One of the best upgrades for your laptop is to install an SSD. hard drive, especially if your laptop is many years old. This, literally, will give it new life and tangible How to install an SSD drive in a laptop? You will find the answer in this article!

There are two ways to install: using the M.2 slot or by replacing the old SATA HDD with new SSD.
Let's consider both options, starting with the option of adding an SSD hard drive via M.2.

How to choose M.2 SSD: SATA and PCIe

When selecting and purchasing a hard drive, keep in mind that not all M.2 SSDs are created equal. In fact, they vary so much that it is possible that the drive you buy may not work at all without making changes to the BIOS.

Although they use the same connector, M.2 drives can support either more old interface SATA, or the new PCIe interface. PCIe may be much faster and preferable, while SATA is more compatible with older machines.

For our Aspire E 15, we deliberately chose a WD Blue 1TB SATA SSD for its compatibility. The Aspire E 15's M.2 slot supports PCIe drives as well as SATA drives, but not loading to a PCIe device without changing the UEFI in the BIOS.

The difference is that UEFI is modern and has the function Secure Boot, which theoretically protects against malicious attacks by requiring signed drivers and a signed OS.

Another reason why you might choose SATA M.2 PCIe is price. SATA M.2 drives are generally much more affordable than PCIe drives.

How to install M.2 SSD in a laptop

1. Before you begin installation, you must create your old hard drive.

2. Then turn the laptop over and you will see covers that can be unscrewed and removed.

3. Now take a small magnetic screwdriver and carefully remove the screws that hold these covers in place. Be careful not to lose the screws. Remove the covers and you will see HDD or RAM (if you unscrewed the wrong cover, no problem, screw it back and unscrew the adjacent one)

How to find out if a new SSD hard drive is suitable for your laptop?

4. Pay attention to the cutouts on the SSD and the corresponding nub/s in the slot. Some M.2 drives have a single label on the right or left side of the module, indicating the drive B- or M-key types accordingly. Designation AB x2 PCIe or SATA; label M means it can work up to x4 PCIe or SATA. The WD Blue SATA SSD hard drive we use has both M-, so B- tags. These days, two labels usually indicate that the drive is SATA, but you should still check before purchasing. The Acer laptop we're upgrading has a single plastic case on the right, which means it can support faster x4 PCIe drives as well as SATA drives.

How to install an SSD hard drive instead of an old HDD?

1. Turn the laptop over and unscrew the lid to access the hard drive. Next, you just need to move the hard drive away from the SATA connector a little. Once it is disconnected from the connector, carefully lift the drive up. (Again, the means of access will vary depending on the laptop model, but the principle is always the same)

To remove the hard drive from the Aspire E 15, take the plastic tab that holds the drive and slide it away from the SATA connector, and then lift it up using the same tab.

2. The next step is to unscrew the four screws on the sides of the drive and remove the drive from the plastic (or metal) tray.

3. Take a new SSD disk and, by analogy with how the old disk was inserted, secure it into a plastic (or metal) tray. Insert the tray into place and snap it into place with a simple movement towards the SATA connector. All is ready!

4. Restore your OS or reinstall to SSD.

Replacing DVD with SSD | Installing SSD instead of DVD | Caddy adapter for installing an SSD hard drive instead of a DVD

1. To install a disk in a caddy-adapter, simply place it in the tray and push it up to the SATA connector. Then use the included four screws and a screwdriver to install the drive.

2. To remove the optical drive from the laptop, turn the laptop over and look at the side where it is located. optical drive, Locate one screw near the center of the optical drive. There may be a mark there indicating that it is an unprotected ODD screw. Remove the screw.

3. Use your fingernail to remove the drive by inserting it between the laptop body and the optical drive.

4. The metal bracket on the optical drive is what it is attached to earlier. Simply remove the two small screws and then move the bracket onto the new adapter.

You need to unscrew the two screws on the metal bracket and move it to the hard drive caddy (bottom).

5. Almost every laptop optical drive meets industry specifications—a plastic frame is attached to it. To remove the bezel, take a paperclip or screwdriver and carefully pry the latch on the interior bezel. There's a second mount on the other side that doesn't require any tools—all you have to do is twist the frame slightly so it comes off.

6. Now simply drag the frame onto your caddy by gently pressing it.

Take the caddy adapter and insert it back into the compartment on the laptop where it used to be DVD drive. All is ready!

Now you have a second hard drive on your laptop, and even an SSD. This is wonderful!

Solid state drives, which are popularly called SSD drives, are gaining more and more popularity every year. Their production is becoming cheaper, and more and more are appearing in stores. available models for buyers, and the number of users who decide to install them is increasing.

Installation on a desktop computer or laptop SSD– this is an excellent solution if you want to increase your work speed operating system. It doesn’t really matter how fast the solid-state drive you buy; even the slowest SSD drive is tens of times faster than a standard HDD.

Having purchased an SSD drive, it is important to install it correctly. In this article, we will look at how to install a drive in a computer or laptop.

