[o2mcgovem]

hi,
I was just wondering, How do you install a new hard disk drive in a laptop? I'm planning to upgrade my operating system to Windows XP when I get my new hard disk (I'm going to order them both at the same time), and I was just thinking... could I just shove (not literally) the new drive in and insert the XP CD and install XP completely new on the drive, or would I have to copy everything from the old drive to the new drive and then install XP? (I don't want anything on the hard drive I have now. All my docs are on a flash drive thing)

It's kinda confusing... because, to me, it sounds like it'd work. But, things to do with computers are never as simple as they sound (or as I think they are).

Please help someone.

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Hi there

As far as the XP installation is concerned, it IS as simple as you think. You just boot from the XP CD & let it set up the drive for you.

What you do need to double check though, is this :

1) That the new drive will physically fit in the laptop. Although all laptop drives are 2.5in, they can vary in height (thickness).

2) The laptop's bios is capable of recognising the full size of the new drive. Every bios has a limit in terms of the biggest drive capacity it can address. The older the bios, the smaller this limit is likely to be.

[Samm]

Hi there

As far as the XP installation is concerned, it IS as simple as you think. You just boot from the XP CD & let it set up the drive for you.

What you do need to double check though, is this :

1) That the new drive will physically fit in the laptop. Although all laptop drives are 2.5in, they can vary in height (thickness).

2) The laptop's bios is capable of recognising the full size of the new drive. Every bios has a limit in terms of the biggest drive capacity it can address. The older the bios, the smaller this limit is likely to be.

[o2mcgovem]

1) I think that it fits... if it doesn't I'll sell it on eBay or return it.

2) I googled this site http://www.cmsproduc...guide/index.cfm which says that this site http://www.cmsproduc...guide/index.cfm can tell me if my hard drive will work with my computer. It says it will work. It's a Dell Latitude CP (I added that incase anyone can prove that site wrong off the top of their head.

Thanks for the help Samm, I love the location you've put down... so true.

Edited by o2mcgovem, 20 January 2006 - 04:18 PM.

[warriorscot]

I would imagine it proably would fit then, what i would check is as samm said what the actual max capacity the bios will support this can be quite small in laptops.

Yes true, but not stupidity more lack of choice either him a vampire or an alky what a wonderful country(i liked the alky).

[Samm]

Off the top of my head, I couldn't tell you what the bios limitation for drive capacity is on a Dell Latitude. Different Latitudes will have different bios's & the age of the bios will dictate the likely limit.

As a very rough idea, go by the size of the old drive that originally came with the laptop. Common bios limits are 8GB, 32GB, 128GB. So, if your laptop came with a 10GB drive for example, then it will almost cetainly support up to 32GB. Whether it will support upto 128GB though is another matter.

[Saynt Cinn]

Ummm for more system specs you could try going to support.dell.com> click home and home office> enter service tag> and change the Select a Tool to Upgrades> Upgrade your system> Select Storage

these should provide you with some upgrade ideas.... There were also a few different CP models...so that may make a bit of difference