Clone system SSD before first boot

[Joel]

Hello everyone,

I just discovered this forum dedicated to the Dell Precision 7770 and I found it very interesting to follow.

I myself ordered one of these machines which I will receive in a few days.

However, there is one question that I haven't found the answer to:

Can I before starting the machine for the very first time, remove the system SSD in order to clone it with Macrium-Reflect and put it back in place after this cloning without risking losing the Dell warranty.

Thank you in advance if you know the answer to this question.

Have a good day.

[Aaron44126]

Yes.  Dell is pretty lenient with the warranty when it comes to adding and removing components.  The rule is basically that the warranty is intact as long as you didn't break anything with your modifications, and Dell has the option to request that you put the system back into its original configuration before performing service.  (Dell even provides the screws and heatsinks that you need to install additional SSDs in the Precision 7000 systems, something that you do not always see from laptop makers.)

 

.......I myself just used Macrium Reflect bootable media and cloned the drive while it was still in the system (before booting it for the first time).  You most likely would have to switch the BIOS disk controller mode from "RAID" to "NVMe/AHCI" in order for Macrium Reflect to be able to see the drive, and then switch it back before booting Windows for the first time.

[MyPC8MyBrain]

2 hours ago, Joel said:

Can I before starting the machine for the very first time, remove the system SSD in order to clone

i do this for every system i receive,
no need to remove the drive though just press F12 as soon as system shows sign of life,

i use Acronis boot media on usb drive to load a low level backup software, you can backup to external drive,

takes 5 min to take a snapshoot regardless of Dell leniency it will not void warranty from any manufacturer.

 

sidenote: read up on the 7X70 line discussion on here before you jump head first,

[Joel]

Thank you all!