Please note: To notice the performance improvement from installing on your computerSSD disk, you need the operating system to be located on it.

We recommend reading:

How to install an SSD drive in a computer system unit

Procedure SSD installation installation of a disk into a desktop computer is almost identical to how an HDD drive is installed, with the exception of small nuances. The main nuance is that a regular HDD for a desktop computer has a size of 3.5 inches, while the size SSD drive is equal to 2.5 inches, respectively, to install the disk you will need a special adapter, which can be purchased inexpensively at any computer store.

Overall installation processSSD drive in system unit computer looks like this:

When all the steps described above have been completed, you can proceed to setting up the SSD drive. To do this, go to the BIOS and select AHCI mode for an installed SSD drive. If you plan to use an SSD drive for the operating system, install it first in the list of disks to boot and install the operating system (or transfer Windows from the old disk to the new one).

How to install an SSD drive in a laptop

Installing a solid state drive in a laptop is extremely simple procedure, which takes no more than 10 minutes if done correctly. The fact is that laptops are initially equipped with 2.5-inch disks, so no additional effort is required to properly secure the disk. All you need to do to install an SSD in a laptop is:

Once the SSD drive is in place of the HDD drive, you will need to install the operating system. This can be done from a flash drive or disk.

Please note: If your laptop hasCD/A DVD drive that is not in use can be removed from the computer and replaced with a special mount forSSD drive to use it without removing the main hard drive.

One of the easiest ways to improve the performance of your PC is to install a larger hard drive (HDD) or even look at the so-called solid-state drive (SDD) to increase your computer's performance to incredible heights. In this article we will look at the issue of choosing a disk and installing it.

Step One: Select Your New Drive

The very first thing that all users start with is selecting a disk. Currently, you can install HDD or SSD in your system. It would seem that take what is best and serve it right. However, it's not that simple...

Which drive to choose: HDD, SSD or both?

Ask yourself the following question: do you want more performance or free space?

Today's SSDs are amazing - they're an unparalleled improvement for any existing system. When you switch from a regular hard drive to an SSD, you'll notice an incredible boost in your computer's performance. Your PC will start up faster, load apps and large files faster, and last but not least, reduce loading times in most modern video games. However, you should take a look for yourself SSD size, say, a terabyte - the price will scare you.

However, you can buy a classic hard drive for your system, which will give you a relatively low price a huge amount of free space. In shops computer equipment you can easily find hard disks four terabytes in size, which will surely satisfy the needs of any media lover, within 6-8 thousand rubles, and possibly cheaper.

Among other things, no one forbids you to combine HDD and SSD in the system. If your computer is fully capable of running two disks simultaneously (and most PCs can do this), then you can install the operating system on the SDD for more quick access to various programs and system files, and use the HDD to accumulate all kinds of files, for example, movies, music, some games and even work documents. If, for example, you already have a hard drive, buying an SSD becomes even more attractive: simply move the operating system to the SSD, and use the old hard drive as storage.

If money isn't an issue for you—or you're limited to a single connection in your laptop—you can invest in a multi-terabyte solid-state drive, which will completely solve your dilemma. However, most PC users still prefer to create combinations of HDD and SSD.

What size should my drive be?

Typically, hard drives are available in two form factors: 2.5″ and 3.5″ (inches). The last one, i.e. 3.5″ is considered a full-size hard drive intended for a desktop computer. As a rule, almost every PC has space in its system unit for one or even several HDDs of this size. The only exception may be small form factor PCs, such as some HTPCs, which can only accommodate 2.5″ hard drives.

The 2.5″ form factor is traditionally intended for laptops, however, it may also be suitable for some PCs. For example, in some system units you can find places for HDD installations under 2.5″. If you decide to buy a 2.5″ HDD for your PC, but you don’t have space to install it in the system unit, you’ll have to buy installation brackets somewhere in a specialized store. It is worth noting that such brackets can be designed for installing SSD drives, which, however, does not change anything, since many classic solid-state drives are made exclusively in the 2.5″ form factor.

Speaking of SSDs, there is another form factor for them - M.2. Solid state drives of this format look completely different: a small and thin board that resembles a strip random access memory. Instead of the usual connection to motherboard via a SATA cable, connected to a special M.2 slot. It is worth noting that not all computers are capable of working with this type of SSD.

Let's look at something else. Most laptops still use a 2.5″ drive form factor, however, not all models provide their users with easy access to the SATA or M.2 connection point. Accessing the drive connection location is fairly easy on cheap, large, and business-class laptops. On other models, you may need to work hard to get to the desired element of the device - especially on new models that have switched to the M.2 standard. Changing the drive on these laptops will likely void the warranty and you will probably have to look at some more specific guides for a specific model.

What kind of connection do I need?

All modern 3.5″ and 2.5″ format drives use SATA connections to receive power and transfer data. If you are installing a drive for your PC, then you need to find a 15-pin SATA cable on your power supply. If your PC only has an old 4-pin Molex, use an adapter that can be found at a computer electronics store.

