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Notebook
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)

Hey Everyone,

 

I'd like to upgrade my Notebook hard drive to an SSD, what are some of the things I should be looking for to upgrade successfully, and will this affect my Windows 10 License?

 

Thanks

Bill

I am an HP employee
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

 

For some people, upgrading a notebook to an SSD may be like diving into the deep end of a swimming pool.

 

An SSD upgrade may involve extensive disassembly of your notebook, depending on the model.

 

Some models have hard disks that are easier to access than others.

 

There is the small, but important detail involving accepting the risk of damaging your notebook and violating the warranty.

 

You will need to decide whether you want to migrate your OS to the new SSD or perform a clean installation of Windows.

 

If you have already upgraded the notebook’s OS to Windows 10, your notebook's operating system will have a digital license activation entitlement on the Windows licensing servers.

 

That is Microsoft’s new licensing model which makes activation of the OS a seamless process.

 

In the part of the installation where you see a box to put the twenty-five-character license activation key, there is a link below it that says, I don’t have a key.

 

 That is what you should click on to continue the installation.

 

The type of SSD that will be compatible with your notebook depends on a few things.

 

The first is how recently your notebook came to market.

 

The second is whether your notebook is an entry level or a high-end model with advanced features.

 

The third is dependent on the interfaces present on your notebook’s system board.

 

Your notebook may have only SATA ports or it may also have an M.2 or mini PCIe slot.

  

Older notebooks (pre-2009) will have only 2.5 SATA SSD products possible as an  SSD upgrade option.

  

It is also dependent on the SSD interface present on your notebook’s system board and the memory and controller type your notebook is compatible with. 

 

That can be determined in a few ways.

 

The simplest way that I know is to take the guesswork out of the upgrade purchase.

 

That can be done by using information from an SSD manufacturer whose reputation depends on supplying accurate information to prospective clients.

 

Check online at the Crucial.com website to see what they are offering as guaranteed compatible SSD products for your notebook.

 

With newer models that are optionally delivered with SSD disks, the Maintenance & Service Guide for each notebook will generally state which memory and SSD drive type is compatible.

 

The Maintenance & Service Guide that has that information is found in the support portal for your notebook in the user guide section. 

 

Use your notebook’s product number + the word "support " as keywords in a Google or other search engine search to find the portal.

 

The Crucial memory website is a great place to find compatible SSD products for your notebook.

http://www.crucial.com/

 

What brand of SSD should I consider? Take a look at the following article. 

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-ssds/

 

SSD Memory types
https://hitech-us.com/articles/entry/241/SSD-memory-types.-What-to-choose

 

Some of the 2015 and current model year high-end notebooks and ultrabooks are compatible with M.2 NVMe SSDs.

They are currently the fastest type of SSD available.  

 

Below there are lists of HP’s M.2 compatible notebooks at third party websites.

http://laptopmedia.com/laptop-m-2-ngff-ssd-compatibility-list/

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/m.2-ngff-ssd-compatibility-list.html

 

The following URL has a list of notebooks that are compatible with mSATA SSDs.http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/msata-ssd-compatability-list.html#HP-laptop

 

 

Cloning utilities, such as Samsung’s Magician, Paragon Software’s Migrate OS to SSD 4.0 and Apricot’s EZ GIG IV will allow you to shrink the volume on the legacy disk to fit on your new SSD.

 

USB to SATA cable for 2.5” SATA SSD

 

 

You may be one of the lucky ones who installs the SSD and boots to the installer and everything goes as expected.

 

Otherwise, it may not be recognized by the Windows installer or the BIOS.

 

Often, an SSD has to be prepared before use.  

 

Many frustrated members author threads here in the forums after having that experience.

 

Hold down the Windows key and tap the X key.

 

That will invoke a menu.

 

Choose Command Prompt (Admin).

 

Type in DiskPart and press enter.

 

That will invoke the DiskPart utility. 

 

After the SSD has been prepped and an installation started, the Windows installer will change the drive letter to C: on its own. 

  

 In the image below, disks 2 and 3 are Samsung M.2 NVMe SSDs.

 

Some seventeen-inch notebooks are delivered with more than a single disk.

