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September 4th, 2022 16:00

Install a second Windows 11

I have a Precision 7560 with Windows 11. I want to install a second Windows 11, creating a dual-boot setup with two installations of Windows 11.

(The main reason for this is to have another Windows installation that I can use to troubleshoot configuration problems without destroying my current installation or otherwise make it unusable. If I then get everything working on that second installation, the idea is to eventually make it the main one and delete the first installation.)

My first question is whether I can use the Dell OS Recovery Tool to create a second installation, ideally already with the correct drivers. Is this possible? Does it work similarly to the normal Windows setup, that allows me to select the partition into which to install Windows? (I already have created a partition on my disk for a second installation.)

In case that doesn't work, I guess I could use a USB stick with the Windows 11 setup program. It needs a disk driver to see my (NVMe) disks. What driver(s) would I use, and how do I get them in a form that the Windows 11 setup program can use?

Thanks!

September 10th, 2022 07:00

I had probably the worst contact I ever had with Dell support about this. I solved my problem, but no thanks to Dell support. Without going into details about all the things that were bad, here are the answers:

  • According to Dell support, I can't use the Dell OS Recovery Tool for this, because it creates its own partition configuration and destroys any previously existing partitions. (Given what happened during this contact with Dell support, I have little confidence in this information. I'm just relaying it here as told to me by Dell support.)
  • I could use Microsoft Windows boot media, but I needed a disk driver. (I think this is because my system shipped with RAID mode on in the BIOS. It may not be necessary if SATA is set to AHCI in the BIOS.) The correct driver is in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver (look in the Storage section of your system's drivers), under the F6/VMD directory. I used the non-managed driver, and it worked. (I got this information from an HP support article -- no thanks to Dell support. I several times asked the support rep, but they didn't even try to answer this question, instead going off unrelated tangents.)

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27.1K Posts

September 4th, 2022 18:00

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