Build Advice Laptop manuals aren't always accurate

[Dr3ams]

Laptop: HP 17-ca1010ng

My wife's laptop has a 512 GB M.2 drive and it is nearly full, so I decided to check the manual to see if it is possible to add an additional SSD. In the "Maintenance and service guide" for the HP 17-ca1010ng it states that it is possible to install a 2.5" HD or a 2.5" SSD. After reading that I ordered a WD 2 TB SSD from an online vendor. And after receiving the additional hardware, I began the installation. When I opened the laptop I was surprised to discover that, yes, there was a place to install the drive, but there were no SATA connectors for it. I even removed the battery to be sure...nope, nothing.

This was very dissapointing. What now? My three options: 1.) I have a USB HD/SSD docking station, so I could move files over to one of my retired HDDs (I'd rather use the new SSD for another build). 2.) I could buy a new M.2 drive with larger capacity and install that in the laptop. This would involve cloning or re-installing Windows. 3.) I could pay Google for more Google Drive space to store my wife's files (mostly photos). I chose option 3. It costs 10 Euros a month for the 2 TB of extra storage and it also serves as a backup for her files.

Lesson I learned here. Regardless of what the manual says, open the laptop and do a visual inspection before purchasing additional or replacement hardware.

 

[BFG-9000]

The manual says you need special proprietary cable L22526-001 and heatsink cover L22534-001 to install a 7mm tall 2.5" drive. These would obviously not be included with a laptop that was not factory-equipped with one.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

There's nothing wrong with the manual. It comes down to your not doing your due diligence and checking first that all required cables and such were either present or on order before trying to install the new drive.

 

[BFG-9000]

They look like these:

 

[Dr3ams]

Thank you both for the information. Since I would only be willing to purchase HP original parts, I have discovered that those parts combined cost between 140 and 150 Euros. That's the same price I paid for the WD 2 TB SSD. Which would bring the cost to nearly 300 Euros just to upgrade the storage. Not really worth it for a laptop I purchased for 500 Euros in 2020.

 

[BFG-9000]

But you could buy used, genuine HP parts on eBay from someone who parts out old, genuine HP laptops. They are the same price as new aftermarket, about €10 each.

 

[Dr3ams]

But you could buy used, genuine HP parts on eBay from someone who parts out old, genuine HP laptops. They are the same price as new aftermarket, about €10 each.

Thanks. That's very helpful.

 

[Dr3ams]

There's nothing wrong with the manual. It comes down to your not doing your due diligence and checking first that all required cables and such were either present or on order before trying to install the new drive.

Not to be disrespectful, but have you read the "User's Guide"? The "User's Guide" says nothing about upgrading the drives. On pages 44-47 of the "Maintenance and Service Guide" it only states parts and part numbers. It doesn't mention the specs. of the HP 17-ca1010ng (that is in the HP 17-ca1010ng description pdf, which doesn't mention upgrade requirements). It also doesn't say if the HP 17-ca1010ng would require any parts that are listed on pages 44-47 to upgrade to 2.5" drives.

No where on HP's website, either back in 2020 or currently, is the text "If the 2.5" Drive was not installed from HP, you will need the 2.5" Drive cover and cable for installation".

Over the years I have upgraded many laptops and have never encountered one that had a drive bay, but no connectors to install the drive. This was a first for me.

And you are missing the point of this post. I am simply trying to inform users that older laptops don't always have the necessary information from the manufacturer's manual or website to perform an upgrade. Because I am definitely not the only one who reads a manual and then makes a hardware choice on what it says or doesn't say there, I created this post.