Difficulty/Dangers of swapping out your main drive.

Hazmat02

Any body know how to or the risks of switching out your main SSD for something a little larger in terms of storage. I'd like to upgrade from a 256ssd to maybe a 1tb ssd from Western Digital. My device is a PH315-51-78NP 

brummyfan2

Hi,
You can use Macrium reflect free or any other program to transfer your OS from your old SSD(256GB) to the new 1TB SSD, it's not very difficult, familiarise with Macrium, how to create a USB recovery disk, backup the current SSD to another HDD and how to recover the image on to the new SSD etc.
It may look like a long process, once you are familiar with it, it will become an easy task.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p5wFKcJ0bU
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/7363/macrium-reflect-is-a-free-and-easy-to-use-backup-utility/

brummyfan2

Hi,
I don't personally like cloning, you could create a bootable USB stick, backup the current SSD to an external HDD, then boot with the USB disk and recover the image on to the new SSD.
Procedure:
1.Download and install Macrium reflect free.
2.Run the program, insert the USB disk, create a bootable recovery disk with Macrium( method is in Howtogeek link).
3.Connect an external HDD with a USB to SATA cable to the laptop, backup the whole image of  current SSD.
4.Once the backup completed, switch off the laptop, disconnect external HDD, replace the old SSD with the new SSD.
5.Connect USB recovery disk, press F2 to enter BIOS as soon as you power on the laptop, move to Boot tab and move the USB recovery disk to the first boot device position.
6.Reboot and the laptop will start with Macrium reflect, then connect the external HDD, recover the image on to the SSD.
7.Then switch off the laptop, remove USB disk and the external HDD.
8.Reboot and go to BIOS, change the boot order to make the new SSD as your first boot device.
That's all, now your laptop will boot with the new SSD.
I have posted his video as a guide, you don't have to do everything exactly like him.
Your laptop can use a NVMe or a SATA type M.2 SSD, yes, you are right, you can buy the type you want to put in your laptop, the slot in your laptop is compatible with both types of M.2 SSDs.

brummyfan2

You are welcome and good luck with your upgrade 

brummyfan2

Hi,
This link will give you the answers:https://www.atpinc.com/blog/what-is-m.2-M-B-BM-key-socket-3

brummyfan2

Hi,
You can use Macrium reflect free or any other program to transfer your OS from your old SSD(256GB) to the new 1TB SSD, it's not very difficult, familiarise with Macrium, how to create a USB recovery disk, backup the current SSD to another HDD and how to recover the image on to the new SSD etc.
It may look like a long process, once you are familiar with it, it will become an easy task.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p5wFKcJ0bU
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/7363/macrium-reflect-is-a-free-and-easy-to-use-backup-utility/

Hazmat02

So just to double check, in the video he made a Clone of his active OS to the other drive he had installed, to clone back to his new drive after install, which then partitioned the original 256GB of the new drive. He then made a new partition out of the remaining space left on his new drive. Thus rending the whole new drive usable but showing two separate partitions although they are the same drive. The USB was used to boot into Macrium which allowed him to transfer the cloned file from his back up to his new drive. Correct?

I'm kind of new to all this, but feel pretty comfortable I'm just not up to snuff with all the terminology. Is there a certain style/size/pin configuration that will only fit in my model? From my still very new understanding the actual drive is an M.2 form factor that can come in NVMe or SATA connections? Please correct me if I'm wrong! lol So I would just need to find an M.2 drive with my preferred specifications and purchase that?

Hazmat02

P.S. I'm assuming the keying matters? or no? If so which key do I need?

brummyfan2

Hi,
I don't personally like cloning, you could create a bootable USB stick, backup the current SSD to an external HDD, then boot with the USB disk and recover the image on to the new SSD.
Procedure:
1.Download and install Macrium reflect free.
2.Run the program, insert the USB disk, create a bootable recovery disk with Macrium( method is in Howtogeek link).
3.Connect an external HDD with a USB to SATA cable to the laptop, backup the whole image of  current SSD.
4.Once the backup completed, switch off the laptop, disconnect external HDD, replace the old SSD with the new SSD.
5.Connect USB recovery disk, press F2 to enter BIOS as soon as you power on the laptop, move to Boot tab and move the USB recovery disk to the first boot device position.
6.Reboot and the laptop will start with Macrium reflect, then connect the external HDD, recover the image on to the SSD.
7.Then switch off the laptop, remove USB disk and the external HDD.
8.Reboot and go to BIOS, change the boot order to make the new SSD as your first boot device.
That's all, now your laptop will boot with the new SSD.
I have posted his video as a guide, you don't have to do everything exactly like him.
Your laptop can use a NVMe or a SATA type M.2 SSD, yes, you are right, you can buy the type you want to put in your laptop, the slot in your laptop is compatible with both types of M.2 SSDs.

Hazmat02

Ya sorry bootable recovery disk with your OS backed up to the other drive, My bad. Thanks for all your help looks like I've got some shopping to do!

brummyfan2

Hazmat02 said:

P.S. I'm assuming the keying matters? or no? If so which key do I need?

No, it doesn't matter, I understand that you may be confused because M.2 SATA drives have two gaps while M.2 NVMe drives have only one gap, when you insert a SATA drive, the corresponding pins in the slot becomes dormant, if you insert a NVMe drive it makes contact with the pins in the slot, does it make any sense?

brummyfan2

You are welcome and good luck with your upgrade 

Hazmat02

brummyfan2 said:

Hazmat02 said:

P.S. I'm assuming the keying matters? or no? If so which key do I need?

No, it doesn't matter, I understand that you may be confused because M.2 SATA drives have two gaps while M.2 NVMe drives have only one gap, when you insert a SATA drive, the corresponding pins in the slot becomes dormant, if you insert a NVMe drive it makes contact with the pins in the slot, does it make any sense?

For better clarification were talking about the m, b, and M+B keys correct?

I couldn't find anthing specifying that keyslot simply that my length is 2280. 

So any drive with a M, B, or M+B key will work?

So the SATA drives are the M+B while the NVME drives are the M, B?

brummyfan2

Hi,
This link will give you the answers:https://www.atpinc.com/blog/what-is-m.2-M-B-BM-key-socket-3

Hazmat02

AH I see I was confused as I thought my pin set was 2280 when that is in fact the m2 length. The keying is only to prevent you putting it into the wrong board, my board will accept both style of keys and the unutilized pins will go dormant, correct?

brummyfan2

Hazmat02 said:

AH I see I was confused as I thought my pin set was 2280 when that is in fact the m2 length. The keying is only to prevent you putting it into the wrong board, my board will accept both style of keys and the unutilized pins will go dormant, correct?

Yes, that's correct.