Please Help

[JoeBro37]

Ok, I've been searching for hours on this. I bought an Alienware R4 17 for a mobile gaming solution. The one I bought DID NOT include an M.2 SSD. It only came populated with one 1TB HDD. I went on Amazon and bought a 525GB Crucial MX300 M.2 2280 SSD. Today I received it in the mail. I took off the back panel and installed it in to the port labeled "SSD 2." Next, I used the "included" Acronis True Image HD software to clone my HDD over to the M.2 SSD. When I went to boot up, the laptop posted, went through the Alienware logo page then went to a black screen where the circle dots continued to spin until...blue screen. I went into the BIOS and tried messing with boot order. It then booted up off the HDD. So, I powered it down pulled the back off again and uninstalled the HDD. I tried to boot and got nothing. The laptop only got to that same black screen with the circling dots and wouldn't go any further. I am at a loss. I have spent HOURS searching and trying everything I know. I need some help, PLEASE. 

[Guest]

Can you tell via diskpart on Win 10 bootable media prompt if the M.2 is GPT or MBR?

[Megagaming073]

5 minutes ago, JoeBro37 said:

Ok, I've been searching for hours on this. I bought an Alienware R4 17 for a mobile gaming solution. The one I bought DID NOT include an M.2 SSD. It only came populated with one 1TB HDD. I went on Amazon and bought a 525GB Crucial MX300 M.2 2280 SSD. Today I received it in the mail. I took off the back panel and installed it in to the port labeled "SSD 2." Next, I used the "included" Acronis True Image HD software to clone my HDD over to the M.2 SSD. When I went to boot up, the laptop posted, went through the Alienware logo page then went to a black screen where the circle dots continued to spin until...blue screen. I went into the BIOS and tried messing with boot order. It then booted up off the HDD. So, I powered it down pulled the back off again and uninstalled the HDD. I tried to boot and got nothing. The laptop only got to that same black screen with the circling dots and wouldn't go any further. I am at a loss. I have spent HOURS searching and trying everything I know. I need some help, PLEASE. 

I would recommend getting an installer of windows 10 or whatever OS you're using on a disc or a USB stick and just installing a fresh copy onto the M.2 SSD and then install all the software and transfer over any of the documents. Also, it sounds obvious but if you really want to clone the 1 TB ensure there is not more than 500 GB worth of data on the 1 TB otherwise it may not transfer properly as I am not familiar with that software.

[JoeBro37]

6 minutes ago, Legendarypoet said:

Can you tell via diskpart on Win 10 bootable media prompt if the M.2 is GPT or MBR?

It is GPT

[JoeBro37]

5 minutes ago, Megagaming073 said:

I would recommend getting an installer of windows 10 or whatever OS you're using on a disc or a USB stick and just installing a fresh copy onto the M.2 SSD and then install all the software and transfer over any of the documents. Also, it sounds obvious but if you really want to clone the 1 TB ensure there is not more than 500 GB worth of data on the 1 TB otherwise it may not transfer properly as I am not familiar with that software.

Yeah, it def DOES NOT have 500GB of info on it. The laptop is brand new.

[Megagaming073]

Just now, JoeBro37 said:

Yeah, it def DOES NOT have 500GB of info on it. The laptop is brand new.

Didn't think so but just wanted to be sure and if it's brand new than a new install shouldn't matter that much or am I missing something?

[JoeBro37]

1 minute ago, Megagaming073 said:

Didn't think so but just wanted to be sure and if it's brand new than a new install shouldn't matter that much or am I missing something?

Yeah, I wont be too upset if I need to just wipe the SSD uninstall the HDD and boot fresh with Windows. What I DO NOT know though is will I need to pay for a new product key or can I just reuse the one for my laptop??

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, JoeBro37 said:

Yeah, I wont be too upset if I need to just wipe the SSD uninstall the HDD and boot fresh with Windows. What I DO NOT know though is will I need to pay for a new product key or can I just reuse the one for my laptop??

It should pick the key up from the hardware ID. (if 10) Just select "I don't have a product key," and it will do the rest when it gets online and checks against MS activation servers. Make sure you pick the right edition.

[Megagaming073]

Just now, JoeBro37 said:

Yeah, I wont be too upset if I need to just wipe the SSD uninstall the HDD and boot fresh with Windows. What I DO NOT know though is will I need to pay for a new product key or can I just reuse the one for my laptop??

From my experience, I have been able to use the same Windows key multiple times and not had any problems so you should be able to use the same key. Also, just to be safe if you went with a new install be sure not to wipe the 1 TB until the new windows is installed and working.

[JoeBro37]

Just now, Megagaming073 said:

From my experience, I have been able to use the same Windows key multiple times and not had any problems so you should be able to use the same key. Also, just to be safe if you went with a new install be sure not to wipe the 1 TB until the new windows is installed and working.

Yeah, it wont let me since it's the boot drive. However, I will just uninstall the HDD. How should I reformat the M.2 drive to allow it to receive the Win 10 install?

[Megagaming073]

3 minutes ago, JoeBro37 said:

Yeah, it wont let me since it's the boot drive. However, I will just uninstall the HDD. How should I reformat the M.2 drive to allow it to receive the Win 10 install?

The windows 10 installer should do all that for you. You just have to select the designated drive.

[Guest]

If the partitions from the clone show up, just select them one by one and delete them until it say unallocated space.