For retail units, the bottom middle screw is supposed to be captive, you're not supposed to be able to pull it out all the way. You can start your pry tool at the gap there too.
I don’t have a 3d printer unfortunately 😅 but I’m at work now and we actually have guitar picks which is hilarious considering my life of work. Thanks for the suggestions!
This is exactly what I needed to see! I have a 2tb drive waiting for my ally to arrive, and I planned to run things just like this the day I get it. It feels good to see just how straightforward it is, I can go back to being stoked about receiving it soon! Thank you🎉
Do I need to set up the ally prior to switching SSD OR can I open the ally day one before even powering it and install a new SSD. PLEASE can I get a response from someone.
Here are tips that not many people mention when upgrading to a new SSD: Before upgrading to the new SSD, login to Windows on the SSD installed on the Ally and update everything on Armory Crate SE, MyASUS app, and the bios. After installing the new SSD, when it ask you for your Wi-Fi during Cloud Recovery, USE your regular network and DO NOT USE your 5G network, connection will fail and will request you to use another WLAN. You may use your 5G network after it finish Cloud Recovery when you reach the Windows startup screen.
I just want to share this with everyone since I watched a few upgrading videos on TH-cam and read some instructions on Reddit and not many people mention these tips until I started doing this and had a lot of issues especially the Wi-Fi, had no idea it had to be your regular network instead of your 5G network.
Need help! Swap 2280 brand new and Cloud Recovery prompted “ The device is not support for this function” 😩😭 what am I doing wrong?? Please help thanks!
I'm genuinely surprised this is as simple as it is. Just installed my 2tb drive and waiting for the cloud recovery to finish. Thanks for the excellent guide!
So everything you had installed originally will be put back onto the new drive from my understanding correct? I want to do this but it would be annoying to reinstall everything I have on here especially all my emulated games
Cloud recovery going now on my ally (2TB 2230 replacing the default one, with a nice 2230 sled for using the old one as extra external storage). Thank you Asus for making this super easy!
Followed this guide step by step and it worked flawlessly. Installed a Sabrent 1TB drive. Make sure that you do all windows updates as well as the BIOS update from the My Asus app. I know some other people were having issues with the update stalling in the “checking” phase and that fixes it.
As much as we love all of The Phawx’s videos for the great technical deep dives he brings, I don’t think we appreciate his bomb ass retro collection in the back enough. I see classics and legendary limited editions back there. A true gamer.
So awesome! I ordered a 2tb SSD last week, and was planning on ordering a nvme usb adapter to clone the drive. Thankfully I procrastinated on the adapter, seeing as now I don't even need one! I'll just do this Cloud Recovery. So excited for this thing. 3tb on day one! It's gonna be a gaming beast. Thanks for the helpful instructions Phawx!
It really is unfortunate that this thing kills microSD cards, but it's really nice how easy it is to upgrade the internal m.2. I was worried about needing to buy a windows key but Asus made this really easy.
For anyone getting stuck at the enter password section for the ASUS CLOUD RECOVERY. USE A USB HUB OR THE CHARGE DOCK FOR THE ROG ALLY and connect your ROG ALLY/USB KEYBOARD. It’s best to do this entire process with an external WIRED keyboard. I kept getting a connection failed message and couldn’t enter my password but was able to enter the pw with a keyboard connected and able to successfully get my ROG ALLY working with 2 TB SSD. 😁😁😁😁😁
Thank you for this. Just one important remark: If you get you Ally like me on day one you have to go through the whole install process with the original SSD, especially BIOS updates. Yes, updateS, there are two of them, one in windows, and a second one restarting in the BIOS (which i skipped on my first attempt causing my device to hang during cloud recovery).
Two easy tips, for anyone doing this and who really doesn't mind validating their warranty. First, completely remove the black plastic sheet that he lifted up to replace the SSD and simply ditch it. It's completely pointless and only restricts air flow and traps warm air underneath it. Removing it will lower both internal and SoC temps. Second, remove the two black square dust protectors on the back panel that you just took off. Both of them are restricting air flow through the vents and removing both will increase air flow and further lower internal temps. Temps should be around 4-7 degrees cooler without them both and they aren't really doing much (just dust protectors). Without them and with more air flowing around the inside of the Ally, the SD card reader also doesn't get quite as hot, which can be an issue. Also, the fan won't need to spin up as frequently or as violently. BTW, you can also fit in a single sided 2280 SSD with a slight bit of modification by removing/filing down a plastic support pillar that's on the back cover and then threading the 2280 SSD underneath the battery. It works perfectly fine, temps are fine and the 2280 SSD's are not only are much cheaper than the 2230's, but also they also come in larger capacities. Most modders suggest you use a Crucial P3 or P3 Plus SSD if doing so (thin SSD's), along with a couple of 1mm SSD thermal pads stuck on top and underneath.. BTW, there are several tutorials online, when it comes to modifying your Ally. Not only for any of the above I mentioned, but also for a few other things.
