Buying a 7200rpm HD- what do I need to know?

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rage4order

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I'll be getting myself this Hitachi 7200 RPM HD. Is there anything I need to know, like any accessories, cables, etc. that I need to purchase also? In the description it says "OEM Drive only". Is there anything else I need to get? Also, will I be able to transfer what I have on my existing HD to this new one or will I need some special connections? I've never replaced a laptop HD so any suggestions/comments are needed.
 
Not really. You won't be able to get data off your current drive, what you can do is buy a adapter you can hook the drive upto a full size desktop and get files through that way.
 
What kind of adapter would I need? I do have a wifi network set up. could I just do it like that? It'd probably take a while though, huh?
Also, now that I think about it- I will have to load my own OS to the new drive right? I'm running XP right now but I only have a full install disk of 2000 Pro. Is there any way I could re-install XP? I do have all the Toshiba disks that came with my laptop.
 
rage4order said:
What kind of adapter would I need? I do have a wifi network set up. could I just do it like that? It'd probably take a while though, huh?
Also, now that I think about it- I will have to load my own OS to the new drive right? I'm running XP right now but I only have a full install disk of 2000 Pro. Is there any way I could re-install XP? I do have all the Toshiba disks that came with my laptop.
Click to expand...

Yeah, do that, backup your HD to another compuier via ethernet or wifi. The Toshiba install disks probably have XP on them if the laptop is recent. You could just create an image of the entire drive with ghost or something, but then how would you get the image on the new drive? hmm....
 
"[sarcasm.start] Thank you for wasting MY time, out of MY life to answer your random, pathethic attempt at a question, you're welcome! [/end.sarcasm]"

There is no requirement for you to answer anyone's questions. Feel free to refrain. :D
 
2 things:

1. Get Norton Ghost, and back up the laptop to either another computer, or to discs (or from hdd to hdd if you go with option 2)

2. Get a Vantec NexStar (or other 2.5" enclosure) for your current hdd so you can use it in the future as removeable storage.
 
dohcmark8 said:
...but then how would you get the image on the new drive? hmm....
Click to expand...
Yea, I already thought of that...AFTER I posted that question :D .
I think I'll try Norton Ghost first. I don't really have a whole lot of important stuff on there so that's probably the easiest thing for me to do.
 
Have found Apricorn's Ez Gig hdd upgrade kit works real well for this type of thing. Comes with a 2.5in, 2.0 USB caddy & the software. Basically put your new hdd in the caddy, plug caddy into usb port, put cd in, start machine(will boot from cd) and follow directions. Once clone is finished shut machine down, remove old hdd from laptop then install new cloned hdd in laptop.

If you do decide to clone or image, it would be a good idea to have a clean drive before making clone, ie: make sure old hdd has no spyware, adware, virus, do a disc cleanup and disc defragment.
 
andy A said:
Have found Apricorn's Ez Gig hdd upgrade kit works real well for this type of thing. Comes with a 2.5in, 2.0 USB caddy & the software. Basically put your new hdd in the caddy, plug caddy into usb port, put cd in, start machine(will boot from cd) and follow directions. Once clone is finished shut machine down, remove old hdd from laptop then install new cloned hdd in laptop.

If you do decide to clone or image, it would be a good idea to have a clean drive before making clone, ie: make sure old hdd has no spyware, adware, virus, do a disc cleanup and disc defragment.
Click to expand...
Sweet! That sounds like my best option so far. I'll start looking. Thanks again everyone.
BTW, if I decide to just transfer the data to my PC, is this what I need---> Vantec Enclosure ?
 
I have that exact Hitachi and I bought an enclosure that uses Firewire or USB2. The transfer rates on Firewire are a little higher, though I'm not sure that you'd notice a difference with your OEM drive. It's very handy to have the portable extra storage and fast transfer rates.
Here's a link to the enclosure I have:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-145-330&depa=0

Also, for moving the data over/drive image you could also consider using one of these:
http://www.bixnet.com/adfor25to35h.html

I have one of these as well and use it to create ghost images. I picked mine up at Computer Renaissance for about $15.

By the way, you'll be very happy you upgraded. Most of the slowness on a laptop is the hdd. This thing feels just like an equal desktop drive. The only difference I can tell between it and my 80GB WD Special Edition is sustained transer speed, due to it's physical size.
 
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