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SSD Caddy for X41?
SSD Caddy for X41?
Hi,
I would like to replace the old HDD for my X41 (non-tablet) with a new SSD. I bought a mSata SSD, cloned my boot partition onto it (after putting it in a USB enclosure), then mounted it into the mSata->44 pin IDE adapter that has been mentioned frequently in this forum, but I am having problems inserting this into the hard drive bay. I had already to tape this onto a piece of cardboard in order to be able to reach the connection slot, and even then I had to half-guess the pin positions. I made several attempts where I felt the pins were inserted, but either I got the error message when trying to boot up ( "Media Test Failure, check cable" "No OS found") (I get the same message when no drive is inserted at all) or I can't even power up the laptop.
I would appreciate any suggestion how to best make sure the pins are inserted correctly without taking my whole laptop apart. Are there any caddies available that would help me achieve this, or what other options do exist?
Thanks,
Thomas
I would like to replace the old HDD for my X41 (non-tablet) with a new SSD. I bought a mSata SSD, cloned my boot partition onto it (after putting it in a USB enclosure), then mounted it into the mSata->44 pin IDE adapter that has been mentioned frequently in this forum, but I am having problems inserting this into the hard drive bay. I had already to tape this onto a piece of cardboard in order to be able to reach the connection slot, and even then I had to half-guess the pin positions. I made several attempts where I felt the pins were inserted, but either I got the error message when trying to boot up ( "Media Test Failure, check cable" "No OS found") (I get the same message when no drive is inserted at all) or I can't even power up the laptop.
I would appreciate any suggestion how to best make sure the pins are inserted correctly without taking my whole laptop apart. Are there any caddies available that would help me achieve this, or what other options do exist?
Thanks,
Thomas
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
I've found it worth the extra effort to remove the palm rest to gain access to the HDD slot. Then insert the adapter without a caddy. Since it's a once and done job, it takes much less time and effort than any attempts to insert the adapter into the bay with the palm rest still in place.
Collection = T430 - T500 - R400 - X300 - T61 (14" WXGA+) - R61 (15" SXGA+) - T60 - X40 - T43p - T43 - T42p - A30P
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
Hi Neil,
Thanks for your reply.
Are there any detailed instructions how to remove the palm rest? Does it involve removing the keyboard as well? If yes, it would be a bit of a problem as one or two screws for the keyboard are quite worn out and I have problems removing them.
Thomas
Thanks for your reply.
Are there any detailed instructions how to remove the palm rest? Does it involve removing the keyboard as well? If yes, it would be a bit of a problem as one or two screws for the keyboard are quite worn out and I have problems removing them.
Thomas
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
I'm not Neil, but I can answer your questions. Up at the top of this and every other page in this forum, you'll find a link named HMM. Click it and you'll get an index of the Hardware Maintenance Manuals for various Thinkpads (generally most everything released before 2015). Find the X41 entry and click on the .PDF icon in the far right column. Use your favorite PDF reader (Adobe, Foxit, etc.). That will give you everything you need to know about taking apart your system and putting it back together. There's also useful information about part numbers (FRUs) and troubleshooting tips contained within.
For the X41, it looks like you will have to remove the keyboard. The entire palmrest / bezel assembly (named Upper case in the HMM) comes off in one piece.
For the X41, it looks like you will have to remove the keyboard. The entire palmrest / bezel assembly (named Upper case in the HMM) comes off in one piece.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
Hi Ray,
Thanks for your reply.
A major problem is that one of the screws is so badly stripped that I can't get it out.
I am presently considering (at least temporarily) a different option, namely to put the SSD (via mSata-IDE adaper) into the DVD drive bay of the Ultra-base via a caddy like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrabay-Module ... B00C09A9T6 . Would this be feasible? (the connector in the photo does not look quite right; would I need an additional adapter?).
Thomas
Thanks for your reply.
A major problem is that one of the screws is so badly stripped that I can't get it out.
I am presently considering (at least temporarily) a different option, namely to put the SSD (via mSata-IDE adaper) into the DVD drive bay of the Ultra-base via a caddy like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrabay-Module ... B00C09A9T6 . Would this be feasible? (the connector in the photo does not look quite right; would I need an additional adapter?).
Thomas
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
That Ultrabay Slim adapter is for mounting a SATA (Serial ATA) hard drive. So the mSATA->IDE adapter will not fit, but a mSATA->SATA will. If you already have the IDE adapter, then this Ultrabay adapter will work as it accepts the standard IDE connector:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrabay-Optica ... 008F6MDM4/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrabay-Optica ... 008F6MDM4/
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
The hard drive requirement for this item says 2.5" but my adapter (like the original hard drive) is 1.8" ( http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/281031469911? ... 2749.l2649 )rkawakami wrote:That Ultrabay Slim adapter is for mounting a SATA (Serial ATA) hard drive. So the mSATA->IDE adapter will not fit, but a mSATA->SATA will. If you already have the IDE adapter, then this Ultrabay adapter will work as it accepts the standard IDE connector:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrabay-Optica ... 008F6MDM4/
Would it be better, as far as performance is concerned, to get a mSata->Sata adapter?
