I just bought a ASUS Q550L for my son for Christmas and before I open it up I want to be sure I can replace the HDD with an SSD.
Is this model compatible with standard laptop SSDs? If so how do I replace the existing HDD?
How to replace the HDD in a ASUS Q550L
hard drivelaptop-repairssd
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Note: Answer written mostly by Daryl Bishop
I have just finished repairing my UX31 laptop after the original 128GB SSD failed.
The UX31 uses a non standard connector for the SSD. You can purchase an adapter to a standard M.2 SATA SSD from eBay for $20. The product is manufactured by SINTECH.
- PA5112 SATA HDD card as sandisk sd5se2/SDSA5JK ADATA XM11 for Asus UX31 UX21
I installed a Crucial M550 512GB SATA M.2 Type 2280 Internal Solid State Drive (CT512M550SSD4) into the adapter. Most M.2 drives are compatible with the Sintech adapter if you prefer to use a different manufacture or need a different drive capacity. Be sure to purchase a SATA compatible SSD. The PCIe interface is not compatible. I was worried that the adapter SSD retaining screw would eventually fall out so I used cable ties to retain the SSD instead.
I reinstalled Windows7 64-bit onto the SSD by creating a USB boot drive. On my first few attempts to run the install I ran into a problem where windows failed to find the drivers. It turns out this a windows install bug. The solution is to unplug and move the usb install drive to a different usb port after windows boots into the very first boot screen. After that the install should proceed normally. I didn't have any of the Asus Windows7 drivers available during the install so I used a different laptop to download and copy all the various drivers onto a usb stick from ASUS.com http://www.service.asus.com/#!downloads/c1wax
Most of the drivers are required. To be safe, I installed one driver at a time and rebooted. If you miss installing any you may find that some features of your laptop do not work.
Best Answer
All you have to worry about is the interface, the actual type of the drive is irrelevant. As long as they support the same plug in the back of the drive, it should be fine (though the OS will need to load new drivers).
As for physically replacing it, you’ll have to check the manual, and if you are not comfortable doing it, then you’ll want to have someone who is do it.