Hello friends! We receive many letters on our website asking us to describe how to replace a DVD drive with additional HDD or SSD in a laptop, which is what we will do in today’s article. For readers who do not quite understand what we are talking about, I will briefly explain.
Now in computer stores and andOnline supermarkets for computer and digital equipment sell special adapters. SlimDVD -> 2.5 at a price of 1200-1300 rubles.The laptop hard drive is installed into the adapter itself, then the adapter is inserted into the laptop instead of the disk drive optical disks, and an SSD is installed in place of the laptop’s HDD. As a result, you have two hard drives in your laptop. On the SSD you install operating system (more advanced users can simply transfer Windows from HDD to SSD), and use the laptop hard drive to store files. In my opinion, it is a very good idea to remove the drive and install an HDD instead, since if you ask you when you last used the drive, you won’t even remember.
Toshiba laptop hard drive in a special Espada SS95 adapter
All your questions on this topic:
1. Is it possible to replace a DVD-ROM (disk drive) with an additional SSD on your own, without resorting to a service, using a special adapter? Isn’t this too difficult?
2. Will an SSD drive installed instead of a drive be visible in the BIOS and is it possible to install an operating system on it?
3. Is it better to install a regular laptop HDD in this adapter, and install an SSD solid-state drive instead of the HDD? If yes, then how in this case can you transfer the Windows 7, 8.1 operating system to an SSD from a regular laptop HDD?
To install an SSD drive in a laptop instead of a disk drive, you do not need to be computer technician, because you don’t have to disassemble the entire laptop, you just need to remove the drive and hard drive, but still to the point needs to be taken into accountin all seriousness, workcarefully and slowly.
Friends, this article is provided for your information and if your laptop is still under warranty, then after such a replacement you will naturally lose this warranty. If you are not confident in yourself, make such a replacement in the service, but still read the article first to decide what exactly you will install in such an adapter - a regular laptop HDD or an SSD, I recommend HDD, and install the SSD in the standard location of the hard drive laptop.
Get ready for the fact that in most cases not everything will go smoothly (I deliberately chose a difficult example so that you know some of the pitfalls), since such DVD -> HDD adapters are not officially made by any laptop manufacturing company, but despite this, a large Some of these Chinese devices work great.
- Note: First remove from the laptop battery, if it is impossible to remove it, then be sure to disconnect it from the motherboard; this should always be done when disassembling the laptop. By doing this you will insure yourself and your laptop from possible troubles. When working, do not touch the components located on the laptop motherboard with your hands or a screwdriver.
Select and buy an adapter for installing an HDD instead of a disk drive on a laptop
One of my friends bought this Espada SS95 9.5 mm SATA adapter for 1200 rubles
and asked me to replace the DVD-ROM with an HDD, but did not take into account that there are two types of disk drives in laptops: a regular disk drive 12.7 mm high and an ultra thin one from 9.5 mm. My friend’s laptop is not new and has a 12.7 mm disk drive, but despite this, the 9.5 mm adapter was still installed and sits firmly in its place.
Still, I advise you to buy an adapter the size of your drive and there will be fewer problems with installation.
When choosing an adapter for installing an HDD instead of a disk drive on a laptop, keep in mind that some adapters come with special “ears” and such an adapter can be easily removed back.
Removing the laptop drive
Friends, articles have already been written and are almost ready on how to make such a replacement on HP, Toshiba, ASUS laptops, and we will start with SONY.
Turn off our laptop and turn it upside down.
Disconnecting the battery
If the battery is not removable, then be sure to disconnect the battery connector from the motherboard!
Disconnecting the DVD-ROM
Don't rush to disassemble your entire laptop! To disconnect the disk drive on a laptop, you usually do not need to remove the bottom cover of the laptop or, even worse, disassemble the entire laptop, but only need to unscrew two screws. If you have never done this, type in a search engine the request - How to remove a disk drive from (hereinafter referred to as your laptop model).
