SSD memories have become a regular in today's computing, in fact, there are not few devices that already have this type of memory from the moment we buy them. Things seem to change when we have a laptop or a desktop PC that has a HDD And it's going to require us to get down to business replacing our old mechanical hard drive with the SSD.
As Actualidad Gadget We always want to help you, on this occasion We are going to teach you how to easily replace an HHD with an SSD in a laptop, with the basic tips so you can do it yourself. This is a kind of upgrade quite simple that you usually choose to do with your own hands and save yourself some money on the technician.
As always, we must remind you that this is not a task for an unusual user of this type of mechanism, that is, If you really are not confident enough to proceed with the replacement of your HDD with an SSD, it is better that you put your device in the hands of a specialistOtherwise, you could permanently damage an element of the hardware, which would be a fatal result.
Previous considerations before replacing your HDD with an SSD
We imagine that you have already scanned the market and you have obtained the SSD that best meets your needs and of course adjusts to your economic capabilities. In this case, we are going to replace the hard drive of a laptop, therefore, we are facing a slightly more complicated job than in a desktop PC. This is because the hardware elements are more compact in the system and any incorrect disassembly would be fatal to the normal operation of the notebook.
- Use a clean and non-harmful surface, your desk table on a fine cloth is usually ideal.
- Correctly illuminate the work area, small parts and nooks can turn against you
- Make a diagram of your laptop on a sheet of paper, then it will help you to know where you should place each piece that you remove
- Use tape to position the small screws that you remove to prevent them from falling out and disappearing
- Keep away any liquid or waste items on the laptop
- Arm yourself with patience, these kinds of things done in a hurry tend to go quite wrong
Now that we have everything ready, it is time to prepare our SSD near the laptop where we are going to do the work, for this we must use a series of small screwdrivers, these are the best. Therefore, previously we are going to select and acquire some work screwdrivers, we will use a star and a flat one, the first for the screws and the second to help us adjust some parts.
Disassembling the laptop
In general, all laptops allow easy replacement of their components if we get rid of the bottom cap, the base of the notebook. So, let's turn our laptop over, making sure first that we have disconnected the battery (if it is removable) and of course We have no connection to the current. To do this, we are going to unscrew each of the base screws. It is important that you make sure that there are no screws under the rubbers that support the PC, some brands also usually include them there.
Once we have stored and schematized the screws, let's proceed to lift the lid slightly. For this, the ideal is to help us with a thin plastic shovel, so we avoid injuring the material of which our computer is composed. We press lightly on the side joint, without using too much force, and we pass the blade from one side to the other until we see that the base is slightly detached. Once it is completely out, we keep it safe.
Now is the time disconnect the battery if our laptop it does not allow us to remove it externally, this will prevent us from having an unexpected short circuit and scorching the motherboard or any component, which would not have any fix.
Locating and Disarming the HHD
The mechanical hard drive It is usually the largest and most striking element of our laptop together with the CD player (if it has it), so we will find it easily. It is rectangular in shape and is generally included in some metal casing that manufacturers use to prevent the HHD from moving too much inside the laptop. Once located, we are going to inspect it slightly to see how many screws anchor the hard drive to the laptop's chassis and we will proceed to unscrew them be careful, the HHD is quite a shock sensitive item.
Once we have unscrewed it, we will look for a plastic tab that manufacturers usually use. Pulling her slightly We will see how the HHD disconnects from its port and we can remove it from the laptop. Do not worry if your HHD does not have this tab, moving it slightly will remove it quite easily.
Installing the new SSD
Now we simply get our SSD and install it on the same port. We remember that these types of ports are different (and much larger) than those necessary for an SSD. Therefore we have two options:
- Acquire an SSD that already includes a box that allows us to replace the HHD with the SSD without adapters
- Buy both pieces separately
We recommend always buying SSDs that are already prepared to replace them, they have a plastic box that protects the memory chip and also has its holes for screws to adapt it to the metal boxes that our laptops have. Now we just have to unscrew the HHD from the metal box, screw the SSD and proceed to connect it to the same SATA port that is now free. You will see first that the SSD weighs a lot less, so you have not only gained in speed in your laptop, but you have also gained slightly in portability.
Booting the PC with the SSD and checking its status
Now we just have to start the PC. If we have not previously cloned our HHD using any tool, we can always use this TUTORIAL to install Windows 10 from a Pen Drive or any type of storage that we have on hand. Once our PC is working normally, we are going to use a hard drive analysis tool, such as Crystal disk info, to make sure everything is fine with our new SSD, and enjoy.