XPS 8950, SSD change

Is Disk0 a 500 GB HDD or an M.2  NVME SSD?

For starters, was the backup that's now on the new D: SSD made on this XPS 8950 or on a different PC?  If not made on the XPS 8950, it might not be able to boot the XPS 8950's hardware... 

Second, when you moved the Acronis image onto the new SSD, you failed to expand the size of the OS partition to use all the extra space on the new SSD. So only 459 GB of space on Disk1 is allocated to the OS (D:) partition and the other 459 GB is unallocated, meaning it's totally wasted space and can't be used. 

So you need to start over. Don't use Acronis, but look for an option to copy the other 4 partitions first, saving the OS partition for last.  Typically only the last partition copied onto another drive can be expanded. So read Acronis manual to see exactly how to expand the size of the OS partition, and then tell Acronis use all remaining free space for the OS partition. Then check Disk Management again and see if OS (D:) on Disk1 is now ~900 GB.

Once that's done, assuming existing Disk0 is an SSD, remove it from the M.2 slot and swap the new SSD into same slot. See if PC boots from the new drive now (assuming the image is compatible with XPS 8950 hardware).  It might take several attempts to boot before the new drive gets recognized and can be used.  NOTE: If Disk0 is a HDD, just disconnect its SATA data cable from the motherboard and plug new SSD into an M.2 slot.

Either way, assuming PC boots from the new SSD, make sure all the hardware and software are working properly. Then install old SSD in the empty M.2 slot (or reconnect the HDD SATA data cable.)

You will need to initialize the old drive because Windows Boot Manager may always boot from old drive when two drives with OS on them are installed. So, boot PC and tap F12 when you see the Dell screen. Choose to boot from the new SSD on the F12 menu.

When you get to desktop, run Disk Management and initialize the old drive (ALL FILES DELETED!), so make sure you choose the right drive!  After the old drive is initialized, reboot normally. PC should boot from new SSD and old drive should be available for storage.

Is Disk0 a 500 GB HDD or an M.2  NVME SSD?

Both disks are M.2 NVME

For starters, was the backup that's now on the new D: SSD made on this XPS 8950 or on a different PC?  If not made on the XPS 8950, it might not be able to boot the XPS 8950's hardware... 

The backup used to restore was made on this machine about ten days ago.

Second, when you moved the Acronis image onto the new SSD, you failed to expand the size of the OS partition to use all the extra space on the new SSD. So only 459 GB of space on Disk1 is allocated to the OS (D:) partition and the other 459 GB is unallocated, meaning it's totally wasted space and can't be used. 

So you need to start over. Don't use Acronis, but look for an option to copy the other 4 partitions first, saving the OS partition for last.  Typically only the last partition copied onto another drive can be expanded. So read Acronis manual to see exactly how to expand the size of the OS partition, and then tell Acronis use all remaining free space for the OS partition. Then check Disk Management again and see if OS (D:) on Disk1 is now ~900 GB.

It would be an easy matter for me to redo that step and see if there is something in the procedure that allows

me to make sure all the space is used. I seem to recall that during that process, there is a step that lists the order the various partitions are being moved to the new drive.

You will need to initialize the old drive because Windows Boot Manager may always boot from old drive when two drives with OS on them are installed. So, boot PC and tap F12 when you see the Dell screen. Choose to boot from the new SSD on the F12 menu.

That's what I am doing right now. When I get to the F12 menu, the new drive shows up and I select it to boot from, the computer starts but takes me to a BSOD that says "INACCESIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE".  My whole effort right now is to get the word BOOT to show up in the "OS (D:) partition. 

Thanks for your assistance. I have a project ahead of me tomorrow.

Kent

Does XPS 8950 allow booting from an external SSD in a USB-C enclosure via the F12 menu..? 

Stop trying to initialize the old SSD, at least for now.

