SSD vs. HDD: Which hard drive should I pick?

Storage drives. These days it’s not just traditional hard disk drives anymore. You may have heard of the newer, advanced form called a solid-state drive. More and more new laptop or desktop computer models contain solid-state drives, as this advancement does come with more benefits. These benefits make replacing an HDD with an SSD quite a popular upgrade option. People with older computer models choose to upgrade to an SSD as a quick way to boost performance.

You might be replacing your drive because of a hard drive failure, or you’re looking for something to upgrade and refresh your computer’s system. Hard drive failure can happen to many computer users and the only way to fix it is by replacing the hard drive entirely. You may take this opportunity to consider what you need in terms of performance and durability. Learn how to diagnose and repair hard drive failures for Dell, HP, and Apple computers in our guides now.

In this guide, we will be looking at the differences between HDDs and SSDs. You’ll be able to decide what’s the right drive for you, depending on your computer usage and what you want out of a drive.

What is an SSD?

Samsung 840 EVO 2.5-inch SSD.

A solid-state drive is a storage device that uses flash memory to store data consistently. It is sometimes known as a solid-state device, or flash storage for Apple Mac computers.

Unlike RAM, data stored on an SSD stays on the drive even after the computer is shut down. Its non-volatile memory doesn’t refresh nor reset itself like data stored on the RAM does.

While the SSD was first developed by Sandisk, nowadays popular brands like Samsung, Intel, Toshiba, and WD also make powerful and fast SSDs. Computer brands like Dell and HP also make their own branded drives for their own laptop and desktop computer models.

How does an SSD differ from an HDD?

The main difference between an SSD and an HDD is that it does not contain any moving parts. Traditional hard drives store data on disks that spin like a record, and it reads and writes information on the disks just like a record player. Read and write heads on an actuator arm float ever so gently on the surface of the spinning disks.

These moving parts need to be powered to work and spin at set speeds. They are also quite delicate and prone to damage if used carelessly. SSDs in turn store information on flash memory cells instead of spinning disks. These cells are set in place on a circuit board and don’t use any moving parts to read or write information.

Benefits of upgrading to SSD from HDD

Better performance

Because the SSD runs on flash memory, it does run much faster than HDDs that run on spinning disks. The spinning disks on consumer-grade HDDs can only run up to 7200 RPM. This doesn’t compare to how fast an SSD can run.

On average, it can run up to 16 times faster than traditional hard drives do. By using an SSD as a boot drive, you can boot up your computer much faster than before. Firing up apps or software will be smoother as well. This gets you a faster and smoother computing experience.

If your hard drive hasn’t started to fail yet, or you just don’t want to replace it just yet, you might be thinking of using them both. You can use an SSD as a storage drive together with an HDD, but this doesn’t make much of a difference. As you’re using the drive simply for storage, the OS and other apps still run from the HDD. You won’t really get a boost in performance just by using an SSD for file storage.

Another thing that a spinning drive can emit is noise and heat. The constant spinning contributes to an amount of heat that your cooling system needs to work to get rid of. When the drive starts to fail, you may also notice it making noise from worn out moving parts.

That’s the reason why a drive with no moving parts wins. When one part of the computer works smoothly, this benefits the whole system’s functioning. An SSD also draws less power than an HDD does.

Lasting durability

Without delicate machinery, the drive is less likely to fall to physical damage. The moving parts of an HDD do fail eventually, from working too hard, or just from natural wear and tear. Blunt force could also cause the actuator arm to scratch the disk and permanently damage that part of the drive.

Hard drives all fall to bad sectors, and both HDDs and SSDs can get them. However, HDDs just are more vulnerable to bad sector damage. This includes both physical damage and software errors. Because SSDs are more shock resistant and powerful, they don’t accumulate bad sectors as easily as HDDs do. This means a longer lifespan and better resilience to damage. SSDs can last up to 5 to 7 years, while HDDs have a general lifespan of 2-3 years.

