4 X M.2 SSD's each with own OS - Possible?

Cloudy1 · Jan 21, 2016

Hi All

New here so please be gentle

I plan on purchasing 3 x m.2 SSD's to fill 3 available slots sitting beside the current 128GB m.2 SSD containing my System Boot (Windows 8.1) in an Alienware 17 R2 (early 2015).

The machine also has a 1TB Hitachi SATA drive at 7200rpm installed.

Question:

If I install the extra 3 m.2 SSD's, would I be able to install an OS onto each of the m.2 SSD's?

For example:

SATA drive already installed: Retain as DATA drive
m.2 SSD already installed slot 1: Retain Windows 8.1
New m.2 SSD to place in slot 2: Install Windows 10 Pro Retail
New m.2 SSD to place in slot 3: Install Ubuntu
New m.2 SSD to place in slot 4: Install Linux Mint

If the above setup is viable.....question:

Could I then simply select which m.2 SSD to boot from UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot enabled?

Please note that I would like to do this if possible and know that there are more than likely cheaper ways of achieving the same result such as VM's, dual booting, triple booting etc.

I also understand that there are different types of m.2 drives and that some are better than others.

I am simply after an answer as to whether I can install an extra 3 m.2 SSD's on an Alienware 17 R2 (early 2015), put a different OS on each m.2 SSD whilst retaining the current setup of the single m.2 SSD with Win 8.1 System Boot and the DATA drive already in place ....and then use UEFI BIOS to select which m.2 SSD with a standalone OS that I would like to boot......all without the need for overwriting the Windows boot loader on the currently installed system with GRUB?

And one last question - if all of the above is in fact possible, is there any trouble with mixing the size of the m.2 SSD's?

Example:

Currently installed 128GB and then add 3 x 256GB m.2 SSD's or should they all be the same size?

Thanks heaps for any info you may be able to provide - appreciate your time and patience and hope I have explained myself somewhat clearly.

BTW: I did come across the following thread here at Toms Guide which seem to contradict the Alienware R2 service manual - not sure what to believe and it still doesn't answer all my questions...

http

/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2760866/add-ssd-alienware-laptop-kind-laptop-size-ssd.html

Someone Somewhere · Jan 21, 2016

You should be able to do this. I'm not sure whether the slots support SATA or PCIe, though.

There's zero point in having both Ubuntu and Mint installed on the same machine; they're 99% the same OS. Pick one. Remember that you can install multiple desktop environments on the same OS and choose between them at login.

No issue with different sizes.

You should be able to put Win10 and Linux on the same SSD if you want.

I'm still not sure why you want four OSs on one machine.

Most laptop BIOSs that I've seen will allow you to choose which drive to boot from (though you normally need to hit a key while booting; it won't automatically display a menu). Can't guarantee this as I haven't touched a UEFI Dell.

Cloudy1 · Jan 21, 2016

Thanks heaps for the speedy response @Someone Somewhere

I believe the Alienware 17 R2 would support the 1TB SATA HDD already in use as the DATA drive plus EITHER 1 2.5" SSD OR 4 x m.2 SSD's.

If one 2.5" SSD were chosen then the current single m.2 SSD would need to be imaged and moved to the 2.5" as I think that is the position it would reside - I.e - where you could alternatively have the 4 x m.2's....I think (and I qoute THINK) that is the case.

I'm reasonably sure that the m.2 slots are PCIe but when those drives are removed there is the ability to plug the 2.5" SATA SSD in the space.

I am only talking theoretical in the Ubuntu and Linux Mint each on its own drive and understand that Linux Mint is built on top of the Ubuntu kernel - I just wanted to know that I could achieve the results I am after in a broad sense.

Good to know I would be able to mix and match drive sizes with the m.2's - cheers.

Again - theoretical four OS's on one machine all on separate drives but basically because I like trying different stuff and am somewhat hesitant to start from scratch re-formatting the Windows drive - for experimentation and because one can I guess

Yes - UEFI is taking me some getting used to I must say - Secure Boot, enable legacy BIOS etc etc - this machine is the first I have owned which uses it and I became quite accustomed to MBR instead of this GPT partitioned UEFI business...all good but -gotta learn something new every day or else you're not alive I reckon.

Thanks again for your input and please feel free to add any more information if you are able - yourself or anyone else for that matter.

Cheers.

Someone Somewhere · Jan 21, 2016

From the laptop's point of view, there's no difference between a 2.5" HDD and a 2.5" SSD. Looking at images, it looks like it has one 2.5" slot (which it sounds like has a spinning drive in your machine), and four M.2 2280 slots (one of which is filled in your machine). I can't see anywhere to stick a second 2.5" drive.

Is this what the innards of yours look like: http

/www.notebookcheck.net/fileadmin/Notebooks/Alienware/17_R2/Alienware_17_R2_19_von_22.jpg

Cloudy1 · Jan 21, 2016

Yes that is the model with the same innards.

I have cracked it open to have a look see but I wasn't sure of if a 2.5" SSD could somehow be positioned where the 4 slots for the m.2's can be slotted in.

