Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

[jimanez11]

Have a first generation MS Surface Laptop that has an issue with the SSD. I have tried the "Surface Erase Tool" which doesnt see any disk present and have booted via USB Linux distro which also does not see the internal SSD. Now, I want to see if the SSD is faulty, or if its a power rail that is shorted or not working correctly before trying to replace the SSD (would be my first time replacing a large chip - so any tips on that would be helpful as well). Does anyone know which caps I could measure to verify that the SSD is infact receiving power and is likely fried? Also - sorry for the iFixit picture - Have circled the SSD in purple and its the only shape on the board that looks like a 5 year old drew it!

I have also searched the forums for schematic / boardview with no luck, but have found it available on paid sites - before purchasing the schematics I wanted to see if there was any way I could grab the measurements without having to spend the extra cash.

As always, any help is appreciated!

[petehall347]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

have you tried ...$ sudo lsblk
?

[petehall347]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

i would if possible put the ssd into an external case and see what can be done that way .

[petehall347]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

also you could use something like ubcd to see if anything can be done that way .

[jimanez11]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

Awesome - thanks for the suggestions. Will try some other software methods before removing the ssd. Cant use UBCD because there is no legacy boot for the surface laptop, so am trying some tools on Sergei Strelec's WinPE tools. Will see what happens and if anything sees the ssd. Also - not really interested in an external ssd solution if at all possible.

[jimanez11]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

So far none of the disk management tools show any signs of an internal SSD and the sudo lsblk command when run from a usb ubuntu version doesnt show anything except the USB storage device. Is there any other tool or mechanism that I can use to completely rule out a failed SSD, or does it seem like this is toast?

[petehall347]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

checking voltages would be the next step i guess. i don't do board level on computers . i might though if i could get hold of the factory gear that checks from all test points at once .

[jimanez11]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

Measured a few of the caps around the SSD and also the step down converter right next to it. Itf location is indicative of the power supply (which I know is not necessarily the case), then it looks like the ssd is getting 3.3v steady. Will end up purchasing the schematics and going through the rails I guess. Appreciate the help so far!

[petehall347]

Re: Surface Laptop 1st Gen - SSD not detected

i hope someone comes along that can help you some more with it .
only logic i can come up with is if it has the correct power to run its the data lines at fault or the ssd itself .
best i can think is substitute it with a known working one or put that one on a test bed or another working machine .