The machinery within an HDD also needs to be powered to run, and they can sometimes be quite power draining. The constant spinning can also exert heat. If this goes on, it could accelerate the drive’s failure. An SSD is a more balanced choice that offers great performance over long term use.

A lightweight option

By upgrading an HDD to an SSD, you can shed some weight off your laptop. An SSD is basically a memory chip, it has a lot less parts compared to an HDD. They do not contain the disks, spindle and motor inside an HDD. Inside its metal casing, an SSD only contains memory chips on a circuit board inside. It weighs less than a traditional hard drive.

SSDs can also come in different forms: the regular 2.5-inch form (weighs 45-60g), or the M.2 stick form (weighs 6-10g). If you’re looking to make your laptop more lightweight and travel-friendly, using an SSD could be a great option.

HDD as a lower cost option

A 3.5-inch HDD.

If SSDs are so great, why aren’t they all available on all computers? The reason is because HDD still remains the lower cost option for larger capacities. SSDs are more expensive per gigabyte, while HDDs stay relevant because of their lower cost.

Desktop computer users or users who are looking for more storage space may want to consider just replacing their HDD instead. Or if you want to save some money, a traditional hard drive might still be the choice for you.

As SSDs become more and more popular as a storage mainstay, we expect the prices of SSDs to go down over the years. Advancements over the years may lower the cost and get you larger capacities as well.

What to consider when replacing a hard drive

Form factor

This refers to the physical size of the drive. Getting a hard drive that actually fits your laptop or desktop computer is an important thing to consider. This brings us to the different sizes of consumer-grade hard drives: 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch, and the M.2 SSD. SSDs only come in either 2.5-inch sizes or in stick form (M.2).

2.5-inch drives are mainly made for laptop use, fitting in the laptop chassis via a SATA connection. The larger 3.5-inch HDDs are then used in desktop computers only. You can use a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD in a desktop computer, but a smaller HDD would also mean a less powerful drive due to its compact size.

M.2 SSDs are also available for both laptop and desktop computers, but are more popular for laptop use due to its size and weight. They are favoured in lightweight setups, with a form factor no bigger than a stick of gum.

Capacity

After it’s physical size, we should then think about the virtual size of the drive. Thinking about how much storage capacity you need can help you decide how big of a drive you need.

Most users who use their laptop or desktop computer for personal documents, photos, and internet browsing only need 250 to 500 GB of storage space. Getting too much space would just be a waste of money on a drive that will eventually fail down the line. For users who need more space for video files or photography projects, you might need at least 1TB of storage space.

Compatibility

Making sure that the drive fits into your laptop is important, but we also have to think about whether you can use the drive at all. Certain computer brands like Apple make their own drives or use specific drives that only work for MacOS devices. You’ll have to look out for a drive that is compatible with your operating system and computer model just to make sure.

Checking which hard drive you have

Sometimes it can be difficult to gauge what you want out of a drive. You don’t really know how much space you need, or the speeds of different drives are hard to picture. You may use your current hard drive as a reference point to figure out your usage and whether you’d like to get a better drive or just an exact replacement.

For Windows users, you can find details of your drive from “Device Manager”. Apple Mac users can find this from “About this Mac” and “System Report”. With this, you can do further research on the drive and look for a replacement.

Alternatively, you may choose the more practical method of opening up your laptop to check the information label on the drive itself. If you’re going to replace it yourself later, it could be a way to familiarise yourself with the layout anyway.

How to install a new replacement drive

A hard drive replacement is a very easy repair job to do, even DIY beginners can nail it on the first try. You’ll only need a few simple tools to do so. Resources on YouTube and popular repair guide site ifixit is a great starting point. Swapping out your hard drive is easy as when you follow repair tutorials closely.

After putting in a new drive, don’t forget to reinstall Windows or MacOS, depending on your computer. Apple downloads it for you automatically when you boot from your new drive. For Windows computers, the easiest way is using a USB bootable installer and installing Windows from there.

Professional repairs

Sometimes it’s just easier to let someone else do the work for you. If you’re not eligible to get your computer serviced by a brand-authorised service provider (expired warranty, obsolete device, etc), we can help!

