SSD for HP ENVY x360 - m6-aq105dx

[SHIFT838]

My wife has the HP ENVY x360 - m6-aq105dx laptop with a SATA 1TB 7200 hard drive.  It seems to run very slow, even after cleaning it up, uninstalling uneeded softaware.  It has plenty of space left on the drive.  

I think if I upgrade it to a 1TB SSD it may help.

Which 1TB SSD will work on this model, and where can I find a video of how to remove the old hard drive?

[CherylG]

@SHIFT838

This should work. Unless you have a need for 1TB of space you could even go with the 500GB. Except if you will be making and using HP Recovery Media to install Windows. If you create your own install media using the free download tool at Microsoft the drive size is owner choice:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-500GB-Internal-MZ-76E500B-AM/dp/B078DPCY3T/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&i...

Video-click on hard drive:

http://h20574.www2.hp.com/results.htm?SID=10862129&MEID=C48D6DC4-C89B-4CB8-9C91-FBB34B3FB806

Maintenance and Service Guide:

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05098448

[iomare]

Hi,

An SSD will greatly increase everyday performance of the PC. You can replace the mechanical drive with a 2.5" SSD as described above by @CherylG

However there might be the option to install an M2 SSD and keep the mechanical drive as a storage drive. You will need to check if the slot is present on the motherboard as sometimes HP notebooks which did not come with the M2 drive are missing the physical slot on motherboard

1

If present, you will need a M2 SATA3 drive such as the M2 Samsung 860evo (you can get a smaller drive such as a 250GB drive since you will have the 1TB drive for storage). You will need to install the OS on the M2 drive. I would perform a clean install. Remove the mechanical drive, install the M2 drive and install Windows on it. Place the mechanical drive back into the PC and delete the Windows partition.

Here is a quick guide to clean install Windows:

download the media creation tool from Microsoft on PC before replacing drive, run and create a bootable pendrive with the OS on it. Windows will automatically activate once installed and connected to Internet.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

If you choose this option you will need to use the pendrive to perform a clean install of Windows 10. You might need to disable fastboot and secure boot in BIOS. So, insert the pendrive in the PC and it should boot directly from the drive. If not, turn off PC by holding power button. Press power button and immediately keep pressing ESC  until startup menu appears and then press F9 and choose the pendrive in boot menu. Once it boots from pendrive follow the procedure to install Windows. You do not need a product key as it is in the firmware. 

When finished installing allow Windows to completely update and find all or most drivers. You can follow this process by going into settings > Security and update > click on Verify for updates. You might need to reboot a couple of times. Once completely updated you  can go into device manager and see if there are any missing drivers (there will be yellow exclamation mark next to the device). You can find these drivers and software on HP support page for your product.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/hp-envy-m6-aq100-x360-convertible-pc/12499188/model/13475171/pr...

Hope it helps,

David

[SHIFT838]

Thanks for the info.  It helped.

I ended up getting a Samsung Evo 860 1TB installed and it is a huge difference.  The original bootup for the system was almost 30 seconds from the time you hit the power button.  I have cloned the drive with Samsungs utility and optimized it.  Now it boots in 8 seconds!

The wife is now very happy..

[CherylG]

Great to hear the info you received was helpful- and the wife is happy.😊 Visit the forum any time you need help. Someone is usually always online and ready to help.You won't find a more passionate bunch anywhere than our forum members.

[Breeze80]

Did you have to purchase the mounting brackets for the install. Was it difficult?

[SHIFT838]

No.  I removed the original hard drive enclosure and replaced it with the new hard drive.  that part was simple.

The opening of the laptop though was another thing.  You need the special kit they sell that has the plastic pry tools to be able to get it open.  Must be extremely careful and be patient.  I watched a few videos on  youtube

[Gordo68]

Great information. I have been thinking about doing this as well.
For the cloning step, did you use any specific tools to connect both drives up in order to clone?

[SHIFT838]

The SSD I purchased was a Samsung and there is a free utility that can be downloaded from Samsung to clone your existing HDD to the SSD.  I did have to purchase a SATA to USB adapter for mine though.

I hooked up the SSD to the SATA to USB adapter and loaded the software to clone.  It took probably 1 hour to clone.

Then took my time to open the unit up to replace the HDD with the SSD.

[Gordo68]

Thanks. I did the upgrade over the weekend. I purchased a cable to connect the new drive to the USB port. The cloning software from Samsung worked perfectly. The bonus for me is that I already had the plastic pry tools for when I work on my vehicle. The case came off fine and the replacement went smoothly. 

Loving how quickly the system comes up now.

Thanks for the info.