There is definitely no need to worry about SATA support on your computer, since all modern PCs undoubtedly support this connection interface. You only have something to worry about if you are the owner of some truly ancient monster, but then you need to think not about buying a working disk, but about changing your computer. However, let's not go off topic.

Let's talk about SATA cables. In the picture below you can take a good look at one of these cables. These are ordinary double-sided cables, one end of which connects to the motherboard and the other to to the desired disk. Some plugs on SATA cables are L-shaped, but this is done only for ease of connection. However, there are variations of cables with exclusively straight plugs. You need to select a cable based only on how little space there is in your system unit.

If you install new disk into a laptop that has access to a SATA connector, you won’t even need cables. You can simply connect the HDD or SSD you need directly into the appropriate slot, which already has an output for power and data transfer.

Let's discuss a few more things about SATA. At the moment latest version The SATA interface is SATA III. Most modern motherboards have SATA III support, so you shouldn't have any problems finding one required HDD or SSD. However, it is worth noting that SATA interfaces are fully compatible with each other, for example, you can connect a second HDD to SATA III to the motherboard - it will work great, but in limited mode.

For example, by connecting a 550/520MB/s SSD via SATA II, you will limit the sequential read and write speed by approximately half. There is nothing wrong with connecting SATA III to SATA II, especially when your motherboard only supports SATA II, but if it supports SATA III, try to choose drives with the latest version of the interface to ensure maximum performance. Use exactly the same principle when purchasing SATA cables.

Among other things, on this moment There are even more modern SSD drives connected via the M.2 interface. This connection interface can be found on many modern motherboards. This is what the M.2 interface looks like with an SSD drive already installed in it:

We will talk more about these drives and their connection below.

Laptops. Laptops do not use SATA cables, and therefore you simply have to select for it one or another drive with a suitable SATA interface. It all depends on the model of a particular laptop, so you will have to find out on your own which SATA (or even M.2.) your old drive runs on so that it can be replaced with a new one.

How much free space do I need?

Yes, sometimes this question is asked. The price of a hard drive or solid-state drive is commensurate with the amount of free space it offers its user. The larger the media, the higher the price. It's that simple. Be guided by your budget.

How fast should my drive be?

In fact, the faster your drive, the better. For example, if you are replacing your old hard drive with a new solid state drive, your mouth will open wide at how much faster your PC has become. And this is even taking into account the fact that your SSD will not be the fastest on the market. Believe me, the difference between HDD and SSD in terms of writing and reading speed is simply colossal. However, like the price between them, which also cannot be ignored.

If you buy a classic hard drive for your computer, the speed of such a device is usually expressed in RPM - spindle rotations per minute. 5400 RPM is the typical speed of some inexpensive solutions (especially the 2.5″ form factor). 7200 RPM is the most common speed for HDDs, and these are the HDDs we recommend using on regular PCs. Among other things, you can also use high-speed services hard drives at 10,000 RPM, however, for the price at which such devices are usually sold, you can’t help but look at much faster SSDs.

There is also a third option - hybrid drives, which combine HDD and SSD. Such hybrids will not have the speed of a real SSD drive: you will get a regular hard drive with a small cache of flash storage. Your HDD won't magically become much faster, but it will significantly improve your file caching speed if you're constantly requesting access to the same programs and files. However, such drives are somewhat more expensive than conventional hard drives, as a result of which they are extremely unpopular among computer users.

Step two: whether to move the operating system to a new drive or perform a clean installation

Once you have purchased the disk you need for your system, there is nothing stopping you from opening the case of your laptop or system unit to install it. The next question we have to discuss is whether to move the operating system to a new drive or perform a clean installation. Of course, each of these actions has its pros and cons.

Transferring the operating system to a new drive

Transferring an OS to another drive is an extremely lengthy, but important process for those users who do not want to part with their existing system. Well, it’s understandable: during installation new system you will have to configure everything again, which not everyone will want.

Do we recommend engaging in such a process? Only if your operating system is really important to you. Otherwise, we advise you to perform a clean installation so as not to waste your time on such a simple but lengthy task. However, you should know that there are a number software, which will help you when transferring the operating system to another disk.

If you are using a laptop, you will need to use a SATA adapter connected via a USB interface to transfer the operating system and all necessary files. You can do the same with desktop computer, but it’s easier to just install a new disk in the system unit, transfer the data, and then disconnect the old disk (or stop it there).

Performing a clean installation

Installing a clean operating system on a new disk has a lot of advantages. One of the biggest advantages in this situation is that you literally start from scratch. Your OS will not be clogged with old temporary files, forgotten programs and installation files all kinds of updates. We are also confident that you will notice a slight increase in performance by switching to a clean OS.

