Swapping Hard Drive

So, I have this SONY PCG-GRX 500 laptop that suddenly bricked today. It will no boot from the HD, nor from the CD. I wonder...if I picked up a similar model on e-bay (for example), can I just pop-in my old hard drive and be back in business?

It would be nice to retain my old operating system...AND all the configurations, settings and connections to the peripheral(s) world.

Thank you in advance.

Dr Carl

 

It would have to be almost an EXACT model, and that is very difficult as the same model can have several motherboard revisions during the production run. But beyond that, what you want to do is probably not legal. Windows licenses (unless retail version purchased separately from the hardware) typically are licensed to use with a specific computer.

Note that your problem could just be a bad power supply.

 

Interesting...I thought that might be the case though I hoped otherwise.

RE: power supply...can a power supply be weak? I'd assume that either you have power, or not.

I am getting a power-on light and the computer tries to access the CD drive...(and it occurs to me that a power supply just might be internal and different from the AC adapter which does have a flaky connection...what I initially thought of as "power supply")

TIA

drcarl

 

Sure would be simple to troubleshoot power problems if that were true. PSUs put out +12VDC, +5VDC, and +3.3VDC, and any or all can become unstable, but not fail completely.

They do get weaker over time, and some PSU calculators adjust for that by allowing the user to factor in "capacitor aging". How ever, PSUs become under powered as users upgrade graphics, add RAM, drives, USB devices too.

Here are my canned text on testing PSUs, and sizing a new one:

To properly test a power supply unit (PSU), a qualified technician puts the PSU under various realistic "loads" and analyzes the voltages for ripple and other anomalies using an oscilloscope or power analyzer.

I keep a FrozenCPU Ultimate PSU Tester in my tool bag when I am "in the field" and don't have a good spare power supply to swap in. While not a certain test, they are better than nothing. The advantage of this model is that it has an LCD readout of the voltage. With an actual voltage readout, you can better detect a "failing" PSU, or one barely within specified tolerances. Lesser models use LEDs to indicate the voltage is just within some "range". These are less informative, considerably cheaper, but still useful for detecting PSUs that have already "failed". Newegg has several testers to choose from. All these testers contain a "dummy load" to fool the PSU into thinking it is connected to a motherboard, and therefore allows the PSU to power on, if able, without being attached to a motherboard - great for testing fans, but again, not a true load.

As mentioned, a good alternative test method is to swap in a known good supply (with ample power).

I do not recommend using a multimeter to test power supplies. To do it properly, that is, under a realistic load, the voltages on all the pins must be measured while the PSU is attached to the motherboard and the computer powered on. This then requires poking (with some considerable force) two, hard and sharp, highly conductive, meter probes into the main power connector, deep in the heart of the computer. One tiny slip can destroy the motherboard, and everything plugged into it. It is not worth the risk considering the multimeter, like plug-in testers, do not measure, or reveal any unwanted AC component to the DC voltages.

***

Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your power supply unit (PSU) requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom of the page. I recommend setting Capacitor Aging to 30%, and if you participate in distributive computing projects (e.g. BOINC or Folding@Home), I recommend setting TDP to 100%. Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. If not listed, check a comparable card (same graphics engine and RAM) from a different maker. The key specifications, in order of importance are:

1. Current (amperage or amps) on the +12V rail,
2. Efficiency,
3. Total wattage.

Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of your video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation).

 

Answer: Yes even thought the little green light is on on the power adapter. I recently had to replace the power supply adapter to one of my laptops as it would turn on for a sec then shutdown. Yet the little green light was on.

In the case of your laptop, I think that you should research what you need. Each laptop has particular power adapter requirements and these will/shoud be listed on the adapter itself and more importantly on the base of the laptop. An example would be: output voltage 19.5v, output current 4.7A ie 90W (approx). The specifications on the base of the laptop are the ones to go by. There is more to it but if you just go by that you will be fine.

In your case (SONY PCG-GRX 500 laptop) the above specs appear to be what would be required, if the power adapter was indeed faulty and required a replacement.

ebay would be your best [cheapest] bet. If you wanted to test your laptop's power adapter you could get a cheap multimeter or go to an electrical shop and ask them to test it for a small fee.

At this stage and with little additional info, the other item on the list would be a faulty/loose power jack in your laptop, it just depends what

actually means.

Good Luck

 

Thank you for the info...I wish I were more proficient at getting into the laptop, recognizing a power supply, testing and replacing it...you (and everyone here) are very kind to give direction.

re: "Bricked" - I may be using the slang inappropriately...I believe it's a phone term...one minute it's a phone, then BAM (after hacking or installing some leaked OS), it's a brick because it's dead and perhaps even irreparable.

More clues on my laptop...