It's always possible the Acronis image on the new drive has issues. So keep things simple.  Resolve the space allocation issue on the new SSD first. Then just swap that new SSD into the M.2 slot on motherboard where the old one is now and see if PC boots and everything works. That's the simplest/best way to find out if there's really a problem...

Once it's booting from new SSD in M.2 slot, install old one in the empty M.2 slot, use F12 menu to boot from new one and initialize the old one...

@RoHe​ Good morning Ron. The 8950 does allow booting from a usb drive via the F12 menu. But I tried that yesterday with the image on the new drive. When I tried to boot from it was when I got the BSOD INACCESIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE. I just don't know how to make the word BOOT appear in that partition when I look at it in DSKMGMT.  I think the first thing I will do is try to use dskmgmt and extend the primary partition into the unallocated space. And if that is successful , I will put that new drive into the hdd0 position of the motherboard and try it again. I will keep you posted.

It may allow booting from an external USB drive, but that may not include booting directly into Windows from an SSD (for security reasons). 

Have you tried booting from a bootable USB stick made using Microsoft's Windows Media Creation Tool or Rufus (free)?

You may need to have the OS partition last on the new SSD to increase its size with Disk Management to use all the unallocated space. On my Win 10 PC, the OS partition is second on the SSD, but I only have option to shrink it, not to expand it, even thought there's ~1 GB of unallocated space available...

@RoHe​ 

Hello Ron, Yes, I do have a clean win11 boot usb that was created from MS Windows Media Creation Tool. I also have a flash drive with the Acronis Boot system on it that I have kept up to date with their firmware. In addition I have a Windows recovery drive that I made back when I bought this computer. It probably should be updated.  I also recovered this OS that I want to use from my NAS onto the new M.2 drive using a usb enclosure but it would not boot. It produced the results with the BSOD regarding the inaccessible drive. My next effort will be another counsel with Acronis to see what I need to do to make this new drive bootable. One thing that I want to try next is to boot to the Acronis media and then recover to the new drive installed into the 1 (hdd0) port of the motherboard. And Acronis may have some insights regarding this issue that I was not able to dig out of the manual or the faq pages 

Thanks for your interest 

IMO, just expand the size of the OS partition on the new SSD to use all available space and then swap it into the M.2 slot where old SSD is installed.  

If that doesn't work, then it's time to talk to Acronis...

@RoHe​ Ron , I just finished a lengthy reply to Acronis. I basically did as you suggested but using a different tactic. I booted the computer to an Acronis boot flash drive and performed the recovery from there. The results were basically the same except for one minor thing. This time the primary partition was the full size of the disk and there was no unallocated partition. But it still did not work. Even using the F12 menu, I still got the BSOD with the same message. 

@merkelck​ 

I guessing here, and trying to RECALL what I did to my wife's PC 'ages' ago when I replaced the booting hard drive with an SSD.

I think what I did initially was put in the SSD, and then using Acronis (probably an older 202x version) just tried to RESTORE the ENTIRE DISK 0. Now this required a complete BACK-UP of the ENTIRE DISK 0 other than the un-allocated space I recall.

That did NOT work.... I suspected the BOOT RECORD was the problem. So I decided to try a different way.

I got the Windows Media disk and installed Windows (win10 at the time) onto the formatted SSD...

That booted just fine.

Next I used Acronis to restore ONLY C: partition. Worked fine and booted...

Now, that is WHAT I think I did? I can not be 100% certain. However, these were SATA drives too, but that shouldn't matter. You have 2 M.2 slots I recall, so you can leave both SSD's in and use the BIOS setting to switch boot order as well, which might work well for you.

If all else fails, you could get a program that would CLONE the drive over.

If you have the LATEST ACRONIS TRUE IMAGE, they have a TOOL that would do this for you (no, I've not used it):

@ispalten​ Thanks for the response to this exasperating dilemma. I am trying to wrap my mind around this idea and I think it may solve the problem. I already have the system that I want on the second M.2 drive but I can't boot to it. The first M.2 drive is bootable and It has had some things added to it. Everything I added to it would be on the second drive and I am not sure what would happen. Would the clone process overwrite what was already there?