As a third-party repair service, Safemode Computer Service can be a great option for your computer repair and upgrade needs. Is your authorised service provider too far away? Or you’re too busy to replace your drive by yourself? Our experienced technicians in our Inner West store can definitely help! As a highly rated computer repair service in Sydney, we not only can help with repairs, but we can also tune up and upgrade your computer. We can get you the right hard drive replacement, and install it for you as well. Give us a call to make an appointment at our Enmore store today.

Startup repair not working: How to fix boot up issue

Your laptop or desktop computer has built-in mechanisms to test and fix itself as much as it can. This includes data repairs or software updates. It is a very smart machine, after all. When you’re having problems with booting up your computer, startup repair is one of the options you can do to solve them. But if the hardware problems are too far gone, startup repair might not be able to help you. Then it might be time to look for a replacement solution.

Problems with computer boot up can usually be traced back to a faulty hard drive. As the main storage drive, your local C drive is used as a boot drive that contains all the information needed for boot up and your operating system. When the hard drive fails, information needed for boot up might be inaccessible. Your computer will not be able to boot properly if this happens.

Startup repair

Startup repair is a Windows recovery tool that fixes certain system issues to do with Windows startup. It can be found at the “Advanced startup options” menu. This menu usually comes up when Windows 8 / 10 laptop or desktop computer users have trouble booting to Windows. To reach startup repair: Advanced startup options > Troubleshoot > Advanced options > Startup repair. Your computer may ask for administrator credentials at this step. Then it will do its thing to diagnose and repair what it can.

Startup repair not working

Startup repair might be able to fix your problem and boot the computer successfully again. If not, you might find yourself in a few of these scenarios:

• Startup repair infinite loop
• “Startup repair” couldn’t repair your PC”
• Start up repair taking forever

The tool can only do so much to repair system issues, and not all the issues on your hard drive. When boot up is disrupted or unsuccessful, it can mean that the damage to the hard drive has become intolerable beyond repair. This may be from physical damage or an accumulation of bad sectors on the drive. Data may be corrupted, or lost, and that will cause problems with boot up and the performance of the drive as well.

Why do hard drives fail?

Hard drives generally last 2-5 years, depending on how you use it, or the type of the drive. They do unfortunately inevitably fail over time. The main culprit for this is the accumulation of too many bad sectors. Bad sectors cause damage to hard drives bit by bit and adds to the eventual failure of the drive.

Caused by either physical damage or software errors, bad sectors can be repaired or marked to be skipped over. A traditional hard disk drive makes use of spinning platters and read / write arms to work, and these moving parts are vulnerable to physical damage. It’s also impossible to manufacture a flawless drive, so a hard drive will always come with a small amount of bad sectors. Shutting off the power while the drive is writing information, or improper app uses will also create soft bad sectors. They will gradually pile up and cause hard drive failure.

How to fix startup repair infinite loop

Now that we understand why the startup repair process gets stuck or fails, we can start to look at other solutions for the issue. This begins with testing your hard drive for issues and replacing it as a solution.

1. Using Windows diagnostic tools to test your hard drive

Just like startup repair, Windows computers has other built-in diagnostic tools for you to test your system. Tools like chkdsk and boot diagnostics can be used as a basic test for your hard drive. It will depend on whether you can get your computer to boot to Windows though, as some of these options launch as a Windows app.

Pre-boot

If you’re still stuck at boot up and can’t start your computer properly, boot diagnostics can help you test your hardware. This tool can help you run diagnostics on computer hardware and look for issues that require your attention. Components like the processor fan, battery, and your hard drive are tested for any possible hardware faults.

You’ll need the specific key used to enter the diagnostics option from the startup menu. For your specific brand of computer, this might be “ESC” key for HP, “F12” for Dell laptops, “Enter” key for Lenovo laptops, and “D” key for Apple Macs. Restart your laptop or desktop computer, then hold this key when you reach the logo splash screen.