Last edited by Thomas789 on Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
Oh, sorry.. I had a brain f@rt and forgot we're talking about an X4x system. The X41 uses a strange duck IDE drive; 1.8" but with the pins on the long side (as opposed to them being on the short side of 2.5" drives). My understanding is that they are mostly pin-compatible but the voltages are different. The 1.8" drive requires 3.3V and the 2.5" drives use 5.0V. I'm assuming that the voltage provided inside the Ultrabay is also 5V. Therefore, any drive plugged into it must be able to function at 5V.
It's also my understanding the mSATA drives operate at 3.3V; same as the 1.8" HDDs. Therefore, your adapter should/must have a voltage regulator that changes the 5V coming out the Ultrabay connector to the 3.3V that the mSATA needs. The photo in the auction appears to show NO SUCH regulator. If you look closely at the first picture, there's a white rectangular outline near the upside down "U1". That is where I would expect to see a surface mounted 4-terminal voltage regulator soldered to the board. My suspicion is that since the adapter is advertised as a replacement for a 1.8" drive, it can't be used in an Ultrabay adapter.
It's also my understanding the mSATA drives operate at 3.3V; same as the 1.8" HDDs. Therefore, your adapter should/must have a voltage regulator that changes the 5V coming out the Ultrabay connector to the 3.3V that the mSATA needs. The photo in the auction appears to show NO SUCH regulator. If you look closely at the first picture, there's a white rectangular outline near the upside down "U1". That is where I would expect to see a surface mounted 4-terminal voltage regulator soldered to the board. My suspicion is that since the adapter is advertised as a replacement for a 1.8" drive, it can't be used in an Ultrabay adapter.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
My present mSATA->IDE adapter is 3.3 V but it has a 1.8" (44 pin) connector as I intended to use it instead of the original hard drive (which is 1.8"). But to use it in the Ultrabay it seems I need a 2.5" adapter?
Or maybe I should get a 2.5" SATA SSD and put this directly into the adapter (I have heard they are more reliable than mSATA drives anyway)?
Or maybe I should get a 2.5" SATA SSD and put this directly into the adapter (I have heard they are more reliable than mSATA drives anyway)?
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
That much would appear to work. The mSATA-IDE adapter was designed to replace the original 1.8" drive used in the X4x system.Thomas789 wrote:My present mSATA->IDE adapter is 3.3 V but it has a 1.8" (44 pin) connector as I intended to use it instead of the original hard drive (which is 1.8").
I'm assuming by "it" you mean the actual mSATA drive. If that's the case, then an mSATA->IDE adapter that is designed to be used as a replacement for a standard 2.5" laptop hard drive should work inside an IDE Ultrabay HD adapter.Thomas789 wrote:But to use it in the Ultrabay it seems I need a 2.5" adapter?
If by "adapter" you mean a SATA Ultrabay HD adapter, then yes I think that would work.Thomas789 wrote:Or maybe I should get a 2.5" SATA SSD and put this directly into the adapter (I have heard they are more reliable than mSATA drives anyway)?
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
Would I get full SATA speed if I get a SATA SSD and then the SATA-SATA caddy in the UltraBase?
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
I would say no because the X41 doesn't have a user-accessible SATA interface. The main drive bay is IDE. The Ultrabay Slim in the Ultrabase is also IDE. While there may be SATA support in the Southbridge, it's not put to use as far as I know.
I think I may have mislead you with my last statement in the previous post. I probably should have said "Ultrabay SATA HD adapter" and not SATA before Ultrabay. This would be an Ultrabay adapter which accepts standard 2.5" SATA hard drives, which then plugs into the X4 Ultrabase. Those adapters have a SATA-PATA bridge that takes care of the interface conversion between the SATA hard drive and the PATA Ultrabay. As far as what kind of speed you'll get, I'll have to defer that answer to somebody that has more experience with this type of connection.
I think I may have mislead you with my last statement in the previous post. I probably should have said "Ultrabay SATA HD adapter" and not SATA before Ultrabay. This would be an Ultrabay adapter which accepts standard 2.5" SATA hard drives, which then plugs into the X4 Ultrabase. Those adapters have a SATA-PATA bridge that takes care of the interface conversion between the SATA hard drive and the PATA Ultrabay. As far as what kind of speed you'll get, I'll have to defer that answer to somebody that has more experience with this type of connection.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
If you apply a SATA-mod to the X41, the new SATA HD/SSD will have full SATA-I speed (1.5Gb/s).
