need to upgrade HP Laptop - 14-fq0057nr

[Jerry335]

Can this unit storage be upgraded? 

Options? how do we do it?

Any documentation?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

The only thing you can do is install a M.2 SATA SSD in the available M.2 slot but it will only work for additional storage, not as a boot drive.

It would be a lot easier to just use a SD card for extra storage.

There's documentation (see link below) but it is not accurate as many folks have tried to install NVMe SSDs in the slot and it doesn't work and others have installed SATA drives in the slot and it will only boot from the 64 GB eMMC flash storage drive.

8abeb1.pdf

Maybe you can use a bootloader software such as clover to boot from the SSD but I can't say for sure.

[Jerry335]

Thanks for the reply it's greatly appreciated. I figured that was going to be the answer. That is very disappointing and shame on HP for selling this configuration for a Windows laptop. 

Do you know what the max size SD card it can use? Any one know if we can take it off the win 11 home S version? 

Just trying to get another 5 months out of it. Don't really have the money for a new laptop. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Unfortunately, there is no info regarding what the max SD card storage capacity is.

I have a similar type notebook I bought cheap on eBay just to see how it worked and I can't upgrade anything in that one, not even the memory.

At least you can install an 8 GB memory chip in yours.

Anyway, I installed a 64 GB SD card in my notebook's slot and it works fine and it is a couple of years older model than yours so I imagine you would be safe installing a 64 GB card.

HP had been making this class of notebooks with 32 GB eMMC drives and that is barely enough to support Windows, let alone any programs or files.

HP got lots of negative press for that move.

That's when they upped the eMMC storage to 64 GB.

Now they are up to 128 GB on the newer models with non-upgradable drives called Universal Flash Storage (UFS).

You can switch out of S-Mode by following the guidance at the link below.

Switching out of S mode in Windows - Microsoft Support

After you make the switch you can't go back unless you use the HP cloud recovery tool to create a USB recovery drive to factory reset the drive to its 'out of the box' condition.