Installing SSD alongside HDD in HP 15-bs021na (possible? tools/parts needed?compatible units?)

[lawrence38]

Hi folks! After many years (my first ever laptops were HP and Compaq respectively), I'm  returning to HP laptops, having just bought a HP 15-bs021na to use as a desktop replacement/storage unit for media and ocassionally casting to an Android TV.

As per service manual of this HP 15 I found HERE, thanks to these forums,  and according to THIS  THREAD I read right here, the models with Intel Core processors should have the hardware to accept the installation of an M.2 SSD, without having to remove the HDD? That would be the first question, since the thread quoted above is about a different model with a (much) better processor. I guess that would be the 1st and most important question - does this particular model accept a secondary storage unit (SSD)?

Secondly, if it will hopefully be able to accept a SSD, after reading thru the other thread, I see its made clear that only some SSD's would be compatible, so I am hoping for some suggestions on which SSDs to choose? I'm looking for a cheap solution here, either a 120/128GB or 240/256GB SSD, nothing too big, to just basically fit the OS and make the machine a bit more nippy overall (maybe even a 64GB might do?)   I would really be hoping to find one to buy thru a local webshop as they have decent prices and I don't have to deal with waiting or possible warranty issues as when buying from abroad. Here is a LINK to the website in question, so if you could have a look to see if you can find any model that is sure to be 100% compatible, I would really-really appreciate it (for refefrence purposes, the prices are shown in CZK,  1USD=22 CZK; 1EUR=26CZK  (I was looking mainly at THIS one as it cheap as chips 🙂

And finally , are there any special tools/screws required to be purchased separately, or should a fixing screw already be in place inside the HP machine?

Thanks in advance!

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

Here is your Service Manual:

Manual

Look at p. 43-47 and 53-58

Your laptop has a 1 TB 5400 RPM hard drive so that fills up the hard drive bay. There is an option on your model to install an M.2 in a caddy that replaces the hard drive in the same bay. However, right next to the hard drive is a dedicated M.2 slot to add an M.2 2280 form factor SATA SSD IN ADDITION TO the hard drive. 

M.2 slot and mounting screw circled in red

In the picture above you see the hard drive is off the page to the left. There should be a mounting screw for the M.2 provided but I cannot be sure of that. There is some chance unfortunately that HP did not have the motherboard made with the M.2 slot I show in the picture. Best to open up the machine before buying anything. 

You are in the Czech Republic? So any SATA-3 type 2280 form factor "gumstick" M.2 disk should be fine. NOT NVME/PCIe. So in the website you linked the WD Green looks like your best buy. You can get by with 120 gigs but 240 is much better. Windows 10 limits how much you can install apps anywhere other than the C:\ drive. But if you move your library (downloads, pics, docs, etc.) over to the hard drive and keep an eye on the space being used in the C:\ drive (the M.2) 120 gigs will work. 

Post back with any more questions and please accept as solution if its the info you needed. 

[lawrence38]

Thank you Sir, you are a true GENT!

I've just ordered some tools/drivers from Amazon, waiting for these to come as I don't want to risk any damage while opening it, as soon as I do, I'll have a look inside and hopefully it has the needed parts to accept the SSD. Thanks for pointing out about the SSDs too! 

I saw on the same website they have two different versions, can''t really comprehend what's the difference between these  but I assume both should be compatible? I'm referring to  WDS120G1G0B and    WDS120G2G0B respectively.

[Huffer]

https://community.wd.com/t/wds120g2g0b-and-wds120g1g0b-difference/222263

Somebody else noticed that and given your laptop is a bit older I would use the WDS120G1G0B

Both likely work but newer technology might run a risk of incompatibility. 

[lawrence38]

OK, what you're saying makes perfect sense!

I've also found, on a local eBay-ish type site there's some refurbished SSDs from a local dealer with 100% feedback at a really good price (around 30$ for 256GB) so I'm a bit tempted to go that route of buying a used one, since from what I read, SSDs in general are much more reliable, less prone to failure than rickety-rackety HDDs. 

