Replacement SSD need advice

TechnoClue · Friday at 22:14

Hello
Can anyone help with some advice on a replacement SSD for a laptop please.

This is the laptop:

LENOVO LEGION Y740-15IRHg
PROCESSOR: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9750H CPU @ 2.60GHz
SSD MODEL: NVMe SKHynix_HFS512GD

Ultamatley my question is this.
Can you recommend a fully compatible and ideally an upgrade to the current SSD ?
Is there other information you need?

And if you have a spare 3mins... this is the history as to why.

History
I have been having major issues with the laptop freezing and crashing and resorted to a clean install of Windows 11 but the same thing happens.
Safe mode crashes. Using any repair or restore function from the WinRe UI doesnt work, it crashes. Using various command prompts to check the integrity of the system also makes the laptop crash and the only way to run Windows is from a bootable USB. And more to this. Using ChkDsk via a bootable USB and the command prompts via the WinRE UI through that also makes the system crash.
I created another USB with Windows 11 ISO, which also has CrystalDisk on it and managed to get the system to run CrystalDisk from a command prompt from that but it doesnt work properly so cannot be sure what is going on with the SSD but from what I have read it seems the SSD may be failing.

Thanks if anyone can help

Tetras · Friday at 22:55

If I google the model number of your laptop, I get this:

Up to 2 drives (one HDD and one M.2 SSD):
- HDD / SATA 6.0Gb/s, 2.5" wide, 7mm high, 7200rmp
- M.2 2280 SSD / PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x 4, 32Gb/s
- M.2 2242 SSD / PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x 2, 16Gb/s

If I google the model number of your SSD, it looks like a PCI-E 3.0 drive, M.2 2280.

You could go with the MP33 Pro, which is one of the cheapest SSDs at OCUK.

Note that Windows 24H2 had issues with some dramless SSDs (requiring a firmware update to resolve). I don't know if that applies to your drive.

TechnoClue · Saturday at 01:13

Thanks Tetras I'll have a look at that drive. I appreciate your advice there and your note about the firmware. By the way no scan I made revealed any HDD, only the SSD which was 476GB.

Would it help if I gave some other specifics of the laptop?

I have:
Model name: 81HU
Machine Type Model: 81UH000JUK
Interface Type: SCSI
I also have the serial number of the SSD if that would help.

Is there a need to open up the laptop and visually check anything? I'm reluctant to because I'm afraid I'll damage something through not using a non static screwdriver etc...

Thanks

Tetras · Saturday at 01:45

TechnoClue said:
By the way no scan I made revealed any HDD, only the SSD which was 476GB.

Yeah, it sounds like the SATA HDD/SSD slot is free, so in theory a SATA SSD that meets that spec (2.5" wide and 7mm high) would also fit your laptop.

TechnoClue said:
I have:
Model name: 81HU
Machine Type Model: 81UH000JUK

If I google that, it appears to confirm that you have a PCI-E 3.0, 2280, M.2 SSD.

TechnoClue said:
I also have the serial number of the SSD if that would help.

No, I'd keep that to yourself.

TechnoClue said:
Is there a need to open up the laptop and visually check anything? I'm reluctant to because I'm afraid I'll damage something through not using a non static screwdriver etc...

If you have a look on YouTube, you can usually find SSD and/or RAM replacement videos for a laptop that is the same, or very similar to the one you own.

E.g. does this look similar?

I am confident that you have identified the hardware correctly, but I'd suggest that you keep the replacement SSD in the sealed box, until you remove the old one and confirm that it is the same.

hwinfo can sometimes confirm more information about the available slots and the SSD you have.

TechnoClue · Sunday at 13:08

Hey Tetras
If you're interested, here is an update:
I had another laptop (older) a Predator Helios 300 which had a damaged motherboard and can no longer be used. BUT it does still have its other hardware such as SSD and RAM.
So I thought i'd investigate to see if the SSD from that machine could be used with the LENAVO. This is the SSD name from the Predator: NVMe SAMSUNG MZVLB1T0HBLR-00007.
From the research I did it seemed it could be used so I installed it. It seems to have worked ok but I am unsure as I am still unable to operate Windows normally.

