5 years in the past, when Microsoft launched the Floor Professional X and Floor Laptop computer 3, it made a tiny design change that turned out to be fairly big, looking back.
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In earlier variations of the Floor line, storage gadgets had been mounted to the motherboard, making it unattainable so as to add disk area after the preliminary buy. The brand new design used normal M.2 NVMe storage gadgets in a slot that is accessible from the skin of the machine. Company IT managers have been the primary driver of this transformation. For repairability and safety causes, they needed the power to exchange SSDs when swapping out gadgets.
Why must you think about a storage improve?
This design has been a game-changer for Floor clients in dwelling and small enterprise environments, who now have the chance to improve storage after the preliminary buy, doubtlessly at a fraction of the associated fee that Microsoft fees for upgrades.
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As common readers would possibly bear in mind, I purchased the cheapest Surface Pro 11 model earlier this yr, with a 256 GB SSD included. I’d have needed to pay an additional $200 to improve that storage to 512 GB, which was the utmost accessible for my configuration. On higher-end configurations, going from 512 GB to 1 TB prices one other $200, and there is presently no 2 TB choice accessible. (You should buy a 1 TB replacement drive for the Surface Pro 9 for $231.99.)
I am certain somebody in Redmond has an Excel spreadsheet that explains these costs, however I bought sticker shock simply my choices. So, I made a decision to go together with a third-party, high-performance, 2 TB improve drive. Whole value? $230.58, together with gross sales tax. Whole improve time? A pair hours, tops. And most of that was simply transferring backed-up recordsdata to the brand new drive.
You are able to do the identical on any Floor Professional 8 or later; the choice can also be accessible for the Floor Laptop computer 3 and later fashions. This is the way it works, in 7 simple steps.
Step 1: Collect the instruments and elements you want
Earlier than you get began, I like to recommend that you just collect all the things you will have to carry out this improve. There’s nothing extra irritating than getting midway by way of the job and realizing you are lacking one essential piece of the puzzle.
This is your buying record:
- M.2 2230 alternative SSD – This type issue is the one one that can work in a Floor Professional or Floor laptop computer. I selected a 2TB Crucial P310 that I do know is appropriate with my PC. I’ve used Essential merchandise for many years, and the corporate has wonderful improve instruments that will help you affirm that you have made the proper selection.
- T3 Torx screwdriver – You may want this to take away the tiny screw that holds the present M.2 drive in place. I bought this model from Amazon a pair years in the past and it is served me properly.
- USB flash drive with USB-C connector, no less than 16 GB – I’ve a number of of those PNY drives that may swap between USB-A and USB-C. They’re properly constructed and dependable.
- Exterior USB laborious drive – This one’s optionally available, however I extremely suggest having one among these round for backing up your current drive. I used a Crucial X9 drive that is quick and huge sufficient to again up a whole drive simply.
Step 2: Obtain the Floor restoration picture
As a result of I am working with an Arm-based Floor Professional, there is not any technique to obtain Home windows set up media in ISO format. Happily, Microsoft makes restoration pictures accessible for each Floor machine it sells. Even on an Intel-based machine, I like to recommend this selection as a result of it ensures that you’ve all gadgets, drivers, and utilities put in simply as they might come from the manufacturing unit.
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You may want the serial quantity to your machine, which you will get from the Floor app or by trying beneath the kickstand.
To obtain the picture, go to this web page: https://support.microsoft.com/surface-recovery-image. Register along with your Microsoft account, choose your Floor mannequin quantity, and enter the serial quantity. Comply with the prompts and obtain the picture to your PC. (Do not reserve it to the USB drive.)
Step 3: Create a bootable USB restoration drive
I’ve lined this matter beforehand (see “Got a Windows PC? Create a recovery drive in 4 steps to prevent disaster”), so when you’re an everyday reader you would possibly already know the way to do that.
Begin by making a primary Home windows restoration drive. Insert your USB flash drive after which sort restoration within the search field on the taskbar. Click on the Restoration Drive shortcut from the search outcomes. Clear the checkbox that gives to again up your system recordsdata to the restoration drive. Click on Subsequent after which observe the prompts, selecting your USB flash drive because the goal.
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After that is full, double-click the restoration picture file you downloaded earlier to open its contents in a File Explorer window. In a separate File Explorer window, open the restoration drive you simply created. Choose all of the recordsdata from the restoration picture window and drag them into the window for the bootable USB restoration drive. Select the choice to exchange current recordsdata if requested.
Preserve that drive helpful.
Step 4: Again up your system drive!
