how to change a hard drive in a laptop
A hard drive upgrade is one of the easiest ways to improve your PC, whether y'all're looking for more storage or the speed boost an SSD provides. Here's how to choose and install your new drive.
Footstep Ane: Choosing Your New Drive
Choosing a drive that fits your budgets and does what you lot need is the commencement stride. These days, your nearly important choice is between a traditional hard drive or a solid land bulldoze (SSD). Simply there are few other things to recollect well-nigh, too.
Should You Get Regular Drive, an SSD, or Both?
Here's the question to enquire yourself: do you desire more speed or more than storage?
RELATED: What Is a Solid State Bulldoze (SSD), and Do I Need One?
Mod SSDs are amazing, and are a worthy upgrade to but about any organisation. Moving from a regular drive to an SSD improves speed beyond your system. You PC will kickoff faster, load apps and large files faster, and decrease load times in about games. The trouble is, in one case you lot get past a terabyte of storage space, SSDs start to get prohibitively expensive.
Alternately, conventional hard drives are slower, but offer huge amounts of storage relatively cheaply. You lot tin can observe desktop drives that agree 4 terabytes—enough to satisfy all but the most demanding of media hoarders—for under $100 USD.
You can also combine the strengths of SSDs and hard drives. If your desktop can handle more than 1 drive (and virtually of them tin can), you can install your operating system on the main SSD for speedy access to programs and essential files, and use a large capacity traditional bulldoze for storing files. This makes an SSD an especially attractive upgrade if you already take a hard bulldoze, since you tin move the operating system over and "demote" the difficult drive to storage duties.
If money is no object—or if you're limited to a single drive connection in your laptop—you can spend quite a lot to go a multi-terabyte SSD. But for near people, a smaller SSD combined with a larger hard drive is a peachy compromise.
What Physical Size Should the Drive Be?
Hard drives typically come in two sizes: 2.5″ and 3.5″. The 3.5″ drives are likewise known as "total size" or "desktop drives." Pretty much every desktop PC out there has room for at least one (and sometimes many) 3.five″ drives. The possible exception to this are the super-small grade factor PCs that can only handle a ii.5″ drive.
2.5″ drives are traditionally meant for laptops, but will also fit just fine in a desktop PC. Some desktop PCs have built in mounting points for two.five″ drives. If yours doesn't, you lot'll demand a mounting bracket similar this one. Note that these are unremarkably labelled equally "SSD mounting brackets." This is because all SSDs in the traditional hard drive grade are 2.v″ drives. That's what size you'll utilise whether you're mounting it in a desktop or laptop.
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And speaking of SSDs, there is one more course factor to talk about: the 1000.2 standard. These drives really wait more like a stick of RAM than a hard bulldoze. Instead of connecting to your motherboard via a SATA cable the fashion regular drives do, M.two drives get plugged into a specialized slot. If you're interested in the M.ii drives, you'll have to determine whether your PC supports them.
Ane other annotation about laptops. As they've gotten smaller and sleeker, laptops accept also gotten harder to upgrade. Most laptops that aren't super-tiny notwithstanding use two.5″ drives, but they may or may not have a user-attainable bulldoze bay for upgrades. Cheaper, bulkier laptops, and few concern-class designs like Lenovo's ThinkPads or Dell'due south Latitudes, yet allow access fairly hands. Other models might need some all-encompassing piece of work to go to the drive bay, or may non have access at all, especially if they've moved to the expensive Yard.2 standard. Upgrading those drives will probably void your warranty, and you'll need to look for a model-specific guide, similar this i on iFixIt.
What Connection Do I Need?
All mod iii.5″ and 2.five″ drives use a SATA connection for ability and data.
If you're installing the drive into a desktop PC, the SATA ability cablevision is a 15-pivot cable that runs from your PC'southward ability supply. If your PC only offers the older 4-pin Molex cables, you tin can buy adapters that piece of work simply fine.
The SATA data cable requires that your motherboard support a SATA connection (all modern PCs exercise). Y'all'll discover them in slightly different configurations. Some (like the ane pictured below) have a straight plug on one end and an Fifty-shaped plug on the other finish. The L-shaped plug makes it easier to fit into jacks that are closer to other components. Some SATA cables have directly plugs or L-shaped plugs on both ends. You should get SATA cables with your hard drive, simply if you're working in a particularly tight space, be enlightened that these other options exist.
If you're installing into a laptop that allows user access, things are easier. You'll usually be able to plug the drive right into a slot that already has the power and information connections ready—no cables to connect.
One other word on SATA drives. The latest revision to the SATA standard is SATA 3.three, and drives and cables are backwards compatible with older versions. On desktops, you'll want to make sure that the drive y'all're buying is as fast or faster than the connection that your motherboard accepts—virtually motherboard SATA connections from the last five years have at least 3.0 support. The aforementioned goes for the SATA cable you lot purchase. Laptops don't utilize SATA cables, so simply make sure that the drive you're upgrading to uses the same SATA revision or newer than the bulldoze it's replacing.
