How To Replace Laptop Hard Drive And Reinstall Operating System?

Laptops are more and more popular nowadays. Sometimes, the laptop motherboard is defective from the factory, or you drop it off a table causing mechanical damages. It's important to know how to replace laptop hard drive and reinstall Windows Operating System afterward. It's also required to know how to physically disassemble laptops because their chassis can differ in design.

If you notice that the hard drive of your device is failing, it may be time to replace it. Replacing your hard drive is also recommended if your computer is slow or the current drive is running out of space.

Replacing Hard Drive

After replacing your hard drive, you will need to reinstall the operating system for your computer to work. In this guide, we will look at the steps of replacing a hard drive and reinstalling the operating system.

Step 1: Back Up All Your Files

Before you get started with the process of replacing your laptop hard drive, make sure that you back up all your data to an external hard drive. Alternatively, you can use the backup utility if you are using Windows or the built-in application if you are using the Mozilla Firefox or Thunderbird browser.

Step 2: Remove the Old Hard Drive

Once all your data is backed up, it is now time to remove the old hard drive and install the new one. Before you proceed with this step, turn off your computer and unplug from the power source. Follow these steps to remove the existing hard drive:

• Open the case of your computer.
• Try to find the hard drive, then remove the data connector and the power cable from the drive. 
• Usually, the hard drive is held in place in the case using small screws. Remove the screws and pull out the hard drive.

If you are not able to perform this process successfully, it is recommended to check the manufacturer’s manual since the operations for different brands vary.

Step 3: Install the New Hard Drive

Next, you need to put the new drive to your computer. To do this, simply reverse the steps above. See to it that the new hard drive is secured correctly on the enclosure and then place the chassis back over the panel.

Step 4: Reinstall the Operating System

Once you have installed your new hard drive to your device, you now need to reinstall the operating system. It is after reinstalling the operating system that you can partition or format your new hard drive. Here is how to reinstall the OS for Windows 10 as an example:

1. Plug your computer into a power source and turn it on. If you are using an HP computer, press the Escape key several times after startup.
2. On the Startup menu, select the Boot Menu option to boot your device from the installation media.
3. Choose your preferred Language, Keyboard, and Time then click Next.
4. Click on the Install Now option to install Windows to your new drive. Also, follow the steps to partition and format your hard drive.
5. When you get the new partitions, select the primary one and then click Next.
6. Wait for several hours for Windows to install and for the whole process to finish. Do take note that your computer may restart several times during this process.
7. When the installation process is done, Windows will automatically restart before rebooting into the setup again as it detects and installs your hardware.
8. In the end, a Windows log-in screen will appear, and you can now start using your new hard drive.

Step 5: Reinstall Your Files and Programs

With your new hard drive in place, it is now time to restore your files and programs.

Summary: Replace Laptop Hard Drive and Reinstall Operating System

• Laptop compatible hard drive.
• Small screwdriver.
• Windows installation medium (USB, CD, or DVD).
• Laptop user manual.
• Unscrew the bottom of the laptop and remove the cover.
• Find out where the hard drive is located according to the user manual.
• Take out the old hard drive.
• Insert new hard drive and secure it into place.
•  Remove recovery partition if it exists on new hard drive.
• Boot from installation media and install OS on new hard drive.

Conclusion

With these simple steps, you should be able to put a new hard drive into your system. However, we recommend doing this if you are well-versed with Windows and you feel confident about replacing your PC hardware. Otherwise, you may want to take it to a professional.