HP 20 Envy SSD/HDD combo and confused?

[Diggs]

I've got this Envy 20 Touchsmart on the bench that is throwing a SATA1 fatal error on boot. This is a combo unit with a 16GB msata SSD caching and a 1TB HDD storing. SATA1 is the msata SSD. I pulled it off the MB and checked and SMART is good but it is not initiated so there is nothing to clone. I'm a bit confused as to what's supposed to be on the SSD (OS?) vs. HDD. Can I replace the 16GB SSD with something bigger (120GB?) that I have on the self? There is remarkably little information about these combo units on the net and I can't find a shop manual from HP on this either. At this point I may initialize the SSD (I'm assuming MBR) and put it back in and see what it says but I'm not hopeful.

@edit - Module fails with CRC errors when tested...

 

[Encrypted Existence]

I'm a bit confused as to what's supposed to be on the SSD (OS?) vs. HDD.

The SSD is just doing caching so you're not going to need to clone any data from it as it does not store any data when the machine is off.

Can I replace the 16GB SSD with something bigger (120GB?) that I have on the self?

I am not a hundred percent on this but I believe you can. As an aside, 120G SSD sounds like a waste to me bc you are likely never going to need that much space for caching on a workstation. Personally, I would not use anything over 32G for caching. Just my two cents.

 

[Diggs]

I have the 120GB on the shelf from an upgrade to 256GB so not really much cost to me and from what I read, 64GB may be wasted. It's also not that easy to find reputable 16/32GB msata modules anymore and I won't accept used. (Kingspec anyone?)

...finally - found the OEM module -
https://www.amazon.com/16GB-mSATA-S...TF8&qid=1499796181&sr=8-6&keywords=16GB+msata

 

[GTP]

As an aside, 120G SSD sounds like a waste to me bc you are likely never going to need that much space for caching

I agree, you would probably never use even 8 of the 16, so it would not be feasible.

 

[fincoder]

If you put in a 120GB or larger SSD, it can become the new system drive instead of just a cache (turn of the caching, clean install or clone from the larger drive). As long as the PC supports booting from the mSATA card.

 

[Diggs]

Just for closure. I used the original SanDisk part number and bought another, initialized it to MBR and formatted to NTFS. Plugged it into the MB and away it went.

I wish that were the end of it....... That thing uses a 180 watt EPS-2 power supply (laptop charger on steroids). I don't have that kind of watts in any of my chargers so I used the customer's unit. I set the power supply on the roof of my car while I wrestled this monster into the trunk/boot for the return trip. Forgot the power supply on the roof and drove away. It actually stayed pretty well until I kicked the turbo in to pass on a 2-lane road and I heard it slide off the back at 70 mph. Amazon next-day to the rescue again. The customer got a chuckle and was very understanding.