Can I replace hard drive myself?

buyitall

Hi,
Our main family laptop has developed a hard disk problem today. Firstly, a box popped up saying:
'Windows detected a hard disk problem. Back up your files immediately to prevent information loss and then contact the computer manufacturer to determine if you need to repair or replace the disk'.
I have done the backup, and tried to run chkdsk, but on rebooting, I get the message:
'1720 SMART harddrive detects imminent failure (Failing Attr: 07). Please backup hard drive and run HDD Self Test in F10 setup'.
The Self Test fails to complete, and the startup test says that hard disk 1 failed and needs to be replaced.
The laptop is HP and about 2.5 yrs old. I am assuming I need a new hard disk and was wondering whether replacing the hard disk is something a relative novice could do if following instructions or if I just need to get a new laptop.
Any advice appreciated, and an early Happy New Year to all!
x

Freddie_Snowbits

Yes, you can replace it yourself. Laptop HDs are 2.5" drives. I hope you have your restore disks, though it sounds like yopu have the backup.

You can do it yourelf or go to a local computer shop, who will do it for you.

boxst

Hello

On a laptop it takes about 5 minutes and is really easy: Unscrew a flap to the left or right of the laptop, pull out the hard drive, put in a new one and you are done. Of course the tricky bit (perhaps) is that you will then have to reload windows and all of your software.

Steve

buyitall

Thanks for the prompt reply. I will drown my sorrows tonight and look into costs etc tomorrow!

buyitall

I made backup/restore disks when we first got the laptop, as instructed to do when first starting up. Since then I have been doing regular(ish!) backups using the general backup facility on Vista, haven't used any special software. Could you confirm that that will have saved photos and itunes content? Those are the only things I would be devastated to lose. Many thanks.

closed

where did you save them to?

will it not boot at all now?

BillTrac

My local computer store does 250gb 2.5" hard drives from £25. You can possibly source it cheaper if you search online

But make sure of the type of hard drive. EIDE/SATA etc

How old is the laptop?

Or tell us the model number and someone can advise you what to look for

boxst

buyitall wrote: »

I made backup/restore disks when we first got the laptop, as instructed to do when first starting up. Since then I have been doing regular(ish!) backups using the general backup facility on Vista, haven't used any special software. Could you confirm that that will have saved photos and itunes content? Those are the only things I would be devastated to lose. Many thanks.

You can buy (or borrow) a caddy to put your hard drive in after you've replaced it and recover the contents that way as well if the back-up was unsuccesful.

Steve

buyitall

It is HP Compaq 6280s. The disk name is WDC WD1600BEVT-60ZCT0. When I google it, I can't seem to find if it is EIDE/SATA.
Actually, after being stuck on the F10 stage, the laptop has now started to run chkdsk, I will post back when it has finished, but I guess I'm going to need a new hard disk very soon even if I can get it to boot now. Thanks so much for all the replies x

Hammyman

BillTrac wrote: »

My local computer store does 250gb 2.5" hard drives from £25. You can possibly source it cheaper if you search online

But make sure of the type of hard drive. EIDE/SATA etc

How old is the laptop?

Or tell us the model number and someone can advise you what to look for

It'll be SATA - IDE hasn't been used in laptops since 2005/6.

esuhl

boxst wrote: »

On a laptop it takes about 5 minutes and is really easy: Unscrew a flap to the left or right of the laptop, pull out the hard drive, put in a new one and you are done.

It should be very easy to do, but it's not always that easy. My old 486DX2 laptop had a panel covering the HDD. All I had to do was remove the panel, disconnect the power and data cables and remove two screws.

I recently repaired a Sony Vaio laptop, however, and had to remove 24 screws of 3 different sizes, disconnect and remove the keyboard, disconnect the touchpad, remove the top panel, and only then could I access the drive.

I've just been given an HP Compaq laptop, and accessing the CR2032 RTC/CMOS battery requires the removal of the hard drive, optical drive, keyboard, switch cover, speaker, display lid switch module, display assembly, top cover and system board! The instructions for this process are 24 A4 pages long! Why, oh why oh WHY couldn't they stick the battery behind an easily-removed cover?!

Anyway, there seems to be quite a big difference between the design/construction of laptops. Replacing a HDD should always be easy... but it may or may not be a 5 minute job!