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Post |
| monki |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 02:15 PM
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I am attempting to upgrade my almost ANTIQUE LabTop. It's a Compaq Presario 1215 Series. Does anyone know whether I can actually REPLACE the hard drive? If so, where can I purchase an economically priced Hard Drive. I would appreciate your reponse in advance.
I don't consider myself too computer literate but IF you plan to upgrade the Memory to your computer, shop at www.crucial.com
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| Logical Sense |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 04:47 PM
I am not sure exactly where is the HD in Presario 1215. But, most of the laptop 3 years and younger has HD located on it's back and can be removed by either removing few screws or just slide it out.
If this is even older (more than 4 years old) then also it can be changed by opening the whole back of the laptop. But, I caution you on this, let only expert handle this part unless you are ready to give up your laptop ....(BTW if you change HD all of your old data will be lost and you have to format and lot OS and all your S/W from scratch - you better have all the CDs)
Also, it might not be worth upgrading your HD in too old laptop because it might not have adequate power to support high capacity HD and it may not have enough fan capacity to cool it. So, after upgrade also your laptop might not work correctly.
BTW: You can get 10 gig/20 gig laptop HD within $150.00 (it is not cheap). You could even try eBay. HD made by Fujitsu and IBM is mostly universal and fits most of the laptops.
Disclaimer, I am not an expert (meaning I am not a Sys Admin) but I changed 10gig HD in my antiquated laptop (6 years old) without any prblem opening it's back. It is dog slow but it works perfect now.
Hope this helps
- iti
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| computer |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 04:51 PM
good place to buy
http://www.pricewatch.com
for reviews and online discussion--
http://www.anandtech.com and click "community" for forums.
Its great.
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| Sukha |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 08:08 PM
If you need help on upgrade hard drive and other diagnostic in Laptop, please contact me. I will give you free diagnostic and suggestion. And also might help you to estimage cost for HD - Harddrive and others.
Thanks
sukhakar
617-354-7803
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| czar |
Posted
on 28-Oct-02 09:55 PM
Monki,
As far as I know, the Presario 1215 was introduced in Q3 of 2001. The IDE interface is most likely ATA-100. What that translates into is the ability to accept any of the newer HD's available.
HD's are mounted in removeable drive bays and are most likely located at the bottom and side of the chassis. A few tiny philips screws may hold the cover plate in place, you may need to remove those. Most dont require this, the HD's can be popped out with some wrist pressure on the drive bay cover.
Once the new HD is in place, you will need to update the CMOS settings with the parameters of the new HD. On a Compaq, once the machine is powered up and you see the Compaq logo splash screen, press the F10 key every few seconds till you see the setup screen. The new HD will be auto-detected, so all you need to do is Save Settings and Exit. Most likely this is going to be the F10 key again. For some, its Esc, and accept the save and exit choice.
Some things to keep in mind as you go about the upgrade.
- BACKUP your data first. That includes address books and buddy lists for hotmail and msn accounts. For MSN, its File, Save Contact List, point to the Floppy Drive and provide a name. Do this twice using two new floppy disks. Floppies can be unreliable.
- If your laptop and a desktop (I am assuming you have one or know someone who does) have an Ethernet card, you can quickly setup a network using a Cross-over cable to transfer your data from the laptop to the desktop. Transfer it back to the laptop once you have the new HD in place.
A CAT 5 cross-over cable costs about $10 max, and it obviates the need for a hub ! Setup of the network is quick and easy, Win 98/ME have wizards for this. Make sure the two machines have different Computer Names !
- Use an anti-static wrist strap when handling sensitive computer components. Ground the strap by connecting the alligator clip to the power supply metal fan grid of the desktop. Make sure the system is POWERED DOWN. 110 Volts AC can kill you in seconds.
I know, most techies don't bother with a wrist strap and see it as a pain. They 'see' the light only after they ruin some expensive equipment with static discharge. Play it safe.
Good luck !
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| monki |
Posted
on 29-Oct-02 08:41 AM
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Logical Sense, Computer and Czar:
Thankyou for your advise. This should get me started somewhere. I bought this computer sometime back in 98' if I can remember right. I wasn't quite sure if it had the compatibility to replace hard drive. I had called the Tech Support at Compaq/Hewlett Packard at two separate ocassions and got mixed responses.
Sukha: Thankyou for the offer.
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