After running diagnostics, your system will report found issues with an error message and a reference code. These codes may be specific to your computer’s brand as well. They can help you do further research on the issue reported, or be used when you report the issue to online support.

After booting to Windows

If you can get your computer to boot successfully to Windows, you may use chkdsk to test your hard drive. Chkdsk is a simple but very useful tool that tests for and attempt repairs on hard drive errors.

Chkdsk can be run as a command prompt or from the “tools” tab of the drive properties window. It can repair soft bad sectors and isolate hard bad sectors to be skipped over. If you run chkdsk every now and then, it can help to prevent premature hard drive failure.

Other than chkdsk, you may also choose to use pre-installed support apps specific to your computer’s brand. You can usually find these software as a built-in app. They may be more specialised to your computer’s model and can help you find online support solutions as well.

Want to read more from specialised guides about testing hard drives of different computer brands? We cover running hard drive diagnostics of Dell, HP, and Apple laptops and desktop computers.

2. Running dedicated hard drive support software

Using hard disk analysis software is also another option if you can’t boot successfully to Windows. Or you don’t quite find boot diagnostics to be sufficient. That’s where software such as WD Data Lifeguard and SeaTools can help you.

You won’t need your current computer to do this, so you don’t need to worry about booting to Windows or installing software on it. You do need a separate desktop computer and a USB to SATA enclosure box though. This method involves taking out the drive and testing it on a desktop computer via the USB to SATA enclosure. The enclosure box is also powered by a separate power source. All this ensures proper isolation for the drive, separate from any factors that might affect the test process and results.

By doing so with hard drive analysis software, you can truly thoroughly test your hard drive for issues that are causing your boot up issues. They often offer two options: quick test, and extended test. These tests will usually take longer than previously mentioned Windows tools.

3. Choose a replacement hard drive

If you’re getting boot up error messages, it’s likely that your drive is getting too damaged to repair. Even if you can boot up after using disk checkup software, the drive will continue to sustain damage and fail again. So getting a hard drive replacement could be an equally quick and lasting solution.

Getting to know your drive

When choosing a new replacement drive, it might be a good idea to use your current drive as a reference point. Note down your hard drive model number with the following methods, for further research:

From Device Manager, you can find properties of the drive under “Disk Drives”. You may also find the model number from entering BIOS setup from the startup menu as mentioned earlier. Another practical method is by simply opening up your computer and looking for the model number on the drive’s label.

Using your current drive as a reference can help you decide what you’re looking for. Some criteria to look out for when you’re considering a new hard drive include: form factor, capacity, and speeds.

Form factor

The physical size of the hard drive is what we call its form factor. Getting the right dimensions is important of course, or else the drive won’t fit in your system, naturally. There are only two sizes for consumer-grade hard drives, so you probably won’t make that mistake. Laptop hard drives come in a 2.5-inch size, and desktop computer hard drives are 3.5-inches each. This measurement is roughly the diameter of the platters within the drive.

2.5-inch drives are more compact to fit inside laptops. Because of this, it may not work as powerful as 3.5-inch desktop ones when installed on a desktop computer.

Capacity

After the drive’s physical size, then comes its virtual size. That is, how much data it can hold. As mentioned above, think about how much storage space you normally space and what you need.

For larger files like photography projects or movies, you might want to get upwards to 1TB or more. Otherwise, personal use of documents and music should only need 500GB or so.

Speed

The speed, or performance of the drive is determined by how fast the platters spin for reading and writing. This is represented in the RPM (revolutions-per-minute) of the drive. Consumer-grade hard drives usually come in either 5400RPM or 7200RPM. The faster the drive spins, the faster the read and write speeds.

The obvious choice may be the faster drive, but that might not be so. Moving parts within the drive need to be powered, and higher speeds might draw more power from the system. So for a slightly more balanced experience, some may choose to use a 5400RPM drive.