I also checked the BIOS settings recommended and couldnt see anything of concern with my untrained eye. I just followed a google/ai search result. I went onto the LENOVO support website to see if there was nay BIOS update and according to the BIOS settings I am using the latest version.

Anyways. Something is wrong. I dont know what it is and do not know what to do next.

This is the screen I got after booting from a WIndows 11 USB and performing a start-up repair:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TS5d1l1FhkRpH60tqF5Tjsp38To_1kdM/view?usp=drive_link

Maybe I should be sharing this issue on another part of the forums. Ill check.
Thanks if you (or anyone else) can offer some advice here.

I really dont know if the SSD I transplanted is causing the same problem or its something else.

Tetras · Sunday at 14:01

TechnoClue said:
This is the SSD name from the Predator: NVMe SAMSUNG MZVLB1T0HBLR-00007.
From the research I did it seemed it could be used so I installed it. It seems to have worked ok but I am unsure as I am still unable to operate Windows normally.

Yeah, that looks fine.

TechnoClue said:
Anyways. Something is wrong. I dont know what it is and do not know what to do next.

This is the screen I got after booting from a WIndows 11 USB and performing a start-up repair:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TS5d1l1FhkRpH60tqF5Tjsp38To_1kdM/view?usp=drive_link

I'm confused. Why are you performing a start-up repair? What is there to repair? The old operating system is on the previous drive that you removed from the PC, no?

Won't you have to do a fresh install?

TechnoClue · Sunday at 14:36

Hey Tetras

Sorry to confuse.
From various scans via the Windows Recovery / Command Prompt screen it suggested the SSD was failing so I wanted to rule that out by transplanting another SSD which is compatible. I was thinking of buying a new one (as mentioned) but then it occured to me that I had the other laptop (The Predator Helios 300) which I could use the SSD from.

So I did that but that meant clean installing windows 11 again. Which I have done. So you're right there. I did another clean install on this new (transplanted) SSD, which I took from the Predator laptop.

However Im getting exactly the same issues with the crashes and freezes during startup or shortly after startup.

I tried the start-up repair to see if that would help. It didnt, it just gave me that blue screen.

I was wondering what else I can do.

Check the Ram ?
Actually buy a brand new SSD ?
I cant run Lenovo Vantage and perform updates as I can only get into Windows via a boot from a USB, and then I can only access WinRE.

Tetras · Sunday at 14:52

TechnoClue said:
However Im getting exactly the same issues with the crashes and freezes during startup or shortly after startup.

I tried the start-up repair to see if that would help. It didnt, it just gave me that blue screen.

I was wondering what else I can do.

Check the Ram ?
Actually buy a brand new SSD ?
I cant run Lenovo Vantage and perform updates as I can only get into Windows via a boot from a USB, and then I can only access WinRE.

Ahh, I see.

Hmm.

The RAM would be the most obvious culprit and you can run memtest without Windows.

Did you completely remove/swap the SSDs?

I assume temperatures are not a problem?

TechnoClue · Sunday at 18:30

Ill see if I can run some mem tests now Tetras and report back/ Temperature wise. I do not know. I haven't been able to get onto the laptop to run any tests directly from its installed programs. I can only access Windows bootable USB and the various features through that WinRe.

TechnoClue · Tuesday at 18:20

I managed to make a bootable diagnstics USB using Lenovos support page and the SSD passed all tests.
The RAM however failed and crashed the machine during testing.

Tetras · Tuesday at 18:58

TechnoClue said:
I managed to make a bootable diagnstics USB using Lenovos support page and the SSD passed all tests.
The RAM however failed and crashed the machine during testing.

That's unfortunate, not the best time to be buying new DDR4. Do you have any second hand hardware stores nearby? Maybe you could get a used 4GB/8GB SODIMM cheap for testing.

TechnoClue · Tuesday at 19:20

Welllll...Tetras. The Predator Helios 300 will come in handy again because as it happens, it has x2 banks of DDR4. I think they are 8mb each though. However i'm prepared to test them and see if they work in the Lenovo. I'll report back.

Avathar77 · Tuesday at 19:29

Can you create a memtest usb and check the ram?