How to remove the hard disk from a laptop? – 2022

How to remove the hard disk from a laptop? Nowadays, Laptop is a part of almost every person’s life. In these laptops, all of us save our personal data on its hard disk. That data is very much important for us. There could be many reasons due to which you would want to remove a hard drive from your laptop, and one among them is the need for an upgrade. Hard drives aren’t indestructible; they can get damaged and will need to be replaced.

In this situation, a new hard disk is required and data recovery is also needed from the faulty hard drive. Whatever the reason is, hard disk is required to remove from your laptop. Here comes the question that How to remove the hard disk from a laptop? If you have some knowledge about the place of hard disk in the laptop case and also know to un-screw it’s covering than you can remove the hard disk from your laptop by yourself in spite of taking the whole unit to market which could be a confusing practice also.

If, till now, you don’t know anything about your laptop structure than I am here to help you understand how it can be possible to remove a hard disk from your laptop. There is an old saying “nothing ventured, nothing gained”.

So when you read this article then you become confident enough to remove the hard disk from your laptop successfully. The way you remove a hard drive from a laptop varies from one laptop to another. Generally, you can access the hard drive through the access panel, or a side panel. Disconnect the power cable and the battery before beginning.

Required Tools:

Removing the hard disk from the laptop is a hardware-related task. To perform this task, no software is needed to use or configure. But as of all other hardware works, some physical tools are required. At least, a screwdriver is definitely needed to complete this task because the covers of the laptop are fixed with screws while the hard disk is also fitted first in its case with screws and that case is then placed in a laptop casing and tightly fitted with screws.

So if you want to remove the hard disk from the laptop, you have to remove any screws that’s why you needed at least a small screwdriver according to the size of laptop screws. I told you a suitable screwdriver for this. A jeweler’s screwdriver which is also called a precision screwdriver is most suitable to use for removing the hard disk from a laptop. The picture of this screwdriver is shown below.

Precautionary Measures before removing the hard disk

Although removing the hard disk from the laptop is quite safe in any way if following precautionary measures are already performed.

• Make sure that all data is backed up properly
• Ensure that the power cord is unplugged
• The battery of the laptop is removed
• Disconnect all attached devices of a laptop from their electrical outlets

Now I told you the step by step procedure of removing the hard disk from a laptop. Keep it in your mind that it is a generalized method that can be used for any laptop of any company. Carefully go through these steps and at the end, you become successful in removing the hard disk from your laptop. The picture of every step is also given in every step.

Step 1:

Before you remove the hard drive from your laptop, make sure you back-up all the files in case something goes wrong. You can back-up your files using an external hard drive, a USB flash drive, or using cloud storage on the internet like Google Drive, or Dropbox.

Step 2:

Remove any cables connected to your laptop. This includes the power cable, any USB cables, network cables, phone lines, and any other attached devices.

Step 3:

In most cases, the battery has one or two release latches that you press to remove the battery. Press the release latch(es) and pull the battery out of.

Step 4:

Press and hold the power button for 15 seconds. This will drain any remaining electricity in the laptop. This will prevent you from getting shocked while working on the laptop.

Step 5:

Unscrew and remove the main access panel. The access panel is located either on the bottom of the laptop or on one of the sides, depending on the brand and model of your laptop. There may be a symbol that resembles a stack of CDs on the access panel.

• In some cases, the hard drive is located under the motherboard or the keyboard. If this is the case, it will be much more difficult to remove the hard drive. If so, consult your user’s manual or take your laptop to a professional.

Step 6:

Remove the hard drive mount. The hard drive may be held in place by an additional mounting mechanism, which can vary from one laptop model to another. You may need to remove some additional screws, but on some laptops, there might be a button that you press or a latch to release the hard drive.

Step 7:

Separate the hard drive from the connectors. Pull the hard drive away from the connectors to disconnect the hard drive and remove the hard drive from the bay. There may be a tab on the hard drive that you can pull to remove the hard drive more easily, but in some cases, you may need a flat-bladed tool to remove the hard drive.

Step 8:

Remove the hard drive bracket from the drive. Once the hard drive is disconnected, if the hard drive bracket is still fastened to the hard drive you will need to remove it so you can install the new hard drive. Typically brackets are held on by four screws on the sides of the hard drive. Remove the screws to separate the hard drive from the bracket. If you are replacing the hard drive, you will place the new hard drive inside the bracket to install it.

This is the total process of removing the hard disk from a laptop. After removing the hard disk, either it is faulty or you are adding a new upgraded disk, the same is the process but in reverse order to install back a new hard disk in your laptop.

Final Word

These are small gigs that can be required to perform at any time while working on your laptop. Instead of carrying your unit here and there in worries, in this way, you become capable of yourself for doing these small works. This article of mine is useful for you in dual ways, for removing the hard disk from the laptop as well as installing the hard disk in a laptop. You must send your comments about this.