Installing a Samsung EVO 860 250GB M.2 2280 SSD

[Edel]

Hi y'all,

I bought a new "budget" Acer Aspire 5 Model A515-51-563W laptop a few days ago and reading through several forums I found out that it has a slot for an SSD (Max capacity 256GB according to Acer Support...) The laptop comes with a Toshiba 1TB HDD which I would like to convert to storage and then boot the system from the SSD which would make my computer boot faster. I was recommended a Samsung EVO 860 250GB M.2 2280 SSD or a Micron 1100 - SSD- 256 GB - SATA 6Gb/s (Part # MTFDDAV256TBN-1AR12ABYY). Can any of you give me a step by step guide on how to install it and get it running? (To not make it too long let's start after I had all the screws out, back cover-off and looking at the open slot with the SSD in my hand). Thank you for your help in advance.

 

[Tim Locke]

Disconnect the battery.
The ssd goes in the slot at a slight angle. It will only go in one way as it is keyed. As it goes in it will lie flat. there will be a hole in the end of the SSD which should match with a screw hole in the laptop. Screw it down gently.

Reconnect the battery.

Reboot the machine , the new drive should be visible in device manager and disk management.

 

[Edel]

Thank you Tim, this explanation helps a lot. Another thing, once I reboot my laptop, would the Bios adjust automatically if I want the SSD to be now my new boot drive or I have to go into the Bios and change the booting order? Additionally, I read that the SSD comes with a software to clone the data on the HDD drive that came with the laptop to the new SSD ?

 

[Tim Locke]

I have cloned several drives over the years. But I have always done this on desktops where the old drive could be unplugged.
I am not sure what happens in a case like this so off to Google
and lo and behold.

a really bad quality movie of doing it with this:

https://www.easeus.com/backup-utility/how-to-clone-hdd-to-m.2-ssd.html


and it is free.

 

[Clintlgm]

Yes you can clone it with Macrium Reflect. What I would suggest is to remove your Hard drive and connect it USB 3.0 with SATA to USB or External case. Then clone from external hard drive to internal M.2 SSD.
You don't have to do it that way as you can also just clone straight over and after the clone completes shut down rather than a reboot. then remove your Hard drive an connect it USB save your date somewhere else and format the hard drive and reinstall it. no problems. You'll have to Shrink your C:\ partition during your set up for the clone. there are several videos on YouTube on doing this with Macrium Reflect Free. https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW7/Macrium+Reflect+User+Guide

 

[Tim Locke]

Yes you can clone it with Macrium Reflect. What I would suggest is to remove your Hard drive and connect it USB 3.0 with SATA to USB or External case. Then clone from external hard drive to internal M.2 SSD.
You don't have to do it that way as you can also just clone straight over and after the clone completes shut down rather than a reboot. then remove your Hard drive an connect it USB save your date somewhere else and format the hard drive and reinstall it. no problems. You'll have to Shrink your C:\ partition during your set up for the clone. there are several videos on YouTube on doing this with Macrium Reflect Free. https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW7/Macrium+Reflect+User+Guide

Can the machine boot from an USB connected drive? At the time you want to do this there is no OS on the M2 drive.

 

[Clintlgm]

The OS will be Win PE on the recovery USB you make with Macrium Reflect that you will boot to, that will open Macrium Reflect and you'll set up the Clone from there.
https://knowledgebase.macrium.com/display/KNOW7/Macrium+Reflect+User+Guide

 

[Tim Locke]

The Easus method does not require removing the original drive and plugging it in USB. If the Acer is anything like my Lenovo that means 4 fewer tiny screws to remove and not lose!

 

[Clintlgm]

The Easus method does not require removing the original drive and plugging it in USB. If the Acer is anything like my Lenovo that means 4 fewer tiny screws to remove and not lose!

Macrium doesn't either. I always recommend removing hard drives and installing the new drive in Notebooks then clone to the new drive. the drives have to change out no matter anyway and little chance of boot files ending up on another drive

 

[Tim Locke]

ON this particular set up the drives do not need to be removed as one is a SATA 1TB and the new drive an M2. But I do see your point. When doing drives on desktops I always remove the old boot drive before booting. So perhaps cloning in place and unplugging the old drive before that first boot would be enough.

 

[Clintlgm]

ON this particular set up the drives do not need to be removed as one is a SATA 1TB and the new drive an M2. But I do see your point. When doing drives on desktops I always remove the old boot drive before booting. So perhaps cloning in place and unplugging the old drive before that first boot would be enough.

Yes UEFI can be tricky so eliminating any chance for errors is helpful. Having two bootable drives can screw up the boot manager

 

[Jake B]

Hi y'all,

I bought a new "budget" Acer Aspire 5 Model A515-51-563W laptop a few days ago and reading through several forums I found out that it has a slot for an SSD (Max capacity 256GB according to Acer Support...) The laptop comes with a Toshiba 1TB HDD which I would like to convert to storage and then boot the system from the SSD which would make my computer boot faster. I was recommended a Samsung EVO 860 250GB M.2 2280 SSD or a Micron 1100 - SSD- 256 GB - SATA 6Gb/s (Part # MTFDDAV256TBN-1AR12ABYY). Can any of you give me a step by step guide on how to install it and get it running? (To not make it too long let's start after I had all the screws out, back cover-off and looking at the open slot with the SSD in my hand). Thank you for your help in advance.

