Tips to Upgrade, Replace your Laptop Hard Drive

Theo Lucia

Jun 29, 2023 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

Part 1 Choose One of the Top 3 Laptop Hard Drive Models

Here, we discuss the top 3 Laptop Hard Drives to choose from while replacing your old drive for a better storage option.

1. Western Digital Scorpio Blue 320GB Internal Hard Drive

Company: Western Digital
Specifications:

1. 320GB Space
2. 5400rpm
3. SATA Compatible
4. 8 MB Buffer Cache
5. Works with Macs and PCs

Review: An economical choice, the laptop hard drive proves to be a stable option for all those looking for an upgrade on their older hard disk drives. With a space constituting 320GB, it is more than enough for anyone looking for basic use. One can be assured of no data corruption or skimming and is a highly recommended choice amongst the 2.5"? laptop hard drive variants.

Price:

List Price on Amazon.com: $99; after seasonal discount: $45

2. Toshiba 500GB Laptop SATA Internal Hard Drive

Company: Toshiba
Specifications:

1. 500GB Space
2. 5400 RPM
3. SATA Compatible
4. 8 MB Buffer Cache
5. 384 Mb/s Transfer rate

Review: For the ones who are keen on protecting the environment, this laptop hard drive comes as compliant with green energy and is CE certified. Alongside this, it is helpful for anyone looking for a large space to store their media files. With high efficiency for any PC laptop, this comes with a 2.6 ATA interface and proves to be a successful buy for any user.

Price: List Price on Amazon: $99; after seasonal discount: $45

3. Western Digital Blue 500GB Internal Laptop Hard Drive

Company: Western Digital
Specifications:

1. 500 GB
2. 5400 RPM
3. SATA Compatible
4. 8 MB Buffer Cache
5. WD Shockguard Technology

Review: The form factor is only 2.5 inches, thus making it compatible with the majority of laptops, along with offering reliable data solutions. The patented WD Shockguard Technology protects all your data even if you end up dropping your laptop hard drive by mistake. The advanced formatting choice allows users to store more personal data on this storage device than would have been otherwise possible. This product from WD clearly raises the bar for laptop hard drives.

Part 2 How to Upgrade, and Replace Your Laptop Hard Drive

Upgrading or replacing your Hard Drive involves numerous steps. Each of them has been discussed below in greater detail for an extensive understanding of the reader's part.

1. Selecting the Ideal Laptop Hard Drive: First things first, you need to back up data from your original laptop hard drive. However, if it was already damaged beyond repair, then the question of backing up is irrelevant. However, while going for a replacement, go for an SSD that constitutes a space of at least 120 GB. Physical considerations are also important, especially footprints. Laptops require 2.5"? drives, and fortunately, SSD comes in the same footprint, so making a conclusive choice shouldn't be difficult. For other precise credentials, you can check with the retailer while taking into consideration your laptop model and the hardware it supports. You can also opt for a 1 TB Laptop Hard Drive or a 2 TB Laptop Hard Drive. Toshiba Laptop Hard Drive comes in many variants and can help you with a conclusive choice for your next laptop hard drive enclosure.

2. Preparing for Installation: Visit the website of your drive's manufacturers in order to download all the required drivers necessary for installation. Irrespective of the OS, new or old, it always pays well to have drivers handy. To avoid data sanitizing issues, wipe your drive clean properly before it is taken out of the machine.

3. Installation of the new Laptop Hard Drive: To begin with, make sure your laptop is powered down, unplugged, and has its battery removed. While the majority of the laptops come with a quick access panel to the drive, the option to consult the manufacturer is always available. For the ones who are doing it for the first time, we recommend taking pictures as it helps to recall how something was oriented in the middle of the process. Remove the screws carefully. Seek some assistance may be required, as you don't want to cause any unforeseen damage to your panel. As you open the panel, you'll discover various slots that house the primary hard drive, the two memory DIMMs, along with an empty mSATA slot. While some laptops house all the components in one place, there are a few built compactly, thus requiring you to travel an extra mile in order to access the laptop's hard drive. Make sure you don't drop any tiny screws into the body of the laptop, and not drag your hard drive along with the circuit board beneath it as it may cause irreparable damage. After the assembly has been removed, all you have to do is replace the bay with the new laptop hard drive. Restore the assembly as it were, and make sure the orientation is precise. The photographs can come in handy at this step.

4. Completing your Installation: For the ones who aren't going for a new OS, the installation is complete and they can now enjoy a bigger disk space. However, the rest must create an image of their laptop hard drive before putting it to regular use. Make sure your applications and drivers are updated. Turns out, replacing or upgrading to a new laptop hard drive is not that difficult.

If you lost data on your Laptop Hard Drive, unfortunately, don't worry! You still have the chance to get lost data back. To recover files from Laptop Hard Drive, you can try the following tool.

Recoverit - The Best Data Recovery Software

• Recover lost or deleted files, photos, audio, music, and emails from any storage device effectively, safely, and completely.
• Supports data recovery from recycle bin, hard drive, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders.
• Supports recovery of data for sudden deletion, formatting, lost partition, virus attack, and system crash under different situations.

Download | WinDownload | Mac

Video tutorial: How to Fix HDMI Not Working on Laptop Windows 10? [5 Methods]

Recent Videos from Recoverit

View More >