7mm vs 9mm Laptop hdd ->issues with installing smaller one?

Lifeforms

Currently fixing a silver surfers laptop which appears to have suffered from a Deader than Dead HDD.

Compaq Presario cq61
SAMSUNG 2.5" 320GB 5400rpm 8Mb SATA
A month shy of 3 years from purchase.

Basically I can ebay a "new" replacement via spare part, but at a lovely price of £60. I can ebuyer (or whichever site I use) a 500gb for £45 inc ND postage.

One thing I do notice is they come slimmer than I remember 7mm vs the 9mm one she has currently.

The existing HDD came with a bracket (taped/side metal pieces) like thus:


As I've never replaced with a thinner HDD, logistically does the 7mm fit in the bracket the same way the 9mm does? Thinking the screw holes on the edge of hdd and as to whether they'll be same size.

I'd frankly like to not have to direct her to pay more than she needs for basically an older hdd, albeit supposedly new from ebay.

Also am I right thinking a Sata-II will be fine for replacement, even though current is just Sata?

*it's a dead HDD as it tells me no hdd is there upon starting, reseated it etc, can't be read with a working caddy, and my spare hdd from the caddy, I've installed allows it to go as far as installing windows (of which I stop before seeing as I don't want to install windows on my choca full external)

NiftyDigits

Can't see the problem. Why don't you simply buy a standard HDD, instead of a 'slim' one?
Don't know where you are getting the 7mm idea from anyway. it's a standard 9.5mm HDD.

Lifeforms

Because they're not so easy to get hold of now. and as older products they cost more/valued less for the size versus price.

http://www.ebuyer.com/489553-toshiba-500gb-internal-hard-drive-mq01abf050

for example, a lot are now 7mm "slimline" or Extra Slimline, whatever they want to call it.

Just as a search result from Ebuyer many of those that come back are 7mm
http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=2&price=0+TO+40&subcat=3263&cat=392&limit=10

NiftyDigits

Lifeforms wrote: »

Because they're not so easy to get hold of now. and as older products they cost more/valued less for the size versus price.

What are you talking? You can get a much higher capacity SATA HDD for much less.

Example

NiftyDigits

Lifeforms wrote: »

Because they're not so easy to get hold of now. and as older products they cost more/valued less for the size versus price.

http://www.ebuyer.com/489553-toshiba-500gb-internal-hard-drive-mq01abf050

for example, a lot are now 7mm "slimline" or Extra Slimline, whatever they want to call it.

Just as a search result from Ebuyer many of those that come back are 7mm
http://www.ebuyer.com/search?page=2&price=0+TO+40&subcat=3263&cat=392&limit=10

The very first in your eBuyer list is a standard 9.5mm

Samsung 320GB Spinpoint M8 Hard Drive
- 2.5" SATA-II
- 8MB Cache

£35.00

Lifeforms

Probably staying away from samsung, also buying from a company I trust and use, and yes we pay more, but I wouldn't buy something like that from a market place seller. So. Ebuyer, aria, scan etc.

Having just received a market place seller damaged in the post item I want next day delivery, from a company I trust to pack appropriately.
Not MSE for cheapest price, but she doesn't need massive space, but will want a reasonable like for like from somewhere I trust to use.

Reason no to samsungs is current dead drive is samsung, but ironically the last one was also samsung. This laptop was a replacement for the old computer she had before which also suffered the same fate. Sorry should've said that to begin with

NiftyDigits

Lifeforms wrote: »

Probably staying away from samsung, also buying from a company I trust and use, and yes we pay more, but I wouldn't buy something like that from a market place seller. So. Ebuyer, aria, scan etc.

Having just received a market place seller damaged in the post item I want next day delivery, from a company I trust to pack appropriately.
Not MSE for cheapest price, but she doesn't need massive space, but will want a reasonable like for like from somewhere I trust to use.

Reason no to samsungs is current dead drive is samsung, but ironically the last one was also samsung. This laptop was a replacement for the old computer she had before which also suffered the same fate. Sorry should've said that to begin with

Does that mean you are going to avoid Seagate too?

fwor

Regarding 7mm versus 9 - I don't think you will have a problem. I replaced the 9mm HDD in my laptop with a 7mm SSD and the holes all lined up fine with the caddy - it just sits at the top with a 2mm gap underneath. Which would be good for cooling, except it doesn't get hot anyway...

NiftyDigits

http://www.ebuyer.com/196787-wd-250gb-blue-mobile-drive-wd2500bpvt

Another example from near the top of the list

Lifeforms

Probably not because she's of the era that if one thing breaks okay, if two from the same manf. then no way would she go for it. But as it's a different name... >.<

See i have no objections to Samsung, or Seagate, Western Digital, or even really Hitatchi. a HDD is that, it fails or it doesn't. Doesn't always mean it's bad manufacturing, just that it's luck ran out.

Lifeforms

http://www.ebuyer.com/489553-toshiba-500gb-internal-hard-drive-mq01abf050

I was looking at that one but I've never used Toshiba as HDD's before and not sure what Warranty they offer, if any.