Here is some text I copied from a letter I wrote to the firm that's handling the class action suit against Sony...

--------------
On August 27, 2002 I purchased a GRX series laptop from SONY's online store "Sony Style" (Order number 400062133656) for $2,821.00

Some time ago, after spending money for some additional memory, I discovered that the extra RAM chip I purchased was not being recognized by the RAM slot. I further learned that MANY people had this problem and that it was allegedly due faulty soldering on the motherboard.

Since there was no suit, I did nothing and just 'lived' with less RAM than I need/want.

Then the display lost functionality so I have been using an external monitor for years now. This made the unit into a desktop as the screen was no longer functional, and a costly motherboard replacement would be needed to repair it. So, again, I just lived with it.

Now I see that there is a class action suit brought against SONY for the the "no boot" condition (which I experienced this morning - it "bricked" my laptop which no longer boots). I also see the list of model numbers and instructions for finding the serial number.

Originally, I ordered a PCG-GRX 560. Thing is, when I upgraded at the time of the order from a 30 MB hard drive to a 40 MB drive, the model was magically changed from a 560 into a GRX 500 !

I do not see the 500 on the suit's list of included models and believe that this model has been unfairly excluded.

I also could not find the serial number inside the memory compartment. Maybe it's because mine is not included? Anyway, I got online (with another computer) and learned how to find these numbers which were actually little stickers on the outside of the case.

Service Tag number *A22245N5*

Serial Number *2934244 300xxxx*

So, if I'm just SOL (outta luck), don't waste a keystroke and just delete this. If I DO have recourse, and/or can be included, I'd love to hear from you.

Thank you.

Best regards,

"Dr Carl"
--------------

So, with that background, what happened the other morning was this: I was browsing the internet using Google Chrome. Without a command from me, it suddenly went full-screen (or maybe the menu bar disappeared...looked a little like hitting F11 in Explorer). Then neither the USB mouse, the keyboard, nor the touchpad would respond. Screen frozen. Computer frozen. So I did a forced shutdown by holding the power switch down. Buh bye computer...

It was very interesting to read what you sent me about power supplies. I do run a SATA external drive via a PCMCIA adapter, a USB card reader, a USB mouse, firewire to 2nd external drive, mini-plug speakers and mic. The battery died a while back. It's still in but I run on the AC adapter that has a problem somewhere in the wire which frankly caused me to fear an unexpected shutdown at any moment.

Oh! Almost forgot the the 10/100 jack/socket for my really fast internet. I am a photographer and tend to have way too many things open at once (Photoshop, Outlook, multiple web pages) and all on 512 of RAM...can't even run Google Earth.

So, with limited re$ources, I'm kind of thinking of getting a semi-bare bones box with enough slots to add a firewire card, something for the SATA drive connection, and a gig or two of RAM. Might even go refurbished.

I kind of hate shopping because there are SO many configurations and considerations. That, combined with me being a bit of a research freak...(and am at home under self-care as I am passing a kidney stone - yeoch) ...well, I think I need, and will be happy with a better box even if I lose some of the data on the old C: and D: drives on the dustbox, I mean Sony.

I've rambled too much...and of course invite suggestions.



dr carl

 

From you list of woes I can see that you are having a particularly bad time.

So for complete clarity 'bricked' means that when you try to start the laptop, nothing at all happens. Do any lights at all come on if only for a sec. Have you tried powering up the laptop with the battery removed? (disconnect any items not required ie PCMCIA SATA HDD, etc.)

Memory module compatibility aside, I have read many posts regarding this on different makes of laptops. Whether the soldering is at fault, who knows but a lot of people have had success by wedging some cardboard and placing this on the ram cover in order to force the ram module to sit closer in to the motherboard.

If you have connected an external monitor to the vga connector on the laptop, then this means that the graphics card is working properly. This therefore points to the culprit being either the TFT panel itself or the inverter [or both] and not the motherboard.

Some of these ie SATA drive and, firewire to 2nd external drive will draw power and it may well be that these have over time weakened the ac adapter. It could also be as I stated earlier that the power jack housed within your laptop has become faulty.

What I would say, is have the ac adapter tested, this will only take a moment [or purchase a cheap multimeter].

As regards your earlier question regarding switching hard drives with an identical machine. I am not entirely sure as rules around the world are different. The EU does allow certain actions that are not acceptable elsewhere. However, if you purchased an identical laptop and it had a coa on the base, it could be argued that if you did transplant your HDD to the new unit and changed the coa, then this would be acceptable. As I said not clear on this so cannot state definitely. Why not post this as a question?

Good Luck

 

PS: Did you check the output values on your ac adapter as well as those on the base of the laptop? If so post the results.

Good Luck