mpcie slot in the back of my laptop won't recognize an msata ssd

[tundrawolf86]

Hi, I have an acer aspire 7551-7422. There's an easy access compartment underneath that houses the ram modules, wireless card, and hard drive. There's an empty slot, apparently an mpcie:

http://www.insidemylaptop.com/images/Acer-Aspire-7551G/aspire-7551g-disassembly-13.jpg

I stuck a crucial msata ssd in there, but it wasn't recognized by either win 7 or the BIOS. Can anybody link me to an ssd that would work in this slot? Thanks.

 

[Outlaw1198]

Are you sure the ssd is not faulty before you get a new one?

 

[getochkn]

mPCIe doesn't mean it will take a mSata. They have the same pins, but different pinouts, hence it, and probably no other drive will work. You need a laptop with an actual mSata slot.


"Mini-SATA, which is distinct from the micro connector, was announced by the Serial ATA International Organization on September 21, 2009.[36] Applications include netbooks and other devices that require a smaller solid-state drive. The connector is similar in appearance to a PCI Express Mini Card interface,[37] and is electrically compatible; however, the data signals (TX±/RX± SATA, PETn0 PETp0 PERn0 PERp0 PCI Express) need connection to the SATA host controller instead of the PCI Express host controlle"

From wikipedia

 

[tundrawolf86]

Is there any kind of adapter I can install? I read something on Amazon about a guy claiming to be able to install an msata slot himself. Can I simply buy some kind of msata slot and stick it in?

 

[tundrawolf86]

By the way, I really appreciate your response. Is there anything cool I can put into this slot, other than, say, a bluetooth card?

 

[Jaxem]

mpcie and msata are not the same thing, i found this out the hard way, i tried to use an mpcie to sd card adapter to make my own ssd on the cheap, but it didn't work, but an msata ssd worked in mine (there are models of mine that come with one in for caching, so that makes sense). The slots are the same, but the protocols aren't.

 

[getochkn]

Is there any kind of adapter I can install? I read something on Amazon about a guy claiming to be able to install an msata slot himself. Can I simply buy some kind of msata slot and stick it in?

If you are good at soldering, and your laptop would support it, it might be possible, but a lot of work. The problem is while mini-pcie has the same pins as msata, the mini-pcie isn't connected anywhere to the sata bus or controller. You would have desolder the mini-pcie pins responsible for data and solder them to the sata controller. not for the faint hearted.

 

[Jaxem]

Something like this would probably work and get you to the same place, probably at a higher altogether cost...but it is what it is:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SD-SDHC-TF-MMC-Memory-Card-to-laptop-Mini-PCI-e-reader-adapter-as-SSD-PA-MR04-/221196546317?pt=US_Drive_Cables_dapters&hash=item338057710d

 

[timthomas32]

mPCIe doesn't mean it will take a mSata. They have the same pins, but different pinouts, hence it, and probably no other drive will work. You need a laptop with an actual mSata slot.


"Mini-SATA, which is distinct from the micro connector, was announced by the Serial ATA International Organization on September 21, 2009.[36] Applications include netbooks and other devices that require a smaller solid-state drive. The connector is similar in appearance to a PCI Express Mini Card interface,[37] and is electrically compatible; however, the data signals (TX±/RX± SATA, PETn0 PETp0 PERn0 PERp0 PCI Express) need connection to the SATA host controller instead of the PCI Express host controlle"

From wikipedia

I have been experiencing this exact same problem for the past several days and have been trying to configure a brand new 32GB Samsung mSATA in my HP DV8. It is driving me insane! I had W8.1 preview installed, so I thought it may be a compatability issue with there not being appropriate drivers available to recognize the slot. I removed my other internal hard drive, after attempting to do a fresh install of W7 and it, once again, failing to recognize the mSATA drive.

I decided to mess around with the BIOS to see if there was a way to change the boot order for the internal hard drives, but there is NO option to accomplish that for this mother board. You can switch the typical order of the boot sequence, but not distinguish between the internal drives themselves. Keep in mind this is an 18 inch HP Pavillion series laptop that already has (2) 2.5" HD bays inside it, so this additional slot was open on the motherboard and appeared to be a great option to add a mSATA ssd. This mSATA Samsung SSD just came out of a brand new HP Ultrabook, so I know it is operational and has maybe 2 hours of use on it.

I have looked all over to try and confirm what that slot on the board is meant for, since you mentioned the slot can share the same pins, yet not be compatible with an mSATA. That would be hard for me to believe, since this was distributed well after 2009 and is a high end HP laptop with an i7 in it. I just don't understand what I need to do to get the BIOS to recognize this drive, so I can install W7 or W8 on it? PLEASE HELP!

Thanks so much for your time and consideration. AdamUpchurch@Live.com

 

[getochkn]

You can choose to believe it or not. It doesn't mean that companies are going to implement something just because it came out. The mini PCI-e connector has been used for years and laptops stick with that standard. It's wired into the south bridge like a pci express slot on a pc. A msata slot is wired into the sata controller on the board. A lot of laptops only use a single channel sata controller, so 2 drives. hard drive and cd drive. No more room to wire in the msata.

 

[timthomas32]

You can choose to believe it or not. It doesn't mean that companies are going to implement something just because it came out. The mini PCI-e connector has been used for years and laptops stick with that standard. It's wired into the south bridge like a pci express slot on a pc. A msata slot is wired into the sata controller on the board. A lot of laptops only use a single channel sata controller, so 2 drives. hard drive and cd drive. No more room to wire in the msata.

Not sure if you were responding to me or not? I get what you are saying and totally understand that logic. In my case, however, the HP DV8 features (2) 2.5" HD bays and a Blu-Ray Drive. Since that is at least 3 drives, not counting this slot where the mSATA fits, that would have to mean that it has wiring that differs from what you were speaking of here.

Any thoughts? Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Jaxem]

Yes, but that still doesn't mean it's setup to be an mSATA slot...we're just saying, if it didn't work, it probably doesn't support it. I would try to find a detailed spec sheet or service manual and see what it says about that slot.