How Much Storage Do I Need?
This one's like shooting fish in a barrel: any fits your upkeep. More storage costs more money, no matter what blazon of bulldoze you're looking at.
How Fast Does My Drive Demand To Be?
The default answer here is "equally fast as you lot can afford." That said, if you're upgrading from a hard drive to an SSD, you lot're going to exist blown away by the speed increase no thing what. So you might not desire to splurge on the fastest SSD yous can get. Getting more storage on an SSD will be more than important to most people than getting more speed.
If you're buying a regular drive, speed is generally expressed in RPM—the revolutions per minute of the spinning data platters. 5400 RPM is a typical speed for cheap drives (especially in 2.5″ form factors), with 7200 RPM drives also existence quite common. Some high-operation hard drives are offered at 10,000 RPM, simply these have been mostly superseded by faster SSDs.
There's some other pick here, if your choice is limited to a conventional hard drive. "Hybrid" drives combine a big, standard hard drive with a small cache of flash storage. This won't magically make your hard bulldoze as fast as an SSD, but the file caching can make a considerable improvement if you're constantly accessing mostly the aforementioned programs and files. It might be worth the pocket-sized price premium versus a standard hard drive.
Footstep Two: Decide Whether to Transfer Your Operating Organization or Perform a Clean Installation
You've purchased your new drive, and you lot're set to install information technology. Your side by side step is to make up one's mind whether yous want to transfer your operating arrangement to the new drive or but exercise a clean installation and commencement fresh. There are pros and cons for each.
Transferring Your Operating System
Transferring your operating arrangement (and all your information and installed apps) means non having to worry nigh reinstalling Windows, setting it up the fashion you like it once more, and so reinstalling each of your apps. The downside is that information technology'southward a pretty slow and dull procedure.
RELATED: How to Upgrade to a Larger Hard Drive Without Reinstalling Windows
If you're upgrading from simply 1 bulldoze to another (equally opposed to simply installing an additional bulldoze in a desktop), you'll probably want to transfer your operating system to the new drive instead of installing fresh. The bad news is that this is a boring and tedious process. The proficient news is that information technology isn't too difficult to do. Most new drives come with tools to make it happen. And if you didn't get a free tool, at that place are other ways to upgrade to a larger hard drive without reinstalling Windows.
If you utilise a laptop, you'll need to utilize a USB-based SATA adapter or enclosure so that y'all can have both drives hooked upwardly at once. You can get that way with a desktop, too, only it may be easier just to install the new bulldoze, practice the transfer, and then decide whether to leave the old drive in identify for extra storage or uninstall it.
Performing a Make clean Installation
RELATED: How to do a Clean Install of Windows x the Easy Style
In that location are also advantages to just performing a clean installation of your operating arrangement on your new bulldoze. The large one is that you go to start fresh. No old programme installations hanging around; it's a fresh re-create of your OS without the clutter. You go to fix it the way you want, and simply install what you lot want.
The downside, of course, is that you have to do all that. While it typically goes faster than transferring your OS to the new drive, doing a make clean installation does mean that you'll take reinstall the apps and games you want, and restore your personal files from backup (or re-create them from the new drive). You'll also demand make sure you have admission to your applications for reinstallation. If you installed them from DVD or downloaded the installation files, you'll need to detect those—along with any necessary activation keys.
Stride Three: Install Your New Drive
The steps for installing (or replacing) a drive differ a bit, depending on whether you're installing the drive in a laptop or desktop PC.
Installing Your New Drive In a Laptop
Different laptops accept different methods for accessing the storage drive compartment, if they allow easy access at all. Some business-form designs allow you swap out a bulldoze by removing a single screw, others might need you to completely remove the bottom of the motorcar or even take out the keyboard. You can usually notice specific instructions by searching the spider web for your laptop manufacturer and model.
For this example, we're swapping the drive in a ThinkPad T450s. The design is a few years erstwhile now, but information technology'south modest enough that it requires the entire lesser to be removed, which is fairly typical amid designs that allow a hard drive upgrade.
To access the drive, I have to remove the bombardment, and and then take out eight different screws.
That loosens the metal trunk plate enough to let me pull it off the computer. You tin can see the difficult drive in the lower-left corner.
To pull the drive itself out, I demand to remove another screw, pull the drive upwardly a bit, and then slide it off of the integrated SATA connection.
For this model, the drive caddy is just a thin piece of aluminum with a safety bumper. I pulled it off, and then placed information technology on the new drive.
Then, I reverse the procedure, slipping the new bulldoze onto the SATA connexion in the laptop, screwing the caddy dorsum down to the frame, and replacing the body panel.
