P150HM only recognises Samsung SSD in SATA port 2 (ODD Bay) but not SATA port 0 (primary)

Background:
I'm trying to upgrade my Clevo P150HM primary drive from a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB (Old HDD) to a Samsung SSD 840 Pro (New SSD). I have successfully cloned my C drive to from my Old HDD to my New SSD but placing the SSD into the a hard-drive caddy in the 'ODD bay SATA port 2' and using the program 'Paragon Migrate OS to SSD'. I can detach the Old HDD from the 'primary SATA port 0' and boot a nice cloned copy of Windows is the SSD is still in the 'ODD bay SATA port 2'.

The Problem:
BUT I cannot boot to this Newly cloned SSD drive if I then move the SSD to the 'primary SATA port 0', alone or with the Old HDD in the ODD bay SATA port 2.

Even BIOS does not detect the New SSD if it is SATA port 0!

I wish to have my new SSD on SATA port 0 as this allows me to:
a) Obtain SATA 3 speeds!
b) Exchange a DVD drive with the Old HDD in the ODD bay more easily

>>> In addition, the following thread would suggest that SATA 3 speeds are capable, but only in primary SATA port 0, would this be correct?
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/569012-how-do-we-know-p150hm-p151hm-sata-3-6gb-s.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/618283-ssd-p150hm-4.html

>>> And why is there no SATA port 1 listed in BIOS, is this normal?!


-----

I have tried numerous troubleshooting steps with no luck, including:

1) Rolling back my BIOS and EC versions to 1.01.04 and 1.00.06 respectively based on this post by 'jaybee83':
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo/568236-clevo-p150hm-sager-np8150-bios-issue-ssd-drives.html
>>> This did not work and I would've thought LATER BIOS version would be better for newer techology such as SSD drives.

2) I've also tried disconnect all the drives, main power, battery and CMOS battery to reset the CMOS. Pressing the power button to drain any remaining power then leaving the laptop for 5 mins. Reconnecting all the batteries + power and drives and then booting.
>>> CMOS does reset as indicated by the date reset but still no detection of the SSD drive in SATA port 0.

3) Lastly I'm thinking of booting into a USB drive with DOS or Windows instal/recovery DOS prompt and seeing if DISKPART can at least detect the SSD in SATA port 0.
>>> This we likely not work as logically it needs to be rcognised in BIOS before an OS is booted but it's the only other thing I can think of.

-----

The following post by 'Derek@XoticPC' would suggest that a Samsun SSD 840 Pro CAN work in the primary SATA port 0:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sager-clevo-reviews-owners-lounges/546387-official-sager-np8150-clevo-p150hm-owners-lounge-508.html#post9102274

However it seems someone else by the name of 'Jengaship' has had the same problem as I am having:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2095120
SSD Port 1 not detecting - AnandTech Forums

I have updated as many 'related' drivers as I think could be the cause of the problem (see below relevant specs) but with my limited knowledge these drivers would only serve to ensure/facilitate the SATA 3 speeeds once the SSD drive has been recognised and the OS booted.

I believe I've done the best research and trials I can and I would appreciate any and all help!

mr

Relevant Specs:
Clevo P150HM Laptop
BIOS V 1.01.14 (latest)
EC/KBC V 1.00.13 (latest)
8GB RAM
OS = Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
Intel(R) Chipset Device Software v9.4.0.1017
Intel Rapid Storage v10.8.0.1003
Samsund SSD 840 Pro 256GB Firmware DXM05B0Q (latest)

 

Well you are right, if the SSD is not even detected at boot its not a driver issue, sounds like it might be a firmware issue.

 

Sometimes the sata connection can be loose.
Reattach the drive. I thought I had issues with my samsung ssd when it was not detected by bios, but I reseated it and now it works perfectly.

Sent from a Galaxy far, far away

 

@Meaker :
Hmmm.... I've got the latest firmware on both the SSD and the laptop.

As a supplier have you encountered this problem with this combination of SSD (Samsung SSD 840 Pro) and laptop (Clevo P150HM)?

@trvelbug:
I've swapped and changed it so many times so far that I don't believe that's the issue... but you do have nearly the same drive as me so I can but only try.

I'm about to try the DISKPART test that I mention above (3) so I'll REALLY seat it this time and see if that helps.

 

We've installed the 840 Pros into a few EM machines so far and haven't had issue yet. I don't know why the HM would have issue with the drives and the EM not.

 

This makes me think of the SSD issues present on the old MSI 16F1-based machines, where the bios needed to be modified because of an AHCI bug (otherwise samsung 830 SSD's wouldn't work on the normal sata connectors).
Maybe it could be something like that?
Maybe you could convince svl7 to look through the bios.

More importantly: do you know anyone using a HM machine that had the same issue?