Disconnecting the laptop hard drive
In case of SONY laptop There are no problems at all, we unscrew two screws and remove the cover and here is our hard drive. Unscrew two more screws
And carefully pull the silicone tab, the HDD is removed from its place.
Installing a laptop hard drive into the Espada SS95 adapter
In my opinion, we need to install a laptop hard drive in this adapter, and in the rightful place of the HDD we will install an SSD solid-state drive, onto which we will install or transfer the operating system. This needs to be done because the SATA port of the drive (up to 1.5 Gb/s) is often slower than the SATA port (6 Gb/s) of the hard drive.
Located on SSD Windows will work much faster than it would on a regular HDD. Almost all laptop HDDs have a 2.5 form factor, just like SSDs, so an SSD will fit perfectly in place of the HDD.
The laptop hard drive is located in special “slides” and is attached to them with four screws; unscrew them and release the HDD.
P adapter Espada SS95
Now, friends, the time has come for our adapter. We have it in this box,
In addition to the adapter itself, the plastic packaging contains a small screwdriver, a bag of screws, a plastic blanking panel and a spacer.
We take out the adapter
First, you need to remove the special fasteners from the drive and attach them to our adapter.
Note. The optical drive is located on top, and our adapter is located on the bottom. This mount on the drive must be removed and attached with the same two screws to the adapter. Using this mount, the adapter will be attached to the laptop body.
We install the laptop hard drive into the adapter and carefully insert it into the SATA connector.
Then we install the “spacer” into the adapter.
The hard drive in the adapter is secured not only with the help of a spacer. Turn the adapter over and tighten the screw securing the hard drive in the adapter.
On the other side of the adapter there is also a screw, only it is somewhat “recessed” in its place; we screw it in using a thin screwdriver.
Now remove another mount from the drive
and attach it to the adapter.
We put a plug on the adapter
We install the adapter in the laptop in place of the disk drive.
We attach the sleds remaining from the laptop hard drive to the solid-state drive
and install the SSD in place of the HDD and secure it to the laptop case with two screws.
Close the hard drive bay with a cover and secure it with screws. We also attach the adapter to the laptop body with two screws. We put the battery in place.
Side view of our laptop.
Installing Windows 8.1 on SSD
We enter the BIOS and see only one 120 GB SSD solid state drive; a regular laptop HDD connected via an adapter is not seen by the BIOS. This sometimes happens on various laptops, but nevertheless, if you install it on SSD operating system system, then the space of the HDD connected via the adapter will be available.
Program Windows installations 8.1 still sees both drives: Disk 0 (SSD) and Disk 1 (HDD).
We install the Windows 8.1 operating system on the SSD.
We go to Disk Management and see our SSD solid state drive (120 GB capacity) with installed Windows 8.1 and a regular HDD (capacity 320 GB) with Windows 7 installed.
What happens if you leave one adapter in your laptop without an SSD?
You see for yourself, there are no defined hard drive models in the BIOS,
Conclusion:
Let’s say you are happy with everything in your laptop, then you definitely shouldn’t indulge in such experiments, another thing is, if you are an enthusiast and want to get the most out of your laptop, then definitely, our article is for you!
It's no secret that today many laptop owners no longer use standard built-in DVD drives, since the popularity of optical disks is decreasing every year, and they are being replaced by compact and capacious USB drives. And so that the unnecessary drive does not take up space in the system, it can be replaced with an adapter for connecting an SSD or a regular 2.5-inch HDD drive.
Instructions for installing an SSD drive instead of a DVD drive in a laptop
Before disassembling the laptop itself, you need to buy the HDD-DRIVE Caddy SATA-SATA adapter necessary for this operation, which is shaped like a regular built-in DVD drive of a laptop and has a special niche with SATA connectors for connecting an additional internal drive. Buy this device By low prices possible at trading platforms, such as Aliexpress, or in similar online stores.
You will also need a free 2.5-inch HDD drive to install in a free bay.
