What key is this drive?

bjproc · May 3, 2023

Just wondering what key this drive it?

I know you get M and B&M keyed drives, but do you get B key only drives?

Ghot · May 3, 2023

bjproc said:
Just wondering what key this drive it?

I know you get M and B&M keyed drives, but do you get B key only drives?

View attachment 59265

I can't find any just B-key SSDs.

That's an M key drive (5 pins)
A B key drive has 6 pins.

It's a Samsung OEM drive...
Samsung MZ-ALQ256B <----- This is just for noting the specs. Be careful of scams, if you intend to buy one.
Whatever company made the laptop this came out of, probably sells an overpriced but non-scam replacement.

These have the same specs... (except for total space on the SSD)

Choose Storage - PCPartPicker

Choose Storage

pcpartpicker.com

Samsung MZ-ALQ256B 256GB M.2 2242 NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 SSD Solid State Drive MZALQ256HBJD-00BL2
And, as I mentioned... this is an M key SSD.

bjproc · May 3, 2023

Ghot said:
That's an M key drive (5 pins)
A B key drive has 6 pins.

View attachment 59266

It's a Samsung OEM drive...
Samsung MZ-ALQ256B <----- This is just for noting the specs. Be careful, if you intend to buy one.

Cheers,

I have a Lenovo M920q thinksmart, that drive fits and works good in my PC, was looking to upgrade it, but i have a WD SN570 but it seems to be ok until you restart the machine and it can't find the media on boot, on restarting the PC again it boots fine until the next time

Ghot · May 3, 2023

bjproc said:
Cheers,

I have a Lenovo M920q thinksmart, that drive fits and works good in my PC, was looking to upgrade it, but i have a WD SN570 but it seems to be ok until you restart the machine and it can't find the media on boot, on restarting the PC it boots fine until the next time

Maybe someone else can help with that... I don't have any NVMe SSDs, so I'm not up to date on boot issues with them.
My guess would be either a driver or bootloader issue.

Btw, according to the Crucial upgrade finder... that computer will take an M.2 2280 SSD if desired.

bjproc · May 3, 2023

Ghot said:
Maybe someone else can help with that... I don't have any NVMe SSDs, so I'm not up to date on boot issues with them.
My guess would be either a driver or bootloader issue.

Btw, according to the Crucial upgrade finder... that computer will take an M.2 2280 SSD if desired.

yeah, i was thinking about this one to try and see if it works ok

Crucial P3 1TB PCIe M.2 2280 SSD | CT1000P3SSD8 | Crucial UK

Buy Crucial P3 1TB PCIe M.2 2280 SSD CT1000P3SSD8. FREE US Delivery, guaranteed 100% compatibility when ordering using our online tools.

uk.crucial.com

FreeBooter · May 3, 2023

Hi @bjproc

I hope this article is helpful.

What Is the M.2 Expansion Slot, and How Can I Use It?

There’s a new open format sweeping the world of performance PCs, and it’s…well, complicated. The M.2 format is designed for manufacturers to replace a variety of specific devices, do it in a tiny space, and require very little power. But actually upgrading to an M.2 drive or accessory requires a...

www.howtogeek.com

tinmar49 · May 4, 2023

Why did companies have to make things complicated by not agreeing a standard before coming up with unneccessary variations? I bought a USB case which turned out to be a B & M SATA when I wanted an M type NVMe one.

Always Why · May 4, 2023

bjproc said:
Cheers,

I have a Lenovo M920q thinksmart, that drive fits and works good in my PC, was looking to upgrade it, but i have a WD SN570 but it seems to be ok until you restart the machine and it can't find the media on boot, on restarting the PC again it boots fine until the next time

Open the Windows Command Processor by typing CMD into your search field in the start menu. Once you find it, right click it and run it as Administrator. Copy or type this: sfc /scannow into the CMD box. Yes, there is a space between the c / and the forward slash. Anyone who owns a Windows computer should run this command once a month or after a system recovery or restore.