How to Replace a Hard Drive
As technology advances and file sizes become larger, it eventually becomes necessary to catch up to the changing times and increase your hard drive storage. While it's simple enough to pay money to a computer specialist to install a new hard drive, replacing your own hard drive is actually not too difficult. Use this guide to learn how to install a hard drive by yourself.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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1
Make sure your computer is completely powered off. Replacing your hard drive while the computer is powered on can not only be dangerous, but it can cause harm to your computer. Also make sure you are wearing an antistatic wrist-strap or that you are grounded in some way so that you don't harm or damage your computer.
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2
Remove the case. Hard drives are typically located in a tray mounted to the front interior, just below the CD/DVD drive. View the image to the left. The blue box surrounds the area where the hard drive is typically located.
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3
Unscrew the hard drive from its holder. Usually there are two screws on either side of the hard drive that are holding it in place. There are typically two in the front and two in the back. The screws on the opposite side are usually rather hard to reach, and may require you to change the angle of the computer to unscrew them.
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4
Slide the hard drive out from its holder. There should be two cables connected to the end of the hard drive. You will be installing these into the new hard drive.
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5
Remove both cables. The larger, flat cable -- known as the ribbon cable -- should come out easily, but the smaller cable -- known as the power cable -- can sometimes be very difficult to remove. Do not force it out; instead, gently wiggle the cable back and forth until it is loose enough to pull out easily. Be careful to only remove them from the hard drive; don't remove them from the motherboard. If by some chance you do, make sure to replace them when you are done.
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6
Plug the cables into the back of your new hard drive and slide it into the area where your old hard drive was once located. If the ribbon cable is not fitting properly, you may need to flip it over and try again. Carefully screw the replacement hard drive into place, making sure not to force the screws into the drive.
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7
Power on the computer. It is okay to leave the case off for now. Access the BIOS. There should be a message at the bottom of the screen telling you which key to hit to access the BIOS screen (usually it's an 'F' key, such as 'F8'). Make sure the hard drive is being recognized (usually there is an auto-detect option). If not, power off the computer and check all of the connectors to make sure they are secure.
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8
Put the case back on your computer. Exit the BIOS and begin setting up your new hard drive.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure your replacement hard drive is set to Master and not Slave. Most hard drive types come automatically set as a Master drive. If necessary, you may need to use a diagram to set the jumpers.