After you have acquired everything you need, you can proceed:
Turn off your laptop, close the screen, turn it upside down and disconnect the battery;
Using a suitable screwdriver, remove the protective plastic cover to expose the drive (the principle is similar for almost all laptop models and manufacturers).
Unscrew all the drive mounting screws, and then carefully remove it from the case. This is usually easily done through its side mounting hole;
For reference. In some laptop models, the DVD drive is secured with one screw located under the keyboard. With this design, there is no need to remove the lower part of the housing to dismantle it. It is enough to remove the fixation of several latches, lift the keyboard, unscrew the screw and remove the DVD drive in the direction of opening the tray.
Then you need to install a new SSD or HDD drive into the bay of the purchased adapter, and place the already assembled structure in the place of the previous drive. Don't forget to connect the power cable and screw back all the fixing screws;
Reassemble the back of the laptop in reverse order, install the battery and try turning on the system.
For reference. Installed disk may not be determined immediately. It may be necessary to format it through Disk Management Manager. To do this, go to the control panel, select “System and Security”, then click “Administration”, then “Computer Management”. The system will detect the new connected drive and by right-clicking on it, you can easily format it to the desired format. file system, and also give it a name that will be displayed in Windows Explorer.
That's all, we hope the article was useful and was able to explain to you how to properly connect an SSD/HDD drive instead of a DVD drive in a laptop.
Not long ago I wandered onto some site where the advantages of SSDs were described: high read/write speeds, low heat dissipation, low weight - in general, if not for the price, HDDs would have already sunk into oblivion. Having caught fire with the idea, I definitely wanted to try to install it in the laptop - besides, as I saw during disassembly, it just had one compartment the size of an SSD, but, as it turned out, only mini PCI-E was installed there, and SSDs were more expensive for him and did not boast high speed, so I decided to insert an SSD instead of a DVD drive, which I have not used for a long time.
Luckily, the local DNS had this useful little thing lying around in stock, designed to simplify the task for people like me: Adapter for connecting a 2.5" HDD to a laptop drive bay, SATA for 1,150 rubles.
The kit included a plug stylized to resemble the end of a DVD drive (light bulb, button).
Looking ahead, it didn't fit perfectly.
But the choice of SSDs was wide, and after much thought and surfing the forums I settled on Crucial M4, for 3650 rubles (by the way, now, after 2 months, it costs 2890 - which, however, is normal for DNS - they like to constantly change prices). I was advised to take an SSD on a Marvel controller - they are, they say, more reliable and do not cause “screens of death”, can work for a long time, and are even good for health.
There were no slides or bolts in the design.
The choice is made - it's time to go to the store. Even when I bought it, I was surprised by the light weight of the box - I even thought that they forgot to put the disc itself. He opened it, took out the papers - and was almost convinced that it was empty inside, but to clear his conscience, he decided to turn the case over - and found a disk. Damn, it’s incredibly light, 50 grams!
Arriving home, the first thing I did was unscrew all the screws on back cover laptop, and then out of interest I unscrewed the drive mount (1 screw) and tried to push it out with a screwdriver. To my surprise, it came out almost immediately, so I was in vain intending to disassemble the laptop.
Having inserted the SSD into the box (by the way, if you put it completely down, the connector will not fit into the connector - the disk must be inserted raised), I carefully placed the entire resulting structure into the bowels of the laptop. Boxing connected very smoothly with SATA connector, but ended up going too deep. The plug “bulged” it back a little, but still you can immediately feel the gap to the touch. Visually - everything is fine.
I was much more upset by the fact that this box cannot be secured with a screw on the back cover - I was able to remove the fasteners from the drive, but there were no such holes on the box. Maybe someday I'll get around to it and I'll do something about it. However, it’s unlikely that the box will be able to come out - when I sank it almost completely empty into the case for testing, I had to pull it out with screwdrivers.
results
Now out of 60 GB I have about 55 occupied, 30-35 are occupied by the system and programs, another dozen are occupied by a couple of games, the rest is just rubbish. This despite the fact that I was not particularly worried about its “cleanliness” from the very purchase, which was about 2 months.
