How to Replace an Old Hard Drive
Hard drives can become corrupted by viruses and will wear out over time. As technology improves, typical hard drive storage capacity increases. Hard drives that were considered spacious several years ago are now too small to handle the large sizes of many modern files. If a hard drive wears out or no longer contains enough room for all of your files, you can simply replace the hard drive.
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Instructions
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1
Turn off the computer and unplug the power supply.
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2
Open the computer’s case. The sides of the case are usually attached by small screws.
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3
Touch the metal racks attached to the side of the case which hold the CD drives and hard drive(s) to discharge static electricity.
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4
Find the old hard drive that you want to replace. It will be screwed into one of the racks on the side of the computer case.
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5
Disconnect the drive cable and power cable from the old hard drive by gently pulling the cables out of the drive.
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6
Unscrew the retaining screws holding the old hard drive in the rack.
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Remove the old hard drive from the computer.
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Place the new hard drive into the rack which previously held the old hard drive.
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9
Secure the new hard drive into the rack by screwing it into place.
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10
Connect the drive cable and power cable that were previously connected to the old hard drive to the new hard drive.
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Reassemble the computer’s case, plug the computer in and turn it on.
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12
Load the operating system onto the hard drive by placing the CD for the operating system in the CD-ROM drive and following the prompts.
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Tips & Warnings
Prior to replacing the old hard drive, you will want to backup any files on the drive that you want to keep unless you plan to insert the hard drive into another computer or convert it into a portable storage device.
References
- “Do-It-Yourself PC Upgrade Projects"; Guy Hart-Davis; 2008
- “Upgrading and Repairing PCs, 19th Edition”; Scott Mueller; 2009
- Photo Credit hard disk image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
