Upgrading my HP DV7 1133CL hard drive to SSD

[MrGainz]

I got this computer from someone because it kept freezing up. So I put Linux (Ubuntu) on it, and I am very pleased with it. However, I'd like to make it faster. Command line tells me I have an empty bay for a secondary drive.

My goal is to store applications and OS on a new SSD, while keeping the original 250gb HDD for file storage. I know that the SSD I'm looking at (60gb) has small enough dimensions to fit and I've picked a proper mounting bracket for it, but I want to make sure I'm looking at the right connectors before I buy it (or that I need any at all). Here is a link to the SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Power-Endurance-Free-download-SP060GBSS3S60S25AE/dp/B01M2UUACN/ref=pd...

Internally, should this DV7 1133CL be the same as any other DV7 1100 series? (e.g., 1133=1100 series)?

I know I don't need a SATA cable for it, but do i need a power cable and If so, which one?

Thanks in advance.

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

On that model the SATA hard drive plug right into the motherboard and all you need is a caddy. In fact with an SSD the caddy is less important since there are no moving parts to disrupt but you do want to be sure it does not slide around in the hard drive bay. You are absolutely right it has 2 x 2.5 inch bays that can hold a 7mm or 9.5 mm thick SATA SSD or hard drive. 

See p. 60 of the Manual here:

Manual

This is a bit of a high price but the dv7-1000 series uses a unique caddy unlike later dv7s because it requires no cable. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Hard-drive-caddy-HP-dv7-dv7-1000-dv-1200-series/251873357366?hash=item3...

Post back with any questions but please "Accept as Solution" if this is the answer you needed. 

[MrGainz]

I got the SSD yesterday and am currently trying to figure out why it is not being recognized as a bootable device. There are no relevant perameters in BIOS for me to change for this. Could it be possible that this SSD isn't compatible with my computer?

[Huffer]

What SSD did you get? Sometimes you need to initialize the SSD on another computer before plugging it into yours. 

[MrGainz]

Silicon Power 60GB SSD S60 MLC High Endurance SATA III 2.5" 7mm (0.28") Internal Solid State Drive- Free-download SSD Health Monitor Tool Included (SP060GBSS3S60S25AE)

here is a link to the item description on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Power-Endurance-Free-download-SP060GBSS3S60S25AE/dp/B01M2UUACN/ref=pd...

[Huffer]

Do you have a SATA to usb adapter? Plug it into another running computer and initialize it and see if it will then show up in your BIOS on the older computer. That SSD is real curent and may just have an incompatible controller chip. I can't test every different SSD on the market in every laptop there is occasionally a disconnect. 

[MrGainz]

Unfortunately, I don't have a SATA-to-USB cable... But I have successfully gotten the system running on the SSD, only because the boot partition and boot loader program are still on the HDD. In this manner, it is even slower than before i got the SSD! That makes me think I don't have to initialize it on another computer, or it wouldn't be able to do anything at all (or am I wrong?).

I want to see if an updated BIOS will recognize the SSD on its own. Do you think updating my BIOS to the latest supported version  for my computer (from F.27 to F.49) will solve the issue? I have already downloaded the F.49, but I have no idea how to get it to work on a Linux computer... What do I need to do to flash the BIOS?

[Huffer]

So fstab or gparted sees the SSD from Linux but you still have grub and the boot partition on the mechanical drive? 

Can you see the SSD in the BIOS? 

A BIOS update is a good idea but will not help the SSD. 

Exactly how do you have it set up now? What is on the hard drive and what is on the SSD? 

[MrGainz]

Thanks for answering my question on the BIOS issue. I'll table that project for now. BIOS does not detect my hard drive. I tried running a hard drive test with only the ssd installed, and nothing in the second drive bay, but BIOS told me there was no hard drive found. Most of the seetings on this BIOS version are locked (BTW, I mistakenly said I have F.27, but I actually have F.21).

The way I have it set up right now, the SSD in the second drive bay, and the original HDD in the primary bay. I ran the flash drive .iso that I used to install Ubuntu 16.04, and then used the Gparted tool to set up a small 1Gb /boot partition on the HDD, as well as making sure the grub2 boot-loader was also on the HDD. I manually set all the other partitions on the SSD, including swap. It allows me to use the SSD for everything except booting and boot-loading (almost what I want).

I also tried installing another time, only putting the boot-loader (grub2) on the HDD, and everything else on the SSD. That didn't work; I got the same error at startup, telling me to "insert a bootable drive"... So I switched I reinstalled to switch back to having /boot and boot-loader on the HDD once again, and that is how it's set up right now.

[Huffer]

On that model the second hard drive bay is more like a usb drive enclosure if I recall correctly. It is not bootable. I am sorry but it appears we have a compatibility issue with the SSD and the SATA controller on the motherboard. It is remotely possible a BIOS flash to the computer or a firmware upgrade on the SSD would fix the problem but it is a longshot.