The downside, of course, is that you will have to configure a clean system: installing drivers for PC hardware, installing necessary programs, as well as games (where would we be without them). Alternatively, you can make a copy of all personal data important to you in advance, for example, work documents or a collection of films, install a clean OS on the new disk, and then load all the copied files into the system. Actually, many users do this in order to get a clean system and the necessary data.

Step Three: Installing a New Drive

The steps to install a new drive may vary slightly due to differences between desktops and laptops, and SATA and M.2 drives.

Installing a new drive in a laptop

Different laptop models have different access to the drive connection location. However, it is worth noting that on some laptops it is extremely difficult to access the disk connection. Some business-class laptops allow their users to remove the disk from the device's case by unscrewing just one screw. On other models, you may need to completely disassemble the bottom of the machine or even remove the keyboard. Of course, you will have to find out on your own exactly how to perform this procedure for your laptop model.

Let's take a look at replacing the drive for the ThinkPad T450s laptop model as an example. This laptop is several years old, and to replace the drive in a machine like this you would have to completely remove the bottom of the case. It is worth noting that most often you will have to perform exactly a similar procedure on other laptops, according to at least on models similar to ThinkPad T450s.

To access the drive, you first need to remove the battery and eight screws in various locations on the case. Once you're done, you can remove the bottom of the laptop case. This laptop has a hard drive, which you can see in the upper right corner of the screenshot below.

To remove the drive itself, you need to unscrew another screw, lift the drive a little, and then carefully remove it from the SATA connector built into the system. Next you need to remove the old rim from the aluminum mount with rubber shockproof bumpers. Then take your new drive and place it in this aluminum mount, after which you need to perform the previously described process in reverse: connect the drive to the SATA connector.

Now let's take a quick look at connecting an SSD drive with an M.2 interface. So, connecting such a small board is done as follows: take the board, carefully insert it into the connector (on the right side in the previously shown screenshot), slowly bend the board in the connector to the hole for the screw, and screw the board to the motherboard. As a result, the SSD drive in M.2 literally takes up no space on the laptop, since it is pressed against the motherboard.

It's worth noting again that the process for changing the drive may vary from laptop to laptop. If you need step-by-step instruction to analyze your particular laptop - Google search will help you. You will definitely find at least some material related to your laptop model.

Installing a new disk in a desktop computer

If you have never changed anything in your computer, but only, for example, cleaned it, then it must be said that the process of replacing a disk is exactly the same in complexity as replacing a disk in a laptop, which you might have learned about from the above information.

All you need to change a drive on a desktop PC is a screwdriver, a purchased drive, and a SATA cable that fits it. You will also need to connect power to the drive you are installing, but your power supply will likely include the correct cable. However, if there is no such cable, use an adapter.

So, turn off your computer first, as trying to replace anything on a running computer is a very bad idea. Then, as a rule, remove the side cover from the system unit case (on the left side, when looking at the front side of the unit). Having exposed the insides of the machine, take a good look: the place you need to install the disk will be in the front part of the case. If you are replacing the drive, you should see it connected to the motherboard via a SATA cable. The power cable, in turn, will come from the power supply side.

The note: It’s worth noting that in your system unit you can see both 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives. Among other things, it can be located in a completely different place. In some custom-made system units, the disks may be located completely behind the motherboard. If you cannot find the disk in the usual place, remove the second cover from the system unit and examine the bottom of the board.

If you don't intend to keep the old drive as a secondary drive, then it's time to remove it. Depending on the situation, you can also leave the power and SATA cable to connect the new drive. So, first you need to disconnect a couple of cables from the old drive: power and data. CAREFULLY: These cables are often equipped with special latches.

If the old disk is placed in a special holder, remove it from there using a screwdriver. As soon as you are sure that the disk has been detached from the system unit, pull it out and put it aside. We remind you that things like disks are extremely delicate devices, so be careful with them. All that remains for you to do is repeat the entire process described above, but only with a new disk: attach it to the system unit and connect the power and data cables.

M.2 SSD drives - here everything is done exactly the same as in the case of laptops: insert the board at an angle into the M.2 slot, bend it to the hole for the screw and screw it to the motherboard. The advantage of such drives is that you can easily combine them with SATA drives, but they will not take up extra space.

That's all. You may have to fiddle with a bunch of screws, but other than that it's pretty straightforward. Once you're done, take another look at your work: check connections, count screws, etc. After replacing the old disk or installing a new disk, close the system unit, and then try to start your PC. If you did everything correctly, you can start installing the new OS or enter the previously transferred one.

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Every day more and more users are thinking about the question: how to replace the HDD in a laptop with an SSD? This topic is especially relevant now: a hard drive as in mobile computer is outliving its life.

To change or not to change? That is the question

For many years, there has been a debate about whether the hard drive will be replaced by solid-state drives or not. Power users value SSDs for speed and reliability. However, every medal has two sides, so it should be noted that the reactivity of the drive is very expensive.

The high cost of SSDs for the most part prevents them from becoming widely used. Many owners of PCs and laptops, whose activities require the best performance indicators, still renounce HDDs.

