Unable to boot / install Windows 10 on HP Elitebook 840 G2 with PCIe SSD

[Stepi79]

It is not possible to install Windows 10 on my HP Elitebook 840 G2. I have recently upgraded the notebook with a M.2 SSD (Toshiba RC100, 240GB PCIe). Previously Windows 10 was installed on 500GB original HDD. My idea is to use the SSD for booting Windows 10 and to store data on old HDD.

I tried already several configurations in BIOS, but still same error: windows cannot be installed on drive 0 partition 1 (if only SSD is connected). If both disks (SSD and HDD) are in I'm able to go 1 step further and Windows copies files, but after reboot Windows can't find the boot drive.

BIOS is alredy updated to latest version. Windows installation is done via Media Creation Tool based on latest version (Win Pro 1803) via USB.

Who can help?

[WAWood]

@Stepi79

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

I'd like to suggest an alternative approach -- migrate the OS from the HDD to the SDD, instead of installing it afresh.

What I recommend is the following:
1) Download and install Macrium Reflect (MR) from here:  https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
2) Follow the instructions in this link: http://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW/Cloning+a+disk
3) Shutdown the PC when done
4) Boot into the BIOS/UEFI and swap the boot drives to boot from the SSD

NOTE: To do this easily, the SDD has to be the same capacity as the HDD.  IF you get an SDD that is a lot smaller, then before you do the cloning, you have to shrink the largest partition on the HDD (usually the OS partition), to the size such that it, and the other partitions, fit easily on the SSD.

[Stepi79]

Hi,

thanks for your support. Indeed that was my initial approach to clone the disk. But I tried several times with Acronis True Image. After changing the boot device and restart, Windows did not start.

I have done all steps with Macrium described, but still the same issue, boot device not found. It seems that BIOS does not really detect the SSD as boot device.

If I boot from HDD to Windows then I have access to SSD. I'm not really sure, if the notebook support a PCIe SSD, but in documention the drive seems to be supported.

Any other ideas?

[Stepi79 · Accepted solution]

In the meantime I was able to find a solution with Clover boot loader.

[ahbecan]

Hi,

I have that same problem. Please, Can you write how you did it?

[Stepi79]

Hi,

there is a software available with the name clover bootloader. In order to start Windows on SSD it is required to copy the Clover bootloader to the HDD in an own partition. In Clover you specifiy the SSD as partion where Windows can be found. Then you change the boot device in HP BIOS to start the Clover partition. So from now on, HP will boot the Clover partition on HDD, then Clover partition will boot Windows on SSD. It is also possible to copy the Clover bootloader to an USB stick and boot via USB. In this case no HDD is required.

[ahbecan]

Hi,

Thank you for your answer. I don't know. It seems to be a complicated process.. Do I need to do this before every boot?

[Stepi79]

Yes, it is not so easy, you need to have experience about disks and partitions. The mentioned steps are only required once for the setup. Afterwards it is a usual boot process.

[Pudiyapura]

Detailed steps here:
https://www.win-raid.com/t2375f50-Guide-NVMe-boot-without-modding-your-UEFI-BIOS-Clover-EFI-bootload...