Yes you only need to unplug the power sata cable to remove it from Windows.
The XPS 8950 model that best suits my needs (after customizing) will include an ODD (optical disc drive), which I really don't need. I don't do anything with discs anymore. An ODD is a small thing, but it bugs me: It takes up a drive letter, briefly spins up at every restart, and I have to configure apps to ignore it. With my existing PC, I simply unplugged the power and data cables to the optical drive. Will I be able to do that with the XPS 8950?
XPS 8950, can I disable the ODD?