Basic question about SSD slot - Is this an empty drive bay?

[Affinity88]

Hello! I've never upgraded a laptop so this is probably a silly question, but I opened up my 15-ec0xxx laptop today to install some RAM, and while I was doing so I wanted to confirm that there is an empty SSD slot. I know it's supposed to support 1 m.2 and 1 sata SSD, and mine has an m.2, so I just wanted to confirm that there was an empty slot for a 2nd SDD that I could use to upgrade in the future.

Where the empty SSD bay should have been was a large black box with the HP logo on it. I would have taken a picture but I wasn't expecting I would need to when I took my laptop apart and I didn't want to walk across carpet to get my phone, but I found the picture below on Google that has the same box. It's in the bottom left beside the battery. Is this just a place-holder for an SSD while the bay is empty?

I confirmed that my laptop definitely has an m.2 SSD installed, so I'm not sure what the black HP box is doing there.

[banhien]

@Affinity88 

What EXACTLY is your HP 15-ec0xxx ? For example HP Pavilion - 15-ec0013dx, its specs

      https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/c06463281

Manual for the Pavilion 15-ec0xxx series is

      http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c06446633.pdf

which shows totally different layout, on page 33 with HDD slot clearly shown.

Regards.

[Affinity88]

Is there a place where I can find the exact model number? Everywhere I look just shows "15-ec0xxx."
Product number : 7QS78UA#ABA
Serial number : 5CD938225Q

But no, that picture does not show the exact layout, I was just using it as an example. What I'm asking is, is it normal for HP laptops (of any model) to fill an empty hard drive bay with a similar black box as the one shown in the picture? My laptop FOR SURE has an m.2 drive, I saw it when I installed the ram and my device manager shows a "Kbg30zmv256g TOSHIBA 256GB," which is an m.2 SSD. So I don't understand why my hard drive slot is filled with a black box with an HP logo on it like the one in the picture above, which looks like an SSD, but isn't being detected by my system and isn't supposed to be there at all.

[banhien]

@Affinity88 

Ok, your machine is an HP Pavilion - 15-ec0751ms, its specs

      https://support.hp.com/au-en/document/c06459239

>>> But no, that picture does not show the exact layout,  I was just using it as an example

I need to know where to picture come from, which model/product of THAT machine. You showed me an orange and asking for an apple.

Many newer machines from HP now don't have room for 2.5" bay. I believe HP follows other vendors to remove 2.5" drive options.

I know 5 machines in front of me right now DO NOT have 2.5" drive options : 2 Dell machines, 1 MS Surface, 1 HP machine and 1 Apple machine. The HP machine is an Elitebook 840 G5.

Regards.

[Affinity88]

My computer DOES have a 2.5" bay.

The 2.5" bay DOES have a black box with an HP logo in the bay, with a sata cable attached to the mother board.

The computer DOES NOT detect a 2.5" SSD.

So am I to assume I was shipped a non-functioning HP-branded 2.5" SSD?

[banhien]

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@Affinity88 wrote:

... So am I to assume I was shipped a non-functioning HP-branded 2.5" SSD?

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@Affinity88 

It probably a dummy plastic block. You still did not say WHAT IS IT

Regards.