If you are like the average computer user sooner or later, you will decide that you just do not have enough space on your current hard drive. You have two options at this point, either to add an extra hard drive or to replace your current one. Installing an extra is much simpler than replacing your current one. You simply plug in the secondary hard drive, format it and give it a drive letter, then you'm ready to go. Replacing an existing drive requires more planning.
The first step is to make sure your computer is turned off and disconnected. Then open your computer case and locate the hard drive. Always use an antistatic wrist strap when working inside the computer. This prevents electrical discharge from damaging any of your computer's sensitive components. Disconnect the drive and pull it out. You will either notice a small, narrow plug or a much wider one. The smaller one indicates that you have a SATA drive. SATA stands for serial ATA and is found in most newer computers. If you have the wider connector, your computer has an integrated drive electronics (IDE) drive. Of course, your current one will have the necessary information about it on the drive itself.
The best places to find replacement drives are online at places like CDW, PC Connection or other similar electronics stores. Search for hard drives, SATA or IDE, and note the different sizes and prices. Decide how much storage space you want. Perhaps the best decision would be to double the capacity of your current drive.
While waiting for it to arrive, be sure to run a full backup of your personal data and have all the necessary programs, including the operating system, located and ready for use. Alternatively, you can make a complete backup of the system including the system state and save all the data on an external drive. You still need your operating system disk in this case.
Replace your old hard drive with your new one. At this point, you have nothing but a blank disk. Start your computer and make sure your operating system disk is in the CD drive. Format the drive and have the operating system installed. When you are done, install your programs next if you have only backed up your personal data. You can now restore your personal data from the backup you made. If you made a full backup including system state, you can begin the restore after your operating system is completed. While a little more difficult than just backing up your personal data, a complete backup of your system is basically a one-step process that allows you to refrain from reinstalling all of your additional programs and having to reset all of your system settings file and data recovery.
The next time you decide to need more space on your computer's hard drive, you know that it basically involves three steps: It takes practice to become familiar with a hard drive replacement, but over time you will find that it was not that hard. who originally thought. In addition, you will be well versed in having a good backup strategy.
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