The drives in question are also M.2 2280 format of course and thus should hopefully be compatible. The particular model is SanDisk X300 SD7SN6S-256G. I'm thinking that it might be a good deal...the service center that sells these describes them as coming from ultrabooks where the screen or motherboard failed and that its 1 to 2 years old (comes with a 3 month warranty as well).

Thanks again for your very helpful advice 🙂

[Huffer]

I might give it a chance, too. They should work. 

[lawrence38]

Thanks!

[lawrence38]

I just wanted to update that earlier today I received the 256GB SSD I bough and I just finished installing it.  Its was quite fiddly to open it! I almost gave up as I didn't a spudger or whatever they call the plastic  tool to use and not damage the case, I was tempted to start using a Swiss knife, which undoubtedly would have damaged the plastic case, when I though to have a look in the kitchen for anything that might suit, when low and behold, I found my wife's dough cutter, a thin plastic thingamajig  which worked like a treat! Well, except the corner of the thing I used got a bit damaged, so now I promised my wife I'll find a new one for her  Oh, and there was no screw in there BTW, but I had one of those universal repair kits for sunglasses, and I did find suitable screw in there that fit well.

You were really-really helpful and I'm grateful for that! I still need a bit of advice, if you might graciously be able to help, in terms of what to do next in order to change the boot order. ATM, the SSD drive I installed shows fine in Windows, tested moving some files over and back, no issues at all. When I went to the DOS/boot menu, I cannot really set it there somehow...I assume it might have to do with the fact that its not yet setup? Do you have any idea how to change the boot order, after I hopefully manage succesfully either to clone the existing contents of the HDD onto the SSD, or maybe try to install Windows 10 on it from a recovery USB I can make?  I'm just wondering which way might be the easiest...I know a fresh install will probably be better in the long run, but at the same time this is a brand new machine so there is really nothing much on it, except some of the usualy stuff that comes with a new laptop.

Thanks again for your kind help!

[Huffer]

Boot order is in the BIOS...tap esc as you power up then at the menu do F10....what are the boot options you see? Do you have it set to legacy boot or secure boot? If you are writing files to it from Window you must have formatted it and mounted it in Windows? If you formatted it and initialized it as an MBR file structure it will not be able to be bootable by a secure boot/UEFI system only under legacy boot. You can install Windows 10 as legacy but not a best practice. 

If you do not have much on the laptop yet and it is close to factory condition you might just make an HP recovery disk from the Recovery Manager, remove the hard drive and do a factory restore to the M.2. Or do a clean install from a Microsoft Media Creation Tool Windows 10 installer disk. All the drivers and most if not all original factory apps are cached in the C:\swsetup folder on the hard drive. After you get the M.2 set up the way you want you can put the HDD back in. 

Post back to discuss if you have any more questions. 

[lawrence38]

Thanks! 

Yes, indeed I managed to access the Bios/boot menu as above. It just that it does not show the drives to choose from/which order to put them in, rather int shows just "UEFI boot order" and then "OS boot manager". 

I've attached a "screenshot" of sorts, by than I mean an actual photo taken with my phone at that screen in BIOS setup, see below. Basically there is not any further menu to choose among the now 2 hard drives inside, instead it just automatically picks the HDD I guess. 

So your suggestion is that I should necessarily remove the HDD from the laptop, there is not way around that? I would hope to avoid having to open it again all over again, that's why I am asking. 

Is there no way to maybe make the HP recovery drive , maybe onto a USB thumb drive, and then using that, after having wiped both drives clean, to somehow put back Windows, but this time onto the SSD instead of HDD?

I don't know why they had to go an complicate things in modern laptops with UEFI and all that...it was so much easier in the old days, to just hit a switch in BIOS and that's it, boot order changed