Thanks man I did a 1tb install on my rog following this video to the t and it worked perfect, I started early around 5:10am and finished at 7:40am with 1gig speed internet with some drop speeds to 500-800mbps, after its done there's alot of more updates to do in my asus,armory crate and windows. I'm still downloading games right now its 530pm I'm about to run out of space but was able to fit alot.
two things; if they've already been answered than i'm sorry 1 - whats the formfactor or name of that SSD? I've never seen it in that square size before 2 - Is there a maximum accepted size (GB/TB) that the SSD can be? Is there a minimum speed requirement? etc Thank you!
Be VERY CAREFUL with the screw holding the ssd, in my case it was super tough to remove, I used a screwdriver that was not quite right and the head stripped immediately and it became even more tough to remove. Jeez why do they tighten them SO much if they are supposed to be swapped "easily"?! Other than that, your guide worked perfectly, thanks Phawx.
Nice, thank you for the tutorial video. I've already got a 2TB 2230 SSD sitting here, just waiting for my ROG Ally to arrive for my outside summer gaming fun. :) One question: Do I have to start the on the original SSD first so the cloud gets the data or can I just replace the SSD right away and use the cloud recovery?
would be nice if you could actually include what kind of SSD you use so that we can find similar models, each SSD has a different number and style to it, i understand the size i am looking for but im unsure as to which ones would be compatible with the RoG Ally.
Super informative. I purchased all of these SSD accessories for the "BIG" upgrade 😂. I'm returning them and I'm actually going to upgrade the SSD to 2TB instead of the one with the dough I save. This is dope. 👍🏾
Damn this is awesome. When I tried using a 2TB SSD on my steam deck, it was having the hardest time reading my boot drive and had tons of issues loading into the deck bios. Glad they made this so easy!
Thank you for your advice! I had issues yesterday because my ROG Ally would lose internet from my Wi-Fi. I bought a Steam Dock so I can get wired and the cloud recovery was successful
Thanks my dude! It's actually amazing that they have this stuff built into the system regardless of what SSD is in there. Very consumer friendly choices there, especially how easy it is to access. My Steam Deck was way more complicated than this! Incredible stuff and great video. I appreciate you!
I learned so much in this video... 1. I can use the BIOS to load Windows back onto it and I don't need a USB C device with a Windows installer on it. 2. THE POWER BUTTON IS A THUMB PRINT READER?!? WHAT?? also, please do a video on how to do physical modifications needed to install a full fledged NVME SSD in the ROG allt.
Ordered a 2tb sabrent that i plan to install day one. You made it look super simple. One question i have is do i need to do the initial set up or can i do the install straight out of the box?
So SSD in and out 3 times has taught me that you need to update everything in armoury crate and MYASUS app. Then restart 3 or 4 times making sure everything is updated after every restart. Then swap to your new SSD and use the Asus cloud recovery in the bios. Now my 2tb SSD is installing like the video.
It worked after reinstalling the original drive and booting into Windows, then launching MYASUS app and installing all the updates. I had to reboot a couple of times until all the MYASUS updates were applied, including BIOS updates. I put the new drive in, started cloud recovery and it’s working. “Checking” took about ten seconds then it went on to install.
I ordered a 2tb and they sent me another 512gb for free so gotta get an exnclosure to put 2 2230 drives in. Should be easy to connect to dock but doubt I’ll need more than 2tb on the Ally unless I’m hoarding games I’ll never play and installing them for fun
its been 24 hours since i did the ssd swap and its been great, i was able to fit alot of triple a games and indie games and not have to worry about the sd card slot that went to shit a few weeks ago, i removed my 512gig sd card when people started having issues, i replaced it with a 128gig and it worked perfect for weeks and then one morning it finally hit me, but i was able to reformat it on my switch lite and it worked again, im not sending my rog ally back to asus just because of the sd card slot.
I just updated the ssd. My Ally os now stuck at 3% on the cloud recovery progress. I have verified everything had been updated and the time in the BIOS is correct but it still will not go any further. Any suggestions Edit: I got it figured out just had to use my phone as a Hotspot even though I have 1 gig speeds
Can I just give a special thank you for showing us the size of the hard drive after a fresh install. I've been planning out what games I want to install, and now I know exactly what I can fit. Side question - is there a way to boot directly into Armory Crate instead of the Windows desktop?
How long did it take for the microsoft at 6:22 loading screen take to get to the cloud recovery screen? I just installed my new 2TB SSD and I can’t tell if it’s stuck on that screen or if it’s taking a long time to delivery those payload.
Thanks for this video. I like other commentators on this video have a 2 terabyte drive waiting for the ROG Ally to show up. Looks easy (famous last words). Can't wait.
Absolutely love tutorials like this, but it does suck that it doesn’t show the possibilities of errors and how to fix them. Replaced my SSD in less than 10 minutes thanks to this tutorial, but after booting up there’s multiple errors that can come up, that seem to be extremely common online. 1 is the date and time not being correct when you’re in the bios which can cause the ally not to connect with servers for your download. Another is 5GHz WiFi being too fast or whatever the reason is, so I had to switch to my 2.4GHz phone hotspot to get it to connect to servers and download.
