Microsoft unveils swappable SSDs for Surface Pro 7+ but 'strongly discourages' users from upping their capacity
- Reference: 1614168061
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/02/24/surface_pro_7_plus_ssd/
- Source link:
[1]Unveiling the range of Surface Removal SSDs (rSSDs) , Microsoft admitted that popping in something bigger to replace an existing storage device was "technically possible", but it "strongly discourages" users from doing so.
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[3]The Surface Pro 7+ arrived last month and was a useful update on the distinctly long in the tooth Surface Pro 7, aimed primarily at business and education users. Among the hardware tweaks, including new processors and a jump in the maximum RAM, the SSD could be swapped out by an IT professional armed with a minimal toolset.
The "commercial spares", which target enterprises rather than consumers, are available through Microsoft's US reseller channels and comprise 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB versions. The parts will not work for the Surface Pro X or Surface Laptop Go.
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rSSD in a Surface Pro 7+
As if to ram home the point that those who bought the weedy 128GB version of the Surface Pro 7+ are stuck with their choice, Microsoft warned: "Installing a non-Microsoft or a Microsoft SSD of different volume than the one provided originally may lead to reduced performance and unsupported configurations."
There are any number of stories of ambitious Surface Pro X users changing out their removable SSDs for something faster and bigger, and the iFixit team [6]demonstrated just how simple a removal could be (although cautioned that the SSD had some proprietary shielding, meaning that normal M.2 2230 drives might not be fully compatible).
The replaceable SSD is laudable from an enterprise standpoint. Data can be retained (or destroyed) securely as a PC asset is transferred between employees and failed hardware swiftly repaired.
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It is, however, a shame that Microsoft, a company infamous for the voracious storage appetite of its software, has elected to discourage users from giving their devices a mid-life kicker even with its own commercial spares. ®
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[1] https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/surface-it-pro-blog/introducing-ssd-commercial-spares-for-surface-pro-7/ba-p/2147128
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YDaGL6bij7LdHwL7IOP13wAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/11/surface_pro_7_plus/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YDaGL6bij7LdHwL7IOP13wAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/24/rssdsp7plus.jpg
[6] https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+X+SSD+Replacement/127830
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_datacentre/storage&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YDaGL6bij7LdHwL7IOP13wAAAFA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
It's not that the PC ecosystem supported modularity for decades ...
F'ing mobes and tablets are pretty shitty incarnations of a computer.
I guess they're only technically computers because I find it far too frustrating to do any real "computing" on them in practice.
Presumably each SSD has a unique hardware ID
and then Windows will detect a different ID and then refuse to run on the new SSD complaining about being not being Licensed.
Re: Presumably each SSD has a unique hardware ID
It'd be a shame if there was a piracy tool that would solve that sort of issue.
Huh.
Re: Presumably each SSD has a unique hardware ID
Nope.
I have a Kioxia 512GB SSD made for a Dell machine in my Surface Pro X. Works beautifully.
GJC
Re: Presumably each SSD has a unique hardware ID
"lsblk -o MODEL,SERIAL" suggests otherwise.
MS taking lessons from HP ?
This sounds very much like the blather that printer manufacturers come out with as they attempt to keep you buying over priced printer cartridges.
Re: MS taking lessons from HP ?
If the Surface Pro doesn't support 100Tb drives then I guess it will be impossible to upgrade to the next version of Windows and everyone will have to buy a new machine?
I was wondering, has the Pro 7+ got rounded corners?
Strongly discouraged
Why ?
What Byzantine hardware and software rules has Borkzilla implemented to make it difficult to swap a disk for a bigger one ?
Since when has putting in a bigger disk ever been a problem in computing when using approved models ?
Is Borkzilla trying to insinuate that Surface Pros are factory-limited to what was installed at build time ?
So many questions, so many possible stupid answers, but no good ones.
Re: Strongly discouraged
"So many questions, so many possible stupid answers, but no good ones."
I'm sure MS find the answer to be perfectly good: You want more storage? Buy a new machine.
Windows and Storage space
I've seen some low-budget laptops that come with Windows installed with only 32 Gb of solid state drive space that can no longer receive security updates because the drive is full.
