Replace a SCSI hard drive with an SSD hard drive & then install Win7 HP or Pro

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Compaq-Presario FQ582AA-ABA SR5710F Vista HP SP2 32-bit desktop
According to belarc.com, my hard drive is a
250 GB hard drive: WDC WD25 00AAJS-65B4A SCSI Disk Device
— I want to consider replacing the hard drive with an SSD hard drive

I pulled up crucial.com and their first 2 recommendations are:
1. Crucial M500 240GB 2.5-INCH internal SSD CT3931243 SATA 6Gbps 500 MB/s Read / 250 MB/s Write
2. Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5-INCH internal SSD CT5461895 SATA 6Gbps 550 MB/s Read / 333 MB/s Write
Each one has the same price but to me the second one looks like it has better specs
— Am I interpreting that information correctly?
— Also will it be easy enough to just snap the SSD in place or will I need any adapter connections or anything else?

Then I will want to install Win7 Home Premium 32-bit
NOTE: This is for a fresh install, not an upgrade
Also I noticed End of sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled for Win7 Pro still isn’t established yet
Does this mean it’s possible Win7 Pro will still receive at least extended support beyond Jan 14, 2020?
— The reason I’m wondering about that is because I would consider installing Win7 Pro 32-bit

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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My searching shows the PC and hard disk to be SATA models, no SCSI. The PC has SATA 3Gb, so anything recent will be fine.

The MX100 appears to be discontinued, which may explain the price. Compare prices against an MX200 and BX100.

cheers, Paul

p.s. you can use x64 Windows on that box.

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Also, SCSI HDDs use a different connection/interface with the motherboard, no direct replacement by SATA or PATA HDDs. I haven’t seen a SCSI HDD in use in several years, probably more than 12-15, but then I don’t have to deal with large Server farms.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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I have narrowed down my choices between the BX100 & MX200
— The BX100 250GB 2.5-INCH internal SSD CT6447520 SATA 6Gbps 535 MB/s Read / 370 MB/s Write looks good pricewise
— Thw MX200 250GB 2.5-INCH internal SSD CT6746138 SATA 6Gbps 555 MB/s Read / 500 MB/s Write looks good specwise
— The MX200 500 MB’s write speed is almost 50% faster than the BX100 370 MB’s write speed. Since I’m not familiar with comparing hard drives, I need to ask, am I making a logical observation here?

I have also read that I’ll need an adapter to install the 2.5” SSD into the 3.5” location
— The adapters appear to be around an extra $25.00 or so
— Except for Crucial’s recommendation can I buy an adapter at a better price that know will fit properly?

Also curiosity got the best of me as I couldn’t understand how belarc reported the computer has a WDC WD25 00AAJS-65B4A SCSI Disk Device and I’m glad your responses indicate I do not have a SCSI Disk Device and you are correct. So I removed the hard drive and the label information is WD2500AAJS WD Caviar SE with a date of 19 Nov 2008

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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You don’t really need the adapter, if you have an out of the way space somewhere inside that PC case, then you can use some double sided sticky tape from 3m and mount the SSD just about anywhere. Provided that the SATA/Data cables are long enough.

Looking at the pictures from newegg.com, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883109029, you can mount the SSD right on the bottom of the case and that should be just fine, the cables from the PSU should reach with no problem at all.

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The 2.5″ SSD into a 3.5″ mounting bracket is pretty much standard. The mounting of a 3.5″ HDD in a case has been standardized for a number of years so a 2.5″ adapter has to fit regardless of who makes it. I’ve seen such brackets at a lower cost on the ‘net. Might look at http://www.cyberguys.com, http://www.amazon.com, http://www.tigerdirect.com, http://www.newegg.com, just to name a few.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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I will not order a bracket. Then I’ll see what I have around my workshop to secure the SSD drive

Since this is a Vista HP system, if I were upgrading, I would only be able to upgrade to Win7 HP or Win7 Ultimate but not Win7 Pro.
— However since I will be using a new SSD, I believe I should be able to do a fresh install of Win7 Pro or Enterprise
— Is that true?

Originally the intent of my purpose in this thread was to donate it to a needy family in the non-profit organization I volunteer at but that family has moved on
— The organization has a volume license for Win7 Enterprise so that’s why that edition now comes into play

The system is a 32-bit system and the maximum RAM the system can accommodate is 4GB. So I plan on installing the 32-bit version even though it is 64-bit compatible

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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…The system is a 32-bit system and the maximum RAM the system can accommodate is 4GB. So I plan on installing the 32-bit version even though it is 64-bit compatible

A year-or-two ago I would have agreed with that, but Win7 64bit is now so well sorted that I have to wonder “why limit the system to 3.6GB RAM when it is so easy to go up to 16GB, or more, w/ 64bit?”

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If you have a volume license then it matters not. You would format the drive (because Enterprise and Pro expects a clean drive for install; though it might be fun to see if it is forgiving first) and install it.

Personally I’d use the 64-bit OS since it can use all 4GB, otherwise a 32-bit OS will only be using somewhere between 2.8 and 3.5GB of that RAM mostly depending upon any graphics card (likely none). I am finally starting to see 64-bit apps even for things that do not need to be 64-bit so the transition should snowball.

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However since I will be using a new SSD, I believe I should be able to do a fresh install of Win7 Pro or Enterprise
— Is that true?

Yes.
.
You can install the 32-bit version on that computer [minimum requirement is 1GB] but Windows will display only about 3.5GB of the RAM, it’s a limitation of the 32-bit OS. I just put 32-bit Vista on a Notebook with 4GB modules [to replace WinXP] and after the BIOS assigned RAM to the video it shows 2.99GB in Properties of the computer. The advantage of 64-bit is using the full 4GB [minimum requirement is 2GB] and would be fine also.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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I used a cable tie to mount a 3.5 in a 5.25 slot the other day. Cheapest solution out there!

cheers, Paul

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I do have a Win7 Pro 32-bit with 4GB RAM and it does report 3.46 GB usable as mentioned
On the cable ties; I can do that; what a great idea; I have plenty of them and I put them to good use; now I can put them to excellent use

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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Since the installed WD2500AAJS WD Caviar SE is a SATA drive I think it means SATA I. I’ve seen many references to SATA drives so I’m curious ; does a SATA I limit the full capabilities of an SSD drive?
— It won’t change my decision to install the SSD hard drive but I like some basic understanding of what’s happening especially when I’m doing something new

HP EliteBook 8540w laptop Windows 10 Pro (x64)

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….does a SATA I limit the full capabilities of an SSD drive?….

Does a SATA I HDD limit a SSD (transfer?) capability if both are present? No.

Does a SSD on a SATA I connection limit an SSD? Yes. On a SATA II connector as well. Starting to approach exceeding the SATA III connections too which is why the PCI-E connections (M.2 and SATA Express) are of interest.

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SATA comes in three speeds at present, 1.5Gb, 3Gb and 6Gb. Your machine will be 3Gb so any current 6Gb SATA disk should fallback to 3Gb. Apart from speed there is no difference that your OS won’t handle.

cheers, Paul

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I’ve seen many references to SATA drives so I’m curious ; does a SATA I limit the full capabilities of an SSD drive?

Simply put, SATA and the older PATA are the types of cable connections between the drive and the motherboard.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/I/IDE_interface.html
Formatting of a drive does use up a portion of the capacity.

Before you wonder "Am I doing things right," ask "Am I doing the right things?"

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