Upgrading to an SSD

What if you don’t want to have to replace your hard disk every 3 years or so? Using an SSD as a boot drive might be a more reliable and long-lasting choice for you. Solid-state drives don’t contain any moving parts that need to be powered, and generally are more durable than traditional hard drives. It also offers a more balanced experience that doesn’t sacrifice speed or power use. Learn more about the pros and cons of upgrading to an SSD in our guide here.

4. Install the new drive yourself

Replacing your hard drive yourself is almost an idiot-proof process that you can do yourself. We always encourage DIY projects, when it comes to computer hardware repairs that you can save money on. You won’t need that many tools either!

If you’re looking for guides more specific to your computer model, popular tech guide ifixit might be able to help you. They offer all sorts of repair guides for tech hardware that are tailored to different computer models.

5. Install Windows

To use your new drive as a boot drive, you’ll need to install Windows OS on it again. Using a USB installation media is a simple way to do this. All you need to do is download a Windows installation media onto a USB with at least 16GB space. Then boot from the drive, and you’re all set. Alternatively, you may also use recovery media of your system along with backed up files as well.

A final word

Like most things in this material world, hard drives do not last very long. Still, there are things you could do to keep you from catastrophic data loss or corruption. Things like proper shutdown processes or keeping regular backups are both healthy computing habits to keep. Running checkup apps from time to time can also help you get a read on the health of your hard drive.

Professional repairs

Thinking about taking your computer to a professional instead? An authorised service centre or a third party repair should be what you’re thinking of. Both are options that can ease your troubles of having to take time out of your busy schedule to do things yourself.

An authorised service centre can usually offer free support services if you’re still under care or warranty. These support solutions are specialised to the brand and model of your laptop or desktop computer. If you’re unable to get support from them, or your device’s warranty has expired, a third party repair might be the way for you.

That’s us! Our experienced and helpful technicians at Safemode Computer Service can get you the right hard drive solution for you. We are situated in Inner West Sydney, at a very convenient location surrounded by Marrickville and Newtown. Our repair services are highly rated among Sydney, and we can offer a top-to-bottom checkup and solution for your faulty hard drive. Make an appointment at our Enmore store today.

How to repair HP laptop hard drive: 5 simple steps

Do you own an HP laptop or desktop computer? Are you detecting signs of hard drive failure like slow performance or sudden crashes? A failing hard drive might be something you can’t ignore, as your entire computer depends on it to carry out tasks. Not only is your hard drive used for data storage, but your operating system is on there as well. Performing tests to diagnose the problem can help you find the right repair solution,

A brief overview

Widely known for their personal and business IT solutions, Hewlett-Packard (HP) produces different hardware and software products. A few of these include, HP Spectre, x360 laptops, Chromebooks, LaserJet printers, and EliteDesk Desktops.

Hard drive failure is a common problem that not only HP users face, and can be very irritating. On top of that, hard drive failure is also something that is quite unavoidable. Hard drives do fail over long-term use, and will need a replacement.

Why do hard drives fail?

Traditional spinning hard drives contain moving parts to read and write data. The moving parts are disadvantageous to the hard drive’s durability, as accidental damage or natural wear and tear can cause bad sectors. The bad sectors then put a risk to the drive’s lifespan.

So what are bad sectors? All hard drives come with small amounts of bad sectors, and they do accumulate over time. When they do accumulate to a considerable amount, the hard drive will start to fail. Errors like slow boot up times and corrupt files are signs of such. Learn more about why hard drives fail and some error signs to look out for in “Top 8 hard drive issues and how to fix them yourself”.

Fixing a faulty hard drive

HP users may use specific tools and tests to diagnose their laptop or desktop drives. This may be a good precaution against data loss from hard drive failure. Understanding the problem at hand and using the right tools can help you find the right solution.

Here’s our guide to diagnosing and repairing an HP hard drive yourself:

1. Test hard drive with HP built-in diagnostics

For your HP laptop or desktop computer, you have a few options here: chkdsk, HP Support Assistant, and HP Diagnostics UEFI. These tools can be used to test your system for any hardware issues.

