Expandable storage in Hp Omen 17-w203no

[Zylvian]

Hey!

So I need to expand my storage of my Omen laptop. Currently, the only built-in storage is a 512GB SSD, and I have to use external USB hard drives to keep up with my demand. I was curious if it's possible to expand the internal storage, as I can't find any information about it online. Is there an extra SSD slot, or a slot for a HDD?

Thanks!

[Photoray002 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Zylvian 

There is an HDD slot for a laptop sata drive 2.5in. But in those models, usually if the model didnt come with the HDD already installed, the brackets and harness were not installed either. You should look inside and see if they are there or not.

You can order them special from HP.

NOTE: I just checked and they are available in the USA, but I have no idea if you can get them in Norway. You might have to look to a 3rd party seller.

Hard drive connector and cable  PN: 862964-001

Hard drive brackets with rubber PN: 911227-001

https://parts.hp.com/hpparts/Default.aspx?mscssid=A6D98E3384E94A99A6447DA27B61BB7E

Your manual also has the info...

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05260118.pdf

[Zylvian]

Hey @Photoray002, thanks for the insanely fast and detailed response!

So I'm guessing that means there is no way for me to expand the SSD capacity, other than swapping out the SSD inside.

I'm also not quite sure what to look for when I pop open the laptop; how do I know if the required brackets are there or not? Furthermore, is it possible I could somehow use my USB hard drive for that purpose, or will it not work in that way?

Thanks again! 😁

[Photoray002]

Click on that manual link I gave above and look through it. Page 38 shows the brackets. 😉

Also, that model isn't the most convenient to open. It has delicate plastic tabs the have to be separated with a spudger or credit card, besides removing the screws.

You can use a USB external drive for data storage, absolutely. You cannot run Windows from it.

[Photoray002]

Also, you didnt mention what was eating up the Main drives space, but you can point the default location of Documents, Photos, Music, etc to the external drive.

If Games are eating up space, you can install them to the external drive also, like Steam games for example. I only put one or two main games on my main drive, the rest go into my D drive. Steam's website will explain how to do that.

[Zylvian]

Hahah yeah I've opened it once before with a buddy when we were cleaning it for dust. We had to use a credit card and the sound of the tabs being forced open felt like my child was getting cut down in front of me.

Thanks for the guidance to the tabs bit! Looking at it, is it necessary to have those specific brackets, or would any means of keeping the SATA disk in place work? I've had some mixed experience with ordering 3rd party parts from the US, but I'll try to find any sort of similar retailer in Norway for those parts. Just want to have a backup plan. 🙂

Sorry for the abundance of questions, but does a SATA drive connected in that specific slot require any additional BIOS setup, or is it plug-and-play?

[Photoray002]

The tab noise... 😁

On the brackets, If you can find another cable connector to connect the drive with, you can hold it down with velcro or double sided tape. What ever you can come up with, absolutely. 

DIY is the bomb. 👍

You shouldn't have to do anything in the bios, no.

You "might" have to initialize the drive and give it a letter in the Windows Drive Manager