Solved: Booting from SSD - HP Support Community

as-envy · ‎05-25-2016

Hi I posted a question about upgrading ram and m2 SSD about a year and half ago. Due to fear of voiding warranty, I abandoned the idea of upgrading.

But now it really sucks more so as I have a desktop with SSD.

Besidess warranty, another thing that lead to change of mind then was fact that I cannot boot this thing from M2 SSD.

Now my question is that if I swap HDD with SSD (like Samsung EVO), will I be able to boot from that or not?

Or still if there is a way too make this boot from M2, like after BIOS upgrade or any other trick? as this will allow me to put in smalll (256Gig) M2 SATA SSD and have 1TB HDD as well.

as-envy · ‎06-07-2016

Hi Folks,

Really appreciate help from @erico, @Mrstenter and @Sparkles1, thanks to all you for your time and support.

So we are bit wiser and frustrated as well!!

Spoiler

Summary: I was able to install Windows on M.2 and boot from it. Now I have dual boot system with one OS on SSD and other on M.2 and I am given choice which one to run.

I got Samsung 850 EVO M.2 250GB, Samsung 850 Pro SSD. I installed Samsung cloning software and cloned my HDD to SSD. It offered to shutdown system to install SSD which I accepted.

I installed SSD but system did not boot from it. It displayed "No operating system installed". I tried to fiddle with BIOS but nothing work. Actually its just an illusion, there not much scope to change anything in BIOS. It was just enabling/disabling legacy boot. But nothing worked :catsad:

I put in HDD back and it won't boot either Now I was really frustrated. As advised in many threads, I tried to repair windows but nothing worked. Though both hard disks were accessible from Windows setup repair command prompt.

After all futile attempts I installed M.2 drive and thanks to both HP and Samsung there is no screw it. After trying with few screws, the ones I took from CD drive (on chassis) was able to hold it. Screw you HP and Samsung.

I tried again today to boot from HDD but that is not even working.....

Now I thought to install Windows afresh. Surprise, surprise.................. Setup offered to installed it on M.2.....

I happily installed it on M.2 and laptop happily booted from M.2

Well the joy was short-lived, once I power it off (not reboot from start button), it again tries to boot from SSD asn M.2 is disk 1 and SSD is disk 0 in order. There don't seem to be any way to fix this easily.

Well seems this time culprit was Microsoft not HP or someone else. After trying to fix installation of Windows 10 on cloned SSD I found out that there is some bug in Windows 10 recovery which sometimes misbehaves due to some drivers.

Also I had said that I was not able to boot from M.2, but seems MS was culprit there as well. During rebooting etc. display driver was updated and it is not working still. After clean install of Win 10 on SSD, I get following at boot time:

Operating System Choice at boot time

Now another issue cropped up, SSD was no where, neither in Disk Management nor Device Manager.

I restarted few times but it was still at large. Then shutdown laptop and again enabled legacy boot mode in BIOS. This time it was picked by windows. I had to install few chipset drivers and CD-ROM drive was recognized as well.

Following are few shots:

M.2 Installed: Samsung 850 EVO M.2 250GB

Both Drives shown in Disk Management console:

both SSDs in Disk Management

In nutshell, HP Envy 15 K001TX supports M.2 SATA drive and can boot off it as well.

View solution in original post

Sparkles1 · ‎05-26-2016

Hi @as-envy,

Thank you for your query.

I grasp that you would like to upgrade your HDD to a SSD drive. When I checked the maintenance and service guide for your notebook, it does list some mSATA solid state drives.

HP ENVY 17 Notebook PC HP ENVY 15 Notebook PC Maintenance and Service Guide

Please note chapter 3, page 26,item 3 for the supported drives and also chapter 3, page 21, item 10 has the recommended memory modules.

Hope this helped.

If this post helps you to resolve the issue, please pay it forward by clicking "Accept as Solution", to the right of the Thumbs up icon. You can click the thumbs up icon to show gratitude! 🙂

Sparkles1

as-envy · ‎05-27-2016

Hi Sparkles1,

Well I have the manual and the recommended storages. My questions are underlined below:

I want to put in SSD. Will my laptop be able to boot from SSD?

From various sources (including this forum) I know it cannot boot from M2.SATA.

