Lenovo W510 - HDD or SSD Upgrade

I am getting my brothers laptop which he is no longer using -
W510
Intel Core i7-Q720(1.6GHz, 8MB Cache)
8GB DDR3 RAM (4GB + 4GB)
125GB SSD
15.6-inch HD Display
nVedia Graphics
Windows 7 Professional (64bit)
Storage memory is very less, it looks like those laptops which were manufactured during the 2000's.
I would like to upgrade. I live in the UK.
Can i have expert opinion on this ?
If the SSD for laptop with 240 GB (additional - i do not want to disturb the existing 125 GB SSD tht came with the laptop). If this is a costly affair, probable options for adding HDD without disturbing the existing factory fitted OEM's SSD would be great.
Thanks in advance for all your inputs.
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Is it a Full High Definition (FHD) screen i.e., 1920 x 1080 or the HD+ screen i.e., 1600x900 or basic HD 1366x768 ? I don't think it will have HDMI, but rather a DisplayPort, which you would need a dongle to convert to HDMI (about $30). Does it have the hardware HueyPro colour calibrator ? Fingerprint reader ?
That's a call that I can't make for you mate. It really depends on what features and performance factors you prioritize. For 350 British Pounds (about $545 Canadian $), there are a number of basic laptops that now carry the more energy and heat efficient i5 dual core processors, but probably only come with 4-6GB RAM, however you can bring those up to 8GB yourself for about $50. Do you need now or in the future, quad core processing ? Systems from Dell, Asus, etc. will probably be better multimedia systems, and lighter as well. The Thinkpad's are business-class laptops, and will likely be more solid, and reliable rather than slick and quick. I chose my W510 over the Dell XPS 15 wtih similar specs and price because I valued the ThinkPad keyboard and TrackPoint, the matte FHD screen I have, and the color calibrator.
I would suggest making yourself a list of laptop features and then prioritizing them for yourself. Then see what other laptops are available for your price point, and compare your valued featrues to the W510 and similarly priced systems, and that will help you make an informed choice. Hope that helps.

Similar Messages

IdeaPad Flex 14 HDD to SSD upgrade

Hi!
I have the Lenovo IdeaPad 14 (US version) with a hybrid drive Seagate SSHD Thin (500GB HDD + 8GB SSD). I want to upgrade to an SSD and dual-boot with Ubuntu 14.04. My main issues are the following:
- Is the HDD user replaceble? Would I be voiding my warranty if I open my laptop?
- Can I use the mSATA and SATA to put two drives and dual-boot between them? Would the BIOS/UEFI allow me to do so? (I haven't previously worked with mSATA drive and I don't know how they are recognised by the motherboard or how they appear in device manager)
- How do I safely transfer my Windows 8.1 installation from the old SSHD to the new SSD in order to keep my files/settings and most importantly my Windows license?
- While I'm at it, why not upgrade the RAM as well. So does the laptop have one or two slots for RAM as I couldn't find any specs/service manual online?
- Where do I find a service manual in order to know how to properly disassemble the laptop?
If anybody knows the answer to any of these, please write/post a link here. It will be much appreciated!
Thank you!
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Once the screws are removed under the angular feet the back comes of the laptop.
Glad you've been able to have the confidence to get the back of the laptop. I guess you thought what I thought, the base inards will fit anything from 13.3" to 15.6 using little more than different length ribbon connectors. Fitting it in a 11.6" device may be possible although the hard drive may have to SSD.
I find it hard to believe you need to remove 24 screws to remove the HDD, and 24 to go back afterwards. Had a play with Ubuntu 14.04 using VMWare player myself, although for some stupid reason it didn't prompt for a user and password during the install leaving me only able to use the guest account to log in. I clearly need 8GB of RAM and an SSD to make a smoother VM experience of Ubuntu and another VM install to save my settings.
Certainly worth taking the back off to have a look.

