HP EliteBook 840 G3 – NVMe SSD compatibility and installation failures

[BrianAg]

Hello HP Community,

I am seeking clarification regarding **storage compatibility** on my **HP EliteBook 840 G3**.

**System details:**

* Model: HP EliteBook 840 G3

* BIOS: Latest available from HP

* Storage slot: M.2 2280

* OS installation attempted: Windows 10 and Ubuntu

**Issue:**

I am experiencing repeated OS installation failures:

* Windows installer fails with error **0x800701B1**

* Ubuntu installer also fails during disk operations

* DiskPart `create partition` sometimes times out

* CHKDSK reports internal NTFS errors, but SMART reports the drive as OK

This occurs with an **M.2 SATA SSD**, and I am now considering replacing the drive.

Can someone from HP confirm **officially** whether the **EliteBook 840 G3 supports booting from M.2 NVMe (PCIe) SSDs**, or if the M.2 slot is **SATA-only**?

I’ve seen conflicting information:

* Some datasheets mention “M.2 PCIe SSD”

* HP PartSurfer and several users list only M.2 SATA SSDs

* BIOS shows only SATA/AHCI options, no NVMe/PCIe settings

I would like to know:

1. Does the 840 G3 motherboard physically support PCIe NVMe on the M.2 slot?

2. If NVMe was supported, was it limited to specific factory configurations only?

3. What is the recommended and fully compatible SSD type for this model?

I want to ensure I purchase the correct replacement SSD and avoid further installation issues.

Thank you in advance for any official clarification.

This is my current ssd which I'm trying to replace

 

[Venom21 · Accepted solution]

Looks more like faulty SSD. It support NVMe SSD. So, you can get good M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3x4 (Single sided) SSD for this slot like Crucial P3, Samsung 980, etc. No BIOS setting is needed. The NVMe SSD will be plug-and-play in your HP EliteBook 840 G3's M.2 slot.