I talk first about the hardware side of a hard drive replacement, and explain
installation of an operating system and transfer of data and applications later
in this chapter.So darn easy
Some of the most modern laptops place hard drives in bays where they can
be removed and replaced as easily as a battery. All that is required is a match
between the plastic frame and case for the drive and connector that delivers
and picks up data and supplies power.Turn off the laptop and remove the battery before taking the hard drive out
of its bay.Almost all such plug-and-run drives are sold directly by the laptop maker and
some resellers. You cannot, though, buy a hard drive in a case designed for a
Dell Inspiron 5160 and expect it to work in a Toshiba Satellite M35X, just to
take two models at random. The hard drive and connector may be the same,
but the plastic and metal frame and other attachment hardware are likely to
be different. See Figure 7-2.Figure 7-2:
A hard
drive,
removed
from a plug-
in bay on a
Gateway
Solo laptop
and turned
over to
show its
attachment
points.128 Part III: Laying Hands on the Major Parts