HDD to SSD upgrade for HP Pavilion 15 notebook PC

Hey there!
I own a HP pavilion 15 notebook PC, [Model number: F6C42PA#ACJ]. Currently it is equipped with a 1 TB SATA HDD. I was planning to upgrade it to SSD. Kindly guide me through steps and compatible products. Also is there a simple way to just walk into an authorised service centre and request thm to do the upgrade?
Thank you,
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Here is the Service Manual:
Manual
See page 59.
Not your exact model but very close and the videos will perhaps be more helpful.
http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=c04324972&DocLang=en&docLocale=en_US&jumpid=...
Any 2.5 inch SATA form factor SSD will work and I recommend a Samsung Evo 850.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147372&cm_re=Samsung_850_Evo-_-20-147-372-_...
There is a link to all the available sizes on the page. I would recommend at least a 256 and 500s are pretty affordable these days.
Where do you live? Country only, please. I have heard that HP Service Centers will perform memory and SSD upgrades on these "closed" systems but I am not sure where all of them are located or what they would charge. You should be able to find a competent local computer shop to do it. It does put the warranty in jeopardy but the warranty will not be revoked if the job is done properly, without damage to the laptop.
If this is "the Answer" please click "Accept as Solution" to help others find it.

Lenovo S20-30 laptop SSD upgrade - Crucial M500

Here's what I did:
Using original S20-30 configuration:
1 Download Windows 8.1 ISO - bootable setup installation disk image - save on desktop:
http://getintopc.com/softwares/operating-systems/windows-8-1-download/
2 Download Rufus software - create USB bootable drive - install Rufus:
http://rufus.akeo.ie/
Settings for Rufus - all default except: Partition Scheme & Target System: GPT for UEFI
3 Run Rufus with target USB drive (USB 3.0, port on left of keyboard), using ISO - power off once done.
4 Open S20-30 (11 screws, 2 hidden under back rubber feet nearest screen hinges)
5 Remove existing HDD, insert new SDD (Crucial M500 in this case) - replace laptop case.
6 Hold FN & F2 keys - enter BIOS - SSD should appear - change SATA controller mode from AHCI to compatible - save & exit - power off
7 Hold FN & F12 keys - press power on - Boot Manager - choose USB drive
8 Windows Setup should run - when target drive appears, if any partitions are there, remove them so Windows can establish new GPT partitions
9 Once Windows is running, re-install all Lenovo drivers & upgrade to Windows 8.1 Update
Good Luck!

I've just tried mine and WITH the USB drive in I get 3 choices:
1 Windows Boot Manager
EFI USB
EFI Network 0
Maybe your USB drive isn't formatted correctly as a bootable Windows installation drive - check that?

Should I defrag HDD between SSD upgrading?

I am in the process of changing from a Crucial 256GB M4 SATA SSD to a Crucial 240GB M500 SSD. (I'm unable to upgrade the M4 firmware as laptop has UEFI BIOS). I have imaged the M4 to an HDD and find that the C: partition is 12% defragmented and the recovery partition Q: is 99% defragmented. I have a Lenovo T430s laptop running Windows 7 Professional.
Should I defrag both partitions before installing the new SSD, or not bother?
Also the Q partition had only 2GB free on the M4. Should I increase this when I change to the M500?
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If you click on Q in Windows Explorer, you should see menu pop up with two options: burn recovery disks and reclaim space. I can't remember exactly as it's been a while since I did it, but it's possible that the second option doesn't appear until you complete the first.
You can run the recovery during startup by interrupting the boot process by pressing F11 repeatedly. Do so will give you a menu to restore your drive to the factory state. It does this from the recovery image stored on Q. You don't need to do this if you've burned the disks because, well, you have the disks that do the same thing. So, after you burn the disks and delete Q, the F11 option won't work any more. Just so you know.
Edit: DVDs!!!! Unless you like feeding dozens of CDs to the burner!
SSDs are like RAM sticks. They don't do anything if they're not powered up. Open Power Options in Control Panel and edit the advanced settings for power. You'll find a setting for hard disks, for when plugged in and when on battery. Set "turn off disks" to never for both. You don't want an SSD powering down while you're using the PC.