Once more, this process is going to vary quite a lot depending upon which laptop you lot have. If yous need a step-by-pace breakdown for your model, Google is your friend—you lot'll by and large find at least a few users who desire to practice the same thing, and maybe an article or video if you're lucky.
Installing Your New Bulldoze in a Desktop PC
This process is a bit more involved than on a laptop, just the good news is that getting the case off and accessing the drive is typically a lot easier than on most laptops.
Yous'll demand a standard Philips-head screwdriver and a SATA cablevision. If you're completely replacing a single drive, you can utilize the SATA cable that'due south already in place. Your power supply probably has a complimentary SATA ability connectedness—multiple plugs are ofttimes available—only if not, you'll need an adapter cable. If you're working in an area that'south particularly prone to static electricity, you lot'll desire to apply an anti-static bracelet as well. If you lot built your ain PC, the screws needed to install your new drive should take come up with the case—I promise you kept the box of accessories. If not, yous'll need to get some replacement screws. Finally, you'll want a bowl or a cup to hold screws.
Ability downward your machine and remove all cables, so motility it to your work surface area. This should be a absurd, dry spot that'southward like shooting fish in a barrel to admission, preferably without carpet below you. If you know the configuration of your reckoner'southward internal parts, feel free to place it at the most accessible angle. If you don't, merely leave it upright—you may have to have multiple panels off for a full installation.
Remove the access panel from the chief side of the case—that's the one on your left if y'all're looking at your estimator from the front. Virtually designs crave y'all to remove two to three screws from the back side before information technology will slide or swing out. Set the access console bated. Some desktops require that yous take the whole case encompass off rather than just an admission panel. If you're unsure, look up your desktop model or case on the web. Instructions should be easy to observe.
Take a moment to orient yourself. If yous're working on a conventional desktop you lot're probably looking at the motherboard, with the boxy power supply either at the superlative or the bottom of the case. You should be able to see your computer's storage drive or drives mounted towards the front of the case. A SATA data cable should be running from the motherboard to the drive. A SATA power cablevision should be running from the ability supply to the drive.
Annotation: If y'all can't see either a larger 3.five-inch bulldoze or a smaller 2.v-inch drive, information technology might be mounted in an alternate spot. In newer designs this is oft behind the motherboard itself—remove the opposite access panel to cheque.
If you're not keeping your old drive in your arrangement for actress storage, at present's the time to take information technology out. You tin also leave the cables attached to the motherboard and power supply and then merely connect them to the new bulldoze subsequently installing it.
Offset, unplug the data and power cables from the back of the sometime drive. There'southward zip likewise complex almost this: just pull it out. Some cables have a piffling tab locking mechanism you lot'll have to squeeze first.
If the drive is on a sliding caddy, remove it (and note that some sliding caddies are screwed into place). Now, just use your screwdriver to remove the screws from the drive, whether it'southward in a caddy or affixed directly to the case. The screws come in many sizes and lengths—some including silicone spacers for audio damping—and might be mounted to the bottom of the drive or the side, depending on your example's design. It doesn't actually matter: just remove them, fix them aside in a spot where you won't lose them.
Your sometime drive is now free! Prepare it aside. Be careful with it, just don't worry besides much—they're pretty sturdy.
To install the new drive in place of the old i, yous'll only reverse the process. Put the new bulldoze into the caddie, and and so slide it into place on the case (and secure it if necessary).
Now, plug the cables into the new bulldoze. It'southward piece of cake to figure out—they simply fit one manner.
If y'all're adding a new hard bulldoze and leaving the old one in place, it's a bit more complicated. You'll demand to mount the new drive to the case (sliding it into an actress caddy that should have come with your case, if necessary). And, you'll need to plug in additional cables.
Plug ane end of the SATA data cable into the back of the new difficult bulldoze and the other terminate into your motherboard. The motherboard slots are mostly on the side closest to the front of the PC, usually in a cluster of two to six. Information technology doesn't peculiarly affair which plug yous utilise, though you might want to plug it into the top-left one (which is the "0" drive) or the closest 1 in sequence, just for the sake of organisation.
Now plug the SATA power connection from the ability supply into the new drive. If you already had a drive installed, check the power cablecoming out of it, because they generally accept more than one plug and tin can be used for multiple drives. If your power supply doesn't have any gratis SATA power connections, you'll need to apply an adapter or a splitter.
Subsequently that, your bulldoze should be prepare to become! Double cheque your connections, brand sure the cables aren't touching any heatsinks or bumping up against cooling fan blades, and and so supersede the access panel on the case. Move your PC back to its original position, reconnect all your accessories and power cables, and burn down it up!
Image source: Amazon, Amazon, Amazon, Amazon, Newegg, iFixIt, Lenovo
Source: https://www.howtogeek.com/345988/how-to-upgrade-and-install-a-new-hard-drive-or-ssd-in-your-pc/
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