I have a question. After replacing the SSD, it seems I’m unable to enable secure boot. By default it’s under “disabled”. And when I try to “enable” it, it seems it isn’t able to save the settings because when I go into Asus Cloud recovery, it still tells me to enable secure boot. Any tips?
Nice tutorial. Will retail units come with the newer bios which doesn’t require the secure boot change? Or will we need to update the bios before doing the replacement?
The process was not as smooth as his. It caused me a shit ton of headaches but i got it to work after tinkering with it for 8 hours straigh. I bet that he didn't show us in this video all of the hiccups that he had before it started to load correctly.
This is my first time installing a new ssd on my rog ally and I don't have cloud recovery set up, to my knowledge. How do I set it up before I install my new ssd?
Question : before you start switching on you new Rog Ally , can you first change SSD and than start setting up you Rog Ally, Bios, recovery and windows ? or First you have to set up Windows and update Bios, and than change you SSD disk ?
Great video. Couple of things I noticed with mine: The middle lower screw was braced in and did not want to come out. Perhaps ASUS saw this as an issue because of the smaller size and fixed it on prod models Could not detect/enter hidden wireless info during the recovery process (like you can with initial setup). Broadcasting SSID temporarily was the answer for me. Hope this helps others and again, great video dude. 🤘 Spoke too soon apparently. Couldn't authenticate into my wireless because the os keyboard doesnt show 😢
@@respond_code3 I did have that issue with my first ally, but I didn’t know about the shortcuts. I had to return it because it came with a scratch on the screen. My second unit the keyboard ended up opening up automatically when I got to the Wifi password screen.
First off. I wanna say thank you very much for the videos, they are much appreciated and second I was wondering how long dose the download for the system files usually take? Mine kinda stopped at 8% and it's been there for a while, don't know if that's normal or not since I have it connected to an ethernet cable.
@@justinlindbeck3718 it took a while for it to go up, there was even A time where my cat disrupted the ethernet cord and I had to start over and then it started to go faster then before. But all together maybe like 3 hours but onec you get to past the first download The other one kind of tricks you into thinking gonna move but then bam it'll go from 8 to 15 to 30. When all was said and done though it worked and I didn't lose anything.
Just found you while searching for Ally videos. My Ally is on the way and super stoked! I’m planning to throw a 1 TB in there, but I have a question about the Asus Cloud Recovery. Using the Asus Cloud Recovery, does that include and re-install Windows 11 as well? Or do you have to install Windows 11 on the new SSD first, THEN run the Asus Cloud Recovery?
An easy restore! That's nice though it makes me curious how clean an installation it is. Are there any unnecessary programs installed? How much of the typical windows bloat is in there? I hope someone makes an "optimized" windows install just for the ROG Ally, further cleaning the crud out of the OS.
A very useful step that many are bumping into is you HAVE to boot up the device using the OEM NVME first. You will get stuck on an infinite "checking" loop during the Cloud Recovery stage if you try to throw your new drive in before booting up and letting the drives update. Don't sit for hours, just power off the device and throw the original drive in if you get stuck at the "checking" loop. Replace after installing all updates!
@@YellowPossum Yeah! Turn on the optional updates too so it hits all the Asus Firmwares as well. It updated my bios automatically as well on the first restart. Requires 1-2 restarts before the device is actually ready to have the drive replaced.
I wonder if the bios will be up to date out of the box to allow for this? Or should we set it up with the default SSD, do updates, and then power down and swap the SSD's?
Thank you as always for the awesome video! For most Windows 11 based handhelds I see it recommended to use hibernate instead of sleep for more reliable suspend and resume functions while gaming. It served me well with the GPD Win 3 and the Aya Neo 2. For the ROG Ally, what do you recommend? I’ve read it uses a particular form of sleep by default?
Can i change the SSD before the first boot or do i need to update the bios first in order to use Cloud Recovery? Got the answer in other video: It is highly recommended that you update the bios first with the original SSD so you can change to the new SSD and use cloud recovery, thus making you have to setup Windows twice... sadly.
There is bloatware installing from 3rd parties (antivirus, games, free trial) doing it this way? Or just a clean install with the armory thing? Thanks for the video.
I know this video is old but hoping you can help with something. Does the Asus cloud restore automatically have a backup saved or do you have to backup the image first? Mines an Ally X and in warranty.
The steamdeck is the first gen to me, I've waited long enough, since all this talk about a potential world war 3 I thought to myself might as well enjoy life while I can
Most important thing not to forget is to make sure the bios date and time is set right. I had tried installing new ssd without checking the bios information is right. It took thee tries to install ssd and not get stuck on checking. I did not update first.
Your welcome I’m right now loading my steam games. It was way easier than using a usb drive once I found out the work around. It was another TH-cam post that I found someone mentioned it.