Lenovo u310 core i5 SSD upgrade

I've recently brought my Lenovo to a local computer shop to have the older 500gb hard drive replaced with a new Samsung 256gb SSD pro. Everything was done, brought it back home went into the bios and noticed that the SATA controller is in compability mode. My thought was, shouldn't it be in AHCI mode to take advantage of the SSD. Ran some SSD benchmark and noticed that the score was a lot lower than exected.
So I brought it back to the computer shop and ask them to set it in ACHI mode. Windows started to boot, then it immediately got a blue screen. The tech then said that the system was not designed to run the new SSD in AHCI mode simply because the system is only SATA2 and also there is a mSATA installed.
Is this technician right? I find it hard to believe that this system is only SATA2 and it's not possible to run the new Samsung 256gb SSD in ACHI mode along with the mSATA installed.

hi Mvt,
Welcome to Lenovo Community Forums!
Can you try Booting into Safemode once you changed it to AHCI
If the system Boots up in Safemode without the BSOD
Shut it down then Boot to Normal Mode and it should work then without the Bluescreen error.
Regards
Solid Cruver
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Plz upload a video on how to upgrade a traditional HDD to SSD on lenovo t61

can someone plz upload a video showing how to upgrade a traditional HDD to SSD on lenovo t61, help appreciated thanks
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Hi ghattiya,
Removing and replacing the HDD, assuming the same form factor, is shown in the Lenovo Training Videos.
For tips on how to clone the drive or do a clean install, I suggest starting by searching the forum.
I don't work for Lenovo. I'm a crazy volunteer!

Upgrade CPU In Lenovo W510

Hi! I am new here, I have owned IBM and Lenovo products. I juust recently purchased a new Lenovo W510 It has a Intel 720QM Processor and I would like to do a CPU upgrade. I have done some research and it has left me with a few questions. I have read that there has been some success with putting 920XM CPU in this machine but the problem is 50 watt power supply and the power supply is 45 watt so you are underpowered the CPU buy 5watts! How will this effect the performance of the 920XM longterm and in everyday usage?Not to mention the obvious the battery and power brick! I have heard through these forrums that These machines already are not the greatest at keeping these quad's cool already. I have looked at the Intel 840QM processor which only needs a 45 watt power supply. the performance is very close to the 920XM on paper but what is the real difference as far as user performance for the money? The 840QM is 1.86GB To turbo out at 3.2 GB which correct me if I am wrong is the top power of the 920XM. So did Lenovo put the 840QM In the W510 and if so,can anyone tell me how it performes? and if Lenovo didn't why not it seems like a good way to not have to change the heat sinks or the power supply. I really would like some input on this before I do an upgrade. Thanks In Advance

My unit came with a 135w power supply, but it's nice to know I can run it on a 90w. I have the 90w slim with auto and airplane adapters, so I'm glad I can run it on that, or at least use it to charge the unit while I'm driving.
The 135 p/s is huge, but I hear the one with the w520 is even bigger. I can understand why you'd want a more powerful adapter with such a powerful unit, but I think even if it draws more then 90w, as long as you have a charged battery, you should be able to run it using a combination of battery and ac power, then when your battery gets low, either shut down or put it in standby until it can recharge. This would be far from ideal, but would be better then refusing to boot, but since you say the boot error can be bypassed, it's a moot point.
Regarding the fan on my unit, I've done a parts lookup, and it lists the cpu number, but no heatsink/fan assembly.
Mfg P/N FRU P/N Description Serviceable
45N7270
45N7271
HHDS 160GB
Yes
45N7514
45N7515
DVDMULT-6
Yes
54Y9148
63Y2001
CPU1.73GHZ
Yes
60Y3212
60Y3213
ADAPTER
Yes
60Y3230
60Y3231
WLAN CARD
Yes
63Y1539
Yes
71Y3514
0000000
COA LABEL:LABELS
No
75Y5651
63Y1551
PLANAR TPM
Yes
45N7030
45K0643
FRU DT HDD 160GB
Yes
41R0625
55Y3713
2GB DDR3
Yes
41R0625
55Y3713
2GB DDR3
Yes
42T0764
42T0765
LCD 15.6
Yes
42T4802
42T4969
LGC Nozomi 9cell 2.8Ah
Yes
42T5093
0000000
LINE CORD:LINE CORDS
No
42X4525
0000000
Yes
45N0058
45N0059
ADAPTER
Yes
45N2036
04W2753
FRU US English-KBD CS09 ALPS
Yes
63Y2529
No
I guess there would be no way of knowing if this has the same one the extreme cpu does without visual confirmation. It's not an issue now anyway, this will suit all my needs, but in a year or two I will probably consider an upgrade if a good deal appears.
My only concern now is installing 16GB of ram and a 64bit OS.
Thanks for your time
ThinkPad W-510 i7-820QM(1.73-3.06GHz) Quad Core... ThinkPad T500, T9900, 8gb SSD...FrankNpad T-60p/61p (X9000 2.8ghz) 8gb SSD ips FlexView...ThinkPad T-61p (T9300 2.5ghz) 8gb ram...Thinkpad X-61 Tablet 4gb ram...ThinkPad A-31 (1.9ghz P4 1.5gb ram)

