I helped your dad retrieve important information about the Intel Optane Memory M10 in the HP Envy x360 15CN100CTO.
I helped your dad retrieve important information about the Intel Optane Memory M10 in the HP Envy x360 15CN100CTO.
Urgent situation: My father's HP Envy x360 15cn100CTO has an Intel Optane Memory M10 + 1TB HDD setup on Windows 10. The laptop is becoming very slow, so I suggested replacing it with a new SSD. Since he wasn't familiar with how the Optane worked, I advised him to remove the old drive and install the SSD directly. Then I instructed a clean Windows 11 installation without any backup instructions. Now he wants his data back, so I told him to reinstall the Optane inside the laptop instead of using the SSD. The system still shows "No boot drive." I guided him through BIOS setup using the provided links and shared community tips, but they didn't resolve the issue because the necessary options were missing. We're in different countries, so I asked him to follow all these steps via video calls.
You're asking if the information on the previous hard drive matches what's now there. It seems this laptop was set up to start from the HDD and use the optane module for temporary storage—no actual data saved there. After a fresh Windows installation, the partitions might have been erased or formatted. Your files could still be salvageable, so avoid adding any more data until you're sure. I suggest putting the drive in read-only mode using this guide: https://www.top-password.com/blog/set-a-...n-windows/. This helps protect your data from being overwritten. You might also want to make a complete backup image of the hard drive before proceeding, so you don’t risk further damage. For recovery attempts, consider software like Disk Drill (easy to use), Recuva (simple free option), or DMDE (more advanced). If needed, a professional data recovery service can assess your situation and possibly recover the files for a fee, which could range from a few hundred dollars depending on the value of the data.
I don't recall whether the files were saved on the Intel Optane M10+HDD together or just the HDD, or even just the M10. It doesn't matter if one of the three storage methods works; what matters is getting his important documents back quickly and cheaply. When he started using the new SSD, the 1TB HDD wasn't recognized, so we can't write any fresh data there. I've tried DiskDrill (downloaded the free version) on my own laptop and multiple HDDs, but it's not very trustworthy. It couldn't retrieve recent files, though it did find old ones he didn't need. I'm unfamiliar with other programs. What he's receiving is what others say can happen if you reset to a non-Optane system—data loss likely. Will resetting to non-Optane still allow recovery? I've told him about external recovery tools and now he's considering paid services, but the fees are extremely high. Could you recommend some options? Micro-Center Data Recovery seems solid but very expensive. AceDataCenter is in a similar situation.
Intel Optane offers cache performance similar to SSDs for standard HDD users. This capability needs manual activation after installing Windows and the Intel Optane software. Resetting it—like physically taking out the drive—can cause data loss since information is split between Optane and the HDD. Once turned off, the system restores data to the HDD, making removal possible. From the images, you can see the Intel Optane drive alongside a 1TB SATA SSD. Where did the new SSD go?
The situation involves a laptop with limited connectivity options—only two ports: one for NVMe/M.2 and one for SATA. This means only one SSD can be connected at once. The new SSD is functioning properly, but the HDD remains accessible via the SATA connection. During our discussions, I demonstrated the process by removing the SSD, reinserting the Intel Optane stick, and booting from it. The results matched what we expected with the Optane drive. The HDD stays connected through SATA at all times. I advised against touching or modifying the HDD state, as doing so would erase data. We’re working with ACEDataRecovery and plan to send the laptop there for recovery. We’ll find out if it can be salvaged.