Place Windows bootloader on another storage device
Place Windows bootloader on another storage device
Trying to configure the old HP Z620 workstation for a friend involves adding a 256GB NVMe drive and a 2TB HDD. The main challenge is that the Z620 doesn’t boot from NVMe drives and lacks BIOS support. It seems possible if you install the Windows bootloader on the HDD, but most guidance suggests dual-booting or fixing bootloader placement. You mentioned an idea of moving Windows to the SSD after erasing the partition with the installation, then reinstalling it. This approach has worked before when similar settings were met. If you can recreate those specific conditions, it might yield the desired outcome. Let me know if you need more details!
Did you check this out?
1. NVMe boot only functions when the system runs in UEFI mode and legacy storage options are turned off. But if your drive uses UEFI CSM (such as the Samsung SSD 970 Pro), legacy mode needs to be activated for it to act as a boot device.
2. Compatibility is limited to NVMe 1.1. Drives that don’t support backward NVMe 1.1 won’t work as boot drives. Would you consider configuring the SSD as a cache instead?
Sure thing! It seems you're considering updating your setup for better performance. You already have a second-generation Z Turbo Drive with an NVMe 1.2 Samsung SSD, so you might want to test that first before moving to the newer 256GB drive.
Always adjust partitions or loaders yourself: Only a few updates left for the old boot version.