I forgot to mention: on my laptop I have a chipset that only supports SATA II, which slightly limits the speed.
Well, at the same time the configuration:
Lenovo B560
Intel Core i3 M370 (2.4 GHz)
Nvidia GeForce 310M
RAM: 3 GB
For some reason, they often write a rating for Windows - I don’t know how correct it is, but just in case I’ll write it: 7.7 out of 7.9 maximum.
Here is a screenshot of Crystal Disk Mark for SSD, I’ll note in advance that I deliberately left the background with chrome bookmarks at 40:
For comparison, the same test for HDD:
A small glitch:
launching Photoshop CS4 - 4 seconds;
launching World of Tanks (before the login window) - 20 seconds;
launch MO Word 2007 - 1 second.
Installing Windows 7 from a regular flash drive to a clean SSD took about 5 minutes.
As a result, I am generally pleased with the purchase: working on the laptop has become much more enjoyable, and the speed has increased. And an extra 60 GB wouldn't hurt, would it?
PS: the post was written over the course of 2 months, so it’s a little bit lumpy. If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer.
Tags: ssd, upgrade, lenovo, b560
Every year, users resort to using optical drives less and less. USB drives and services cloud storage Due to convenience and portability, data has almost completely replaced CD/DVD disks. Many users are unhappy that the disk drive in their laptop takes up space that could be used for something more useful. Fortunately, there is a way to do this. Indeed, instead of an unnecessary disk drive, you can install an additional SSD disk, onto which you can transfer the operating system, and store all your files on a regular HDD. This approach is very practical and convenient. In this article we will take a closer look at how to install it instead of DVD in a laptop. Let's figure it out. Go!
Installing an SSD and HDD on a laptop is not as difficult as it seems
In online stores and regular stores that sell computer components, you can purchase a special Slim DVD adapter, which allows you to install a hard drive instead of an optical drive. It works as follows. The HDD of your computer is inserted into the adapter, then the disk together with the adapter is mounted instead of the drive, and an SSD is installed in the place where the computer’s hard drive was previously installed. Agree, it sounds quite simple. In reality, everything is not so complicated either.
Let's get started. You need to start, of course, by purchasing a Slim DVD adapter. Adapters, like disk drives, come in two types: 12.7 mm and 9.5 mm. Depending on what kind of drive you have, buy the appropriate adapter, otherwise the hard drive simply cannot be placed in place of the optical drive. If you have already purchased it, then you can proceed to installation.
The first step is to remove the necessary components. This is not difficult to do, because you do not have to completely disassemble the laptop, but you will only remove some of its components. It’s worth noting right away that if your computer is under warranty, then such modifications will void the warranty. Despite the fact that this whole procedure is not very complicated, it should be taken with the utmost seriousness and responsibility. Therefore, if you are not confident in your own abilities, it is better to entrust this work to a master.
First, remove the battery, but if your laptop cannot be easily removed, then disconnect it from the motherboard to avoid possible problems and problems. There is no need to remove the entire bottom. It is enough to unscrew a couple of screws to remove the HDD. It's the same story with the optical drive. You can easily find it on the Internet detailed information on disassembling each laptop model (since they are all different). See how to remove the floppy drive and hard drive from specific model laptop. After you have removed the appropriate covers, remove the HDD. To do this, you need to pull the special silicone tab. Since the HDD is mounted on special skids, they must be removed by unscrewing the corresponding screws.
Now you need to install the drive into the adapter. As a rule, everything needed for installation is included inside the box with the adapter, namely: a screwdriver, screws, a plug, a spacer and instructions. Please note that you need to remove the special fasteners located on the sides of the drive and screw them to the adapter. Install the HDD into the adapter and insert it into the SATA connector. Then install the spacer. The HDD itself still needs to be secured with a screw on the other side of the Slim DVD. To do this, you will need a thin screwdriver, which comes with the kit. Then remove the fastener from the other side of the optical drive and attach it to the adapter. Place a plug. All. Now you can insert the drive into the drive location.