@@ronalddoe2894 sorry I don’t know. But good luck with install. Like I mentioned I tried few tries and it would time out. I went back and checked some TH-cam and found my bios should date and time weren’t correct so I changed it to the current time and started the install agian and it worked .
Must I first setup the device, update, factory reset, then install the SSD? I ask since no one mentions how to do this right from when you first pop the device out the box.
Thanks for the great vid What if I had in my precious version, a micro sd card installed with games, will the system recognize it without need to format ?
Do I need to boot the factory ssd first to activate the device with Windows or can I stick my 2tb in for the first boot and recovery will activate a license? If I can avoid a pointless Windows setup it would be nice. 😅
New subscriber, thankyou for your work. I just wanted to humbly suggest that for something as important as a device recovery, or set-up of a brand new drive..you moved a bit too quickly, with not enough careful explanation of the exact menu and button presses required. This is a process you where very comfortable with and that is very cool, but you forgot to dumb it down a bit, maybe? I did watch the video slowed down a few times, and came away with the idea that I "think" I understand how to do it... But with a $1,300 AUD device, I think I know how, means that I would have to ok elsewhere to be sure, as I do not have the confidence yet required to do it. Maybe thats all for the better though. Again, no pedantic criticism intended.. just some honest feedback from a noob . I have watched all your Ally videos, and will continue to do this, thankyou for your attempt to teach the nervous masses :).
For retail units, the bottom middle screw is supposed to be captive, you're not supposed to be able to pull it out all the way. You can start your pry tool at the gap there too.
That's what I saw on TH-cam as well.
Any suggestions on a pry tool? i dont have a wedge and i want to be as careful as possible with the unit when i do this tomorrow
@@Mark-es5tx Guitar picks are usually the best substitutes.
@@Mark-es5tx yeah I 3D printed different size guitar pics.
I don’t have a 3d printer unfortunately 😅 but I’m at work now and we actually have guitar picks which is hilarious considering my life of work. Thanks for the suggestions!
Are we gonna ignore that mind-blowing thumbnail to video transition? 🔥🔥🔥
This is exactly what I needed to see! I have a 2tb drive waiting for my ally to arrive, and I planned to run things just like this the day I get it. It feels good to see just how straightforward it is, I can go back to being stoked about receiving it soon! Thank you🎉
Same here😂. Can't wait to stick it in there😂
Same here I'm super excited. Wondering I should probably boot the device up at least once to get bios updates before changing the drive
Man i have a 1tb ssd and 1 tb micro sd can't wait!!!
same
Do I need to set up the ally prior to switching SSD OR can I open the ally day one before even powering it and install a new SSD.
PLEASE can I get a response from someone.
Just got mine, upgraded the SSD to 2TB, I'm still a newbie to bios and PC; thanks for the tutorial!
I wonder how many people did as me and ordered a 2TB SN740 on AE in anticipation of upgrading the ROG Ally when it arrives.
Finally a proper Cloud Recovery tool showcase! Thank you
I can’t get enough on the Rog Ally. Keep them coming at the sake of everything else.
I agree I already ordered a sabrent 2tb ssd for mine. I can't wait lol
@@andyartmaster101how much that run?
@@andyartmaster101the micron 2400 2tb would have been cheaper
Here are tips that not many people mention when upgrading to a new SSD:
Before upgrading to the new SSD, login to Windows on the SSD installed on the Ally and update everything on Armory Crate SE, MyASUS app, and the bios.
After installing the new SSD, when it ask you for your Wi-Fi during Cloud Recovery, USE your regular network and DO NOT USE your 5G network, connection will fail and will request you to use another WLAN.
You may use your 5G network after it finish Cloud Recovery when you reach the Windows startup screen.
I just want to share this with everyone since I watched a few upgrading videos on TH-cam and read some instructions on Reddit and not many people mention these tips until I started doing this and had a lot of issues especially the Wi-Fi, had no idea it had to be your regular network instead of your 5G network.
@@John_Alterwhy though? I don't get why 5g would matter
Thank you so much, it's finally working after many tries, i don't know why any video mentions this 😢
Any ideas why it stays on checking? Everything has been updated prior
Need help! Swap 2280 brand new and Cloud Recovery prompted “ The device is not support for this function” 😩😭 what am I doing wrong?? Please help thanks!
I'm genuinely surprised this is as simple as it is. Just installed my 2tb drive and waiting for the cloud recovery to finish. Thanks for the excellent guide!
How long did the process take from start to finish?
It take few minutes but mine not recovering lol it say invalid secure boot wen boot is enabled lol
So if I buy this will I need to save everything on the cloud?
So everything you had installed originally will be put back onto the new drive from my understanding correct? I want to do this but it would be annoying to reinstall everything I have on here especially all my emulated games
Thank you!!! I have a 2TB SSD waiting to be installed. The cloud recovery process looks easy!
IF YOU GET STUCK ON THE "CHECKING" SCREEN - during the initial startup when you are in bios, update the time and date and that should fix it.
Cloud recovery going now on my ally (2TB 2230 replacing the default one, with a nice 2230 sled for using the old one as extra external storage). Thank you Asus for making this super easy!
