The simplest method to install a new copy of Windows onto a FuzeDrive is as follows:
1. Ensure that the BIOS SATA settings are set to AHCI (not RAID) and secure boot is set to off. For boot volumes > 2TB make sure your BIOS is set to boot in UEFI mode and not legacy as legacy mode will limit the size of your boot drive to 2TB.
2. it is recommended for configurations where the SSD is larger than the licensed capacity of the FuzeDrive software (e.g. 512GB SSD with a Basic 256GB license), to install the Windows OS onto the Slowest media (not the fastest). This will avoid many of the issues with any SSD license capacity limits.
If you have an SSD that has a capacity equal to or less than the FuzeDrive capacity limit (e.g. 128GB with the basic 256GB license) , then it is recommended that you install Windows onto the SSD first before converting to a FuzeDrive so that all Windows files are already on the fastest storage tier.
Example 1: FuzeDrive (basic edition) with a 256GB SSD limit:
- For a 512GB SSD plus 1TB HDD, install the OS onto the HDD
- For a 256GB SSD plus 1TB HDD, install the OS onto the SSD
Example 2: FuzeDrive Plus (higher capacity version) with a 1TB SSD limit:
- For a 512GB SSD plus 1TB HDD, install the OS onto the SSD
Preferably, make sure no other blank unformatted drives are connected when installing Windows as some versions of Windows may attempt to use multiple drives instead of just the one.
IMPORTANT: For hibernate or fast shutdown support, ensure that either the OS drive or the newly added drive (or both if SATA) is attached directly to one of the motherboard SATA controller ports. Check the motherboard documentation for your specific model to determine which ports are attached to the main core logic AHCI/SATA controller versus any third party AHCI/SATA controllers.
While the system will still work on non-core logic third party AHCI/SATA controllers, if one of the devices is not on the primary AHCI/SATA controller, system shutdown may not work properly. If this is the case, simply move the SATA drive to one of the core logic AHCI/SATA ports (see motherboard documentation for how to identify the correct ports) or if not possible to move the drive, uncheck hibernate and fast shutdown options in the Windows power management control panel option "Change what the power buttons do".
2. Once Windows is fully installed and all the motherboard system drivers have been added (except any storage drivers), install the FuzeDrive software and reboot.
3. Make sure that the new drive being added is completely empty and has no data on it. Delete any existing partitions on the drive being added if necessary using Disk Manager or diskpart on the command line, making sure to backup any data you need to keep first.
3. Run the FuzeDrive configuration utility and select the option to Create Bootable FuzeDrive. If you correctly cleaned the newly added drive and these are the only two drives in the system, the utility should automatically select the two drives for you. The system will then reboot after a short period of time and if necessary, complete several setup optimization tasks.
4. Open the Disk Manager, and find the FuzeDrive virtual disk drive. It will be the one that contains the C:. If not already completed automatically by the software, manually expand the C: to fill the rest of the drive if supported.
- Summary
- Steps to Move the Recovery Partition and Expand the Boot Volume