 

Selecting the disk and using the list command is very important. Otherwise, you might erase the contents and partitions of the wrong disk with the clean command.

 

If the SSD has a GPT partition and has a drive letter assigned, it will be recognized by the Windows installer.

 

 

Once the SSD has been prepared, you can boot to your choice of media for a clean installation,  cloning migration of the OS or a factory recovery initiated by use of the recovery media you created.

 

Since 2012, notebooks have been delivered with UEFI BIOS and GPT partitioned disks rather than the legacy BIOS and MBR partition style. 

 

That means that the Windows installer you are using must also be in UEFI GPT format.  

 

There are free utilities available, such as RUFUS, that can be used with the ISO created by Microsoft’s Windows 10 Media Creation tool to create a USB UEFI Windows 10 Installer.

 

For other versions of Windows RUFUS can also be used to create the installer type of your choice.

 

Cloning Your SSD to a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD by using Samsung Migration Software

 

How to install Windows 10 on a SM951 / SM961 / 950 Pro PCIe M.2 SSD


 

 

If you are using your notebook’s recovery media, the SSD will need to have at least 160 GB storage capacity.

 

That number came from an impromptu discussion that a small group of HP Experts had with HP employees at a breakfast table during the 2015 HP Expert Meetup in San Francisco 

 

 Usually, a 256GB or 512GB SSD is enough capacity for a notebook or Ultrabook.

 

There is a handy byproduct of cloning from the legacy hard drive to an SSD.

 

After the cloning is complete, you now have a bootable backup of the entire OS and programs in the form of the legacy hard drive. You might consider storing it in a safe place.

 

 

SSD products have far longer warranties than legacy hard drives did.

 

Consumer SSD products have a three-year manufacturer’s warranty.

 

The Enterprise versions usually have a five-year warranty.

 

I hope that this information helps you succeed in your upgrade and clears up some questions you had.

 

There will always be more questions, so feel free to ask them.



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 my post was helpful or you just want to say thanks, click on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"



View solution in original post

83 REPLIES 83
HP Recommended

 

For some people, upgrading a notebook to an SSD may be like diving into the deep end of a swimming pool.

 

An SSD upgrade may involve extensive disassembly of your notebook, depending on the model.

 

Some models have hard disks that are easier to access than others.

 

There is the small, but important detail involving accepting the risk of damaging your notebook and violating the warranty.

 

You will need to decide whether you want to migrate your OS to the new SSD or perform a clean installation of Windows.

 

If you have already upgraded the notebook’s OS to Windows 10, your notebook's operating system will have a digital license activation entitlement on the Windows licensing servers.

 

That is Microsoft’s new licensing model which makes activation of the OS a seamless process.

 

In the part of the installation where you see a box to put the twenty-five-character license activation key, there is a link below it that says, I don’t have a key.

 

 That is what you should click on to continue the installation.

 

The type of SSD that will be compatible with your notebook depends on a few things.

 

The first is how recently your notebook came to market.

 

The second is whether your notebook is an entry level or a high-end model with advanced features.

 

The third is dependent on the interfaces present on your notebook’s system board.

 

Your notebook may have only SATA ports or it may also have an M.2 or mini PCIe slot.

  

Older notebooks (pre-2009) will have only 2.5 SATA SSD products possible as an  SSD upgrade option.

  

It is also dependent on the SSD interface present on your notebook’s system board and the memory and controller type your notebook is compatible with. 

 

That can be determined in a few ways.

 

The simplest way that I know is to take the guesswork out of the upgrade purchase.

 

That can be done by using information from an SSD manufacturer whose reputation depends on supplying accurate information to prospective clients.

 

Check online at the Crucial.com website to see what they are offering as guaranteed compatible SSD products for your notebook.

 

With newer models that are optionally delivered with SSD disks, the Maintenance & Service Guide for each notebook will generally state which memory and SSD drive type is compatible.

 

The Maintenance & Service Guide that has that information is found in the support portal for your notebook in the user guide section. 

 

Use your notebook’s product number + the word "support " as keywords in a Google or other search engine search to find the portal.

