Issues with upgrading a Latitude XT HDD

I bought this the other day for my Latitude XT:

http://www.amazon.com/32GB-1-8-inch...1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1265127454&sr=8-2-fkmr0

Wanted to replace the 4200rpm hard drive currently in there with something faster. I updated the BIOS to A09 (January 2010) to prevent any compatibility issues. I plugged it in and booted the computer, popped my Windows CD in, goes through the pre-load stuff. When it gets to the part about setting up (prior to where it asks about formatting and all that) I get a BSOD.

Sorry for the brief description but I'm trying to work on it while I type. Any suggestions? Do I have it plugged in incorrectly? What should I be looking for?

EDIT: I checked for the hard drive in the BIOS. There's not many options to see what HDD is detected. However, when my 80GB drive is connected it shows "80 GB drive". When I have the SSD plugged in nothing shows up in the BIOS for it. Does this mean the SSD is not compatible with my machine?

EDIT2: Forgot to mention their website claims it's compatible with my laptop:

http://www.activemp.com/SSD/18-IDE-PATA-ZIF-SSD-upgrade.htm

EDIT3: I sent them a "polite" e-mail about my situation and will let you all know if I have any success.

 

Personally, I wouldn't trust a no-name brand like this with SSDs. I'm going to bet that they didn't actually test this SSD with half of the mentioned machines; they just looked around for laptops with ZIF drives and assumed compatibility. And of course, there's some small thing about the machines that they didn't test that make 'em not like this SSD.

A RunCore PATA SSD I bought a while ago worked perfectly in a Latitude D610, but constantly threw BSoDs on my HP... so even a reputable (somewhat) brand has compatibility issues like this.

Honestly, I'd return this and look for a Samsung or Mtron.

 

I hope it's not the case, but I wouldn't doubt that you are right. Only reason why I went with it was of the price: $110 for 32GB vs $158 for a 16GB Mtron. I bought it through a vendor associated with Amazon, and it claims to be fulfilled by Amazon, so the return process might be ok.

 

It's also possible you might have gotten a dud drive. If you've got the right ZIF/PATA and PATA/USB adapters, you could hook it up to another machine and see if it works... don't know if it's worth the trouble, though, especially if you need to return it by a certain time.

 

Haven't gotten around to trying a new disc drive yet. I have one laying around somewhere.

I sent my e-mail to them @ 12pm EST (they only listed a gmail address). Their website says they are out of California, so I figured I would get some form of response today. Guess I will wait tomorrow...hopefully.

 

Well, still no word from them. I forwarded them my e-mail again and asked them to acknowledge they received it and are at least looking into it. I'm going to return the drive on Thursday if I don't hear back from them.

 

Got an e-mail finally from them last night at 1AM EST.

Told me to check my connections that something with the ZIF cable wasn't secure to the drive. I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for, but there's no real way of securing the drive.

I'm linking a couple of photographs I took that maybe someone here could give me advice.

http://picasaweb.google.com/capshockey86/ActiveSSD?feat=directlink

 

If it is a ZIF connector then that pinkish coloured bit of plastic is on pivots at each end. You may need to lift it up to put the cable in fully and then push it down to hold the cable in place and make the connections.

That said, you should already be familiar with how the ZIF connectors work because you have removed and replaced the old HDD.

John

 

I don't know if i can push the pinkish plastic down when the cable is inserted. It appears to be more of a protective cover for the cable connector slot than something that holds the cable in place. It feels like it will break when I try to push it down while the cable is inserted.

I have to lift the plastic piece up in order to even get the ZIF cable in the metal grooves on the left and right. The plastic doesn't fold a full 180 degrees. It lifts up above 90 degrees and kind of stays there when I have the cable inserted.

Take a look at the link in my last post and you can see the pictures I took.

 

Yes, I looked at your photos.

I suspect that you need to push the plastic strip back down after inserting the cable. It will then hold the cable and make the electrical connections. Does it push down when no cable is inserted?

Alternatively, if you aren't sure what to do then ask the SSD supplier.

John