Notebook Upgrades PROBLEM I am looking to upgrade the hard drive in my notebook computer. How do I know which drives are compatible? SOLUTION When upgrading a notebook computer check the following: 1. Does the BIOS of the notebook support a drive of this size? (The notebook manufacturer can answer this question. If the current BIOS does not support a drive as large as the upgrade drive, the manufacturer may offer a "BIOS Upgrade".) 2. Does the intended "new" drive have the same physical size as the current hard drive? (Current drives come in heights of 9.5mm. Some drives may be too large to fit into the notebook. In some cases, there is also a plastic case /Housing /Cover that the drive fits into.) In that case you need to use case/cover of old drive. 3. Do the mounting screws in the new drive align with those of the old drive? If not, you will need to purchase mounting brackets from your notebook manufacturer to install the drive correctly. 4. The last thing to check is the cable coming from the notebook going to the drive. Does the cable fit over the entire drive connector including the 4 jumper pins at the end? (Old drives had the master setting on the outside set of pins. New drives have the slave setting on the outside set of pins. When a cable from a notebook that currently has an old hard drive in it and it is being replaced with a new one, the cable will be making the drive a slave. It will never be recognized. If this is the case, the last set of pins will need to be cut off or bent down so that the cable will not be changing the drive to a slave.
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