Remove and replace HDD with an m2 SSD on Aspire 5 A515-51

eflat

I've searched and didn't find quite my situation. I want to replace the HDD, which means I want it out of the laptop. I don't want to use it here. I do want to add an m.2 ssd which would be cloned from the hdd and the ssd would become my boot drive.

Are there any gotchas or reasons this won't work that I should know about? Can the cloning process be done on the laptop itself, or do I need another machine involved? Thanks!

StevenGen

With the cloning, use and install the free Macrium Reflect v7 to clone your boot 2.5" drive. Insert the M.2 and clone the M.2 drive from your spinner 2.5" HDD, then and make sure that you take the 2.5" drive out before you boot the M.2 cloned drive because and if you don't, the system will always boot from your 2.5" drive. 

StevenGen

eflat said:

I've searched and didn't find quite my situation. I want to replace the HDD, which means I want it out of the laptop. I don't want to use it here. I do want to add an m.2 ssd which would be cloned from the hdd and the ssd would become my boot drive.

Are there any gotchas or reasons this won't work that I should know about? Can the cloning process be done on the laptop itself, or do I need another machine involved? Thanks!

The recommended M.2 drives for the Aspire A515-51 is the type M.2 (see caption below) which are the 1st Gen type M.2's types interface SATA-3 at 6GB/sec (B&M end key types) not PCIe NVMe (M end types) as the NVMe is a different end key type and they wont work.

The OEM M.2 256GB suggested drives for the Aspire A515-51 are:

• MICRON MTFDDAV256TBN-1AR1ZABYY or the 
• HYNIX HFS256G39TND-N210A or the 
• Lite-On CV3-8D256 M.2's drives 

Note: the OEM M.2 models that I've listed above are all 256GB which you are NOT restricted to as and if you use these drives for a boot drive which will be formatted in GPT/UEFI mode in your Aspire A515-51 you can also put higher capacities of 512GB or 1TB or 2TB or even a 4TB type (if you can buy them?) drives as Windows 10 only restrict above 2TB drives if they are formatted in MBR/Legacy type formatting mode only. 


M.2 SATA-3 at 6GB/sec (B&M end key types) drive

StevenGen

With the cloning, use and install the free Macrium Reflect v7 to clone your boot 2.5" drive. Insert the M.2 and clone the M.2 drive from your spinner 2.5" HDD, then and make sure that you take the 2.5" drive out before you boot the M.2 cloned drive because and if you don't, the system will always boot from your 2.5" drive.