The next step is to mount the SSD. Attach to it the skids on which the HDD was once attached. Then insert the SSD in place of the hard drive, screwing it to the laptop using two screws.
Now all that remains is to screw back the covers covering the compartments for the drive and hard drive. Ready. Turn the computer over and turn it on. After downloading, you will see that an additional drive has appeared on your computer.
Now you know how to replace a laptop drive with an additional SSD drive. As you can see, it's quite simple. Write in the comments whether this article was useful to you and share your impressions and experiences with other users if you have already tried installing an additional drive instead of an optical drive.
Due to the constant saving of newly captured photos, music and videos, there was not enough space on the 250 GB hard drive, also called a hard drive, installed in my Samsung-R719 laptop. The question arose of choosing a new one hard drive larger volume to replace it.
Another question of choice new hard drive may occur if it fails due to aging, magnetic coating on the drives, or failure electronic board. Service centers repairs hard drives they don't do it.
An HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or its modern analogue, an SSD (Solid State Drives) in a computer or laptop is designed for recording, storing and reading information. Without a device for storing information, any computer product will not be able to fully operate.
Choosing a HDD for a laptop
For the right choice hard drive for a laptop, first of all you need to decide on its basic technical characteristics, such as:
- Hard disk capacity;
- Method of storing information (HDD or SSD);
- The type of connector (interface) with which HDD connects to laptop;
- Form factor (geometric dimensions).
By memory capacity
Currently, only hard drives with a capacity of 500 GB or more are commercially available for storing information data. This amount of hard drive in the computer will be enough to install all the necessary software, store photos, music and own video. If you need to contain an archive of films, you will need a hard drive with a capacity of 1 TB or more. When choosing a hard drive, please note that not all motherboards Support hard drives larger than 2 TB.
Don't be surprised if installed in computer hard a disk, for example, with a capacity of 1 TB, will have a capacity of 0.93 TB when checked. The fact is that the computer processes information in the binary system, in which 1 GB = 1024 MB, and manufacturers indicate the volume of the hard drive in the decimal system (which is not true), considering that 1 TB = 1000 GB. A kind of marketing technique that misleads consumers. In addition, part of the hard drive's memory is used by the computer system to store service information.
By method of storing information
Recently, a new type of hard drive has appeared on the market and is becoming popular, in which information is stored not on magnetic disks, but using microcircuits that are widely used in flash drives connected to computers. USB port. Such drives are called solid-state drives and are briefly designated SSD (Solid State Drives). Due to the absence of mechanical components, solid-state SSD drives have high operating speed and high reliability. But their cost is more than twice the cost of traditional HDDs. So the choice depends entirely on the budget allocated for replacement of hard disk.
There is a third, combined type of hard drive for laptops. On a regular board hard HDD The disk additionally installs SSD memory chips, which store information frequently requested by the computer system. This allows you to significantly increase the speed of the disk as a whole with a slight increase in its cost.
When buying a hard drive for a laptop on a limited budget, I recommend paying attention to the combined type of hard drive.
By laptop interface type
There are two ways to find out the type of interface installed in a laptop HDD - informational and mechanical. When using the information method, you need to go to the control panel of the laptop, then to the List of equipment and find out the model of the installed hard drive. Easy to find online by model number specifications, from which you can find out all the parameters of the hard drive.
The mechanical method is simpler, since it does not require searching and understanding the technical characteristics of the hard drive; it is enough to have only a Phillips-head screwdriver on hand. First you need to close all programs, turn off the laptop and fold it. Next, turn the laptop over and place it so as not to scratch the lid on a soft surface. Usually, on all removable laptop covers it is written what is hidden under them.
Attention, before removing a hard drive, SSD, DVD, memory sticks or any other device, to avoid damage to the laptop, you must turn it off, unplug the power adapter and remove the battery.