Link?
Followed this guide step by step and it worked flawlessly. Installed a Sabrent 1TB drive. Make sure that you do all windows updates as well as the BIOS update from the My Asus app. I know some other people were having issues with the update stalling in the “checking” phase and that fixes it.
Did you turn off device encryption before you switched over?
As much as we love all of The Phawx’s videos for the great technical deep dives he brings, I don’t think we appreciate his bomb ass retro collection in the back enough. I see classics and legendary limited editions back there. A true gamer.
So awesome! I ordered a 2tb SSD last week, and was planning on ordering a nvme usb adapter to clone the drive. Thankfully I procrastinated on the adapter, seeing as now I don't even need one! I'll just do this Cloud Recovery. So excited for this thing. 3tb on day one! It's gonna be a gaming beast. Thanks for the helpful instructions Phawx!
Same 😊
Me too just set mine up very nice machine I was on the fence but then I saw rpcs3 performance it’s a beast most of my space will be ps3 games lol
3tb?
It really is unfortunate that this thing kills microSD cards, but it's really nice how easy it is to upgrade the internal m.2. I was worried about needing to buy a windows key but Asus made this really easy.
For anyone getting stuck at the enter password section for the ASUS CLOUD RECOVERY. USE A USB HUB OR THE CHARGE DOCK FOR THE ROG ALLY and connect your ROG ALLY/USB KEYBOARD. It’s best to do this entire process with an external WIRED keyboard. I kept getting a connection failed message and couldn’t enter my password but was able to enter the pw with a keyboard connected and able to successfully get my ROG ALLY working with 2 TB SSD. 😁😁😁😁😁
Thank you for this. Just one important remark: If you get you Ally like me on day one you have to go through the whole install process with the original SSD, especially BIOS updates. Yes, updateS, there are two of them, one in windows, and a second one restarting in the BIOS (which i skipped on my first attempt causing my device to hang during cloud recovery).
Tanks for the information, didn't know that. Will do so.
Two easy tips, for anyone doing this and who really doesn't mind validating their warranty. First, completely remove the black plastic sheet that he lifted up to replace the SSD and simply ditch it. It's completely pointless and only restricts air flow and traps warm air underneath it. Removing it will lower both internal and SoC temps. Second, remove the two black square dust protectors on the back panel that you just took off. Both of them are restricting air flow through the vents and removing both will increase air flow and further lower internal temps. Temps should be around 4-7 degrees cooler without them both and they aren't really doing much (just dust protectors). Without them and with more air flowing around the inside of the Ally, the SD card reader also doesn't get quite as hot, which can be an issue. Also, the fan won't need to spin up as frequently or as violently.
BTW, you can also fit in a single sided 2280 SSD with a slight bit of modification by removing/filing down a plastic support pillar that's on the back cover and then threading the 2280 SSD underneath the battery. It works perfectly fine, temps are fine and the 2280 SSD's are not only are much cheaper than the 2230's, but also they also come in larger capacities. Most modders suggest you use a Crucial P3 or P3 Plus SSD if doing so (thin SSD's), along with a couple of 1mm SSD thermal pads stuck on top and underneath..
BTW, there are several tutorials online, when it comes to modifying your Ally. Not only for any of the above I mentioned, but also for a few other things.
Thanks man I did a 1tb install on my rog following this video to the t and it worked perfect, I started early around 5:10am and finished at 7:40am with 1gig speed internet with some drop speeds to 500-800mbps, after its done there's alot of more updates to do in my asus,armory crate and windows. I'm still downloading games right now its 530pm I'm about to run out of space but was able to fit alot.
How much?
two things; if they've already been answered than i'm sorry
1 - whats the formfactor or name of that SSD? I've never seen it in that square size before
2 - Is there a maximum accepted size (GB/TB) that the SSD can be? Is there a minimum speed requirement? etc
Thank you!
1) 2230 form factor
2) idk
512GB, 1TB and 2TB but should be fast enough since they are gen 4.
Be VERY CAREFUL with the screw holding the ssd, in my case it was super tough to remove, I used a screwdriver that was not quite right and the head stripped immediately and it became even more tough to remove. Jeez why do they tighten them SO much if they are supposed to be swapped "easily"?! Other than that, your guide worked perfectly, thanks Phawx.
I have the same issue, I don't get why they torqued it down so much. Ordered a better screwdriver so hopefully that will remove it.
Having the trouble right now fml
Same for me. I had to buy a 1.4 flat head screwdriver and use pliers to get it lose. It was way to tight for no reason
Nice, thank you for the tutorial video. I've already got a 2TB 2230 SSD sitting here, just waiting for my ROG Ally to arrive for my outside summer gaming fun. :)
One question: Do I have to start the on the original SSD first so the cloud gets the data or can I just replace the SSD right away and use the cloud recovery?
