Install win 10 Pro to SSD but not default HD (default) in z2 min g4

[fredzh]

Hi, I just got my new z2 min g4 which has SSD an 2.5" HD.  I installed the win 10 Pro and found it is installed in the HD.

Can i install the win 10 pro to the SSD?  any processes?

Thank you very much.

Cheers,

Fred

[SDH]

Fred.... I'll assume you want the SSD as your boot OS/programs/fast drive and use the 2.5" HDD as your documents drive.  That is the way to go.  Sometimes it is best on clean installs to remove any added potential target drive so the only thing the OS installer has to install on is the drive you really want it on (your SSD).  Later on you can add back in the documents 2.5" form factor HDD once your OS is up and running.

Just this weekend I wasted hours making up a gold standard boot drive (SSD) on my Z620 v2 motherboard transplant project, which has two possible boot drives.  Captured the image, cloned it over to my final target SSD, tuned that up with more software, and finally realized I somehow had captured the wrong boot drive as my Acronis image.  If only I had taken a few seconds and removed the second boot drive before I captured the image......

[fredzh]

Hi SDH, Thank you very much for the vauable information. yes, i'd like to install the OS to the SSD instead of 2.5 inch HDD.  I will try remove the HDD first but not sure where is the OS installation image? if it is on HDD, do i need to download the windwos 10 and install?

Really appreicate your help.

Cheers,

Fred

[SDH]

Do you have a manual?  Have you done any reading on the HP Recovery process?  

Your manual:

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06099688

Read starting on page 73.

But first use Manage and navigate to Disk Management.  In there you should see both the SSD and the HDD.  One of them should have a Recovery partition.  HP says you also can get Recovery media directly from them.  Do you know that the OS is not already on the SSD?  If so how do you know that?

[fredzh]

Thank you very much for your help.

Yep, after few hours work, the issue is fixed.

Here are is the details:

1: after the Workstation shipped, installed the OS as default (it will be installed on the HDD as default)

2. create recovery median use HP recovery manager -- you can use search icon to searcy.  

    THis will need 16GB USB if you prefer use USB as the recovery media.

3. Follow the maintenance guid doc as mentioned to remove the HDD (remove the HDD physical connection or the disk).

4. Restore the factory settings by using USB created in step 2.

5. after the restore process completed, install the OS which will force the OS to be installed in the SDD.

6. after OS installation completed, you have choices to re-connect the HDD or replace the HDD with a new SSD.  in my case i replaced the HDD with a new SSD.

Cheers,

Fred

[fredzh]

Thanks SDH,  in the disk manager console, the hiden OS image is in HDD not SSD.

So i have to created an recovery median USB then use the USB to install all factory setting (include os image) to SSD later.

[SDH]

Fred,

Good to hear back from you.  You have done all those steps perfectly.

I just am finishing up a "gold standard" clean install for my Z620 v2 project, and that is on W7Pro64.  I have a number of older OEM COA installer DVD sets for the Z620 version 1 workstations and also have created more recent USB "Recovery Media" for the more recent version 1 and version 2 Z620 workstations we have.  The older USB Recovery Media would fit on a 8GB thumb drive, but the later W7Pro64 installer from our latest Z620 version 1 and the latest W7Pro64 installer from one of our most recent Z620 version 2 both require 16GB memory sticks.  These later installers are significantly more intuitive and more automatic, and place more recent drivers on the clean install.

As you know, you can only make one "Recovery Media" set from your original Recovery partition, and you have made your one.  However, if you had captured an Acronis image of your boot drive as it came from the factory (C drive Windows partition/Recovery partition/OS-Reserved small partition) then you could clone that back onto another SSD or HDD and make another USB Recovery Media set from the "untouched" Recovery partition on that clone (because you would have captured the image before creating your single USB Recovery Media set.  Knowing about this can be handy if you are compulsive and want more than one for safety.  You also can make an Acronis image of your USB Recovery Media and use Acronis to clone from that image onto another USB thumb drive, and thus have more than one that way too.  That second approach is more direct, of course, quicker, and works fine.

Congrats......