x200s SSD Upgrage Compatibility Question

[x200smobile]

Hi All,

I am looking to upgrade my x200s with a SSD. Looking at this model Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F240GBGT-BK 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820233208 . I am here to double check that it will be compatible ( I know the chipset on x200s is for SATA II so it will be overkill but I may use for desktop later on). Also how tricky is it to install fresh HD into a laptop? I have reformatted desktop many times but never with a laptop, I feel that hardware drivers may be a issue. Any information is appreciated. - Matt

[LegendaryKA8]

As far as the physical installation goes it's pretty easy. There's a 'door' secured with one screw on the left side of the notebook(if it's flipped over bottom facing up). Pull the battery out, undo the screw, and then you can remove the hard drive. The hard drive will be mounted in a caddy secured by two rubber 'rails' and four screws; remove all that and transfer it over to your new SSD.

For drivers, install the Lenovo System Update program located here: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/detail. ... VSU-UPDATE

Put it on a USB stick or something before you replace your drive and install it once you get your OS installed on your new SSD. It'll automatically connect to the Internet, download and install the applicable drivers for your X200s.

If you're running Win7 and have an external hard drive, you can also run Easy Transfer and Windows will create a migration file with all the settings and data from your old drive. Once you install the OS on your SSD, simply connect the external drive and run Easy Transfer again. All your data and settings will be restored, although you will have to install all your regular applications manually.

[x200smobile]

Thanks Legendary, just the info I was looking for. Do you know if that drive I linked to would work with the x200s?
Thanks Matt

[EOMtp]

The above is all correct, but does not address your most elementary obstacle, i.e., how to install an operating system (OS) on an unbootable drive which does not already have an OS ... which will be precisely the case with your new SSD.

Unless you have Windows 7 on a flash drive and know how to install from that flash drive, you have the "problem" of getting the OS onto the new drive. If installing Windows XP, then you are going to need a CD-ROM drive, either via the X200 docking station or external USB. (Note: XP can be installed from a flash drive, but it is highly unlikely that you know how to do that, or that you would want to try once you knew what was involved.)

Your most convenient path is to clone the old drive onto the new drive, but do so only with the new drive in the primary drive bay. Of course, in order to clone your old drive onto the new drive, you must have a way of connecting the old drive to the machine, i.e., an external USB connection for it ..or.. placing it in the 2nd HDD Adapter which you can then insert into the X200 docking station, IF you have a docking station and the 2nd HDD Adapter.

There are several more options, but your first task remains determining precisely how you will get an OS, any OS, onto the new drive. Once you have solved that problem, you are (almost) home free ...

Final point: Depending on which OS you will install, which may or may not already have embedded Ethernet drivers for the LAN device in your X200, you may need the network drivers in order to "bootstrap" and get additional drivers. Therefore, download the Ethernet wired LAN driver(s) for the X200s and have them available "locally", lest you are left with a machine with no LAN connectivity after installing the OS.

[x200smobile]

Thanks for some more great info...no problems doing any of those things as I have other machines to use in order get Windows on the drive. My one question remains, will the drive I linked to in my original post be compatible with the hardwear onboard the x200s? Thanks Matt

[Atreides]

Thanks for some more great info...no problems doing any of those things as I have other machines to use in order get Windows on the drive. My one question remains, will the drive I linked to in my original post be compatible with the hardwear onboard the x200s? Thanks Matt

Yes, SATA III SSDs are backwards compatible with SATA II chipsets. The drive just won't run at its full speed.

[EOMtp]

... I have other machines to use in order get Windows on the drive. My one question remains, will the drive I linked to in my original post be compatible with the hardwear onboard the x200s?

Note: Depending on which Windows and what non-Thinkpad platform you use to install it on the new drive, you may well end up with a Windows installation on the new drive which will not run on the X200s. As for drive hardware compatibility, any SATA drive that physically mounts in the X200s will work in the X200s.