“Is there an easy way to upgrade a disk drive on a laptop?”

(Answer requested by Joshua Sneed)

Sure! In fact, you may be surprised how easy drive replacement really is. Often, the hardest part is figuring out how to open the case! <g> Once you’re inside, it’s a piece of cake.

You can find appropriate instructions for your system by searching for something like “how to replace hard drive” plus the exact brand and model of your laptop; like how to replace hard drive HP Envy 17 or how to replace hard drive Lenovo Flex 15, or whatever. Make note of any unusual tools the how-tos say you may need. (For example, many laptops, tablets, and, smartphones use very small Torx and PentaLobe fasteners instead of slot- or Philips-head screws.) If you need to, you can get good-quality electronics toolkits for around $15 or so (one example).

Use the same type of brand/model-specific search to find a compatible replacement hard drive for your system; it can be any type or capacity, but needs to fit the same physical space and use the same type of electrical connector as the laptop’s current drive. Check your laptop’s specs: If it has, say, a 2.5″ Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive, your replacement HDD or SSD must also be a 2.5″ SATA design; but can be of whatever type (e.g. HDD vs SSD) or capacity (e.g. larger) that you wish.

For example, I just upgraded my laptop from a 1TB HDD to a 1TB SSD, and documented the process. See for yourself how easy it is:

My laptop has only three tiny, T4 (Torx) fasteners visible on the bottom. I removed those first.

Other fasteners were hidden under the laptop’s long rubber “feet.” I gently peeled off the rubber strips, saving them for re-use; and removed the eight newly-exposed fasteners (circled red, below).

Next, I gently pried up the entire bottom cover, working slowly around the perimeter, using non-marking plastic pry tools. (My toolkit came with two pry bars. Guitar picks can also work well.)

When the bottom was off, I located the hard drive; below outlined in red, in the upper right of the photo.

After gently detaching the drive’s ribbon cables, I removed the drive; it was held in place only by a reusable, very snug rubber bumper that friction-locks the drive in its bay, and provides some added shock/impact resistance.

Below, I’ve pulled the drive out, and flipped it over (so you can see the labels). It’s resting atop its now-empty bay that soon will hold the new SSD.

Here’s the drive and its reusable bumper (the soft black rubber edging around the drive).

I removed the bumper and wrapped it around the new SSD; and then placed the SSD in exactly the same position and orientation as the HDD had been in; and attached the ribbon cables exactly the same way.

I popped the bottom cover back on, reinstalled the eight main fasteners, put the rubber footer-strips back in their grooves, and then reinstalled the three remaining Torx screws. Done!

See? It really isn’t that hard. Watch a few videos to get familiar with your specific laptop’s guts; obtain a compatible replacement drive; assemble your tools; work in a clean, well-lighted space; and the actual upgrade will likely be far easier than you imagine!

(BTW: My upgrade worked great! In fact, I’m writing this on the laptop in question — which is now much, much, much faster than before. 🙂 )

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