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1 Rookie
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8 Posts
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59
November 15th, 2024 10:12
18 R1, upgrade from mSATA to M.2 NVMe
Hello everyone,
I own an Alienware 18 ALW18-3006sLV (I think is an R3). I found a MXM 3.0 to M.2 NVME adapter in AliExpress and bought it. Thing is, despite I figure out how to install Windows 10 in an 1TB Samsung Pro, I can't see how to make it the default boot option. Internet says I need a moded or unlocked BIOS, but I can only find R2 and I am terrified to brick my machine by mistake. Does anybody know where I can find the correct unlocked bios and what option to activate in order to boot from the adapter? The laptop is currently running under OEM A15 BIOS.
This is the adapter: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005365734570.html
This is the NVMe SSD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08GLX7TNT
This is my laptop: https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/alienware-18/overview
Thanks in advance, this is driving me nuts.
C.S.
ejn63
10 Elder
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28.6K Posts
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November 15th, 2024 19:53
You will need to find someone who rewrote the firmware -- the system has no native support for booting from a drive mounted in a GPU socket. If there is no firmware available, the drive can be used only for storage - not as a boot drive.
mattyb3
5 Practitioner
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1.6K Posts
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November 20th, 2024 02:44
It isn't an R3. Some people refer to the 18 as the M18x R3 as it followed the M18x R2 but it is a completely different laptop. There was technically only one version of the 18.
I've had an NVMe adapter working great in my old M18x but I sold that one a little while ago and I can't quite remember what I had to do to get it working. It works great as a boot drive. I never tried it in an 18 but I believe the process is identical.
I would suggest to head over to Notebooktalk.net and navigate to the Alienware section of the forum. You will definitely find your answer there. If the Unlocked BIOS is required then you can also find this on that site for free. I already had the unlocked M18x R2 BIOS on my old system for the GTX 1070 upgrade.
DO NOT try to flash the M18x R2 BIOS on your 18. If by some chance it allows the flash, you will definitely brick it.