Adding a second HDD in the CD/DVD bay

[Btcc73]

Product number: P4X12PA#ABG

Current Specs:
- Processor & Graphics : 6th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6500U + NVIDIA GeForce 940M 4GB
- Memory : 16GB DDR3L - 1 DIMM
- Hard Drive : 2TB 5400 rpm Hard Drive

I want to swap my original HDD for a SSD and then use the CD bay to mount the HDD as my second drive for data.

Is it possible to do so if I don't actually have a CD/DVD tray optical drive in the first place?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[A4Apollo]

Hey there! @Btcc73,  Thanks for stopping by the HP Support Forums! 

I understand you would like to know you can install a secondary hard drive on your PC.

Don't worry I'll try to help you out.

I have checked the specifications of your laptop and it only has a single hard drive slot, so you cannot install a secondary hard drive on your PC.

However, HP also offers solutions for HP laptops with the Multibay, Multibay ii and standard optical drive bays. Note that there are also HP laptops that come standard with two internal drive bays. All you would need is a 2nd HDD caddy to upgrade.

You have to purchase a third party HDD caddy to install the secondary hard drive into the optical drive bay.

You can purchase the part from the third party website amazon using this link: https://hp.care/2JgmDz2

However, upgrading the components on your PC will void the warranty on your PC, So HP does not recommend upgrading the parts.

Refer this document to know more information about adding a secondary hard drive. Link: https://hp.care/2JcZFZB

Also, refer the laptop maintenance and service guide to know more information. Link: https://hp.care/2JcZGwD

If the solution provided worked for you, please mark accepted solution for this post.

Hope this answers your query! 
Have a pleasant day ahead! 🙂

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

[Btcc73]

Hi MrRobot,

Thank you for your detailed response.

Just before I accept solution, I've attached a photo of my laptop internals.

Note where the CD bay is empty, there is a socket - is it possible to tell from the photo whether this is a SATA connector and can I just plug & play a HDD caddy into this?

[A4Apollo · Accepted solution]

@Btcc73, Thanks for your quick response and time again.

I appriciate your efforts for writing back to us again.

As you wanted to know if the socket in the optical drive is a SATA connector.

Thanks for sharing the image and I have checked the image the connector in the optical drive bay is a SATA connector.

So you can install a hard drive caddy into the optical drive bay and install the hard drive.

Hope this answers your query!

Take Care! 🙂

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!