Pros and cons of SSD and HDD

The fact is that HDD has a number of disadvantages compared to SSD:

As a rule, it is because of them that many decide to replace them, while one cannot ignore the advantages of hard drives over solid-state drives:

• Volume. At the moment, ordinary users have access to from 320 GB to 10 TB. And the same SSDs in regular stores can be found with a maximum capacity of 2TB. We are not talking about drives for industrial or server equipment, but only about those that can be bought at the nearest computer market.
• Price. She is much lower. If you compare the cost of a popular 2 TB hard drive with an SSD of the same capacity, it turns out that a solid-state drive is 16 times more expensive than an HDD.
• With SSD, it is almost impossible to recover deleted data due to the storage method. The maximum that can be done is to take the drive to a laboratory where the necessary equipment will be available.

Based on the above, we can conclude that if the speed and security of data is more important than its volume. Do you value low power consumption? You can safely switch to an SSD drive.

What HDDs are used in the laptop?

Currently, laptops use 2.5-inch hard drives. This means that inside there are “pancakes” of this exact diameter. Some MacBooks have 1.8″ hard drives, but this is a separate topic and we won’t talk about them.

Each disk has a set of characteristics, such as:

• manufacturer;
• volume: the amount of data that can be stored, usually in GB;
• buffer memory: fast memory or cash;
• rotation speed: the number of revolutions per minute made by the spindle;
• connection interface: connector through which the drive is connected to the board.

The price of the HDD depends on the set of these characteristics and their quality. The most common hard drive option at the time of writing has:

• connection interface - SATA III;
• volume - 2 TB;
• - 5400 rpm;
• buffer memory - 32 MB.

What SSDs can be installed instead of a hard drive?

The main difference between a solid-state drive and an HDD is that data is written non-mechanically. Simply put, information is recorded on microcircuits. Due to this, high and low noise levels are achieved.

Such drives have 4 common form factors:

• PCI-E AIC (add-in-card);
• M.2 2280;
• mSATA;
• 2.5 in.

In the context of this article, which is devoted to the question of how to replace the HDD in a laptop with an SSD, all attention will be paid to drives of the latest format, i.e. 2.5 inches. They and the HDD have the same shape and SATA III connection interface. A similar view allows you to remove the disk and install an SSD in its place, screwing it to the same slide and closing it with the same lid.

mSata form factor SSD

Some laptops also support mSata. They have a special III on the motherboard and two places for screws to secure the drive. Such SSDs can be used either as independent storage devices or in combination with one, depending on the design of the laptop.

In many Lenovo models, such an SSD drive acts as additional storage (as a cache). There are laptops that have mSata installed in conjunction with the hard drive and used as a system partition, that is, nothing is installed on it except the operating system. Thanks to this solution, the loading of the OS is accelerated, and the data storage volume remains quite large, since the information is written to disk.

SSD form factor 2.5″

To successfully replace an HDD with an SSD, you must choose the right drive. At the moment, we managed to decide that it should be 2.5 inches and connected via SATA III. It is also worth paying attention to the thickness of the SSD, since for hard drives it ranges from 5 to 9.5 mm. If you buy an SSD that is too thick, the disk lid on your laptop may not close properly.

Then it's a matter of taste. For home use 100-300 GB is considered sufficient. According to Tom Hardware best SSD for users is recognized when it affordable price At under $100 it has great features. If you are an inexperienced user, just look for something similar in description and you won’t go wrong.

Replacing an HDD with an SSD in a laptop

The process of changing a hard drive to an SSD is the same as installing a new hard drive.

The first thing to do if the old hard drive is working is to copy the information from it to another medium. Important data must be transferred to the cloud, to a USB flash drive or removable drive.

You can buy a case for HDD 2.5, install the old hard drive in it and use it in the future as a mobile storage medium.

Replacement process

First you need to remove the battery. If it is non-removable, turn off the computer, remove the cover, and remove the battery connector from the motherboard.

1. Unscrew the screws that hold the disk cover in place and remove it.
2. Remove the screws holding the hard drive slide.
3. Pull the slide away from the connector to disconnect the HDD and remove it from the case.
4. Remove the screws securing the drive to the slide and remove it.
5. Take the drive, install it in the slide in the same way as the hard drive was, and tighten the screws.
6. Lower the SSD and carriers into the case and slide them into the slot to connect the drive.
7. Screw the slide fasteners into the housing.
8. Close the cover and tighten the screws.
9. Connect the battery in the same way as you disconnected it and close the cover if necessary.
10. Turn on the laptop and check the functionality of the SSD.

The minimum check would be to go into the BIOS or UEFI and see how the drive was detected. In most laptop models, this can be done by pressing the DEL or F2 key (in some Enter) immediately after turning it on.

If the drive is working and installed correctly, its name and serial number. Additionally, you can run tests using the utility and check other things, for example, recording speed.

The first thing to do is copy the information. This is written above. The principle of operation for all computers in this regard is the same.

