Install OS on mSata

Could some one point me in the direction for installing the OS on the mSata to be the boot drive. I've tried installing it with the mSata in my M18x by itself. Everything goes fine until I use the "format quick fs=ntfs in diskpart, at which point I receive an error. If I drive setting the drive up in Win8.1 Disk Manager I also get an error when it goes to do the quick format.

 

I've never used diskpart in the install environment for anything other than creating an RST hibernate partition. Why not let the Windows installer do its thing?
Sent from my Lumia 830

 

@ht_addict - There could be something wrong with your mSATA. I have had no issues like what you have described. I've installed the OS directly to mSATA in the M18xR2 and the Alienware 18 with Mushkin, Liteon and Samsung mSATA drives. The process is exactly the same as installing the OS on a regular HDD or SSD. You should be able to do it with or without other drives connected to your laptop. The best way to ensure any drive is set up as the boot drive is to install the OS with no other drives connected. You can set up a multi-boot system that way and use the BIOS boot selection menu (F12 on an Alienware) to choose which OS to launch instead of using a Windows boot menu.

One possibility, short of a defective mSATA, is that the Intel RST Option ROM is still trying to use it for a cache acceleration drive. If you haven't already tried this, bring up the Intel RST Option ROM (Ctrl+I) as soon as you power up the machine. Disable any acceleration configuration that may be interfering with the process from that UI. Then boot your Windows installation media, when you get to the first screen where Windows Setup is prompting you for decisions (language selection, etc.) press shift+F10 to open a command prompt. Run DISKPART, select the drive (SELECT DISK 0 if that is the only drive), then CLEAN command, and finally CONVERT MBR or CONVERT GPT command (depending on your personal preference) and then continue with Windows Setup. Do not create your own partitions. Let Windows Setup do that for you.

 

If you are trying to install in Windows 8.1 in UEFI mode which you should really, then you are getting an error because the mSATA is probably formatted as an MBR disk.

While at the partition wizard screen, hit SHIFT + F10 to get the command prompt, now type:

diskpart then hit enter
list disk then hit enter
select disk X ( where X is the number of the mSATA disk)
list disk again to make sure the mSATA is the selected disk
clean then hit enter
convert GPT then hit enter

exit the command prompt window, now refresh your partition list in the Windows setup and you will be able to select the mSATA to install Windows on it


When installing in non-UEFI mode (Windows 7 for example) then you would do the same but instead of convert GPT you need to do convert MBR

 

Good instructions @Matrix Leader6

If the mSATA was used for cache acceleration before, he will need to release it from that first. If the BIOS was to RAID and switched to AHCI for some reason, it will need to be set back to RAID, press F10 to save and exit the BIOS, press Ctrl+I to access the Intel RST Option ROM UI and from there the acceleration scheme deleted or the mSATA will malfunction. If that was already done and what you are instructing him to do still does not work, the mSATA is possibly defective.

I have had one Samsung mSATA and one Liteon mSATA drive fail in the past two years. Both mSATA drives failed while being used in an SRT (cache acceleration) configuration. They both began having issues with errors, sporadic drop-outs (randomly not detected) and system crashes. They both eventually got to the point of no longer being recognized by the BIOS. Not sure if that is a random coincidence, or if using SRT somehow causes them to malfunction and eventually fail.

 

I returned the drive and picked up another. This time I was able to complete the setup of the drive. Now we I go to install the OS onto the msata from a bootable USB, it gets to 1% and doesn't move. Any ideas? Running Bios A10 unlocked. Bios set to AHCI

 

Took the second on back. Can not for the life of me get Windows to install onto it.

 

That's so weird. Just for kicks, did you try it with the BIOS set to RAID to see if it has the same problem? I do not use AHCI, so maybe that could explain why I have been able to do it numerous times without complication. If it does the same thing with the BIOS set to RAID, do you have another Windows installation media (Original Windows 7 DVD perhaps) you can try using? There has to be a reason for it not working, but you may have to continue through the process of elimination to figure it out. I suppose it could even be some kind of strange problem with the cable or the little PCB "bracket" the mSATA plugs into. I would try the other things first and if they don't work, then I would buy a new mSATA bracket and cable assembly as a last resort effort.

 

RAID or AHCI has no difference in installation bro. It should install in both modes seamlessly, I am suspecting a bad Windows 7 DVD.

Also, just for trial's sake, try setting your BIOS back to defaults again

 

Oh, I agree... It should make no difference whatsoever, but it's free to test and find out and it would only take a few minutes. At this point I suspect faulty installation media as well. There could be something goofed up in the BIOS that would cause an issue and that's why I suggested trying it to see if flipping it to RAID changes anything. If it does, then that opens up a whole new can of worms to investigate.

 

I just had a Dell tech out to replace my msata 256 gb drive on my 4 month old alienware 18. PC would see it, but couldn't write to it. Would get stuck at creating the partitions. Used another normal SSD and installation was fine (as per normal). Once the new drive was installed, I was able to partition and install OS on the msata (as per normal). Sounds like a dead pci slot/motherboard, dead DVD, dead DVD drive or dead msata SSD.

Try downloading a windows image and loading it onto a bootable USB. Press F2 (I think?) and set the boot priority order to have the USB first. This will rule out the DVD or DVD drive.

Good luck.

 

Think i'll just email Dell and see if they will send me a new Mata connection. IN've tried every which way to install with nothing working.