AHCI controller for 17-E049WM

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Yes, that is pretty funny.

On Intel PC's, W10 does the same thing.

Some of my PC's had that 2006 Microsoft Standard AHCI Controller until I installed either the chipset driver, or the Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) driver.

IMHO, you are better off with the AMD SATA driver from 2015.

[me101963]

Again I just want to say thank you. HP customer service as well as every product I have owned or used is leaps and bounds above all others. I started with Compaq early on, had to be in the 80's, and then HP. Always the most flexible, upgradeable, and well supported equipment on the market. I would never buy or recommend anything else.

I did go ahead and update back to the AMD driver as I'm installing the new SSD soon. I have a utility that checks allot of parameters and the drive is still operating at 3gb/s, but that is the original 750gb HDD. I'm going to clone it to a Samsung EVO860 SSD but then flat case the old HDD to use if needed. I got a case that handles both 2.5 and 3.5 with it's own power supply. Lol... I'm really excited a I love to tinker!

I learned allot in these forums and really think you all do a great job. I'm also changing out the wireless card to a Broadcomm dual band with Bluetooth so I can stop messing around with a USB. I found the part suggestion in one of these forums and had never thought about the Bluetooth.I just goes to show how well HP is designed that after six years I can still affordably upgrade this laptop and pass it down to someone that needs it someday. 

I was going to upgrade the RAM from the 8gb it has now, but there is so many mixed signals. The manuals say it can go to 12gb (not sure how with only two slots), some say 16gb, and many say that 8gb is the most. I never do much beyond Office and browsing anyway so the SSD for faster starts and the dual band internally is more than enough.

You have been awesome so please pass on my highest regards to this that need to hear it.  HP ALL THE WAY!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Here is the Crucial memory report for your PC.  It can indeed take 2 x 8 GB of memory.

https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/HP-Compaq/pavilion-17-e049wm

Here is the service manual for your notebook.   The memory upgrade info can be found in chapter 1.

The 12 GB max is incorrect.  If a PC can take 8 GB in one slot, it can take 8 GB in t'other.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04069163

Suggested wifi card upgrades...

Dual band AC w/Bluetooth (my recommendation)

Broadcom BCM4352 802.11ac 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 combo       HP Part #  724935-001

Dual band N w/Bluetooth:

Broadcom BCM943228HMB 802.11abgn 2×2 Wi-Fi Adapter, Broadcom Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter     HP Part #730668-001

You should be able to find either card on eBay or Amazon.

Search by the HP part number, not the model of the wifi card.

The drive controller your notebook has should be SATA III, but even if it is only SATA II, a SSD will still run circles around the mechanical hard drive.

Happy Holidays!

[me101963]

Yep, that the wireless card I ordered AND I just finished ordering the RAM... My postal carrier is going to really hate me after all these packages... Lol After what you wrote about the RAM.. I was originally going to get it...I went ahead and ordered it... It's fully loaded now... Thanks again and you have a great holiday as well

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Happy upgrading!

Please post back and let us know how it all went.

[me101963]

Oh in sure you'll hear from me soon as I have that luck of that of don't fix something that isn't broke!

I am seriously considering a clean install of my OS, Windows 10, and MSoffice on the new drive instead of cloning and then just bringing over just what I use as far as files. I really dislike all the fluff that comes along when you get a new computer and I always and end up deleting it right away. But then, with the SSD, the ability to access much faster really negates that approach I suppose as there are programs that I may not have used in a long time that I would have to drag out the HHD to go get... What do you think? Does not cloning affect my HP recovery/management tools?

One silly question since the is my first SSD if I may.... I've used defrag for decades. Is that something that is fine with an SSD?

Thanks

[Paul_Tikkanen]

I would definitely clean install W10 and reload your programs and files on the new installation.

When you clean install W10, and if you are asked to enter a product key during the installation, select the 'I don't have a product key' option, and W10 will install and automatically activate once you are connected to the internet.

What is nice with W10, it automatically detects there is a SSD installed, so it will TRIM the drive instead of defragmenting it, when you run the Defragment and Optimize drive utility in W10.

You never want to defrag a SSD, so if you install one on a PC with an older operating system, you need to use the software utility from the SSD mfr to TRIM the drive.

[me101963]

Gotcha.. so I plug this new drive into my USB and have my old HDD in my laptop... How do I get Windows on the SSD?

Or do I just pull the HDD out first, drop the SSD in and then get a clean version off MS as the new drive isn't necessarily bootable, is it?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Make a bootable W10 installer using the Media creation tool at the link below.

You can do that now while you are waiting for your parts to arrive.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Swap out the old HDD with the blank SSD, boot from the W10 installation media, and off you go.

[me101963]

Cool.. Thank you! I hadn't thought much about it, but it's been at least 10 years since I swapped a drive...I remember SCSI, slaves and jumpers... Lol

So if I want any of the goodies HP provided me, like DVD software suite, do I just go and download the SP's?