I will try help, but please keep in mind ... I don't have an Area51-R4 (or know your BIOS) but I do have a similar Aurora-R6.
Not to be confused with Intel-RST (Intel Rapid Storage Technology ... or even Intel Ready Mode Technology ... both are different things) ... Intel Smart Response Technology is similar to Windows Hibernate. However, I think it uses a small partition on the harddrive (instead of just a file like Windows uses for Hibernate).
Since you have a Desktop (not a laptop)... it would be rare for it to be setup properly and actually working. Also, (like you said) it's not appropriate for a system already booting from and running from a good-sized SSD. However, if it is setup ... I think it would show in the Intel-RST application inside Windows (if installed).
On any recent Dell computer I've seen, the only "modes" for the hard-drives are RAID and AHCI.
- If set to RAID (I don't mess with it unless I absolutely must) and load Intel-RST inside Windows. This is how my Aurora-R6 came setup (and still is) and it works great. - If set to AHCI, I usually try NOT to load Intel-RST inside Windows (and just use lean/native Microsoft drivers).
Yes, switching RAID/AHCI (or even UEFI/Legacy) can often end in a clean/full Windows install. :Crying: However, if that's what it takes, now is the best time to tackle something like that.
As for eSata Multiplexer cards ... those are tricky things. They are hard-to-install, never really worked well, and I'm pretty sure that is depreciated technology anyway. IIRC, Intel-RST is NOT compatible with it (at least it didn't used to be). USB-3 (or similar) is better. ThunderBolt if your motherboard supports it. Otherwise, it's better to go ahead and bite the bullet and buy a real stand-alone NAS like a Synology (or build your own).
This is my second attempt to reply. Unaccountably, Dell asked me to log in a 2nd time and I lost my response. I will have to start saving my posts so I don't have to retype them. Alternately, maybe they didn't like the name of a 3rd party vendor.
Yea, my Area51 actually has an option for SRT and AHCI as well as a warning that the system may not boot if a change is made.
I ordered a USB3.1 => eSata adapter for $31 from (cant mention name) but I looked all around first to see if I could avoid paying Jeff Bezos the $31 but was stuck with (cant mention name). It claims to support port multiplying and should work fine since I rarely use more than 1 drive concurrently.
The card I attempted to use has an ASMEDIA chipset but it only saw 1 drive and I know from experience it needs AHCI to see all the drive thru its port multiplier mechanism.
I have iTank drive assemblies and 4 out of the 5 drives show up on my XPS-730 which has built in eSata with port multiplier. I don't have a "real" XPS-730, just a cheap motherboard I got for $39 when I found it supported 16gb on older core 2 quad CPUs and included Dells SLIC for free windows 7.
Some of these Dell XPS systems, while they don't list AHCI as an option, if one enables RAID then some AHCI features are turned on even if RAID is never used.
Dell set up my system to boot win10x64 on the C drive, a 256gb SSD. There is a 2TB data drive. This configuration was one of the options that was available.
1. Is the SSD a M.2/PCIe/NVMe (installed in motherboard slot) -OR- is it a 2.5inch SATA SSD?
2. How are the two drives partitioned?
3. Is Windows-10 even installed to a partition residing or located on the SSD?
OS and paging stuff went on that 256gb SSD which is on the motherboard just above the eVga Hybrid logo. To its left is that ASMEDIA board that I will pull out eventually. Unaccountably, I had to take 2 pictures of the bios setup as the phrase AHCI did not show up due to lighting problem.
Since I am attaching photos, I went ahead and pimped some of my rigs here
1. OS and paging stuff went on that 256gb SSD which is on the motherboard just above the eVga Hybrid logo.
2. To its left is that ASMEDIA board that I will pull out eventually. Unaccountably, I had to take 2 pictures of the bios setup as the phrase AHCI did not show up due to lighting problem.
Since I am attaching photos, I went ahead and pimped some of my rigs here
1. OK, good. Then it should be accessing Windows partition directly from the M.2/PCIe/NVMe SSD native-ly as desired ( and be nice and fast).
Maybe the SRT is just for caching access to anything on the 2tb spinning HDD? I suppose that would be a valid configuration. It seems like you should be able to disable that.
We can not see your pics (just a triangle).
Since you obviously know what you want, I think the answer to your dilemma might be to:
- Return Area51-R4 to it's original hardware config (remove your Add-on cards and devices) - Image Backup the whole system (just in case) - Erase all the drives (remove all the partitions) - Setup the BIOS the way you want (I think UEFI and AHCI) - Clean Install Windows to SSD. Do not ever install Intel-RST (use Microsoft's bundled drivers). - Finish setting up machine and drivers - Install proper Alienware Command Center - Device Manager should be "clean" and free of errors at this point - Hook-up 2tb spinning HDD and format - Image Backup entire system to another file - Then, try to get your Add-on devices to work.
