the 6700 thread they were talking about the Slice Battery, Do those work on the 6600 ? Seems like an interesting idea for what I do at events.

danke !

-R

 

Any one have experience of WiDi? on a m8900 machine?

 

I have M8900, never tried Widi yet because I have no televisions that have it built in, nor do I have a WiDi adapter. I think it'll work just fine though, so you probably have nothing to worry about.

 

ermm.. prefer to use Legacy rather than UEFI (mysel ffacing restart hang using UEFI , now use Legacy no problemo), so far M6600 can start with just mSata (Bios A09 onward) but.. before start you need to enter BIOS setting and reset to default 1st.. these nonsense make the DELL service tech & myself going crazy for few times

Then do your clean install and make sure until completely login to Windows (better try it few times restart just to ensure)... after that enter BIOS again and set mSata as main boot and login windows install the Intel Rapid Storage driver.. after another shutdown only install Primary + Secondary & Optical Bay Caddy HDD and start Windows again.. first start you might not see the new drive but restart and you will see it :thumbsup:

 

I couldn't use WiDi because I can't switch to the Intel graphics which was needed with the netgear Push2TV box I had.