Lenovo G505s wifi slow afrter upgrading to SSD

Hi,
I have Lenovo G505 (59-380146) (APU Quad Core A10-5750 2.5 Ghz/ 6GB Ram) Windows 7 x64. Upgraded my HDD to SSD (Sandisk SDSSDHP256G FW:X2316RL).System become rapid speed, windows boots in 8-10secs, HD tune transfer rate is between 357.3 and 409.6 MB/sec, simply everything just went perfect except Internet speed... With old HDD it used to be around 36-40Mbps, with SSD its now only around 11-13Mbps... My wireless card is Atheros AR956x. Drivers are up to date and downloaded from Lenovo support website. Tried old HDD - wifi works perfect.
Does anyone knows whats the problem and how to fix it?? I only write here because I tried everything...
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hi Tomas985
Welcome to the Lenovo Forums.
Just to check, when you open Device Manager > Network Adapters > Atheros AR956x (properties) > Driver Tab, have you tried comparing the wireless driver version from the old HDD to the new one?
If the drivers are different (it will help if you can list them here) try to re-install the Wireless Driver from the lenovo website or from the D:\Drivers\WLAN folder (old HDD) and ensure that the driver version is:
Atheros v10.0.0.242 (Windows 8)
Atheros v10.0.0.263 (Windows 8.1).
If the drivers are the same and you have installed a firewall or security software (eg. Norton, Mcafee, AVG Security Suite, Zone Alarm, etc.), try to temporarily disable or uninstall them and observe.
Alternatively, try also these drivers:
- win8-v10.0.0.287-whql.zip
- Win8x64_6.30.95.29_WHQL.exe
Let me know how it goes.
Regards
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If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"! This will help the rest of the Community with similar issues identify the verified solution and benefit from it.
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Upgraded to 10, How to move from HDD to SSD? (Y-Series Laptop)

Howdy all, I have a Lenovo Y Series Laptop that came with a combo HDD/SSD. I assumed that Windows would be installed on the SSD, leaving the HDD for everything else. Turns out this isn't the case. The SSD is currently at 22.6g free of 24.9, and I'm honestly not sure if it's a totally separate drive, or if it's integrated into the HDD somehow.. I am trying to figure out how to move windows onto the SSD potion of the hard drive, but just want to make sure I'm not forgetting something. I assume I'll have to:Backup any files I want to keep (there are none, just applications I can get again after)Make a Windows 10 Boot Drive on a USBReformat SSDBoot from the USBPerform clean install of Windows 10 on SSD(possible step here of backing up lenovo software?)Reformat HDDRe-install all apps + programsAre there any Particular things that I need to make sure of for Windows 10?Am I forgetting anything?Is this a terrible idea?Is this totally not how my particular hard drive works?Is there a waaaay easier way to do this without possibly destroying everything? Lastly I want to make sure that the Lenovo software stays on the laptop, I assume it'll all go bye-bye if I do a clean install. I tried this once years ago and ended up making the Fn keys stop working, the fan and temperature control goofy, and I think it may even have been haunted.. Any advice or known disastrous things to avoid would be super helpful.