Just got mine in the mail and put a 2TB SSD in. It's going through the process now and I can't wait!
would be nice if you could actually include what kind of SSD you use so that we can find similar models, each SSD has a different number and style to it, i understand the size i am looking for but im unsure as to which ones would be compatible with the RoG Ally.
Alright, I got my socks on and I'm revving up my feet on the carpet to get ready for this ssd replacement! Let's go baby!!! 🤯🤯🤯
Super informative. I purchased all of these SSD accessories for the "BIG" upgrade 😂. I'm returning them and I'm actually going to upgrade the SSD to 2TB instead of the one with the dough I save. This is dope. 👍🏾
Damn this is awesome. When I tried using a 2TB SSD on my steam deck, it was having the hardest time reading my boot drive and had tons of issues loading into the deck bios. Glad they made this so easy!
Same here. Took a couple of usb rebuilding/retries for mine to go through.
Thank you for your advice! I had issues yesterday because my ROG Ally would lose internet from my Wi-Fi. I bought a Steam Dock so I can get wired and the cloud recovery was successful
Thanks my dude! It's actually amazing that they have this stuff built into the system regardless of what SSD is in there. Very consumer friendly choices there, especially how easy it is to access. My Steam Deck was way more complicated than this! Incredible stuff and great video. I appreciate you!
I learned so much in this video...
1. I can use the BIOS to load Windows back onto it and I don't need a USB C device with a Windows installer on it.
2. THE POWER BUTTON IS A THUMB PRINT READER?!? WHAT??
also, please do a video on how to do physical modifications needed to install a full fledged NVME SSD in the ROG allt.
4:46 Ngl this self unchecking check box kept me entertained when I was watching this.
Ordered a 2tb sabrent that i plan to install day one. You made it look super simple. One question i have is do i need to do the initial set up or can i do the install straight out of the box?
Any answer?
ETA Prime probably needs to take notes 😂
Great video, I just followed the process described, and it worked perfectly, thanks!
So SSD in and out 3 times has taught me that you need to update everything in armoury crate and MYASUS app. Then restart 3 or 4 times making sure everything is updated after every restart. Then swap to your new SSD and use the Asus cloud recovery in the bios. Now my 2tb SSD is installing like the video.
So do you have to update the BIOS first? And if so how?
I really wish someone sells an aftermarket bigger battery... there is enough space for at least 20% more battery.
There is a new back plate being developed for a bigger battery since the connector is the universal asus battery connection
Nice guide. Mines been on the checking screen of cloud recovery for like 30 minutes now as of writing this. Hopefully it will finish but we shall see.
It should only take a minute but if longer u have to turn it off, swap ssd, and turn it on and update BIOS through MyAsus.
It worked after reinstalling the original drive and booting into Windows, then launching MYASUS app and installing all the updates. I had to reboot a couple of times until all the MYASUS updates were applied, including BIOS updates. I put the new drive in, started cloud recovery and it’s working. “Checking” took about ten seconds then it went on to install.
@@Justintime246 cool thanks I will give it a try
@@MrJohnson81211 did it work for you? I was having the same problem and I noticed this comment
@@stinkinkib Indeed it did. I was just about say in the thread thanks and it worked.
I ordered a 2tb and they sent me another 512gb for free so gotta get an exnclosure to put 2 2230 drives in. Should be easy to connect to dock but doubt I’ll need more than 2tb on the Ally unless I’m hoarding games I’ll never play and installing them for fun
its been 24 hours since i did the ssd swap and its been great, i was able to fit alot of triple a games and indie games and not have to worry about the sd card slot that went to shit a few weeks ago, i removed my 512gig sd card when people started having issues, i replaced it with a 128gig and it worked perfect for weeks and then one morning it finally hit me, but i was able to reformat it on my switch lite and it worked again, im not sending my rog ally back to asus just because of the sd card slot.
Did you turn off bitlocker or device encryption?
I was wondering why nobody was putting in 4tb drives.. 2tb is biggest for these small ones
I just updated the ssd. My Ally os now stuck at 3% on the cloud recovery progress. I have verified everything had been updated and the time in the BIOS is correct but it still will not go any further. Any suggestions
Edit: I got it figured out just had to use my phone as a Hotspot even though I have 1 gig speeds
Thank you for this easy tutorial. I’m about to run 3TB in my ROG Ally when it arrives soon I can’t wait! 💪🏽
How'd u get a 3tb drive?
@@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn 2TB internal SSD and 1TB SD card
Same combo, will everything I want to play.
Cloud recovery is broken if day invalid secure boot wen it’s active enabled
Can I just give a special thank you for showing us the size of the hard drive after a fresh install. I've been planning out what games I want to install, and now I know exactly what I can fit.
Side question - is there a way to boot directly into Armory Crate instead of the Windows desktop?
Thanks for showing the entire process. I was unsure what to do about the oobe thing.
No problem and thanks for watching!
How did you disable secure boot?
Can we make this before the first turn on??...
How long did it take for the microsoft at 6:22 loading screen take to get to the cloud recovery screen? I just installed my new 2TB SSD and I can’t tell if it’s stuck on that screen or if it’s taking a long time to delivery those payload.