1. Disconnect the battery from the HP laptop. If the battery is removable, like this model, then you can do it simply:

• unlock the battery lock;
• pull the second latch;
• remove the battery from the connector.

2. Using a Phillips screwdriver, remove the screws that hold the hard drive cover in the case. In most models it is small, about ½ of the entire back surface. Remove the cover; you may have to apply a little force, as it may be secured with additional latches from the inside.

3. Unscrew the screws that hold the hard drive carrier. There may be 2 or 4 of them. Move the hard drive away from the connector to disconnect it.

4. Pry up the mount and remove the screws. If the hard drive is disconnected from the connector, this will be easy to do.

5. Unscrew the screws that hold the HDD in the slide. Usually they are located at one end and the other, 2 pieces each.

6. Install the SSD in the carrier instead of the hard drive and tighten the screws on both sides.

7. Install the disk mount along with the drive into the case and push it into the slot. Screw the slide screws back in.

8. Close the housing cover and install the screws in the same order in which you removed them.

9. Connect the battery, that is, install it until it clicks. Push the battery lock back into position.

10. Turn on the laptop and check that the SSD is detected in the system; you can perform additional testing.

This is how the HDD in a laptop is replaced with an SSD. In the vast majority of models, this work is done the same way. The differences usually lie in the way the battery is disassembled and disconnected.

In this section, we will look at options for upgrading a hard drive to an SSD drive in laptops manufactured by Acer. For clarity, an example will be given of a model in which the battery is built-in, and almost complete disassembly is required.

First of all, we still copy important data. Here the amount of information was small, so the transfer was made to a USB flash drive. Turn off the laptop and start replacing.

1. Must be removed back cover housings. To do this, remove all the screws from the back side.

2. Remove the back part, carefully prying it around the perimeter. If the cover does not budge on any side, stop and check that all screws are removed.

3. Disconnect the battery; to do this, remove the cable from the connector by gently pulling it towards you. Do not break the plug, otherwise you will have to completely replace the battery.

4. In this model, the hard drive is not secured in the slide, but is simply inserted into the connector on the board between the case mounts. In order to produce HDD replacement on an SSD in a laptop, just remove the old disk by pulling it away from the connector. Then put the drive in its place.

5. Reconnect the battery. Make sure that the connector is straight and not damaged.

6. Replace the housing cover and tighten all screws. Make sure that the back does not pinch the wires.

7. Turn on the laptop, check the functionality of the solid-state drive in any way. If the computer does not respond to the power button, you will have to disassemble it again to check the battery.

In this way, the HDD in a laptop is replaced with an SSD for some models from the manufacturer Acer. You can rely on these instructions if you need to update other computers with a built-in battery.

Replacing HDD with SSD in Lenovo laptop

You won’t be able to find a big difference here from the previous two options. It can be noted that replacing the disk with an SSD drive in this option combined the two previous ones. This Lenovo model has a removable battery, but the HDD mount is located under the back of the case. There is no separate cover here.

Following the main principle, you need to transfer the necessary data to another location or prepare an HDD case to mount your old disk into. This time we won’t copy anything, we’ll insert the hard drive into the Case and start using it as a portable “flash drive”.

1. First you need to disconnect the battery. The battery of this model is removable, so you need to remove the lock and remove the battery.

2. Unscrew all the screws located at the bottom one by one. Be sure to check if your model has additional screws on the side.

3. Carefully remove the cover, unsnapping each fastener one by one. If the case does not budge, check that all screws have been removed.

4. Remove the screw that holds the hard drive carrier. In this example there is only one. Lift the HDD mounts and remove it from the laptop.

5. Use a screwdriver to remove the screws that hold the slide to the hard drive. In this model, the mounts have shielded foil, which protects the disk controller from shorting to the case.

6. Install the new SSD drive into the HDD mount and return it to its place, securing it with a screw.

7. Close your laptop bottom housing, carefully snapping all the fasteners into place. Tighten the screws in the same order and connect the battery.

8. Turn on the laptop and test the drive in Bios or with some utility, for example, Victoria.

The ways to change an HDD to an SSD in a laptop can be listed endlessly. The fact is that each model has its own disassembly principle. Therefore, if you are not qualified and have no experience in this matter, it is recommended to turn to professionals.

Replacing your hard drive with a solid state drive will increase your laptop's performance by an order of magnitude. However, be sure to take into account the processor parameters and the amount of RAM. If you have a very weak CPU installed and no more than 2 GB of RAM, then the system will slow down in any case, even with an SSD.

Evaluate your computer adequately, make only the necessary changes to it, and it will serve faithfully until you buy a new one.

I remember that when I bought the Samsung R720-FS04 about 5 years ago, I couldn’t be happier with it - then it was, of course, not a “top-end” laptop, but very solid. Core 2 Duo, 3 gigabytes of RAM and Radeon HD 4650.