hi Trosh,
Welcome to the Forums.
Using the parts lookup page to check the hard drive specs on models 80FA002CUS and 80FA002DUS, those machines are configured with an SSHD (1TB HDD with a built-in 8GB SSD cache).
The 22.6 GB free of 24.9 GB that you're seing is likely the D:\ drive, which is a partition of the 1TB HDD (you can verify this by opening up Disk Management)
As for upgrading to Windows 10:
1. Ensure that you have a backup copy of your files before upgrading and create a recovery drive just in case.
2. Before you can clean install Windows 10, you will need to upgrade your current installation (e.g., Windows 8.1) first to Windows 10 and activate. Once this is done, you can proceed in doing a clean install. If you proceed in doing a clean install on first attempt, you may not be able to activate Windows.
You can read more in this article:
How to Activate and resolve common Product key issues in Windows 10
Note that doing a clean install will definitely remove all preloaded apps and drivers, thus, you will need to reinstall them back (some proprietary preloaded apps though doesn't have an Installer due to license limitation)
3. After upgrading Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, some preloaded apps and drivers may have limited functionality or may not work at all. Thus, you will need to update to the latest Windows 10 drivers (if available).
More info here:
https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/documents/ht103611
4. In case you get issues with the upgrade, you can always refresh Windows 10 or go back to the previous Windows build or by doing a system recovery then re-upgrade.
- Refresh Windows 10
- Windows 10 - Go Back to Previous Win1dows
- Link to picture (select System Recovery)
5. If you're leaning towards an SSD upgrade (e.g., 256GB or 500GB), you will need to migrate the OS from the SSHD to the SSD and upgrade to Windows 10. If you have already originally upgraded though on the stock drive, you can clean install Windows on the new SSD.
More info before upgrading to Windows 10:
Windows 10 - Upgrade Installation
Hope the info above answers your questions.
Regards

Lenovo Flex 10 SSD upgrade

Hi,
This is my first post. I have just brought a Lenovo Flex 10 with a celeron n 2807 chip. I asked in the shop if they could do an ssd upgrade and they said they wouldn't recommend it because the celeron n2807 chip is not good enough to run an SSD internal flash drive. Would anyone recomened upgrading the interneral storage from the 5400rpm hard drive to an SSD?

Pardon my lack of confidence in your shop, but that's a joke. SSDs will improve PC's right back to the beginning of the SATA offering. I have a NUC with the following Celeron:
http://ark.intel.com/products/79052/Intel-Celeron-Processor-N2820-1M-Cache-up-to-2_39-GHz
There is a huge performance gain from running an SSD on these. The only factor in whether or not to get an SSD should be if the size within your budget will hold all your data.
←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗
Tap that kudos button if I helped ^^
←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗←↑→↓↘↙↖↗

Upgrade HDD to SSD (Do i need to re-install?)

I just bought an SSD (Samsung 470 series is the one thats best with MBP right?) and i want to replace it with the stock HDD that came with my 2011 MBP 13".
What if i upgrade RAM from 4GB to 8GB and transfer from HDD to SSD by carbon copy cloner. Do i need to re-install Lion then?
Is TRIM automatically enabled if i transfer from HDD to SSD?