Hi, can you do this cloud recovery on the Lenovo Legion Go?
Thanks for this video. I like other commentators on this video have a 2 terabyte drive waiting for the ROG Ally to show up. Looks easy (famous last words). Can't wait.
Thank you, this sounds a bit easier than the other method. Can't wait for Tuesday (13th)!
Absolutely love tutorials like this, but it does suck that it doesn’t show the possibilities of errors and how to fix them. Replaced my SSD in less than 10 minutes thanks to this tutorial, but after booting up there’s multiple errors that can come up, that seem to be extremely common online. 1 is the date and time not being correct when you’re in the bios which can cause the ally not to connect with servers for your download. Another is 5GHz WiFi being too fast or whatever the reason is, so I had to switch to my 2.4GHz phone hotspot to get it to connect to servers and download.
We love you the Fox 😘 made this so simple
I have a question. After replacing the SSD, it seems I’m unable to enable secure boot.
By default it’s under “disabled”. And when I try to “enable” it, it seems it isn’t able to save the settings because when I go into Asus Cloud recovery, it still tells me to enable secure boot.
Any tips?
Nice tutorial. Will retail units come with the newer bios which doesn’t require the secure boot change? Or will we need to update the bios before doing the replacement?
I would run the ally first and update everything before replacing the drive.
Good point will do 😉
Just what I was looking for.. thanks
This is awsome! I have a 1tb drive ready to go day 1 when I get it
Thank you so much for making this video, makes my life a whole lot easier now I’m gonna order a new ssd when I get mine 🙏🏻👌🏻
The process was not as smooth as his. It caused me a shit ton of headaches but i got it to work after tinkering with it for 8 hours straigh. I bet that he didn't show us in this video all of the hiccups that he had before it started to load correctly.
This is my first time installing a new ssd on my rog ally and I don't have cloud recovery set up, to my knowledge. How do I set it up before I install my new ssd?
So, before you remove your previous ssd, should we do something to make cloud recovery works? (Like backup process or something)
Question : before you start switching on you new Rog Ally , can you first change SSD and than start setting up you Rog Ally, Bios, recovery and windows ? or First you have to set up Windows and update Bios, and than change you SSD disk ?
Great video. Couple of things I noticed with mine:
The middle lower screw was braced in and did not want to come out. Perhaps ASUS saw this as an issue because of the smaller size and fixed it on prod models
Could not detect/enter hidden wireless info during the recovery process (like you can with initial setup). Broadcasting SSID temporarily was the answer for me.
Hope this helps others and again, great video dude. 🤘
Spoke too soon apparently. Couldn't authenticate into my wireless because the os keyboard doesnt show 😢
Hold the back buttons and press up on the dpad , it should bring up the keyboard.
@@rs305do the macro short cuts work at this stage of the install?
This seems to be a issue everyone has. Unable to bring up the keyboard
@@respond_code3 I did have that issue with my first ally, but I didn’t know about the shortcuts. I had to return it because it came with a scratch on the screen. My second unit the keyboard ended up opening up automatically when I got to the Wifi password screen.
Well, that's way a lot easier than the older guides
Great step by step guide I’ll be re watching once my ssd arrives thank you so much
First off. I wanna say thank you very much for the videos, they are much appreciated and second I was wondering how long dose the download for the system files usually take? Mine kinda stopped at 8% and it's been there for a while, don't know if that's normal or not since I have it connected to an ethernet cable.
How long did it take? Mines been stuck at 3% for a while now…
@@justinlindbeck3718 it took a while for it to go up, there was even A time where my cat disrupted the ethernet cord and I had to start over and then it started to go faster then before. But all together maybe like 3 hours but onec you get to past the first download The other one kind of tricks you into thinking gonna move but then bam it'll go from 8 to 15 to 30. When all was said and done though it worked and I didn't lose anything.
Great video dude, Does this void the warranty?
Just found you while searching for Ally videos. My Ally is on the way and super stoked! I’m planning to throw a 1 TB in there, but I have a question about the Asus Cloud Recovery. Using the Asus Cloud Recovery, does that include and re-install Windows 11 as well? Or do you have to install Windows 11 on the new SSD first, THEN run the Asus Cloud Recovery?
An easy restore! That's nice though it makes me curious how clean an installation it is.
Are there any unnecessary programs installed? How much of the typical windows bloat is in there?
I hope someone makes an "optimized" windows install just for the ROG Ally, further cleaning the crud out of the OS.
Awesome video! I was wondering how the software side of the process worked.
will this work if i want to restore on a usb attached ssd / hard drive?
This was very easy, even for a guy like me with two left hands. Thx for this Video.
Do you need to run the initial set up and update before running this process or can i open it and swap it upon receiving it
I would update the bios first
Do you need to do the cloud recovery if the ROG Ally is still unused?
If you upgrade your Ally 512 SSD then yes otherwise no it comes preloaded with win11.
