Installing an M2 PCIe NVMe SSD on my laptop

[Thedav]

Hi, first timer here. I hope someone can help.

Model: HP 15-da0594sa

I want to add an M2 PCIe NVMe SSD to my system but don't know if the socket exists on the motherboard.

I am also going to be upgrading my RAM but due to having to remove the rubber feet to gain access to the chassis screws, I only want to open this unit up one time.

Therefore I'd like to know in advance if the M2 socket is available, before I pop it open.

Also, if it is there, does it accept a two or three prong M2 SSD?

I look forward to any assistance.

Dave

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi, Dave:

Below is the link to the Crucial memory/SSD report for your notebook.

https://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/compatible-upgrade-for/HP-Compaq/hp-15-da0594sa

It has a M.2 slot that can take either SATA or NVMe M.2 SD's.

You would want the NVMe SSD, which provides better performance over SATA.

Below is the link to the service video library for your notebook's model series...

https://www.supportvideos.ext.hp.com/?q=15-da0000

[Thedav]

Hi Paul.

Thank you so much for the prompt response, confirmation of my motherboard's capabilities and your good advice.

I think I get it now, 2 prongs is NVMe and 3 prongs is SATA.

The link to the service video library is particularly invaluable. I hadn't discovered that.

Apologies that my reply has not been so swift but I've been out all day.

All that remains now is for me to source an M2 3mm screw. It would appear from my research so far, that this little essential is not shipped with many of the SSDs I've viewed. I really don't want to pay £4 for a dozen when I only need one. I'm sure I'll be able to blag one from somewhere though.

Many thanks again. I intend to perform the upgrade next weekend and will post the story of my success (or otherwise lol) here.

All the best,

Dave

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Dave.

You are correct.  The one notch drives are NVMe, and the two notch drives are SATA.

Hopefully, you will be able to find the mounting screw that you need.

If you look at the SATA M.2 drives Crucial offers, the drive comes with the mounting screw.

Why don't the NVMe drives come with a mounting screw?  Crazy.

[Thedav]

Hi Paul,

I have, just this moment, sent an email to Crucial, asking about the screw availability. It looks like their support will be back online Tuesday so I hope for an answer then.

I visited a couple of local computer repair shops today, in anticipation of being able to fit the new SSD. Strangely they were very guarded about selling me a single screw. I KNOW they will have ample supplies but I guess they wanted to perform the upgrade for me and charge me accordingly. Where's the fun in that? Lol. I even told them that if I mess up the installation, they would get my business. Oh well, there's always superglue 😉

[Paul_Tikkanen]

That was a good idea.

Maybe Crucial will send you a screw -- even if the drive isn't supposed to come with one, which still makes zero sense to me since the SATA and NVMe drive mount exactly the same way.

You may be able to reinstall W10 on the new SSD using the HP cloud recovery client utility to create a bootable recovery drive.

My only concern is that this may only work for the original configuration.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06162205

I suggest that you temporarily disconnect the 2.5" drive, get the OS installed on the NVMe drive and then hook up the 2.5" hard drive again.   Some folks have indicated the M.2 SSD doesn't show up in the BIOS.  

See this discussion...fortunately, it is a different model notebook.

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/How-to-set-samsung-evo-970-plu...

I hope the upgrade goes smoothly for you.

[Thedav]

Thanks again Paul.

Yes, thanks to yourself and other contributors on this forum, I have already prepared an HP Cloud recovery USB stick and used Microsoft Media Creation Tool to make another Windows 10 bootable USB drive.

The advice and links you've provided are really useful, as are some similarly generous folk on Youtube.

I'm doing as much research as possible to prepare because this is my only PC and I can't afford to get it wrong. I've even gone to the extreme lengths of discovering my Windows 10 product key, just in case...

Worst case, I can always revert to my existing HDD, BUT I'm convinced I'm going to get this right first time. (fingers crossed)

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime, Dave.

Glad to have been of assistance, and I am looking forward to reading about the results of your SSD installation project.

Paul

[Thedav]

Hi Paul
Long story short, I'm very pleased to report that my humble little laptop has now been successfully upgraded and reborn as a magnificent speed-demon.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, which gave me the confidence to proceed with the upgrades.

Here are the pertinent details, which I trust may be of use to any other users who happen upon this topic.

1. The mounting screw issue for the SSD was resolved. Crucial were unable to offer the M2 3mm screw but following a more thorough search on a popular online auction site, I was able to secure this item at the right price. Not that I needed it because once I popped the case open, I discovered that HP had thoughtfully already provided one on the motherboard's M2 mount. Better safe than sorry though.

2. Upon placing my order for a 512Gb NVMe M.2 SSD, it transpired that Crucial UK were unable to guarantee delivery before 3rd February. (Tomorrow, as I write.) This did not fit well with my impatience so instead, I ordered a Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 250Gb, from a local computer superstore.

3. Regarding your advice that the SSD might not be recognised by the BIOS and to physically disconnect the HDD to force recognition... I was too lazy and impatient to try that. As luck would have it the BIOS DID find the SSD on first boot. It was also visible in Windows Device Manager but not in "This PC". Following a quick Google search, I successfully added the SSD from Disk Management and subsequently installed Samsung's drivers.

4. Whereas I had downloaded Samsung's migration software, I decided to opt for a clean install of W10. I wanted a fresh version which was not associated to a Microsoft account, as had been the case with the existing installation. So rather than using HP's cloud client recovery tool, I used a previously prepared Windows 10 Media Creation Tool USB stick. This worked perfectly, without the need for me to enter the W10 product key at any stage, which I suppose was embedded with the BIOS. (My W10 is an OEM version.)

5: The RAM upgrade was simple enough but has raised one further question, the answer to which may be of benefit to other users. So I'm going to begin a new thread about that and would be obliged if you could view it and advise accordingly.

Again, many many thanks for helping me out. I'm absolutely thrilled with the results.

All the best,
Dave

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome Dave, and thank you for the detailed report regarding the upgrade process.

Glad to know your notebook is running great.