If I put M2.SATA, is there any way to make it boot from it, like BIOS upgrade?

as-envy · ‎06-01-2016

HI Sparkles,

Lets leave everything aside.

Will you able to help me know what M.2 is supported M.2 SATA only or I can put in M.2 PCIe as well?

Mrstenter · ‎06-01-2016

Hey @as-envy,

Your system is only compatible with 256 GB mSATA solid-state drive 766593-001 the M2 might work but it could lag as it is not compatible with your processor.

The difference between the two connector types doesn't really matter at this point. You don't really get to "choose" which connector type you want in a laptop. Laptop manufacturers will use either mSATA or M.2, with strong trending towards M.2 in laptops these days.

The issue is your system uses the mSATA as Storage or Caching. So you will not be able to have the OS installed on it.

Your Hard Drive can be changed to an SSD but you must keep the specs the same as yours 1.0TB SATA hard disk drive or larger- 5,400 RPM, 2.5-inch form factor, 9.5mm height.

I hope this address your concerns.

If you wish to say Thanks for my effort to help, click the Thumbs up to give me a Kudos or by marking this post as Accept as Solution.

Thanks.

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as-envy · ‎06-02-2016

Well now I'm thoroughly confusd 🙂

It says on page 31 (Item 13 in table) of this maual

256 GB mSATA solid-state drive MLC (not pictured) available on select models 766593-001

256 GB mSATA solid-state drive TLC (not pictured) 766594-001

but on page 12 in Hard drives section it says

Support M.2 SATA Storage (Port0)

below this in Solid State Drives it again says

256 GB M.2 SATA (MLC)

256 GB M.2 SATA (TLC

If I consider going through endless posts on this and various other hardware forums, I start believing that it is able to put M.2 sata stick and put OS on it and all will work.

I had thought getting 500Gig SSD and 256 M.2 SSD but now I will have to open it up first to make sure it can take M.2, but PCIe/SSD only question still remains.

HWInfox64 show this line in results for motherboard:

Motherboard Slots: 3xPCI Express x1, 1xPCI Express x4

PCI Express x4 makes me think I may be able to use PCIe M.2 stick.

tooooo many may bes........

Mrstenter · ‎06-02-2016

Hey @as-envy,

I did not mean to confuse just to clarify what you needed done. One listing is the Hard Drive the other Listing is with the Hard Drive. Opening the case to view the connections is the best way.

You asked if you could boot to the M2Sata which I wanted to clarify that it is a Storage only Drive.

Your Hard Drive replacement is different and can follow the service guide totally.

Maybe our good friend @erico could help out on this.

Thanks.

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

erico · ‎06-03-2016

@Mrstenter

I didn't notice this @mention until today.

The very same M.2 SSD with HP p\n 766593-001, that is listed as compatible with your notebook, was discussed in an earlier thread at the following URL.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Envy-m7-k111dx-best-buy-boot-fr...

Unfortunately I cannot give you an answer on whether or not it will be bootable since the amount of information we have is, at the moment, pretty limited.

M.2 SSD drives and the different types available is in the category of new technology. Hardly anyone was asking about these a year ago.

@Mrstenter

We will be discussing this subject at the HP Expert Meetup in a little over a week. M.2 drive types and whether or not they have been made bootable options in BIOS is going to be a topic I plan on bringing up.

I am a volunteer forum member, not an HP employee. If my suggestion solved your issue, don't forget to mark that post as the accepted solution. If you want to say thanks, click on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"

Mrstenter · ‎06-03-2016

Hey @erico,

Oh Thanks for the information. Looking forward to it.

Thanks.

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 left to say “Thanks” for helping.:smileyhappy:

I work on behalf of HP

as-envy · ‎06-04-2016

Hi @erico thanks for the reply. I went to buy M.2 Sata but they handed me a SSD ( ) and I brought it home along with 8GB ram stick and thermal paste.

I opened the system and put in ram and as I have to go back to get M.2 Sata instead of 250G SSD, I am having another shot to know if this will support PCIe by any case and this is the slot where I will stick M.2.

Also this is an M type, just want to confirm with you.

Also want to thank HP for not making it so that we can remove bottom lid to access components. Any way it was not much harder to open than my old DV7 Pavilion.

Booting from SSD

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