The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    First use setup M11X

    Discussion in 'Alienware M11x' started by T-ravisty, Mar 22, 2012.

  1. T-ravisty

    T-ravisty Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    12
    Messages:
    272
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    *Troy McClure voice*

    Hi, I'm T-ravisty... You may remember me from such threads as "thinking of buying a pre-owned M11X” and “Weird sounds when copying”...

    *laughs* Okay, I've had my fun...

    So yeah, following on from my thread about a pre-owned M11X, I ended up buying a new M11X R3... It was delivered yesterday, earlier that expected, I wasn't home so the courier left a note. So I've arranged for delivery on Monday (whoo!)...

    Anyway, I want to know how to do all the alienrespawn/Dell datasafe and backups on the M11X... I'm thinking just doing the Dell datasafe thing, but have never dealt with it. Would anyone be able to link me to a tut or thread that explains how to do it.

    Also, what's the best way to set recovery medja on the M11X? I mean through the control panel. Should I bother getting a plug-in DVD writer? or just go to a USB?

    Anything else that I shouuld be cautious about?

    Cheers all.
     
  2. hiarieshi

    hiarieshi Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    23
    Messages:
    303
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Umm you don't need to back anything up if it's the first time using the comp, there wont be anything on there except win7. And they give you a win7 cd so you're good to go
     
  3. T-ravisty

    T-ravisty Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    12
    Messages:
    272
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Yeah, I know. However I've been told to make sure you do the dell datasafe/alienrespawn as soon as you get it, on first start up.
    I don't see much of the point really if it comes with the OS disk...

    But people say it should be done. Hoping someone here could clarify or debunk this...

    Should I bother with datasafe? or am I able to go ahead and install all my wtuff and then use datasafe later down the track?

    Cheers.
     
  4. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    215
    Messages:
    886
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    You have a restore partition on your HDD, when you make a "restore" USB drive all it does is copy that restore partition to your USB.

    People say to do it incase your HDD completely fails, that way you have a copy of it... But i've had THREE recovery USB drives fail so overall i'm thinking it isn't worth the effort or the time. By the time you ever do need to use the restore USB and fish it out from its safe storage place, it may not even work anymore.
     
  5. Rypac

    Rypac Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    242
    Messages:
    563
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    That is pretty bad luck Rishwin.

    I never bothered. Reinstalling from a Windows 7 CD or USB is painless and all I ever do.

    EDIT: Also, nice intro. ;)
     
  6. GNandGS

    GNandGS Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    69
    Messages:
    1,247
    Likes Received:
    11
    Trophy Points:
    56
    +1 on intro
     
  7. T-ravisty

    T-ravisty Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    12
    Messages:
    272
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    That's really bad luck, man.

    Would it be worthwhile I use something like Acronis or the likes to make a complete copy of the hard drive?

    I'm saying all this because I bought it with a 500GB HDD, but plan to put in my own SSD in a few months when I have a bit more bankage saved up.
    I'm wanting to have as little problems as possible really, so whatever I can do would be amazing.

    I hear that you can only reuse a backed up Dell datasafe/Alienrespawn image if it's onto another drive of the same size. True or false?

    With something like Acronis, if I copied the original 500GB HDD and got myself a 256GB SSD, would i just simply be able to put the whole image onto the smaller drive without any faults?

    Cheers.

    Haha, and thanks for the intro stuff... I bored waiting for the train... My mind goes to strange places when I'm bored. lol. :p
     
  8. Rishwin

    Rishwin Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    215
    Messages:
    886
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    False, i made an AlienRespawn backup from my 320GB WD Scorpi and restored onto my 128GB Crucial M4. Absolutely no problems.
     
  9. T-ravisty

    T-ravisty Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    12
    Messages:
    272
    Likes Received:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Ah good.
    That's mighty good news.
    Thanks. :)

    Now, my M11X just got delivered! Woot!

    I purchased 16GB ram for my M15X as people here have been saying that it works sweet.
    So, the M11X I have just received has 4GB ram, would it be possible to put the 8GB ram that came with my M15X into my M11X?

    I seems to have all the same specs DDR3 1333Mhz... 204 pin...

    Anybody know if it would work?
     
  10. dr.pratik

    dr.pratik Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    9
    Messages:
    306
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Yeah it would work. Go ahead.