upgrade nvme ssd in Envy x360 Convertible 15-ds1010wm

[Roland24]

Hello

I've read and tried many times to upgrade the stock nvme ssd to a 1tb nvme and i cannot get Windows to recognize and install correctly to it. Does anyone know if this model has a more limited BIOS than you would get from HP direct or BestBuy?  I only see settings for Secure Boot, nothing for the storage or the CSM or other settings mentioned on the internet for cloning/moving to a new NVME.  I've disabled SecureBoot and turned off Bitlocker on the old drive/system.  The BIOS looks extremely limited.

This is model Envy x360 Convertible 15-ds1010wm.  When i put in the serial, support gives a manual that may not apply to this specific laptop, but I know you can use NVME's because that's what it comes with.  I have tried cloning using both Macrium and Acronis.  I have also tried to clean install Windows but it doesn't recognize the NVME at all when I swap it.  Even if I used DiskPart to clean and convert the drive to GPT, the Windows installer doesn't seem to recognize it.

The stock laptop was shipped with a WD Blue SN250 256GB NVME SSD.  I bought a WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME SSD.  It's the same brand so the drivers should at least be loaded on the system and it can obviously boot from NVME since that's how it was built.  I used WD's Acronis to clone and that failed with errors - boot loop, not recognizing drive, etc.  I'm using an external NVME and tried both methods where the new drive is in the external and also where the old drive is in the external. The system just can't seem to recognize when I install the new NVME at all. 

I would do a clean Windows install but that doesn't work either.  The new NVME just doesn't appear.  I've even tried imaging it and then restoring that image to this new drive.

Is there some limitation to this specific model.  I have seen other Envy 15xx series being sold on Newegg and Amazon with 1TB upgrades so I don't know if it's a specific BIOS limitation on my model or I'm just missing some step. I've updated BIOS and all drivers.  This is going from stock WD Blue to a larger WD Blue so I really didn't expect this much difficulty.  I have upgraded the RAM successfully and confirmed it's running fine, it's just the Windows install/clone that never works.

Any help would be appreciated!  Thank you.

[Huffer]

You are right. No reason in principle the 1 TB would not work. I am interested in your statement that it will not work externally? Do you have a usb to NVME adapter and it will not work in that? Have you ever had the 1 TB work for you in any way in another computer or otherwise? It is rare but every once in a great while an SSD is DOA and just does not work and needs to be replaced. 

[Roland24]

Hello,

I am using a TDBT external adapter.  I've seen it recommended a few times.  I have confirmed that the drive works as normal externally, i can bring it online with usable space, convert it, format it, etc. 

What I mean is that i've seen several methods for doing this.  One is to put the new drive in external and clone, then swap.  The other is to put the new one in the laptop immediately and the old in the external adapter, then clone.  Neither method is working.  I'm guessing it's some combination of BIOS settings and maybe drivers.  I'd like to just put the new one in and do a clean Win10 install, but that is where i seem to have driver issues as it doesn't show in the list of disks to format/partition/install to.

It just doesn't seem to be recognized when I put it in the laptop itself - either with a cleaned unallocated space or with a cloned image.  i have tried it with macrium and acronis WD edition from their website (the one for the ssd I bought).  I can usually finish the actual clone with no issues, it just won't boot.  blue screen boot loop usually.  if I clean the drive and run convert gpt and leave it unallocated, Windows 10 USB installer doesn't recognize it. I think it could be a driver issue, but the Win10 installer should have basic NVME drivers correct? 

I'm just not sure if it's a BIOS limitation or driver issue or just this particular model can't be upgraded (which seems odd).

Thanks

[Huffer]

Its not a BIOS size (capacity) limitation. I believe the original NVME SSD and the new one use different NVME controllers and it is likely a peculiar compatibility issue. Its not drivers you are not getting the NVME 1TB recognized even before the OS is booted so its compatibility at a BIOS/hardware level. There is not going to be an adjustment/setting in the BIOS. A BIOS upgrade might have some small chance of making a difference but likely not. Can you return the 1 TB and possibly exchange for another brand or type?

[Roland24]

I can probably return it however they are both Western Digital drives from the same series (just different capacity).  I suppose they might use different controllers, i can check that on WD site. 

I can't really seem to find a specific manual for this actual model, but the one that shows up in support page lists TLC only.  I was thinking of testing a Samsung 970 Evo but that is MLC I believe.  Do you think it's worth at least trying the MLC drive? 

Do you happen to know if the HP store direct models would have a different/better board for compatibility?   I'm still going to try a few more combinations this weekend. I can still return this model laptop if the HP direct ones might be a bit better.  The chassis is definitely different so i'm wondering if the compatibility might be better with HP direct.

Thanks for your quick help!

[Huffer]

On further review I think there are some differences in hardware between the SN500 series and the SN550 series. Did HP ship the original SSD with your system? The WD Blue NVME series 500/550 is newer and is a kind of lower end/entry level NVME. Faster than SATA but about half as fast as the top of the line NVME SSDs like the Samsung 970 Evo Plus.  I have never personally tried a WD Blue NVME but have successfully used the older type WD Black NVME SSDs. I am a bit ashamed to say I really have no explanation for your troubles as one would think if the 256 gig version works so would the 1 TB. 

[Roland24]

I was actually surprised to see that HP did indeed have a WD Blue already installed.  I've confirmed it's actually a WD SN520.  I see that on WD site the SN520 only goes to 512GB size.  The SN550 1TB is what I have so you are correct that the controllers are probably different.  I'm going to keep testing this weekend and see if I can pick up a different drive to test with.  I might even try for a SN520 with 512GB. 

It feels like there is a simple solution to this and i really do like the Envy, it's the only 15" 2-in-1 with Ryzen generally available right now I think.  I'll do some testing this weekend and report back anything interesting.  I do think the whole NVME boot issues are going to be popping up more and more as people try to upgrade (there are so many topics about NVME install woes out there) so maybe this thread will help others too.  Or I might just give up and order one direct from HP with at least a 512GB (a single 256 nowadays is just not really workable).

You've been a great help so far, I really do appreciate it. Thanks and stay safe. 

[Huffer]

You do not want to try to buy an NVME SSD from HP. The cost is quite inflated. If you are going to buy one just go to Best Buy or order from amazon.com. Get a Samsung 970 Evo Plus. I have never had any issue with one. If you must go budget then get a Crucial P1.

Let us know how it works as I would like to solve this and add to the knowledge of the Forum. Thanks. 

[Roland24 · Accepted solution]

So I've talked with WD and with HP Chat support.  WD thinks the drive might be defective though I actually doubt this.  According to HP Chat support, this specific model will ONLY support up to 512GB capacity. 

I don't think this is true for all Envy models because I can clearly see some being sold direct and from resellers with sometimes 2TB options.  So it does seem to be a limitation of this model.  Just wanted to put that update for any that might be helped by this info. 

Thanks for the help!

[Huffer]

512 gb is not a limit of the hardware, just the largest HP sold with this machine. HP support, bless them, have little ability to comment on upgrades. I would tend to believe WD more. Defective SSDs out of the box are rare but not nonexistent.