Typically, the battery in the laptop case is fixed using two movable latches, which are released by moving them in the direction of the arrow on the laptop lid with sliders connected to them. Both sliders must be simultaneously moved along the arrows on the cover and the battery must be moved to the side, as shown in the photo, and removed.
On the cover of the compartment in which the hard drive is installed, there is the inscription HDD, and under it there is an arrow in the form of a triangle, indicating in which direction you need to slide the cover to remove it after unscrewing the screws located on it.
To separate the connector on the hard drive, there is a tongue made of thick plastic. You need to grab it and move the disk, as shown in the photo, away from the connector.
After removing the hard drive from the laptop, it became obvious that a SATA type serial interface was used to connect the hard drive Serial-ATA. The photo shows this type of connector, with which today the vast majority of laptops, regardless of the manufacturer, connect the hard drive.
And this is what the Serial-ATA connector looks like on a hard or SSD drive. Previously, laptops used an IDE connector to connect hard drives.
Connector IDE It is a set of two rows of pins protruding from the base, as in the photo, so it is easy to distinguish it from the Serial-ATA connector.
Speed characteristics of the SATA Revision specification interface
To connect hard drives, computers use Serial-ATA connectors of one of three specifications.
SATA connectors of all specifications are interchangeable. For example, an SSD with a SATA 3.0 connector can be installed in a laptop that has a SATA 1.0 connector. In this case, the maximum information transfer speed will be limited by the data transfer capability of the SATA 1.0 connector.
The specification of a connector determines only its capabilities, and real speed write-read is determined by technical characteristics of hard disk installed in the laptop. For example, a modern, one of the best Seagate hard drives with a capacity of 3 TB has a maximum read/write speed of only 150 MB/s for large volumes of information, and only 1 MB/s for small files. Thus, any hard drive will provide maximum data transfer speed, regardless of the computer’s SATA interface specification.
It's another matter if a solid-state SSD is installed in the computer. In some models, the read-write speed is up to 550 MB/second. To implement such a speed, you will only need an interface of the SATA Revision 3.0 specification.
Determining the hard drive form factor
The form factor determines the standard geometric dimensions of a hard drive. In laptops you can find hard drives of the 2.5” form factor (69.9 mm wide) with a case thickness of 7, 9.5 or 15 mm. As a rule, manufacturers install 2.5” form factor hard drives with a thickness of 9.5 mm in laptops.
The form factor of the hard drive can be found out from the technical specifications of the model or you can measure the thickness of the drive with any flat ruler or caliper.
Additional technical specifications
SSD drives
To correctly select a new hard drive, it is enough to take into account its technical characteristics listed above. When choosing a replacement solid-state SSD drive, you must additionally pay attention to the type of memory chips on which the solid-state drive is made, since its service life depends on this.
Types of SSD memory chips
In SSD drives, manufacturers install memory chips of one of three types:
- TLC is the cheapest type of memory with a rewriting resource of at least 1000 cycles;
- MLC is the optimal type of memory for a home computer with a rewriting resource of at least 3,000 cycles;
- 3D NAND is the most expensive and fastest memory with a rewrite life of more than 10,000 cycles.
At first glance, it seems that 3000 rewriting cycles to the disk is not enough, but if you do the calculation, then for a 240 GB SSD disk this memory resource will be enough for decades of intensive use.
For example, my computer has a 240 GB SSD drive. I work on a laptop every day, and additionally, it records 24/7 from three high-definition street surveillance cameras.
Let's calculate the actual rewriting resource of an SSD disk: - 240 GB × 3000 cycles = 720,000 GB = 720 TB. No more than 30 GB of video and other information is recorded per day, less than 10.8 TB per year. Let's divide the disk resource by the annual recording volume: 720/10.8= 66 years old.
Calculations have shown that a solid-state SSD disk assembled from chips of any type of memory, in home computer will become morally obsolete before it exhausts its resource.
How to transfer system and files
in a laptop from the old hard drive to the new one
Having decided on the main technical parameters hard drive, which guarantee the possibility of installing it in a laptop, you can begin to select and purchase it.