Upgrading the RAM is fine by itself. Just know you only have two slots, and thus need matching pairs of 4GB modules to increase the RAM from 4GB to 8GB. If you have $900, OtherWorld Computing has 16GB of RAM (two 8GB modules) for sale. (no compensation)
Use the online Crucial checker and MacTracker to make sure your getting the correct specs of the RAM (and the amount of modules) before purchasing.
What you need to do is use the free to use (donations accepted) Carbon Copy Cloner on the HDD while it's still in the machine, clone to a external powered drive and hold option to boot from it, test it out that it works.
Then make the HDD to SSD switch and option boot from the clone again, format the SSD HFS+ Journaled and use CCC to clone it onto the SSD.
OtherWorld Computing and iFixit has videos, pictures, instructions and tools needed.
When you clone, it clones the OS X partition only, not both your OS X partition and the Lion Recovery Partition, which in your case is unnecessary to have if you have a "hold option" bootable clone. (should keep two at times)
If you need to download Lion installer again, simply use MacAppStore and hold option and click on Purchases, either in Lion or Snow Leopard and then make a couple of " hold c" bootable DVD's from these instructions.
http://www.eggfreckles.net/notes/burning-a-lion-boot-disc/
These DVD's made from these instructions contain the full OS X Lion, not a Recovery Lion disk or the Lion Recovery Partition which Apple provides a download for and requires a lengthily Internet connection to download Lion before it's installed.
Far as setting the TRIM, I don't know about that. Hopefully someone else will answer.
If not ask Dave (Bmer) over here:
http://macosg.com/
He replaced his hard drive with a OCZ Vertex, the fastest SSD's on the planet and also his Superdrive with a 7,200 RPM 750GB drive for storage (note: you can't boot from a Lion/Snow/Windows DVD from a external optical drive) so he would know best what to do.
Also OCZ just came out with a 480 gb or so very fast SSD, the Vertex 3 series, just as fast as the smaller SSD's but with more storage capacity, so that would be worth checking into. (smaller SSD's are faster, larger older ones are just a bit faster than a regular hard drive)
Also check out your Mac model's SATA number using the fre MacTracker and System Profiler, this way you can by the right SSD for the price and know your bus speed limitation accessing the SSD.
Good luck.

How to upgrade from HDD to SSD in Mid 2010 13inch MacbookPro?

I am upgrading from HDD to SSD and would like the step by step direction of how to do it on my 13inch MacBookPro mid 2010. Also, I would like to do a clean install of the OS onto the new SSD, and simply transfer my data(i.e. documents, pictures) from the old HDD to the new SSD(Samsung 500GB)
Any detailed directions would be appreciated. You may send responses directly to my address: ******* Thanks in advance
<Edited by Host>

Tolefe1 wrote:
Thanks. How do I booth to IR? Won't I need to connect to the internet to be able to booth to Internet Recovery... Please give steps as I am pretty new to this.
Turn the Mac on (or reboot it) and press command-option-R as soon as you hear the startup chime. Hold the keys down until you see a globe, then release. When the Recovery Menu appears you choose Disk Utility and format the SSD for use in a Mac (Erase>Set Format to MacOS Extended (Journaled), then exit Disk Utility and choose Install OSX
You will need to be connected to the Internet and your Mac should detect your network and ask for a password automatically when Recovery Starts.

Change HDD with SSD in Notebook HP ENVY 15-k000nl - Warranty expiration - Maximun RAM Upgrade

Good morning,
I have bought the above notebook one week ago, in the HP main site there wasn't photo about the rear and when I saw there is no easy way for chanhe HDD to SSD, I have to unscrew about 15 screws located here and there
Just I would like know if I change the SSD the warranty will expire?.
At the same time please can I upgrade the RAM to 16 GB DDR3L? which is the Maximun RAM Upgradable?
Best regards
Christian

Hi, Christian:
Yes, if you replace the hard drive or memory, the warranty will be voided as neither component is a DIY (do it yourself) project.
Please see the service manual at the link below, chapter 6 for the authorized service center removal and replacement procedures for those components.
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04409752.pdf