Re: Windows and Storage space
Yup - after the second time of trying to fix it my response was "If you want my help with your computers do not buy them without reference to me. This PoS was on sale for a reason....."
Re: Windows and Storage space
One of my charity customers got duped into buying a set of HP Stream laptops, with eMMC 32GB Hard disks.
None of them could install the next Windows 10 update natively. About half managed to with the Dual USB Stick method, but the others couldn't even do that: Any more than 3GB of user files made them unserviceable.
It was reckless of HP to make them in the first place, and I would happily bump off the vendor that talked them into buying such crap.
Re: Windows and Storage space
> It was reckless of HP to make them in the first place
Yeah, it's funny* how when HP trick thousands of consumers into buying a lemon it's the consumer's fault. But when HP bought a lemon called Autonomy, suddenly it's a matter for the Feds
* No it isn't, obviously.
Re: Windows and Storage space
>>One of my charity customers got duped into buying a set of HP Stream laptops, with eMMC 32GB Hard disks
lubuntu works just fine on them; you get 22Gb free after installing it (including LibreOffice as well)
Sauce: installed lubuntu on an HP Stream here just the other week, for a member of the user comminuty, becasue Windows borked owing to disk space issues.
The child, for whom the notebook was intended, is, apparently, most happy that he can do whatever it is youth do on these things nowadays (said loin-fruit is male so probaly well.... you know.... given the laptop is small and easily concealable in a hurry!)
/mine's the one with Easy2Boot on a USB pen in the pocket
Re: Windows and Storage space
Probably a nice little laptop for a modern Linux netbook (The true meaning of netbook before people tried to get Windows Vista running on single core atoms...), but not really a practical answer for this Charity's workflow; If nothing else, They need full fat Outlook.
Re: Windows and Storage space
I have one of those ... I upgraded to Linux Mint and had some 12 GB left before adding my own stuff.
Re: Windows and Storage space
Wifey bought herself a new laptop on a whim from PC World, an 11" HP Stream with a 32GB eMMC, the sales droid told her it would be perfect for travelling and working on office docs. Once she'd installed O365 on it, it no longer had enough space to install security updates. I made them take it back and refund us as it wasn't fit for purpose and bought her a Dell.
I don’t object to soldered in RAM* as much as I object to soldered in storage. Given that storage, of any kind, eventually wears out it should effectively be regarded as a ‘consumable’. Soldered in storage is not so very different from a printer which can’t have its ink cartridges replaced at all.
Microsoft, you have gone part way to doing the right thing. Apple take note.
* as a geek, I object to soldered in RAM. And CPU. And GPU if it comes to that - I want to be able to replace / upgrade as I choose. But it’s a matter of degree.
Soldered in storage is not so very different from a printer which can’t have its ink cartridges replaced at all.
Watch what you say! If they hear that we're going to start having to pay the full price for printers and the ink will be unreplacable! No more workaround of throwing out the printer each time you don't have any more black.
That sort of tactic used to be common on HP laptops in the mid to late 2000s where they would have bios locks which stopped you replacing the WIFI card with non HP approved ones. HP used to claim it was because the devices were FCC approved with only their wireless cards, but as other manufactures didn't have those restrictions and were still able to sell their laptops, that didn't wash with most people who just saw it as the attempted vendor lock in it was.
Yup
I bought a Surface Pro X last year, and immediately upgraded the SSD to 512GB using a Dell unit bought from eBay. Worked perfectly, and is still working as my daily driver today (and is, by the way, a lovely machine, highly recommended).
GJC
What's the point
We'll give you a slot to make upgrading easy, but don't use it... So what's the point?
Re: What's the point
Officially, for corporates and government departments, so they can keep their data secure when the machines get sent off for repair, or re-allocated to other departments.
Unofficially, installing non-approved SSDs works just fine.
GJC
People are still going to do so anyway
128 GB is what my laptop from 16 years ago had as a hard disk. It may not have been a fancy smancy faster Hard disk thing but it did work well.
Plus is still Windows, a few edits and things will work more or less okay.
"Installing a non-Microsoft or a Microsoft SSD of different volume than the one provided originally may lead to reduced performance and unsupported configurations."
It should be illegal to say that. That sentence is a fraud against the consumer.