Can I swap my failed 320GB hard drive for a larger one?

Hi all,

So I'm on the market for a new hard drive, as my current one is about dead (Windows will not load even in safe mode anymore). I currently have a Gateway NV52 laptop with a 320GB SATA hard drive. RPM is 5400 and buffer size is 8GB, beyond that, I don't know much else since I haven't removed it from my laptop. (I do know how to do this safely.)

In my searches for a new one, I've found one that is an exact replica (but obviously in better shape) as my own, made for my particular system, and another that is also made for my model, but in 500GB (RPM and buffer is the same), and only $5 more. It is very tempting to just buy it, but I need to know whether it is possible, for one, and secondly, whether it is even recommended. I have Vista, but when I get the new drive, I am going to install 7 on it, since I got a free upgrade to 7 when I bought the computer 3 years ago and never installed it. (I have the disk and serial for it.) From there, I am going to put my old drive into an external enclosure and transfer files that way. I know I'll be able to transfer the easy stuff (documents, pics, etc) with no problem, but with different OS's, will I be able to transfer program files directly from my old hard drive into the program file folder of my new one? Some of these (Microsoft Office especially) I installed a long time ago and I no longer have the serial numbers for them, this is why I am asking that particular question.

Any recommendations or help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

Yes. You can use any 2.5" SATA internal drive.

2.5" SATA drives are available up to 1TB (1000GB); however I've found the long-term reliability of anything over 500GB to be a bit more iffy.

Although $10-$20 more than a standard grade drive, my pick would be be Western Digital Scorpio Black series. The 7200 RPM speed will boost performance a bit with very little (about 1%) impact on battery life, and they usually have 16MB cache memory equaling faster seek times.

You will only be able to transfer files. Programs such as MS-Office require a complete retinstall, so be sure to have your license activation codes handy for any paid software you reinstall on the new drive.

Hope this helps.

 

Has your old HD failed or is just windows corrupted?

If your HD as failed i doubt you will be able to recover files off of it with ease.

Also you don't need to find an exact replica of the hard drive. Since it's a laptop most 2.5 hard drives will work.

If you can afford the extra cash I would suggest getting a 7200 RPM one. It may eat a bit more power but you will get better performance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136856 is my suggestion

 

I believe it is only corrupted. My computer has developed an overheating problem within the past few months - and when I say overheating problem, I mean that the computer will shut off even when the machine is really not too hot at all. Even when I have it propped up on something to keep the bottom from touching anything at all, it'll still "overheat", and the fan works just fine, never shuts off or slows down. I've also tried external laptop fans to no avail. It's just not hot to the touch at all, and back when it was newer, it would get a lot hotter without any problems at all.

Couple days ago, it routinely "overheated" while I was watching a DVD, and it just won't come back from that. Whenever I try to do a system restore (by pressing F8 right after powering up, because I can't get it into safe mode at all), it gives me an error saying that the something is wrong with the I/O device, and some other stuff that I can't remember off the top of my head. I went into my college's IT department, and while they unfortunately aren't allowed to work on personal student computers, they did tell me that it sounded like my hard drive needed repaired.

But as I'm sure you know, repairing a hard drive isn't worth the money. I'd be better off buying a new comp for that kind of money. Computer still starts up, runs diagnostics, chkdsk is fine, I just can't load Windows anymore or do any repair or restore options.