 

Found the answer after 48hrs driver installations, BIOS updates, losing screws in a very multicolored carpet and general disappointment in my technical ability.

The answer is: I'm an idiot
...and I've provided pictures to illustrate this point.

So behind am I on technological advances that I didn't realise the SSD drive (represented in red in image) is approx. HALF the thickness of the old HDD drive (represented in blue in image). So every time I was 'slotting-in' the SSD drive, it was actually SLIPPING-UNDER the SATA port 0!


To be slightly fair to myself, you can't see the port with the computer lying down. Oh well... just gotta take a step and back and laugh at one's self now-and-again. Good news is that's it's all working beautifully now at SATA 3 speeds as well!

Thanks to all on these forums for the immediate responses and help!
These forums have been and excellent non-commercial-biased resource for my various laptop troubles over the last 4 to 5 years, some more severe than this e.g. search my name in the Alienware Area-51 m15x forums and you'll see how I became a psuedo-contact for disgruntled Alienware customers in Australia following it's numerous issues and the merger with Dell leaving us stranded.

I still have 2 questions:

x) Why is there no SATA 1 port listed in the BIOS?
y) Why isn't the SATA 2 port in the ODD bay SATA 3 capable?
Both I'm assuming are just minor design issues.

 

told you so
And AFAIK the odd sata cable is sata 3

 

hey buddy, just saw ur pm now

im impressed at how much research u put into this! kudos for that, i wish every poster here would be as thorogh as you before asking (sometimes easily solveable) questions.

as to your last two questions:

- not sure why the nomenclature is the way it is, could just be that sata port 1 just happened to be the one they deactivated on the p150hm as opposed to the p170hm, which sports two storage bays

- a sata3 port for the optical drive didnt make much sense from a production cost perspective, since optical drives dont even come close to maxxing out the available sata2 port. the successor EM series still has the odd sata2 port, although the upcoming sm series might swap to all out sata3, since the haswell chipset is providing more sata3 connections at stock and it thus might not be as economically challenging to implement besides, if u ask me, optical drives are dead, so id rather have the extra space for beefed up cooling and more storage!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

Beat by Jaybee. I should have refreshed the page first

 

Well done, madrabbit. I hope the drive treats you well!

 

SATA 1 is used in the 2nd HDD bay of the P170EM (they share the same motherboard) and is not connected in the P150em.

 

hey man, it seems I really need your help.

You and I have the same laptop model. I bought a Samsung 850 evo to replace the old tiny SSD but the problem is the damned disk DOES NOT APPEAR in the BIOS. So I came across your post (which was precisely the same problem I have) and I have to ask...what do you mean when you say the SSD was "actually slipping under the SATA port 0"? Because I plug it in, properly (and yes, it is very thin) but the damned BIOS won't find it. When I check it, the SSD IS plugged in the slot. It has not slipped away or anything. It just won't show up. While the old Intel X25-M i got works perfectly every time.

So, what I ask is, did your SSD really "slip away" from the slot? Was THAT the problem? And if it did not, did you do something to compensate for the SSD's thickness?
I hope you can help because I am really upset with all this :-(

 

Have you got another machine to test it in?

 

not really. thing is, the laptop recognizes it while it is located in an external case. the problem is when it is installed inside

 

You can use a spacer to prop it up, but do you have a picture of it installed? With a thin SSD it can feel like it's in but actually have slid under.

 

here's the thing...after cloning the SSD another time, I decided to reinstall it without messing with the BIOS. only this time, i did not just plug it into the socket, but used something to hold the SSD firmly in place. But the laptop cover would not be able to close with the thing i was using for support, so after about a minute i REMOVED the support before closing the lid. The funny thing is, even after i removed the support, the SSD remains in perfect horizontal position. So i close the lid and turn it on -AND IT WORKED. I am not as satisfied as I expected to be, but i hope performance will improve further. The old SSD was an Intel one and had always worked near-flawlessly. After about twelve hours, I did the first reboot before seeing this message. Keeping fingers crossed that it keeps working!

 

Sounds like you were sliding it under before and now you have it going in the connector (why it stays in the same position) just be aware without the support the connector will be under stress and may eventually break.

 

Hmmm, I am fairly certain i had replied to this yesterday...I put something very thin to help keep the SSD in place, though it is aligned on its own virtually perfectly. On the other hand, I have OTHER issues...movies and games are lagging. With my ancient Intel SSD i never had such problems. The Samsung Magician shows that supposedly everything is working well. I also initiated RAPID mode and made changes to further optimize the SSD. I also updated my GPU drivers just in case the issue was with them. That said, in the two days since the drive first went operational, performance has steadily improved on several levels, but still it is nowhere near what it should be! If you have encountered similar issues - especially movie slugging and game delays - please let me know!