A lot of time has passed since then, the laptop went through a whole series of events - my missus drenched it in milk (after which it was disassembled and put back together), its matrix “died”, which I also changed myself, I also repaired the speakers, and then, it seems, and something else. Preinstalled Windows Vista By . And so... A fresh story about when he was the height of dreams, and I was already thinking about how to make the “old man” more agile.

There were unexpectedly few options:

— the processor and video card in a laptop cannot be replaced;

- 3 gigabytes of memory (two sticks - 1 and 2 GB, respectively), but can only be expanded to 4. It’s a necessary thing, but it’s too late to drink Borjomi - it’s almost impossible to find a 2 GB “laptop” (SODIMM) DDR2 stick on sale. And adding one gigabyte won’t make a big difference;

- HDD. “What about the hard drive?” - many people probably thought. His task is to store all sorts of good things - photographs and films. And so it will be with him. It has an average volume of 320 gigabytes. Not a fountain, but you can live. And they thought wrong! It is the hard drive that is the weak (or rather, slow) link in the entire configuration.

What kind of hard drives are installed in laptops? Right. To keep the noise down and consume less electricity. And hardware that meets these requirements, as a rule, is also the slowest. And the disk subsystem is already the slowest in modern computers.

Therefore, the obvious and perhaps the only way to make an elderly laptop faster was to install an SSD instead of a hard drive. SSD (Solid-State Drive) are modern solid-state drives. In short, their design is similar to flash drives. Here are their advantages compared to classic “screws”:

- absolute silence. There are simply no moving parts - nothing to make noise;

— low energy consumption;

- shock resistance;

- and most importantly - speed of work. She several times higher than conventional HDDs.

Of course, there are some downsides, and they are:

— limited quantity rewrite cycles. That is, the durability is worse.

— price. SSDs are more expensive.

In view of all this, an “ops” was planned to buy an SSD and install it in the laptop. However, long conversations with the toad brought up the following problem - the SSD will have a capacity of 120 gigabytes, otherwise it (the toad) will strangle me.

In this regard, the task has become more difficult. Installing an SSD instead of an existing hard drive is generally a piece of cake. And I wanted to put them together. That is, leave the old 320 GB hard drive for storing photos, films and other sentiments, and install the system and all programs on a 120 GB SSD, which will have an extremely positive effect on their (system and programs) operating speed.

Some laptops have space for a second hard drive, some even have three! But this is not my case. The Samsung R720 only has space for one HDD, which means there will be sacrifices. Moreover, you don’t have to choose for a long time here - you can install an SSD in only one way - instead of an optical drive. Personally, I hardly use it, so I part with it without regret. And as a last resort, I have a USB drive, fortunately they cost pennies now.

For installing hard disk or SSD instead of an optical drive, you will need a special adapter. In principle, you can go the other way - leaving the optical drive and installing an SSD and using a USB hard drive. They're not expensive either. Or buy a special container for connecting via USB of that hard drive that you remove from your laptop. Shouldn't good things go to waste?

But I chose the first method - namely installing an SSD instead of a DVD - firstly as the most difficult, and secondly as the most interesting. In addition, I will put the old hard drive in the optical drive bay and the SSD in its place. This is not important, but if I suddenly want to return to laptop dvd- certainly not instead of an SSD, so the decision to install this is more than obvious. Actually, I can say in advance that the idea was a success. Below you will find a detailed report on the SSD installation, with photos, of course :)

Let's shop

To implement the plan, I purchased the SSD itself - my choice fell on the SSD 120GB, 2.5″, SATA III, Kingston V300, SV300S37A/120G model. Price 3300 rubles.

In addition, for installation instead of an optical drive you need a special adapter. I chose the Espada SS12. The price of the adapter is 1100 rubles. In fact, this or a similar adapter can be found much cheaper, for 700 - 800 rubles. However, this one was sold right next to my house and this became the decisive argument.

So, our expenses are 4,400 rubles.

Go!

To begin with, I will briefly outline the action plan:

— remove the optical drive;

- remove the hard drive;

— remove the plug from the optical drive and place it on the adapter;

— remove the carrier from the hard drive and install the SSD in it;

— put the hard drive in the adapter;

— put the adapter with the hard drive in place of the DVD;

— We put the SSD in place of the hard drive;

— we check the “visibility” of the SSD in the BIOS, set the correct boot priority, install or transfer Windows to the SSD.

Well, now everything is the same in detail. Let's start by removing the optical drive. In the Samsung R720, and in many other laptop models, all you need to do is unscrew one screw and pull the drive towards you. This screw is usually marked with the letters ODD (Optical Disc Drive).

After this, we simply pull the drive towards ourselves.

Secondly, remove the hard drive. In my case, it is located behind a separate cover, which can be easily removed by unscrewing 2 screws. As a rule, the cover under which the hard drive is hidden is marked with the letters HDD. On some laptop models there is one cover, under which both the hard drive and memory are hidden.