I've done this a few times with both M.2 and SATA drives. Everytime i used a external closure for the new device to be cloned. I also used Acronis True Image (since it has always worked for me) . I always booted the system with the new cloned drive (with the old drive removed) then added it after and the drive letters were assigned properly.

 

[Clintlgm]

I've done this a few times with both M.2 and SATA drives. Everytime i used a external closure for the new device to be cloned. I also used Acronis True Image (since it has always worked for me) . I always booted the system with the new cloned drive (with the old drive removed) then added it after and the drive letters were assigned properly.

Which came first the chicken or the egg? I had many failures with ATH back in 2012, 2013 and moved to Macrium Reflect for all computer at that time have never had a failure with MR. As I said earlier you have to remove the olld drive and install the new drive anyway so I do first to prevent any accidently issues.

 

[Jake B]

Well what came first is the way you look at it. Since every chicken comes from an egg looking at it that way the egg come first. But if you look at it the other way a chicken has to exist to create and egg.

 

[Clintlgm]

Well what came first is the way you look at it. Since every chicken comes from an egg looking at it that way the egg come first. But if you look at it the other way a chicken has to exist to create and egg.

Yes is you read the original post he has a notebook and apparently only one drive bay. If he had two bays I would have had him clone one to the to the other then shut down and remove the old on

 

[Jake B]

He said he found out it had a m.2 slot for a SSD and it came with a 1 TB HD. The m.2. is for a SSD and HD would be a SATA drive(which could be HD or SSD).

 

[Jake B]

Hi y'all,

I bought a new "budget" Acer Aspire 5 Model A515-51-563W laptop a few days ago and reading through several forums I found out that it has a slot for an SSD (Max capacity 256GB according to Acer Support...) The laptop comes with a Toshiba 1TB HDD which I would like to convert to storage and then boot the system from the SSD which would make my computer boot faster. I was recommended a Samsung EVO 860 250GB M.2 2280 SSD or a Micron 1100 - SSD- 256 GB - SATA 6Gb/s (Part # MTFDDAV256TBN-1AR12ABYY). Can any of you give me a step by step guide on how to install it and get it running? (To not make it too long let's start after I had all the screws out, back cover-off and looking at the open slot with the SSD in my hand). Thank you for your help in advance.

I have an older Acer Aspire 8950G 18.4" laptop. I purchased it with the intention of adding a SSD and moving the HD to the 2nd bay. I also wanted to replace the wireless card with an Intel. I ordered the SSD cloning kit and then I found out that the drive would fit with the cover that came with the laptop. Also i discovered there was no SATA (this was before m.2 technology existed) connector in the 2nd bay. My model was purchased in the USA but I saw that Acer sold the same model with 2 drives in Australia. I called Acer support and they said I couldn't have a 2nd drive on that computer. I knew it could be done because it was done in Australia. I searched the internet and found a proprietary cable for the previous version the 8943G (in england) and contacted the seller he said it would fit my model. OK so I kept going and they I found one in Canada that was listed for my model. It had a Acer part number so I ordered. The i discovered I needed a special cover if a 2nd drive was used. I purchased both for about 30.00. I received them and the cable at one end plugged into a slot on the motherboard under the bay. The other end was a SATA cable that fit the drive. I cloned the drive by using the USB external to an SSD as the target, When complete i removed the HD and booted with the SSD only. After it booted and assigned C to the SSD i put the HD into the 2nd bay and it became D.

I also did it with my Alienware that came with a 256 M.2 and a 1 tb HD and another bay that was empty. I purchase a 1TB SSD and cloned the 256 gb SSD. I did have to buy a external enclosure for a m.2 ssd drive. I cloned it with the 1 tb in the USB enclosure and after it was done I replaced the 256 with the 1 tb and no issues.

 

[Norton]

I just installed 1803 on a spare 250GB Seagate BarraCuda HD.
I removed my working HD from my desktop PC, installed the spare formatted Seagate HD, booted from Macrium USB and installed a new clean Macrium backup image that I created from my first 1803 Image. Worked great and took very little time.

 

[Clintlgm]

I just installed 1803 on a spare 250GB Seagate BarraCuda HD.
I removed my working HD from my desktop PC, installed the spare formatted Seagate HD, booted from Macrium USB and installed a new clean Macrium backup image that I created from my first 1803 Image. Worked great and took very little time.

Yes I have a 512 960 EVO Coming in on Wednesday I'm going to have to do a clean install since I can't get 1803 to update The old "Modern set up host has stopped" at 31/% Cleaned up the SSD got over 100GB free space still won't install So Clean install is going to be my only solution.