Dell HD replacement

Scort · 30 Sep 2008 at 22:11

Hi guys,

A mate has given me an old Dell Latitude PP01X to fix, the hard drive is failing; the BIOS often reports no bootable devices found and it is prone to start clicking – from past experience with desktop drives, this is a sure sign of failing.

Anyway, onto my question: I have often thought (rightly or wrongly I don’t know) that when it comes to replacing hardware, Dell is a bit questionable – only working with certain parts etc. Now, this to me sounds unfeasible, but after working in IT for years and hearing stories, I don’t know what to believe.

I need to know if I can simply swap this drive out with another, or will I need to try for a like for like?

Btw, the current drive is an IBM Travelstar 48 gig 5400 rpm (model IC25T048ATDA05-0).

Cheers,
Scort.

fobose · 30 Sep 2008 at 22:29

Unless the hard drive's physical size is different from most and the case its in wont fit a larger one, just buy one of the below:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?&groupid=701&catid=14&subid=59&sortby=priceAsc

P_A_N_I_C · 30 Sep 2008 at 22:29

you can use any hdd of the same dimensions/connection

Scort · 30 Sep 2008 at 22:41

Thanks for the confirmation, I did suspect the stories weren't entirely 'accurate'

It's a notebook btw, so I'll take a look at the 2.5" range from OcUK.

Scort.

fobose · 30 Sep 2008 at 22:48

Oops

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=701&catid=14&subid=304

errata · 2 Oct 2008 at 12:41

Bios may limit the hard disc size, check with Dell, google etc.

Do you have the reinstall discs if not you may have to try cloning the drive instead then replacing it in the laptop.

Many dells have hidden reinstall partions see http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/

Berserker · 3 Oct 2008 at 22:29

The BIOS issue is unlikely unless you get a drive bigger than 137GB (in which case any issues may be fixable via a BIOS update). Swapping laptop drives tends to be a bit fiddly but I've done it successfully on two old laptops (one of them a Dell) and had no issues on either.