The Ultrabay will remain IDE, but can convert to SATA with the 2nd HD/SSD adapter as described above by Ray.
The Ultrabay will remain IDE, but can convert to SATA with the 2nd HD/SSD adapter as described above by Ray.
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Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.
PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine.
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
I ordered now this caddy http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultrabay-Module ... B00C09A9T6 and also a mSATA-> SATA adapter to use my mSATA SSD with it.
The seller of this caddy actually says that the speed would be limited to PATA/IDE speed because the Ultrabay connector has a PATA/IDE interface.
He also thinks it is not optimal to use the SSD with another adapter in the caddy as it could lead to problems in form of I/O errors. But before I buy a new SATA SSD, I shall be trying it first now with a mSATA->SATA adapter and my existing mSATA SSD.
The seller of this caddy actually says that the speed would be limited to PATA/IDE speed because the Ultrabay connector has a PATA/IDE interface.
He also thinks it is not optimal to use the SSD with another adapter in the caddy as it could lead to problems in form of I/O errors. But before I buy a new SATA SSD, I shall be trying it first now with a mSATA->SATA adapter and my existing mSATA SSD.
Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
OK, I received now the Ultrabay caddy and also the mSATA->SATA adapter. I put the mSATA SSD (with a full clone of my HDD) into the adapter and the adapter into the caddy. When I hot-swap the caddy into the Ultrabay, the control light comes on, but the drive does not appear in Windows Explorer nor the Disk Manager. When I restart the computer and go into the BIOS, the drive is not listed there (HDD1 is empty). What could be the problem here? THe SSD is definitely OK (I can see and access all the data on it when I put it in a USB enclosure).
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
I would presume that either the Ultrabay in the X41 is defective, or the Ultrabad HD caddy is defective, or the mSATA-SATA adapter can't handle the 5V coming out of the Ultrabay's IDE connection.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
In a stock T41 an SSD in the bay measures 85 mb/s read and 75 mb/s write. I had trouble measuring latency but have measured it in the past and it was <0.5ms.Thomas789 wrote:speed would be limited to PATA/IDE speed because the Ultrabay connector has a PATA/IDE interface.
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Re: SSD Caddy for X41?
Just an update here, since a lot has happened in the meanwhile:Thomas789 wrote:OK, I received now the Ultrabay caddy and also the mSATA->SATA adapter. I put the mSATA SSD (with a full clone of my HDD) into the adapter and the adapter into the caddy. When I hot-swap the caddy into the Ultrabay, the control light comes on, but the drive does not appear in Windows Explorer nor the Disk Manager. When I restart the computer and go into the BIOS, the drive is not listed there (HDD1 is empty). What could be the problem here? THe SSD is definitely OK (I can see and access all the data on it when I put it in a USB enclosure).
first of all, it appeared to have been the mSATA/SATA adapter that caused the problem here, either it was defect, or (as the seller of the Ultrabay caddy warned me beforehand) it was just one adapter too many. The Ultrabay caddy definitely works: I bought a normal second hand SATA drive, cloned my system on it, and it boots and works just fine (WARNING THOUGH: don't leave your original drive in as well; it messed up my system and it took me weeks to get it back to working normally again; apparently it was mixing up the two registries (as the Ultrabay drive was working as the C drive as well); worst of all, all system restore points prior to this became unusable). So I have now always only either the original or the cloned drive installed, never both at the same time.
Now before shelling out for a new SATA SSD, I first tried to address the original problem with not being able to insert the mSATA SSD in the main drive bay as I was unable to open the laptop because of a couple of stripped screws. I tried everything to remove them, but in vain. I even brought my Thinkpad to a computer shop who are doing computer repairs, but they failed as well.
However, after having failed previously with this, I managed now to insert the mSATA SSD with the adapter into the drive bay from the outside (by taping them to a long enough piece of cardboard which I cut narrower than before, so I could see the better where the outermost pins were going).
Now the problem is, I can see the SSD in the boot list, but I am getting the dreaded 2010 error on boot. Worst of all, if I then press Esc, it does not boot, but I am getting the error messages Medium Test failure/ Operating System not found.
So I have 2 questions now:
1) Would it make sense in this situation to take the risks of a BIOS update to remove the 2010 error, or would the boot still fail given that it does not boot when I press Esc now?
2) Alternatively, would it make sense to go back to the Ultrabay solution, or would I likely have the same boot problems with the SSD there (although it would be a SATA not an mSATA SSD)?
Thomas
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