What type of SSD is this?

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I have an Asus laptop where the mainboard died and I removed the SSD wanting to copy the data off of it.  I was expecting a standard 2″ SSD but what I found was this. (See photos).

I want to find a USB to SSD adapter but when I began looking I saw this statement:

Does not support the NVMe SSD，only support the M.2 22×42mm/60mm/80mm SATA SSD

I have no idea what this means.  I tried looking at the markings on my SSD but with no success.

Can anybody suggest what I should be looking for and maybe explain what this technology means?

Thanks!

 

 

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Here is a picture of the back side with the heat sink tape removed. I can’t read the codes on the chips.

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If you lookup the laptop model you will find out what sort of disk it is.

Your disk looks like an NVMe from the 2 slots in the connector.
Some USB adapters (cheaper) only support SATA, not NVMe.

cheers, Paul

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That’s an M.2 SSD, size 22mm x 80mm.

The 2.5″ format was meant for hard drives, and while you can get a SSD in that format, it is much more common for modern laptops to have M.2 slots instead. As you can see, the M.2 SSD is much smaller than a 2.5″ model, and space is at a premium in laptops. Most newer laptops won’t have a 2.5″ drive bay anymore.

M.2 slots are sort of a “jack of all trades” thing, so you can’t just put any M.2 device in any M.2 slot. Some M.2 SSD slots are compatible with NVMe or SATA SSDs (like my Dell XPS), while others are only compatible with SATA SSDs (like my Acer Swift 1). From the blurb you quoted, assuming that’s from the owner’s manual or something like that, it is evident that yours is the SATA type.

So, what you would need would be a M.2 SATA to USB adapter.

 

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/16GB & GTX1660ti, KDE Neon
Acer Swift Go 14, i5-1335U/16GB, KDE Neon

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Your card has M + B keys so it’s an M.2 SATA SSD.

Note, there are USB adapters out there that support both M.2 SATA and M.2 NVMe like this one.

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Might seem like a crazy suggestion, but before declaring the main board DOA I take it you tried reseating all the socketed components (well, memory now, usually), then tried it with the optical drive and USB “extension board” unplugged (if the model has it, within laptop) and even resetting the CMOS (which might need a soldering iron and some bravery and a 10 minute wait before tacking the battery back on, or it might happen when you unplug the internal battery pack with some.) I suspect a machine new enough to have that drive probably has bitlocker turned on to make things difficult.

If the machine has been filled with something I detailed what I used to do here (in fact this post went through most scenarios..)

https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/completely-black-screen/#post-2395088

 

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Thank you everyone for your inputs and suggestions.  Unfortunately, I did not know what I was doing and disassembled the PC more than I needed to and so I am not sure I can do oldguys suggestion about reviving the laptop.

I am amazed at how companies can squeeze and flatten components to make laptops thinner and lighter. It has been a valuable learning experience of nothing else.

Now that I know what to look for, I will order the adapter and hopefully recover the data.

Thanks again!

Tom Nesler

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Update on my quest to purchase an M2 SATA drive adapter.

I purchased an adapter that said it was a SATA drive but inside there was only 1 slot instead of the 2 slots I was expecting.  So I sent it back and ordered another.  This time the product arrived and the packaging said it was an M2 NGFF.  Looking inside there was only 1 slot.

I am enclosing a screen shot of the Amazon product description.  It says I should be getting a SATA (2 slot) adapter.  I am also enclosing a photo of the board I received.

What am I doing wrong?  Can I use what I have to run a SATA M2 drive?  Where can I get the correct product within a reasonable amount of time?

Thanks!

Tom Nesler

 

 

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The fact it has only one slot isn’t the problem. That picture shows it’s an M key type slot (only 5-pins) so it “won’t” work for your M.2 SATA card which requires a B key slot (6-pins.)

Note: B+M key cards are designed to fit into either a B key or a M key slot with the actual function of the card determining which type of adapter you need for it to work properly (B key = SATA, M key = NVMe)

What you need is an adapter like this SSK Tool-Free M.2 SATA SSD Enclosure (note how it’s rated 4.3 vs the one you bought which has no ratings! )

BTW, NGFF simply means Next Generation Form Factor which is a specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards and associated connectors (M.2 wiki)

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Paul T

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Thanks for the well written answer.  My hard drive has both slots.  Does that mean it can use either M or B style (Single slot)?  Also, I presume I can’t damage it by putting it in the wrong slot?

 

 

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Like memory sticks, the keys on the end of M.2 cards are designed so they’ll only fit into an M.2 slot one way (i.e. a B key card will only fit into a B key slot and a M keyed card will only fit into an M key slot.)

The whole purpose of dual key cards like yours is they can be plugged into either type of “single” key slot so, yes, it’ll fit into either a single B key slot or a single M key slot.

And no, plugging it into the wrong type of slot won’t damage the card, but it “usually” won’t work properly (i.e a B key SATA card plugged into a NVMe M key slot will most likely not be recognized as a SATA device.)

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