I have in inquiry in place with Acronis but I am giving a lot of thought to your idea. I think just to be safe I will back up the current C: drive just for a safe place to restart.  

I will keep you post.

With the new SSD in the M.2 slot, boot PC from the Acronis USB stick you created. See if it offer a boot repair option and run that. 

Otherwise, boot from the Win 11 installation USB created with Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. When that opens, look for option to Repair Your Computer on the opening screen.  Then click Troubleshoot>Advanced Options>Automatic Repair.  

Either way, see if that fixes the problem...

@merkelck​ 

The first M.2 drive is bootable and It has had some things added to it. Everything I added to it would be on the second drive and I am not sure what would happen.

The 1st drive is the 'old' bootable drive, right? Added to it AFTER you used Acronis to image it then?

So the 2nd drive then was created from an image of the 1st bootable drive?

Not sure what you mean by "I am not sure what would happen."?

Do you mean if you CLONE it using Acronis, that is the 1st bootable M.2 to the 2nd M.2?

Check this Acronis page out, https://care.acronis.com/s/article/2931-How-to-clone-a-laptop-hard-drive?language=en_US, yes, it says Laptop, and also a USB drive. However, substitute the 1st M.2 drive at the Source drive and the 2nd as the target drive. Note that the Target drive will become the bootable drive.

I suspect that was the problem you really had. The 1st M.2 boot drive was not completely (all partitions) saved and copied to the target M.2 drive. I assume you did go into the BIOS after you restored the 1sd SSD to the 2nd SSD and did not see it as a boot choice?

If so, the Acronis Clone will do a complete drive (not partition) copy of the 1st drive to the 2nd (source to target) and make the target bootable. Anything NEW you put on the 2nd SSD (target drive) will be lost using Acronis.

Backing up the C: partition on the 1st SSD is wise, but I'd do the entire disk, not just the partitions....

This is what I saved in Acronis from my Boot drive:

This is what the same boot drive looks like in Disk Management:

That first partition is the true boot partition. Size IS different in the Acronis size and NO Free space is saved.

So, just the C: partition is not enough.

Alternatively, one could use the MS Media install to do a complete install to the 2nd M.2 and THEN restore the C: partition to it. That would work as well, but  you'd lose some of the Dell partitions for recovery (I've NEVER used those though).

@ispalten​ thanks to both. First to Ron, I have tried that before and got the same results again. The BSOD "inaccessible boot drive."

Now let me clear the air here as I think the waters have been muddied.

Right now the machine has the original 512gb M.2 drive installed in position 1 of the MB (hdd0). It has a clean install of win 11  as directed by Dell. I have added some other things to get it where I can use it. But nothing that I can't afford to lose because it all resides on the backup that I am using to restore. In position 2 of the MB is a 1TB M.2 drive installed a couple days ago. On it right now is a backup of the system that was on it when the disaster happened ten days ago. That backup was made before the incident. It is this system that I want to use. The backup is on my NAS. 

As I read your procedure, it appears that I need to do a restore from my current backup but only restore that one partition to the drive now installed in in port 2 (hdd1). What you are doing is to restore that EFI partition from a working drive to the non booting drive.

I'll be back!!!

@merkelck​ Well that did not take long. But it did not work. The partition was restored just like I asked it to do. Note the first partition is now two 100MB instead of one 200MB. But the primary partition does not indicate BOOT.

My next effort is going to be as you mentioned in your previous post. I plan to physically move the new 1tb drive into position 1 and then using the ms media, create a new install. Then see if I can restore just the primary partition from my NAS to that drive. It seems like I have tried many things but I just haven't tried the right thing.  I still have not had a response from ATI which is unusual for them. 

Maybe better news tomorrow.