How to Replace the Hard Drive on a Dell Inspiron 8200

After months or years of downloading music and installing games, the hard drive on your Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop will eventually become full. If you want to keep all of your current data and still add more, you can expand your storage space by getting a bigger hard drive. Replacing the hard drive on a Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop is actually easier than with a standard desktop, and can be done easily at home.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Screwdriver
• Dell recovery disc

1. Create backup copies of every file or folder that you wish to transfer to the new hard drive. Save the files to an external location like a flash memory drive or a CD-RW.

2. Shut down the Dell Inspiron 8200's operating system and then close the top LCD screen lid. Pick up the laptop and turn it over to expose the bottom side of the laptop's case.

3. Push in the release latch at the top-left side of the case that holds the battery in place. Remove the battery from the case and set it aside.

4. Locate the hard drive bay at the lower-right edge of the Inspiron 8200. Remove the screw holding the hard drive bay and set it aside in a container so that you don't lose it. Slide the metal hard drive sled out of the case by pulling it towards you.

5. Pull out the screws holding the hard drive to the metal drive sled. Put the new hard drive into the sled and reattach the sled screws. Push the hard drive sled back into the port on the side of the Inspiron 8200.

6. Reconnect the screw that holds the hard drive sled into the Inspiron's case. Push the battery into the open slot at the top of the case until the release latch clicks back into place.

7. Flip the Dell laptop back over and push open the LCD screen lid. Press the power button and then open the disc drive. Insert the Dell operating system recovery CD that came with the computer into the drive.

8. Follow the on-screen installation prompts and then wait for the operating system to finish installing on the new hard drive. Transfer the files you saved earlier over to the new hard drive.

Tips & Warnings

• Both the new hard drive and the battery in your Dell Inspiron 8200 laptop are susceptible to damage from static electricity. You can prevent any damage from occurring by grounding yourself, which is a simple process that consists of touching a metal object that is rooted to the ground.

References

• Replacing Dell Laptop Parts