Strange, images were OK before I logged out and no triangles. Maybe total size exceeded some limit and the last one was added using edit which may have bypassed the usual size check. Another had a nice picture of an unmentionable manufacturer.
Strange, images were OK before I logged out and no triangles. Maybe total size exceeded some limit and the last one was added using edit which may have bypassed the usual size check. Another had a nice picture of an unmentionable manufacturer.
1. That partitioning looks like my Aurora-R6 (and likely any other recent Dell machine). I see no partitions for SRT. I would just turn it off SRT and change to AHCI. Image-Backup with Macrium Reflect (or similar) if you are afraid of clean-install.
Since no BD, no bundled Blu-Ray software to save or find. Everything else can be blown-away if required.
2. Weird . Yeah, that's the new BIOS. I think that's only in the newer Area51's ... R3 and higher.
Finally got enough courage to replace the 256gb SSD (M.2) "C" drive. Most, but not all, installs went into the 2TB D drive but enough junk went into C that it was over 1/2 full. Not all installs allowed a selection other than C and I kept getting notifications from "deep inside the os troubleshooter" that temporary files were going into the wrong location. It did not tell me what the files were or where the were but after selecting "fix" the next reboot got the same messages.
I used Acronis 2018 true image to do a complete backup "C+D" to my synology NAS. Then I cloned my Dell purchased 1TB FireCuda from that SSD. (M.2 actually) and pulled it. The system rebooted perfectly. Do not see any problems or loss of speed. Eventually that M.2 will go into the synology NAS as there is an slot for it. That was another factor that led me decide to pull it. It will be better off there as a CACHE instead of a C drive. Now that I have a large enough drive I can re-install and/or move "OS" type stuff to the C drive where it seems microsoft and 3rd party apps expect to find them.
If return for warranty I can easily reinstall.
I also put in a BluRay burner, unfortunately, it was not cheap, but it fit perfectly: Mat**bleep**a UJ267
I may look at using a 32gb or smaller "cache" type M.2 and enabling intel rapid store for cache instead of "C" drive. that is what should have been done originally if I had known the difference.
[EDIT] - Incredible, the politically correct police here beeped out a perfectly good Japanese manufacturers name because 4 of the letters happened to be a "4 letter word" in English.
Not sure I follow all that ... but I'll say this ...
Having a M.2-slot on motherboard for PCIe/NVMe SSD and not using it for a bootable C: drive (for Windows, all programs, and even a couple of large games) ... it a bit of a travesty. :Crying:
PCIe/NVMe SSDs are even 5 times faster than a conventional 2.5inch SATA3-600 SSD (which itself is 5 times faster than a spinning HDD).
I can't image a 256gb SSD not being large enough, but if so, then I would have swapped it for a 512gb one.
I think Intel-RST-Cache and Optane configs are both pretty lame compared to a real SSD.
Yes, SSD significantly faster but I use this system for SW development, not games, I don't recommend what I did for anyone who uses this for gaming. The 3 gtx1070 I have are mining gridcoin. There is a slower bootup with the 1TB firecuda but all my apps (VS2018, MinGW, QT, GIT) run fine and I no longer have that message about temporary files in the wrong places. I think the problem was using that "location" property to move subfolders to the D drive. It freed up space on the C but I do not think that Microsoft thought this out correctly and I use older programs (FoxPro, FrontPage). The left over SSD was returned to the my Area51 as I discovered that while it worked nicely on my Synology NAS, it could only be assigned to a single volume out of the four on the NAS. I set it up as to hold the 5GB pagefile. Unfortunately, neither the 15GB hiberfil nor the 268mb swapfile cannot be assigned due to, I am guessing, the "fast bootup design" of win10.I ran Intel's rapid store program and it looked specifically for "Optane" memory. It found the SSD but would not use it and I have no interest in buying a genuine intel "optane" chip. They are significantly smaller and priced about the same as the much large SSD. Maybe, I could fool it into thinking it was optane, but it is not worth the effort and would not pay off in any event. I ran the Samsung Magician program for 960 series M.2 and it was hugely faster but again, other than a slower bootup I did not notice any difference. Also want to point out that the Seagate was "busy" while the Samsung program ran the test unlike the SSD which was not being used.
[EDIT] I disabled Hard Drive Sentinel and there is no longer a difference in boot up speed. HDS does not bother checking SSD on "C" boot so that is why it was slower when I substituted a physical (Seagate) drive for the SSD.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
March 3rd, 2018 12:00
I will try help, but please keep in mind ... I don't have an Area51-R4 (or know your BIOS) but I do have a similar Aurora-R6.