A very useful step that many are bumping into is you HAVE to boot up the device using the OEM NVME first. You will get stuck on an infinite "checking" loop during the Cloud Recovery stage if you try to throw your new drive in before booting up and letting the drives update. Don't sit for hours, just power off the device and throw the original drive in if you get stuck at the "checking" loop. Replace after installing all updates!
Are you referring to all of the updated listed in the “Windows Update” tab? Thank you!
@@YellowPossum Yeah! Turn on the optional updates too so it hits all the Asus Firmwares as well. It updated my bios automatically as well on the first restart. Requires 1-2 restarts before the device is actually ready to have the drive replaced.
@@skepticmithank you for the help!!!
How long did "checking" last for you? I booted and updated oem then swapped and it feels like it's taking an eternity on "checking" still.
Checking or Loading? I'm on the Loading..... screen
Can i do that as soon i get out the box before i booted on
Did the bios change itself to setup WHEN you plugged it in? My current bios is ‘platform User, secure boot active, secure boot enabled’
I wonder if the bios will be up to date out of the box to allow for this? Or should we set it up with the default SSD, do updates, and then power down and swap the SSD's?
I am wondering the same thing
My guess is that the retail units are already packaged and shipped with the old bios
Right, so step 1 wear socks, then rub feet together on carpet before and during swap. Thanks.
Thank you as always for the awesome video!
For most Windows 11 based handhelds I see it recommended to use hibernate instead of sleep for more reliable suspend and resume functions while gaming. It served me well with the GPD Win 3 and the Aya Neo 2. For the ROG Ally, what do you recommend? I’ve read it uses a particular form of sleep by default?
This content is what we needed.
Does it install MS Word, Spreadsheet, etc? (Even McAfee)??
Nope lol
Can i change the SSD before the first boot or do i need to update the bios first in order to use Cloud Recovery?
Got the answer in other video: It is highly recommended that you update the bios first with the original SSD so you can change to the new SSD and use cloud recovery, thus making you have to setup Windows twice... sadly.
Thank you for this. Just got mine and this upgrade was a must
Word of advice, update your asus app and bios before doing this. Had to put back my old ssd and update
This saves a huge step in trying to clone a drive. Thanks!
There is bloatware installing from 3rd parties (antivirus, games, free trial) doing it this way? Or just a clean install with the armory thing? Thanks for the video.
I know this video is old but hoping you can help with something. Does the Asus cloud restore automatically have a backup saved or do you have to backup the image first? Mines an Ally X and in warranty.
Man I'll likely wait out this gen for the better improved Next. But this is so good to watch.
Good stuff dude!
The steamdeck is the first gen to me, I've waited long enough, since all this talk about a potential world war 3 I thought to myself might as well enjoy life while I can
@@TheOfficialChannelOfChannels exactly. There will always come better ones. That’s how life works
Swapping the SSD on the Ally is a bit easier than on the Steam deck. Definitely a plus
Most important thing not to forget is to make sure the bios date and time is set right. I had tried installing new ssd without checking the bios information is right. It took thee tries to install ssd and not get stuck on checking. I did not update first.
this helped me just now, thank you
Your welcome I’m right now loading my steam games. It was way easier than using a usb drive once I found out the work around. It was another TH-cam post that I found someone mentioned it.
Just done this now hopefully it works, if it does i thankyou 👍
Is it ok to go back to bios while it is on checking status?
@@ronalddoe2894 sorry I don’t know. But good luck with install. Like I mentioned I tried few tries and it would time out. I went back and checked some TH-cam and found my bios should date and time weren’t correct so I changed it to the current time and started the install agian and it worked .
Does the Ally have auto backup?
Must I first setup the device, update, factory reset, then install the SSD? I ask since no one mentions how to do this right from when you first pop the device out the box.
Thanks for the great vid
What if I had in my precious version, a micro sd card installed with games, will the system recognize it without need to format ?
Every time your working in a mobile device like laptop and so on its good to disconnect the battery for safety reasons.
i did this but my four buttons to the left and right of the screen dont work? so weird. Tried a reset and will see!
Do I need to boot the factory ssd first to activate the device with Windows or can I stick my 2tb in for the first boot and recovery will activate a license?
If I can avoid a pointless Windows setup it would be nice. 😅
Very helpful no nonsense how to video, helped me a lot, thanks.
New subscriber, thankyou for your work. I just wanted to humbly suggest that for something as important as a device recovery, or set-up of a brand new drive..you moved a bit too quickly, with not enough careful explanation of the exact menu and button presses required. This is a process you where very comfortable with and that is very cool, but you forgot to dumb it down a bit, maybe? I did watch the video slowed down a few times, and came away with the idea that I "think" I understand how to do it... But with a $1,300 AUD device, I think I know how, means that I would have to ok elsewhere to be sure, as I do not have the confidence yet required to do it. Maybe thats all for the better though. Again, no pedantic criticism intended.. just some honest feedback from a noob . I have watched all your Ally videos, and will continue to do this, thankyou for your attempt to teach the nervous masses :).