Computer not booting with drive plugged in

[manafasif]

My hard drive started slowing down so I decided to replace it with an SSD. However, if I plug in the SSD, the computer doesn't boot. It just stays on the HP logo indefinitely. If I hit ESC, the screen changes but the actual menu doesn't show up, so I can't actually interact with the boot menu, bios, recovery, etc.  As soon as I unplug the drive though, the computer goes back to normal. I bought another SSD, but the issue persisted. I tried copying all original partitions to the new SSD, installing windows on the SSD first, completely wiping the SSD, etc. The strangest part is, when I connect the original HDD back to the computer, it boots fine. Is there a specific image I need to flash to my drive before I can use it? Where can I find it?

[TheOldMan]

There is a thread on the forum where this is discussed which I will post a link

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Desktop-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/M-2-SSD-specs-upgrade/td-p/7918...

However, there are some questions about what has been posted. 

First it is not clear what type of SSD is under consideration.  Is it a SSD meant to replace the hard drive or a M.2 drive?

2) In order to get the BIOS screen on the newer HP models, here is the procedure

Start tapping the Esc key BEFORE starting the PC and then press the start button.
Keep tapping the Esc key until a popup menu shows.  Then pick the setup menu F10

The new SSD should show up in that choice of drives to boot from.  It may  have to have the Windows installed in order to be seen, however.

3) you cannot just copy the partitions from the hard drive to the SSD, there needs to be a process called "cloning" to make an exact copy of the old drive to the SSD.  Many SSD drive manufacturers offer cloning software to do that.

Please explain in more detail the make and model of the SSD being considered.