Not to be confused with Intel-RST (Intel Rapid Storage Technology ... or even Intel Ready Mode Technology ... both are different things) ... Intel Smart Response Technology is similar to Windows Hibernate. However, I think it uses a small partition on the harddrive (instead of just a file like Windows uses for Hibernate).
Since you have a Desktop (not a laptop)... it would be rare for it to be setup properly and actually working. Also, (like you said) it's not appropriate for a system already booting from and running from a good-sized SSD. However, if it is setup ... I think it would show in the Intel-RST application inside Windows (if installed).
On any recent Dell computer I've seen, the only "modes" for the hard-drives are RAID and AHCI.
- If set to RAID (I don't mess with it unless I absolutely must) and load Intel-RST inside Windows. This is how my Aurora-R6 came setup (and still is) and it works great.
- If set to AHCI, I usually try NOT to load Intel-RST inside Windows (and just use lean/native Microsoft drivers).
Yes, switching RAID/AHCI (or even UEFI/Legacy) can often end in a clean/full Windows install. :Crying: However, if that's what it takes, now is the best time to tackle something like that.
As for eSata Multiplexer cards ... those are tricky things. They are hard-to-install, never really worked well, and I'm pretty sure that is depreciated technology anyway. IIRC, Intel-RST is NOT compatible with it (at least it didn't used to be). USB-3 (or similar) is better. ThunderBolt if your motherboard supports it. Otherwise, it's better to go ahead and bite the bullet and buy a real stand-alone NAS like a Synology (or build your own).
Joseph Stateson
2 Intern
•
152 Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 08:00
This is my second attempt to reply. Unaccountably, Dell asked me to log in a 2nd time and I lost my response. I will have to start saving my posts so I don't have to retype them. Alternately, maybe they didn't like the name of a 3rd party vendor.
Yea, my Area51 actually has an option for SRT and AHCI as well as a warning that the system may not boot if a change is made.
I ordered a USB3.1 => eSata adapter for $31 from (cant mention name) but I looked all around first to see if I could avoid paying Jeff Bezos the $31 but was stuck with (cant mention name). It claims to support port multiplying and should work fine since I rarely use more than 1 drive concurrently.
The card I attempted to use has an ASMEDIA chipset but it only saw 1 drive and I know from experience it needs AHCI to see all the drive thru its port multiplier mechanism.
I have iTank drive assemblies and 4 out of the 5 drives show up on my XPS-730 which has built in eSata with port multiplier. I don't have a "real" XPS-730, just a cheap motherboard I got for $39 when I found it supported 16gb on older core 2 quad CPUs and included Dells SLIC for free windows 7.
Some of these Dell XPS systems, while they don't list AHCI as an option, if one enables RAID then some AHCI features are turned on even if RAID is never used.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 10:00
You are saying that in the Area51-R4 BIOS, you can Switch between RAID, AHCI, and SRT ? (all on the same option drop-down)
Weird, I've never seen that. However, I never implement SRT on systems.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 12:00
1. Is the SSD a M.2/PCIe/NVMe (installed in motherboard slot) -OR- is it a 2.5inch SATA SSD?
2. How are the two drives partitioned?
3. Is Windows-10 even installed to a partition residing or located on the SSD?
Joseph Stateson
2 Intern
•
152 Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 14:00
OS and paging stuff went on that 256gb SSD which is on the motherboard just above the eVga Hybrid logo. To its left is that ASMEDIA board that I will pull out eventually. Unaccountably, I had to take 2 pictures of the bios setup as the phrase AHCI did not show up due to lighting problem.
Since I am attaching photos, I went ahead and pimped some of my rigs here
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 16:00
1. OK, good. Then it should be accessing Windows partition directly from the M.2/PCIe/NVMe SSD native-ly as desired ( and be nice and fast).
Maybe the SRT is just for caching access to anything on the 2tb spinning HDD? I suppose that would be a valid configuration. It seems like you should be able to disable that.
We can not see your pics (just a triangle).
Since you obviously know what you want, I think the answer to your dilemma might be to:
- Return Area51-R4 to it's original hardware config (remove your Add-on cards and devices)
- Image Backup the whole system (just in case)
- Erase all the drives (remove all the partitions)
- Setup the BIOS the way you want (I think UEFI and AHCI)
- Clean Install Windows to SSD. Do not ever install Intel-RST (use Microsoft's bundled drivers).
- Finish setting up machine and drivers
- Install proper Alienware Command Center
- Device Manager should be "clean" and free of errors at this point
- Hook-up 2tb spinning HDD and format
- Image Backup entire system to another file
- Then, try to get your Add-on devices to work.
Joseph Stateson
2 Intern
•
152 Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 17:00
Strange, images were OK before I logged out and no triangles. Maybe total size exceeded some limit and the last one was added using edit which may have bypassed the usual size check. Another had a nice picture of an unmentionable manufacturer.