Can't Upgrade Lenovo Yoga 11s mSATA SSD

I recently purchased a refurbished Lenovo Yoga 11s from Tiger Direct along with an 8 GB RAM upgrade and a 480 GB Crucial mSATA SSD. The RAM replacement was easy. However, I have tried for three weeks to clone, reinstall, or recover my OS installation to the new SSD, and everything has failed. I’ve done extensive research on this forum and others but can’t find a solution.
The 11s came with Windows 8 on a 128 GB mSATA SSD. I updated it to 8.1 and installed a bunch of my own apps before attempting the clone. The 480 GB Crucial SSD definitely works. I have an external USB enclosure and when it’s inserted it reads just fine on multiple machines. I disabled Fast Boot and Secure Boot and have experimented with both Legacy and UEFI boot modes.
Here’s what I’ve tried:
1. Cloning via Easeus Todo Backup directly through Windows 8. The clone appeared to be successful but the new drive wouldn’t boot. I tried boot repair using both a Lenovo and a standard Windows Recovery USB that I made before beginning all of this. In each case Startup Repair says it can’t find the required partition. Also, the BIOS doesn’t recognize the new SSD when I have a Recovery USB inserted.
2. Cloning by booting directly to a Clonezilla Live USB. Again, the clone appeared successful but after swapping the SSDs the new one wouldn’t boot, and both Recovery USBs wouldn’t work.
3. Cloning AGAIN by booting directly to Clonezilla Live USB, this time with the new SSD attached to the mobo and the original in the USB enclosure. In this attempt, Clonezilla only recognized the 128 GB SSD and didn’t recognize the 480 attached to the mobo. (Although I don't think I'd partitioned the new SSD in this attempt, so maybe that would change things?)
4. Cloning via Paragon’s “Migrate OS”. I had high hopes for this because others have reported good results. Again, the clone appears successful but after swapping it won’t boot. And I did check the “create UEFI boot” option on Paragon.
5. In desperation, I “borrowed” a copy of Windows 8 on a USB to see if I could do a fresh installation, since apparently you can’t just easily reinstall Win8 on an OEM machine. I’m at the point where I’d pay for a Win8 license just to have my own copy and avoid this OEM nonsense—but I want to be sure it would work on this SSD first. However, the copy I was using won’t install because it doesn’t recognize the new SSD. If I put the BIOS into Legacy Boot mode, it will recognize the Win8 USB but not the new mSATA drive. If I put it into UEFI it recognizes the mSATA drive but won’t recognize the USB.
I’m at my wit’s end here. Clearly other people have successfully upgraded their 11s machines (like this guy: http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Idea-Windows-based-Tablets-and/Lenovo-Yoga-11s-SSD-and-RAM-Upgrade-Great-Results/td-p/1195545) Maybe the 11s motherboard won’t accept a 480 GB SSD? Or maybe it’s just strangely incompatible with this particular model? (This is what I’m using: http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=CT480M500SSD3) Is there something else painfully obvious I’m missing?
Please help! I love this little machine but if I can’t get the SSD upgraded it’s going to find another home.
-wm
Moderator note: Crucial link fixed.

That's EXACTLY what it is. I originally bought an ivy bridge 11s and I went ahead and tried the new drive in it and it worked just fine. I have also been posting in another forum...here's my last post: I think I figured it out... I have another Yoga 11s here beside me, the Ivy Bridge version; the bios in that machine sees the ssd just fine. The difference is the bios versions. The one that won't see it is 8FCN19WW(V1.00)-the haswell 11s. The one that WILL see it is 77CN19WW(V1.05). So now I'm trying to fig out how to get that V1.00 bios updated to V1.05. That's the only thing I can think of to do. Keep you posted... So, I guess I have to choose between the haswell processor or larger ssd. I can always just switch the gray covers for the orange cause I'm liking the orange WAY better. TBH, I'm not really seeing a big diff between the ivy bridge and haswell anyway... I only got about 4.5 hrs battery life, which is what I got with the IB. There was also supposed to be a better wireless card but the reception and speed is the same as well. I may just end up keeping the Ivy Bridge because of the better bios. There is absolutely no way to update the bios in either of these machines so we're basically just stuck with what we get. If you DO like the 11s as much as I do, you can always find an Ivy Bridge model and is should work just fine for you. The Micro Center here in town is selling IB refurbs for $499. Probably the same price online. Write more later...

Lenovo W510 - HDD or SSD Upgrade

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