Drivers and Utilities

[PIERRE]

I’m pretty good at replacing electronic parts but since all the parts of a laptop are very compact I kind off don’t want to mess it up. However, if there are a step by step instructions in the package on how to install it, I’m sure that I can do it.

Do you think that it’s something easy to do, cause I can get it from BestBuy to do it myself because avoid paying somebody a couple hundred to do something that I can do will be senseless.     

[cee_64]

You basically remove one screw that holds the cover on.  Remove the cover.  Pull the hard drive out.  Plug the new drive in.  Replace the cover. Then replace the screw.  That should be it.  There is a possibility that there is a hard drive cage holding the drive, but that should be easy to deal with once you get in there.  The main thing is you don't have to completely disassemble the entire laptop to do this.  The cover is located on the bottom of the case near the front.

[PIERRE]

OK, I see one on the WD website, that is the same as the one that you recommanded. I will buy it tomorrow from them (ijust need to talt to them to make sure that it is compatible to my laptop, cause i could not find their compatibility list)). It is 750GB one for $110 however newegg is salling the same one for $150 (big saving).When I receive it I'll let you know. 

Like you said removing the bad one was pretty easy and simple. I will follow the same steps to install the new one. But after installation, don't I have to run any test or do anything else? Do i just install it and power up the laptop?

After everything is settled, I'll try to see if I can recover the data that I had on the previous on.

You are amazing man!!! Thanks again.

[cee_64]

It wouldn't hurt to run the Diagnostic CD on the new hard drive prior to installing the OS.  You'll need to download the Western Digital Diagnostic though for best results. 

Once it passes that, boot up to Recovery Disk 1 and restore the system to it's Factory Out Of Box State.  Go to Windows Update to completely update the system.  Then start loading any of your other apps. 

You might be able to recover some of the files off of that drive by placing it in an external USB enclosure and hooking it up to another computer.  Unfortunately, I tend to doubt that you will be able to recover much, if anything from it due to the damage.  It would probably require sending it into some place like Drive Savers or one of the other data recovery companies to get it back and prices for that start at around a thousand bucks and go up.

[PIERRE]

I don't quitely get the expression "It wouldn't hurt to run the Diagnostic CD on the new hard drive prior to installing the OS". Do you mean Operating System by "OS"? IF yes, is that what I can get from the Toshiba's website, and again iks it free?

[cee_64]

Yes, OS is short for Operating System.  Physically install the hard drive into the laptop.  Boot to the Western Digital Diagnostic CD and run the most exhaustive tests to verify that the new drive is working properly.  Then boot to the Recovery Media that you either created from your old system or that you purchase from Toshiba via this post to restore the system to it's Factory Out Of Box State 

[PIERRE]

ok, I'll try to do exctly what you tell me to do. Once again, thanks for all your help, I appreciate it.

[cee_64]

No problem.

[PIERRE]

I'm kind of careful. Before I buy it, i want to verify that the pins will match. So, I get a picture of the one that i'm interested in to compare it to the old one. Since I'm at work right now, I'll do it when i get home tonight.

[densmodina]

It's quite wrong that I started a thread about Flash Cards, and someone mistakenly and accidentally posted a reply which was a thread by itself, yet the forumers kept answering the secondary thread and not the main thread.