The hard drive itself, in my case, is placed in a special slide, but is not screwed in anything else (it is held in place by the same screws as the cover) - in order to disconnect it, you need to move it away from the SATA connector; there is just enough space in the compartment for this.

The next task is to disconnect the cover of the optical drive itself from itself - it is separated, and it can be attached to the adapter so that the aesthetic component is not damaged. The lid is held on by latches, you must act decisively, but carefully :)

Now we install the cover on the adapter and install the hard drive there. Pay attention to the plastic plug opposite the connector in the adapter - you may need to pull it out to install the hard drive. The hard drive is attached (in my case, since adapters are different) with two screws on the sides of the adapter.

We put the SSD in the sled.

Well, now, in fact, we install a hard drive instead of a DVD, an SSD instead of a hard drive, close everything and screw it up. I had one difficulty here - the “lug” that was on the original drive and clung to the screw is not on the adapter. However, it already sits quite tightly in the socket, so I didn’t do anything about it (alternatively, I could push a piece of paper so that the adapter fits tighter).

That's all! I start the computer, go into the BIOS - both disks are detected, everything works!

Of course, in order to experience all the advantages, the OS must be transferred to an SSD. Eat different programs, which allow you to do this, I, however, did not bother and simply installed Windows from scratch.

Result

So what's the result? A reasonable question. Why was all this started? After spending a couple of tens of minutes with a stopwatch, I’ll share some results.

Starting Windows from pressing the power button to the “can run” state:

- up to - 50 seconds;

- after - 12 seconds.

Launch FireFox:

- up to - 5 - 7 seconds;

- after - 1 - 2 seconds.

- up to - 1.5 - 2 minutes;

- after - 15 - 25 seconds.

As you can see, the performance gain is 4-5 times! Of course, this applies to various processes that are somehow related to writing or reading from disk - launch various programs, downloading something, etc. However, as it turned out, this is not so little. Of course, you shouldn't expect improved graphics. However, the number of lags and freezes in some games has noticeably decreased (and in some they have disappeared altogether) - apparently, they “laged” due to a small amount of RAM coupled with a very slow “native” hard drive.

Underwater rocks

Let's start with the fact that the procedure may differ slightly on different laptop models. The differences may be in how the hard drive and DVD are mounted and in which compartments it is all located.

Now let’s talk about how to avoid unnecessary purchases, or not buy something that won’t suit you.

We'll start by entering into Google or Yandex: laptop model - SSD installation. And we honor what we can find.

Further. I have already mentioned that some laptops provide additional space for a hard drive, so before buying an adapter, make sure that there is no space. Because if it is, you don’t need an adapter.

If there is space, don't rush. You need to understand whether all the necessary wires are connected there. To do this, we move the main hard drive into the second compartment and see whether it works or not.

If it works, we’re not in a hurry again. We need to figure out how to secure it there. There are two options here - buying a sled on eBay \ some flea market or “crazy hands”. If the disk in the second place does not work, most likely the wires are not connected there and this is not always easy to do, so perhaps it makes sense to remember about the adapter.

— the adapter must be the same thickness as the optical drive in your laptop. And they come in two types - 12.7 mm (the most common) and 9 mm (also found). I have not yet seen adapters for 9 mm, although I do not exclude the possibility that they exist;

- SSD. Please note that SSDs also come in different thicknesses. Just like the hard drive bays in laptops. Don't get into trouble by buying a thicker SSD than you can fit.

Software difficulties.

Here we have three points at once. First, an update may be required. Laptop BIOS. Some models without it will not see an SSD and/or hard drive instead of an optical drive.

Second. Many laptops ( Lately- almost all) contain a partition on the hard drive with Windows distribution, from where it is installed. By switching to an SSD, you lose this opportunity, so you need to take care in advance about how you will install Windows later. There is an option to transfer the service partition to a new hard drive, but personally I would regret giving up 10 - 15 gigabytes of such expensive disk space for the OS distribution. In addition, this article will help Windows Vista\7 owners. If you have . Proceed according to the method described there, with the only difference that clean copy of Windows is already installed on the SSD.

Well, third. Many people believe that Windows needs to be somehow specially optimized to work with SSDs. I won’t hide it - I am against all these recipes aimed at extending the life of SSDs. Whether they prolong life is a big question, but they slow down the operation of the computer and can even affect stability. Therefore, if you want to pass your laptop on to your grandchildren, just don’t buy an SSD 😉 For those who want to argue on this topic, I send you to read 12 myths about SSD optimization that will never die.

Don't burn bridges.

Buy components from a place where you can safely return them. When installing the SSD and adapter, try not to leave scratches or abrasions on them - this will make it easier to return them to the store if anything happens. A fairly large number of discounted SSDs with the wording “with traces of installation” in the store where I purchased them indirectly indicates that there may still be problems in the process.

At one's own risk.

As usual at the end of this kind of article, wishing you good luck, I will mention: the author is not responsible for any consequences of unsuccessful installation of an SSD in a laptop.