 

The Crucial memory website is a great place to find compatible SSD products for your notebook.

http://www.crucial.com/

 

What brand of SSD should I consider? Take a look at the following article. 

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-ssds/

 

SSD Memory types
https://hitech-us.com/articles/entry/241/SSD-memory-types.-What-to-choose

 

Some of the 2015 and current model year high-end notebooks and ultrabooks are compatible with M.2 NVMe SSDs.

They are currently the fastest type of SSD available.  

 

Below there are lists of HP’s M.2 compatible notebooks at third party websites.

http://laptopmedia.com/laptop-m-2-ngff-ssd-compatibility-list/

http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/m.2-ngff-ssd-compatibility-list.html

 

The following URL has a list of notebooks that are compatible with mSATA SSDs.http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/msata-ssd-compatability-list.html#HP-laptop

 

 

Cloning utilities, such as Samsung’s Magician, Paragon Software’s Migrate OS to SSD 4.0 and Apricot’s EZ GIG IV will allow you to shrink the volume on the legacy disk to fit on your new SSD.

 

USB to SATA cable for 2.5” SATA SSD

 

 

You may be one of the lucky ones who installs the SSD and boots to the installer and everything goes as expected.

 

Otherwise, it may not be recognized by the Windows installer or the BIOS.

 

Often, an SSD has to be prepared before use.  

 

Many frustrated members author threads here in the forums after having that experience.

 

Hold down the Windows key and tap the X key.

 

That will invoke a menu.

 

Choose Command Prompt (Admin).

 

Type in DiskPart and press enter.

 

That will invoke the DiskPart utility. 

 

After the SSD has been prepped and an installation started, the Windows installer will change the drive letter to C: on its own. 

  

 In the image below, disks 2 and 3 are Samsung M.2 NVMe SSDs.

 

Some seventeen-inch notebooks are delivered with more than a single disk.

 

Selecting the disk and using the list command is very important. Otherwise, you might erase the contents and partitions of the wrong disk with the clean command.

 

If the SSD has a GPT partition and has a drive letter assigned, it will be recognized by the Windows installer.

 

 

Once the SSD has been prepared, you can boot to your choice of media for a clean installation,  cloning migration of the OS or a factory recovery initiated by use of the recovery media you created.

 

Since 2012, notebooks have been delivered with UEFI BIOS and GPT partitioned disks rather than the legacy BIOS and MBR partition style. 

 

That means that the Windows installer you are using must also be in UEFI GPT format.  

 

There are free utilities available, such as RUFUS, that can be used with the ISO created by Microsoft’s Windows 10 Media Creation tool to create a USB UEFI Windows 10 Installer.

 

For other versions of Windows RUFUS can also be used to create the installer type of your choice.

 

Cloning Your SSD to a Samsung 950 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD by using Samsung Migration Software

 

How to install Windows 10 on a SM951 / SM961 / 950 Pro PCIe M.2 SSD


 

 

If you are using your notebook’s recovery media, the SSD will need to have at least 160 GB storage capacity.

 

That number came from an impromptu discussion that a small group of HP Experts had with HP employees at a breakfast table during the 2015 HP Expert Meetup in San Francisco 

 

 Usually, a 256GB or 512GB SSD is enough capacity for a notebook or Ultrabook.

 

There is a handy byproduct of cloning from the legacy hard drive to an SSD.

 

After the cloning is complete, you now have a bootable backup of the entire OS and programs in the form of the legacy hard drive. You might consider storing it in a safe place.

 

 

SSD products have far longer warranties than legacy hard drives did.

 

Consumer SSD products have a three-year manufacturer’s warranty.

 

The Enterprise versions usually have a five-year warranty.

 

I hope that this information helps you succeed in your upgrade and clears up some questions you had.

 

There will always be more questions, so feel free to ask them.



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 my post was helpful or you just want to say thanks, click on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"



HP Recommended

What if my SSD SATA-3 M.2 disk (samsung 850 EVO) is not being recognized neither by bios nor by DiskPart ...

could I do anything else to enable m.2 support...

System is HP Envy x360 m6-w105dx

Many thanks in advance for any kind of help on this.