“Chkdsk” can be found on all Windows PCs, and is used as a simple hard disk checkup tool. If your computer still boots successfully, you can run it from a command prompt, or the properties window of your hard drive.

Chkdsk can attempt repairs on soft bad sectors caused by software errors, and mark hard bad sectors caused by physical damage to be skipped over. If run regularly, it can be a useful tool to prevent and fix things before actual failure.

HP built-in tools

As you can tell from their names, HP Support Assistant and HP Diagnostics UEFI are HP-specific tools designed to test HP devices for any issues presented. These two apps should already come with your computer, but you may also download it from the HP Support site if needed.

If you can start your computer up successfully, you can launch HP Support Assistant for diagnostics and online support. If you can’t get your computer to boot to Windows, you’ll have to use HP Diagnostics UEFI at bootup.

HP Support Assistant

HP Support Assistant is where you can find all the information you need about your computer. It is also where you can run diagnostics on all components on your system. You can launch the pre-installed app to do so.

To test your system, you may run simple checks like Performance Tune-up Check for system optimization. Or run HP Hardware Diagnostics to test for potential hardware issues. This not only includes the hard drive, but also components like memory and the video card. So you might even find other hardware issues that you can fix yourself.

HP Diagnostics UEFI

You can still test your hardware for issues if you can’t boot successfully to Windows (blank or stuck at HP splash screen). To use HP Diagnostics, just hold the “Esc” key when you restart your computer to reach the startup menu. Then press “F12” for System Diagnostics.

HP Diagnostics performs a full system checkup, and will report any hardware faults with failure codes. After you note down any failure code you get, you may check with HP Customer Support to find the right solution to the failure

2. Test your hard drive with dedicated analysis software

Sometimes simple system tests aren’t enough to fully test your hard drive. Then the next step might be testing it with dedicated hard drive analysis software. Software like WD Data Lifeguard (Western Digital) or SeaTools (Seagate) are some tools you can use.

Hard drive analysis software often offers two test options: Quick and Extended. With quick tests, data on the drive is verified and and a SMART test is performed. This tests for any potential soft errors and failures. Extended tests are more thorough, with stress tests that diagnose bad sectors. They usually take longer, up to an hour or more.

With this method, you’ll have to do a little more prep than just launching an application. This involves taking out the faulty hard drive from your laptop or desktop computer, and connecting it to a different desktop computer via a SATA enclosure box. Testing the drive on a desktop computer keeps it isolated from other factors that may affect its performance. The SATA enclosure being powered by a different power source also helps for this thorough check.

While the above options can test and repair rising problems, bad sectors are unavoidable and can still cause the eventual failure of the drive. So if you may want to choose a long term solution over a short fix that may only buy you another year on the drive. This brings us to hard drive replacements.

3. Choose a hard drive replacement

Understanding what you need and want in a drive and its performance can help you choose the right drive for your computing experience. Here are a few things to look out for.

Finding your own hard drive model

Your current hard drive model can be your reference while you’re looking for a new one. By judging your experience with your current drive, you’ll be able to gauge what kind of experience you want out of your computer. You may want a faster drive, or more storage space. And comparing that with the drive you have been using can help you decide.

You can find information about your hard drive model on HP Support Assistant, along with other hardware and software information. Or you can find it from Device Manager, under “Disk Drives”. The properties page can help you find information for further research.

If your computer can’t boot correctly to get to the above methods, you can check your hard drive model from BIOS setup. This is F10 from the startup menu that is prompted by holding Esc during boot up.

Or you could just open your laptop up and see for yourself. Hard drives have information such as model and serial number printed on the front label. Taking it out for a quick look is also an easy way to familiarise yourself with your laptop.

What should I look for in a hard drive?

Form factor

A 2.5-inch hard drive.

SATA hard drives mostly come in two physical sizes, 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch. This refers to the rough diameter of the spinning platters on the drive. Laptops generally use 2.5-inch drives, while desktop computers contain the latter. As the 2.5-inch drives are smaller to fit into the laptop bodies they relatively have less storage capacity than 3.5-inch ones.

