John McGaw wrote:
On 3/11/2018 9:31 AM, Paul wrote:
t wrote:

The Optiplex 790 is running Windows 7 64 bit. I want to put a 1TB
SSD, load Windows 10 64 bit on the SSD and make it the primary hard
drive and the existing 500GB hard drive containing Windows 7 as the
secondary. I watched the video at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmFbrBkauBc and estimate the process
is similar.

1. Anything else I need to be aware of while adding another disk to
Optiplex 790 mini tower?

2. Can I use SATA data cables for the SSD borrowed from another
Optiplex 790?

3. Can I configure the BIOS so that the computer automatically boots
from the 1TB SSD which has a clean install of Windows 10 64 bit?

Thanks

When you install Win10, you'll be *unplugging* the Win7 drive.
After Win10 is fully up, then you plug Win7 in again.

Now, when the user wants to use it, they'll need "BIOS steering"
to multiboot. They can use the popup boot menu, to select one
drive or the other.

The reason you're *unplugging* the Win7 drive, is to make sure
the installed materials go *only* on the SSD.

OK, so you're a value-added IT guy. You don't want the
user to have to use the popup boot. Then...

snip...
They probably don't make a 2.5" adapter, so you'll need
some sort of adapter to fit in the Dell adapter, and
adapt from 3.5" to one or two 2.5" drives.

Your project is mostly a mechanical nightmare.

Paul

The OP doesn't actually write that he wants any sort of dual boot setup
and arranging for it just complicates the process unnecessarily (unless
he actually wants/needs dual boot and didn't think to mention it). The
process of simply removing the HD, installing the SSD and doing a clean
install of W10 and then setting the SSD as the boot device in BIOS would
be less stressful by far. Personally, I've normally just installed the
SSD and cloned the existing HD installation and all data files over and
upgraded from there but if he really wants a clean install, so be it.
As for mounting, I've done several SSD installs where no mounting beyond
a bit of double-stick foam tape were needed and one where just tucking
the drive into a corner where the stiffness of the cables kept it in
place worked for years.


This is for a customer machine though. While duct tape or
a nylon wrap might work for us, the customer expects
a bit more than that. And a little adapter shouldn't
cost too much. It'll cost more in time to find one online
than anything else.

Right now, my SSDs are resting on the bottom
of the PC on the test machine. Nothing at all
holds them in place. I couldn't put the machine
in a shipping crate like that. With all sorts of
loose stuff bouncing around. Customer machines
should be at least a bit "cretin-proofed" :-)

Paul