Therefore, from the service manuals explanation, I am assuming that they mean I can either remove the spinning drive (which it is) as you have mentioned and replace that with a single SSD but then cannot have ANY of the m.2's.

Otherwise, and again this is only how I am reading it, I can keep the spinning drive AND have four of the m.2's but CANNOT HAVE THE 4 X M.2's PLUS A 2.5" SSD where the spinning drive is currently situated if I so desired to replace that drive also.

The service manual for this model can be found as a PDF here if you care to take a look:

http

/www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/19/alienware-17-r2/Alienware17_SM-v1/Procedure?guid=GUID-32EB8282-02FF-466B-A099-45C57B6D91BC&lang=en-us

If you look under the sections

Removing the Solid State Drive
Removing the Hard Drive

you will see....

NOTE: Your computer can accommodate either one 2.5-inch hard drive or four solid-state drives

...this, I am finding slightly confusing.

BTW: These have to be some of the speediest responses from a forum I have ever come across and I must say I truly appreciate your assistance thus far.

Will check back in the morning - 11PM here and I pulled an all nighter on some Web Dev last night (yawns)

Someone Somewhere · Jan 21, 2016

The M.2 space doesn't look deep enough for a 2.5" drive, so I'd say it's pretty certain that's not what's happening. If you follow the cable from the drive, it goes to a connector on the board. Is there another similar connector next to it?

Often, those kinds of 'or' options are because of how it's configured from the factory, even if it will work otherwise.

Could also be that the HDD shares a SATA lane with the fourth M.2 slot, so you can either have 3xM.2+HDD or 4xM.2. You could try moving the existing M.2 drive into slot #4 and seeing if you can still see both drives.

Cloudy1 · Jan 22, 2016

I think you're right about the 4 x M.2 space not being large enough for a 2.5" SSD.

According to the gentleman posting at this thread...

http

/www.tomsguide.com/answers/id-2760866/add-ssd-alienware-laptop-kind-laptop-size-ssd.html

....he has an Alienware and is advising that he has 4 x M.2 plus the existing DATA HHD. He also mentions that one of the M.2 slots is SATA II with the others being SATA III. Don't know what the experience level is there but I would take a guess that he is being fair dinkum because he was willing to push his point.

I would guess (and it is only a guess) that the 4th M.2 slot would be the SATA II.

I'm a bit afraid to go shifting the M.2 from slot 1 to 4 as during my research into dual booting (prior to thinking that I'd just get more drives as discussed here) Windows 8.1 and Ubuntu from the separate drives (the existing M.2 and the SATA HDD) I came across people mentioning that the safest way to do so was to remove the M.2 and that way be assured that all of the Ubuntu intall is going onto the HDD......then there were others saying not to do that as it could wipe out the boot record of the M.2 from ....possibly from my somewhat vague memory....nVRAM?

So do you think it dangerous to remove the M.2 and move it around? Could I in fact have issues with booting if I move it to slot 4 for testing and then back to slot 1 as it is currently positioned?

At present I am thinking about just taking the plunge on an extra 1 M.2 at the moment to see if I can experiment installing a Linux flavor on there and segregate that on that drive only and have BIOS show the drive so I can select it or slot 1 (Windows 8.1) to boot.

Geez I hope I'm making sense with all this - thanks for getting back to me once again and for your continuing patience - any more advice you have to offer would be well regarded - cheers.

Someone Somewhere · Jan 22, 2016

Shouldn't be dangerous at all, but you should probably burn the recovery disks anyway. Remember you should always have a backup of any important data, too.

Cloudy1 · Jan 22, 2016

Already done - created an image on USB drive when I first got the machine using Alienrespawn.

I will also image all partitions (EFI. System etc..) on the M.2 using Macrium Reflect as I have been successful with that in the past. I have a Macrium image already stored on an external drive but I've done a lot of program installs and configurations since so I'll run another one. Macrium WinPE USB on hand also

All files backed up to external drives as well - I'm pretty pedantic when it comes to that - everything in its place.

I guess in the end I will just have to experiment and am willing to do so - I guess re-imaging is really the worst that can happen.

Will mark this as solved now and add to your already glowing reputation (all I gotta do is find where to do so on each count).

Once more - Thank you very much for your assistance, time and patience @Someone Somewhere - see you round the forums my friend - Take care

Edit: Choose a response as solution will mark as solved I suppose (says to self "Think McFly think")

Bkjolly · Feb 5, 2016

I'm curious as to how this turned out because I just ordered an Alienware 15 and I'm considering ordering 2 Samsung 950 PRO M.2 drives to dual boot Mint and Windows 10. My spec ordered has a SATA 128 GB M.2 drive in one slot but the 950's are PCIe and fairly inexpensive for the 256 GB. What I'm considering is pulling the SATA M.2 boot drive and adding the 2 950's each with their own OS and partitioning the 1 tb mechanical drive for storage. I haven't had much luck finding info on anyone that's tried anything like this on an Alienware.

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