Capacity

If you’re happy with the storage space you’ve been using before, it could be a good idea to stick with that. This helps to avoid buying too much space that you won’t be using anyway.

Still determining how much space you actually need can be hard to imagine. For reference, you’d normally require 250-500GB for personal use of documents and media files. For professional use of larger media files such as creative projects, you might need at least 1TB or more.

Speed

The revolutions per minute (RPM) of the spinning platters determines how fast the drive can read and write data. It goes without saying, the faster the RPM, the faster the performance of the drive.

Consumer-grade drives usually come in either 5400RPM or 7200 RPM. As mentioned, you’d of course want to choose the higher RPM. Even so, as the moving parts do need to be powered, the higher the RPM, the more power the drive will draw. So for a more balanced but not as fast performance, 5400RPM might be the way to go.

Replacing HDD with SSD

Samsung 840 EVO 2.5-inch SSD.

An SSD upgrade can get you the best of both worlds. By using NAND memory, it does not contain machinery that needs to be powered. This means it draws much less power, and offers better durability and performance. SSD upgrades are more and more popular these days as a quick performance boost. Learn more in our guide to SSD upgrades.

Where can I buy a hard drive replacement?

There are many options in the world of tech hardware these days, both online and in-store. Buying from trusted retailers like Amazon or directly from HP can usually get you a reliable purchase.

If you’re keen to get some in-person advice, shopping in store can also be a great option. By going to a local retailer you may be able to get useful pointers on the right hard drive replacement for you.

4. Install your new hard drive

Now comes the real stuff. Installing your hard drive by yourself should take nothing more than a few simple tools and a few guidelines to follow. This is an almost-immediate solution to hard drive failure as you’ll be able to replace it and use it in no time.

HP Support’s YouTube channel has a lot of resources and video tutorials that show people how to replace and repair their own HP devices. Here’s one about replacing the hard drive or SSD on an HP EliteBook 840 G3 Notebook PC:

Popular tech DIY site ifixit also offers repair and upgrade guides for all sorts of hardware products, including HP products. Find a repair guide specific to your HP laptop or desktop computer there.

5. Install Windows on new drive

You won’t be able to use your computer once you’ve only installed it as there is no operating system on it. Starting it up will only prompt errors like “no operating system found”. To start using your new drive as a boot drive, a Windows installation will naturally be needed.

An easy way to reinstall Windows on your new drive is by using a USB installation media. First, download a Windows installation media onto a USB with at least 16GB capacity. Then, at startup, hold “Esc” just like before to enter the startup menu. But this time we’re not looking for F2 Diagnostics. Select F9 Boot options menu and choose which device to boot from. Install Windows, then you’re done!

Summary

To sum up, fixing hard drive issues by yourself can be a very simple and rewarding thing to accomplish. We take pride in giving the right DIY solutions, as we very much enjoy making tech easy for people. A quick tip though, always remember to backup your data. Creating regular backups not only secures your files from potential crashes, it also puts your mind at ease. Knowing that your data can be accessed from a safe place anytime is always a good feeling.

Professional repair

While everyone is totally capable of doing all this themselves, you may find yourself too busy or you might not have the right hardware tools. Choosing to go with a professional repair can then be something to think about.

For specialised professional repairs, you can take your computer to an HP-authorized service centre. Bringing along any information about errors reported will also be a great help to support technicians. However, their replacement and repair services offered may depend on your computer model and the state of the hard drive.

Checking your warranty before doing all this might also be a good idea. If your HP laptop or desktop computer is still under warranty, you might be able to get a free replacement and servicing from an HP-authorized service centre. If not, your only professional repair solution will be from a third-party repair service.

Speaking of third-party repairs, that’s where we can help! Located in Inner West Sydney, our technicians at Safemode Computer Service are highly rated and knowledgeable. We offer full checkup services and can provide you with the right repair solutions to any problem you might have. Call us today or drop by our Inner West store for a friendly chat.