Regards Ale

   

HP Recommended

I perused the manual for your Envy  x360 and see that M.2 NGFF TLC memory types are supported.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04763031 

 

The Samsung V-NAND  NAND Flash Memory is not supported. 

 

I suggest that you seek a TLC Flash memory type M.2 ssd, install it and give it a try.



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 my post was helpful or you just want to say thanks, click on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"



HP Recommended

Thanks for your answer Erico, nobodyelse in this forums nor in HP chat support have pointed me that, even i asked HP support before buying the samsung evo...So there is another confusing trick with SSD (besides all the very confusing things with M.2 NGFF slots)

 

As per Samsung specifications: 850 EVO M.2 SATA-3 SSD is in fact TLC.. but TLC V-nand.... I thought it was ok

 

NAND Type :  Samsung 40nm 128Gbit TLC V-NAND

 

So .. if you know for sure TLC V-nand is not supported by Envy x360.... there is no much else to say.... I will use this SSD with a case or adapter in another laptop and will probably buy a decent SSD 2.5 SATA-3 as it would be better choice ...considering TLC limitations (on speed, reliability) compared with EVO pro SATA-3

kind regards

Ale

HP Recommended

@AleR wrote:

Thanks for your answer Erico, nobodyelse in this forums nor in HP chat support have pointed me that, even i asked HP support before buying the samsung evo...So there is another confusing trick with SSD (besides all the very confusing things with M.2 NGFF slots)

 

As per Samsung specifications: 850 EVO M.2 SATA-3 SSD is in fact TLC.. but TLC V-nand.... I thought it was ok

 

NAND Type :  Samsung 40nm 128Gbit TLC V-NAND

 

So .. if you know for sure TLC V-nand is not supported by Envy x360.... there is no much else to say.... I will use this SSD with a case or adapter in another laptop and will probably buy a decent SSD 2.5 SATA-3 as it would be better choice ...considering TLC limitations (on speed, reliability) compared with EVO pro SATA-3

kind regards

Ale


 

 

About your statement: "As per Samsung specifications: 850 EVO M.2 SATA-3 SSD is in fact TLC.. but TLC V-nand...."  

 

That is incorrect. The Samsung  850 EVO M.2 SATA-3 SSD uses a proprietary type of memory and it is V-NAND, not TLC. It also uses a proprietary controller. Samsung is unlike some other manufacturers in that they invent memory types. 



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 my post was helpful or you just want to say thanks, click on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"



HP Recommended

Thanks again Erico...

(maybe we are already far off-topic but I think this could help people to choose the right SSD for HP computers)

 

Despite of these reviews below, among many more I've seen, I believe you are right...Samsung doesn't call this technology TLC V-NAND.. so now I see I should have expected it could be not TLC compliant...

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9023/the-samsung-ssd-850-evo-msata-m2-review

http://www.thessdreview.com/featured/samsung-850-evo-with-3rd-gen-48-layer-3d-v-nand-performance-com...

 

I think there are a lot of misleading reviews everywere..also in sites suposed to be pretty serious...

 

Regards Ale

 

 

HP Recommended

Hi Erico

(maybe we are a liitle off-topic but this could help people to make right decisions on adding or replacing SSD in HP computers.)

You are right ..

Despite of these reviews below, among many many other reviews I've seen before ....I believe you are right... and if samsung site doesn't mention V-NAND as TLC.. I should have been aware this mean it could not be compliant....(it was preetty silly by my side) I thought Anandtech and Techspot were reliable enough....

 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9023/the-samsung-ssd-850-evo-msata-m2-review

http://www.techspot.com/review/969-samsung-850-evo-m2-msata/

Regards

Ale

 

 

 

 

HP Recommended

I am surprised that Anandtech did not pick up on the differences between the memory types. 

 

There is a discussion about the memory types and the underlying reasons behind choices made when selecting SSD products available at the following Samsung web page URL.

https://goo.gl/hdZzgc

 



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 my post was helpful or you just want to say thanks, click on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"



HP Recommended

I am also surprised that Kristian Vättö is the author of both , the anandtech's review and the samsung's whitepaper.....

Incredible

 

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