On new ones hard drives x not installed Windows system and after connecting it to the laptop you will need to install Windows everything software necessary for work. This is a rather labor-intensive process, as it requires care, patience and a lot of time.
The task can be simplified using special programs for cloning hard drives, for example, Paragon Drive Copy. The program supports the Russian language and any laptop user can understand it.
In order to use Paragon Drive Copy, you need to install it on your old hard drive, connect the new drive to your laptop, run the cloning program and wait until all the information is copied. Then install the new disk in the laptop and you can immediately work on it, as if the hard disk had never changed.
How to install a second hard drive in a laptop
To transfer the system and files (cloning) from an old disk, you need to connect two hard drives to the laptop at the same time, which is not provided for by its design. There are two ways to solve this problem:
- Use a special adapter container in the form external box;
- Install an adapter container instead of a DVD drive, which will allow you to add a second hard drive to your laptop.
Both options are equivalent and it all depends on your future plans for using the old hard drive. If you plan to use the removed hard drive as a USB flash drive for storing and transferring large amounts of information, then you should purchase an external adapter container. And if a hard drive is required to expand the total storage capacity on a laptop, then you will need to install an adapter container instead of a standard DVD drive.
I had to use both options. Several years ago, when I needed to increase the capacity of my hard drive, and a DVD drive was still in demand, I had to buy external USB container adapter in the form of a remote box. And the second time, when I wanted to replace the mechanical hard drive with an SSD drive in order to increase the laptop’s performance and increase the storage capacity. The DVD drive was no longer needed and instead an adapter container for a second hard drive was installed in the laptop.
Using a USB adapter container
The market offers a wide range of adapter containers in the form of an external box, which are designed to connect a hard drive to a laptop via its external USB interface.
When choosing, the main thing is that the form factor and internal interface of the adapter match the form factor and interface of the hard drive. There are also adapters with which the hard drive is connected directly to the laptop connector. They cost less, but are inconvenient to use because, if accidentally touched, such an adapter can easily be broken.
The hard drive adapter container is a plastic or metal box with an external mini-USB connector and an operation indicator LED. The adapter container is connected to the computer using a standard flexible cord with connectors at the ends of mini-USB and USB.
Since 2.5-inch hard drives consume little current, the power provided by the bus laptop usb quite sufficient and no additional power source is required.
For installing hard drive into the adapter container, you need to remove the cover from it, place the hard drive in it and slide it onto the interface connector. After this, close the lid and use standard USB cord to connect the adapter container to the computer. Now the additional hard drive will work like a familiar USB flash drive. Thanks to the use of an adapter container, it will be possible to quickly connect a hard drive to any laptop or desktop computer.
Instead of a DVD drive
To date DVDs have lost their relevance, and optical DVD drives installed in laptops are only collecting dust. To expand the technical capabilities of laptops, the industry has mastered the production of special adapters that allow you to install a second hard drive in a laptop instead of a useless DVD drive.
The form factor and interface connector are the same for all DVD drives installed in laptops, and they come in thicknesses of 9.5 mm and 12.7 mm. Therefore, before purchasing an adapter, you should find out the thickness of the one installed in your laptop dvd drive.
There are two ways to determine the size of a DVD drive. Go to the “Device Manager” of your computer and find its technical specifications using the drive model on the Internet. But it is more advisable to remove the drive from the laptop and measure its thickness, since at the same time it will be possible to study how the drive is designed and figure out how it is removed.
To remove the DVD drive from the laptop case, you need to unscrew just one screw using a Phillips screwdriver, which is located on the side of the bottom cover of the laptop in the area where the drive is located. This screw usually has ODD next to it and an arrow pointing to the head of the screw. After this, the drive can be easily removed.
Since the thickness of adapters for hard drives differs significantly, it is easy to determine it by eye, but to avoid mistakes, it is better to measure it with any ruler or caliper. Measuring the size of the DVD drive installed in my Samsung-R719 laptop using a caliper showed that its thickness is 12.7 mm.
