Replace a Hard Drive in a Compaq Laptop
Computers are hardly the sturdiest or most durable parts of an office setup. Screens break, batteries weaken and many other parts may go out as well. If your hard drive is one of the parts that fails, you can replace it yourself. Simply gather a few tools and find a clean, quiet place to work. Compaq laptops differ widely in their configuration, so you'll need to find your documentation which shows the location of the hard drive.
Instructions
1. Lay out a clean dish towel on a flat surface, making sure that it's large enough to completely cushion your laptop against the surface of your worktable. Disconnect the power cord from your computer.
2. Close the laptop, and gently turn it over. You should be able to easily and comfortably access the bottom of the laptop. Remove the battery by opening the retention latches. Once the battery is unlatched, remove it and set it aside.
3. Ground yourself by touching a metal object. It's best if you work in a room that doesn't have carpeting. A hardwood or tile floor is best. Dust the bottom of the laptop gently, making sure that all the loose dust is removed.
4. Locate your hard drive on your notebook's documentation. Once you've done so, pick up the Phillips-head screwdriver and remove the two screws that hold the cover closed.
5. Using your tweezers, move the retaining clip out of the way and lift the old hard drive out very gently. There is a hard drive cable connected to it. Disconnect the hard drive cable and you'll be able to remove the entire enclosure.
6. Remove the metal housing for the hard drive. Take note of how the hard drive is placed inside the metal enclosure. Using your screwdriver, remove the set screws holding the old hard drive into the metal enclosure. Keep those screws.
7. Place the new hard drive into the metal enclosure in the same way the old one was held. Replace the screws one at a time, tightening them just enough to keep the hard drive from coming out. Once all of the screws are in place, tighten them until they'll no longer move freely.
8. Reconnect the hard drive cable and, using firm pressure, snap the enclosure back into place. Replace the cover and place the two screws back into the drive cover.
9. Replace the battery and turn the laptop over. Replace the power cable and power on the computer. Place the system recovery disk into the disk drive and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your operating system and software.
Tags: hard drive, drive cable, hard drive, hard drive, hard drive cable