I put them out of reach here: diskpart bios51 where_ssd and work in progress
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
March 4th, 2018 19:00
1. That partitioning looks like my Aurora-R6 (and likely any other recent Dell machine). I see no partitions for SRT. I would just turn it off SRT and change to AHCI. Image-Backup with Macrium Reflect (or similar) if you are afraid of clean-install.
Since no BD, no bundled Blu-Ray software to save or find. Everything else can be blown-away if required.
2. Weird . Yeah, that's the new BIOS. I think that's only in the newer Area51's ... R3 and higher.
3. Right. Yeah, it's M.2/PCIe/NVMe ... perfect. I'm getting 3000/1500 r/w on mine.
4. Pretty nice. No sealed liquid-cooling there ... that looks like custom-loop.
Joseph Stateson
2 Intern
•
152 Posts
0
June 15th, 2018 23:00
Followup on re-configuring ---
Finally got enough courage to replace the 256gb SSD (M.2) "C" drive. Most, but not all, installs went into the 2TB D drive but enough junk went into C that it was over 1/2 full. Not all installs allowed a selection other than C and I kept getting notifications from "deep inside the os troubleshooter" that temporary files were going into the wrong location. It did not tell me what the files were or where the were but after selecting "fix" the next reboot got the same messages.
I used Acronis 2018 true image to do a complete backup "C+D" to my synology NAS. Then I cloned my Dell purchased 1TB FireCuda from that SSD. (M.2 actually) and pulled it. The system rebooted perfectly. Do not see any problems or loss of speed. Eventually that M.2 will go into the synology NAS as there is an slot for it. That was another factor that led me decide to pull it. It will be better off there as a CACHE instead of a C drive. Now that I have a large enough drive I can re-install and/or move "OS" type stuff to the C drive where it seems microsoft and 3rd party apps expect to find them.
If return for warranty I can easily reinstall.
I also put in a BluRay burner, unfortunately, it was not cheap, but it fit perfectly: Mat**bleep**a UJ267
I may look at using a 32gb or smaller "cache" type M.2 and enabling intel rapid store for cache instead of "C" drive. that is what should have been done originally if I had known the difference.
[EDIT] - Incredible, the politically correct police here beeped out a perfectly good Japanese manufacturers name because 4 of the letters happened to be a "4 letter word" in English.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
•
17.3K Posts
0
June 16th, 2018 13:00
Not sure I follow all that ... but I'll say this ...
Having a M.2-slot on motherboard for PCIe/NVMe SSD and not using it for a bootable C: drive (for Windows, all programs, and even a couple of large games) ... it a bit of a travesty. :Crying:
PCIe/NVMe SSDs are even 5 times faster than a conventional 2.5inch SATA3-600 SSD (which itself is 5 times faster than a spinning HDD).
I can't image a 256gb SSD not being large enough, but if so, then I would have swapped it for a 512gb one.
I think Intel-RST-Cache and Optane configs are both pretty lame compared to a real SSD.
Joseph Stateson
2 Intern
•
152 Posts
0
June 22nd, 2018 07:00
Yes, SSD significantly faster but I use this system for SW development, not games, I don't recommend what I did for anyone who uses this for gaming. The 3 gtx1070 I have are mining gridcoin. There is a slower bootup with the 1TB firecuda but all my apps (VS2018, MinGW, QT, GIT) run fine and I no longer have that message about temporary files in the wrong places. I think the problem was using that "location" property to move subfolders to the D drive. It freed up space on the C but I do not think that Microsoft thought this out correctly and I use older programs (FoxPro, FrontPage). The left over SSD was returned to the my Area51 as I discovered that while it worked nicely on my Synology NAS, it could only be assigned to a single volume out of the four on the NAS. I set it up as to hold the 5GB pagefile. Unfortunately, neither the 15GB hiberfil nor the 268mb swapfile cannot be assigned due to, I am guessing, the "fast bootup design" of win10.I ran Intel's rapid store program and it looked specifically for "Optane" memory. It found the SSD but would not use it and I have no interest in buying a genuine intel "optane" chip. They are significantly smaller and priced about the same as the much large SSD. Maybe, I could fool it into thinking it was optane, but it is not worth the effort and would not pay off in any event. I ran the Samsung Magician program for 960 series M.2 and it was hugely faster but again, other than a slower bootup I did not notice any difference. Also want to point out that the Seagate was "busy" while the Samsung program ran the test unlike the SSD which was not being used.
[EDIT] I disabled Hard Drive Sentinel and there is no longer a difference in boot up speed. HDS does not bother checking SSD on "C" boot so that is why it was slower when I substituted a physical (Seagate) drive for the SSD.