This step is optionally available however extremely really useful. Utilizing my exterior drive (not a USB flash drive), I used the Home windows 7 Backup program (which continues to be included with Home windows 11) to create a system picture.
Plug within the exterior drive (sorry, you’ll be able to’t use a USB flash drive) and sort the command Sdclt.exe to open the Home windows Backup program. Click on “Create a system picture” within the left-hand pane to open a window just like the one proven right here.
Select the exterior drive and observe the prompts to create your backup.
I additionally suggest that you just use the brand new Home windows Backup software, put in by default with Home windows 11. It copies knowledge recordsdata to OneDrive and likewise copies Microsoft Retailer apps and settings. For apps that are not accessible from the Retailer, it features a shortcut and obtain directions that you should utilize to reinstall the app. This feature is particularly helpful you probably have a Microsoft 365 account that features loads of OneDrive storage and you do not have loads of third-party apps put in. Extra on that in a minute.
Step 5: Take away the outdated drive
Flip off the Floor Professional, disconnect it from energy, and take away any exterior gadgets earlier than performing this step. (The official directions are on this help doc: “SSD removal in compatible Surface devices.”)
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The slot that holds the Floor Professional SSD is beneath the kickstand. On older Floor Professional gadgets (Floor 8, 9, X), it is secured with a easy lock that works just like the one on a cell phone’s SIM tray. Take away the quilt by inserting a SIM puller (or a bent paper clip) into the unlock gap.
On a Floor Professional 9, 10, or 11, the quilt is magnetic, and a delicate push reveals the put in storage.
Use the Torx T3 screwdriver to take away the one screw that holds the SSD in place. Watch out to not strip this screw, and do not lose it!
Pull the SSD straight away from the slot. Do not carry it up till the drive connector is totally freed from the slot. (When you pull up too early, you danger damaging the drive, the slot, or each.) When the drive is totally eliminated, set it apart.
Step 6: Set up the brand new SSD
Place the brand new M.2 SSD within the empty slot with the connector pointing to the slot, then push it gently straight into the slot in order that it is absolutely mounted. Use the Torx T3 screwdriver to lock the drive in place utilizing the screw you faraway from the outdated drive. Then reattach the quilt.
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When you’ve chosen a third-party improve drive, you will in all probability discover a distinction in its packaging in comparison with the unique drive. From the manufacturing unit, a Floor drive has a service that features a warmth sink. The brand new drive would not. Is that an issue? It hasn’t been for me, and I’ve carried out this operation on three Floor Professional fashions over a number of years. Below regular use, I have not felt any warmth or seen any indicators of heat-related stress.
If in case you have a high-end Floor Professional or Floor Laptop computer and plan to make use of it for video modifying and different disk-intensive duties, your expertise could be totally different. In that case, think about buying an official replacement part from Microsoft. You may pay just a little extra and your choices will likely be extra restricted, however compatibility should not be a difficulty.
Step 7: Reinstall Home windows 11 and restore your apps and knowledge recordsdata
Your laptop now has an empty drive. To get again to work, you could have two choices.
When you created a system picture, you’ll be able to restore that picture, which incorporates each bit of knowledge, each setting, and each put in app that was on the unique storage machine. That choice creates one tiny headache, nonetheless, as a result of it restores the system drive to a block of disk area the identical dimension as the unique, with the Home windows Restoration partition after it after which a big block of empty area.
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As a result of that Restoration partition is in the way in which, you’ll be able to’t use the built-in Home windows disk instruments to increase the system drive. On an x86-based system, that is not an excessive amount of of an issue as a result of there are many third-party disk partitioning instruments that mean you can transfer that partition to the opposite facet of the empty area.
However none of these choices work on the Arm-based Floor Professional 11, which implies your solely choice is to make use of a Linux boot disk and the GParted command to do the transferring. In its place, you’ll be able to use a series of arcane PowerShell commands to create a replica of the restoration partition, delete it, after which re-create it within the correct place. That is not a job for something however essentially the most skilled IT execs.
The a lot easier answer is besides from the USB drive containing the restoration picture, restore the manufacturing unit configuration, after which reinstall apps, settings, and knowledge recordsdata from OneDrive utilizing Home windows Backup. Some minor tweaking is required, however the result’s a clear set up that works precisely as if the system have been new.
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No matter which choice you select, you need not fear about activating Home windows — that is completed mechanically as a part of the restoration course of. I do suggest that you just maintain the restoration picture drive and the unique SSD in a protected place. When you ever have to ship within the Floor Professional for repairs, you’ll be able to take away the upgraded drive and put issues again to the unique configuration with none fuss.