Where can I buy an adapter to replace a DVD drive?
After determining the form factor of the DVD drive installed in the laptop compartment, you can start purchasing an adapter. Computer and digital equipment stores have a large selection of Chinese hard drive adapters for installation instead of a DVD drive, costing around $15.
Exactly such adapters, made in China, can be purchased in the Aliexpress online store for $4, although you will have to wait for delivery from a month to two.
My choice fell on an adapter made of aluminum alloy, since the hard drive heats up during operation, and metal dissipates heat better. The screw method was chosen for fixing the hard drive in the adapter as it is more reliable. 40 days after payment for the order, the adapter was received by mail. Upon opening the soft packaging and careful inspection, no defects were found. There was also a small Phillips screwdriver in the package.
Replacing a DVD drive with an adapter with a hard drive
Before installing the hard drive into the adapter, you need to perform preparatory work, which consists of transferring the corner with the threaded hole and the front panel from the DVD drive to the purchased adapter.
A corner with a threaded axle for fixing the DVD drive in the laptop case is located next to its interface connector and secured with two screws. The adapter did not have a corner, but there were two threaded holes in the required location.
Therefore, I had to remove the corner from the DVD drive and, observing the orientation, secure it to the adapter using the unscrewed screws.
The decorative plastic panel installed on the purchased adapter (lower in the photo) differed in shape and size from the panel installed on the laptop DVD drive. Therefore, to prevent large cracks from appearing and the appearance laptop, I had to remove the panel from the DVD drive case and install it on the hard drive adapter case.
The photo shows a laptop with an adapter installed with the front panel installed by the manufacturer. As you can see, the appearance of the laptop is not pleasing to the eye.
Changing the panel is not a difficult task if you know where the latches are and how to release them. It is better to remove the panel from the adapter first, since it will no longer be needed and if the latches accidentally break, this will not lead to undesirable consequences.
In a DVD drive removed from a laptop, the pull-out tray for installing disks, on which the front panel is attached, is recessed, and it is impossible to reach the latches in this position. But to extend it, there is a small hole on the panel, into which it is enough to push a metal rod, such as a needle or a straightened paper clip, using a couple of centimeters of pressure.
The decorative front panel on the DVD drive pull-out tray is secured with two latches. One latch shown in the photo is on the edge right side panels. To release the latch, just press the blade of a screwdriver on it in the recess provided for this.
The second latch is located on the opposite side of the panel and is slightly removed from its end. It is released from entanglement in the same way.
The front panel is removed from the adapter in the same way. After removing it, you need to install the removed front panel from the DVD drive onto the adapter and you can install the hard drive.
After installing the hard drive, you need to secure it in the adapter by screwing in four screws that are already partially screwed into the adapter housing. The screws must be screwed in such a way that they do not protrude, otherwise it will be impossible to insert the adapter into the laptop compartment.
In this hard drive adapter model, to the left of SATA there is a switch for adapting hard drives from different manufacturers:
- A: for HP/Cony;
- B: for Dell/IBM;
- C: for Other Brand.
A Seagate hard drive was installed, which was not on the list, so at random the switch slider was set to position B.
The hard drive adapter is ready to replace the DVD drive, and now it's time to insert it into the laptop bay.
The adapter easily fit completely into the laptop compartment, and the front panel merged with the body, just like the front panel of the previously installed DVD drive. All that remains is to secure the adapter by tightening one screw on the bottom of the laptop and you can check work hard disk.
After installing the battery and turning on the computer, the Windows system recognized the adapter, installed the driver, and the partitions of the additional hard drive became available for work. When writing and reading from the second hard drive, the blue LED on the adapter panel blinked, and in sleep mode it was constantly on.
By installing a hard drive adapter into a laptop instead of a useless DVD drive, it became possible to store up to 1.1 TB of information. In addition, thanks to the placement system files Windows and storing frequently used information on an SSD drive, the acoustic noise that the hard drive previously emitted disappeared, and the laptop began to operate almost silently.
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