How to Remove a Hard Drive from Your Computer [Complete Guide]

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Introduction

In this digital age, computers have become an integral part of our lives, and many of us store personal data on them. Yet computers are machines, and they do break down.

When planning to buy a new computer, upgrade your primary hard drive, or deal with a hardware failure, you may need to remove your hard drive.

Removing a hard drive from a computer is a relatively simple task. Almost anyone can do it with a little help. However, you need to take certain precautions to remove the hard drive properly.

In this article, you'll learn how to safely remove a hard drive from a desktop or laptop computer in five easy steps.

Why do you need to remove the hard drive?

A computer's hard drive can contain important information. Hard drives store everything on your computer, from files to applications. In short, the hard drive holds everything that's on your laptop or desktop computer. As such, you should know why you're removing or replacing it before you take it out of your notebook or desktop.

• Recycling

There are many tools that can recover data from a hard drive, so you should remove the hard drive before donating a computer. This will ensure that all of the data on the computer is wiped, and out of the wrong hands.

• Upgrade

Hard drives are mechanical devices, with moving parts that wear out over time, so replacing them is the only way to get a significant performance boost.

Storage

If you have a full storage setup but can't store more data, you need a new disk drive. In this case, you would delete the hard drive and replace it with a new one.

• Vibration

If your hard drive is vibrating excessively and making odd noises, unplug it right away. The disk might be failing, and you could lose your data unexpectedly.

Hard drive failure

When the hard drive in your laptop or computer fails unexpectedly, and it's out of warranty, your only option is to replace the hard drive yourself.

• Upgrade to an SSD:

Now you can replace the hard drive with an SSD (solid-state drive), which will improve your computer's performance and allow it to boot up and run applications more smoothly.

How do I remove the hard drive from a desktop/laptop?

Ready to learn how to safely remove a hard drive from your PC? Start with the steps below.

Step 1: Back up your data.

Before you replace the hard drive, back up your existing data to an external hard drive. There is a risk of data loss when replacing the hard drive.

For this, you can use a third-party disk cloning software - AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It can help you clone data quickly and ensure all items are safely backed up.

Step 2: Turn off the computer and unplug everything.

Before you start taking your computer apart, make sure it's powered off. Unplug all the cables from the back of it, including the power cord and monitor cable. It will be easier to work on the CPU if it isn't hanging up on any cords.

Step 3: Open the computer case.

To access the hard drive, remove the two screws on the handle-side bezel with a screwdriver. Now slide the bezel off and remove it.

Loosen the two screws on the left and remove the back cover.

Step 4: Find the hard drive.

Open your computer case and locate the hard drive. It's usually in the front or bottom of the case, and is a rectangular metal box. It may be located beneath the CD/DVD drive. Be careful not to pull out anything that doesn't look like a hard drive.

Step 5: Remove the hard drive

Your hard drive will have connectors, a SATA cable, and screws holding it in. This cable connects the hard drive to your motherboard, so unplug it carefully. Unscrew everything holding the hard drive in place, then gently lift it out with both hands. You're done!

How to Reinstall Your Hard Drive

With the old hard drive removed, it's time to install the new one. Installing the new hard drive might not be as easy as removing the old one. Be careful when plugging everything back in so you don't damage the hard drive or other components with static electricity. Follow the steps below to learn how to install a hard drive in your computer.

Step 1: Connect the new hard drive to power and data cables.

Step 2: Make sure all cables are connected correctly and securely. Carefully install and secure the new hard drive in place. Essentially, you're reversing the steps you took to remove the old one.

Step 3: After successfully replacing the hard drive, you will need to boot up your computer. Turn on your computer, access the Control Panel, and click on “Administrative Tools” followed by “Computer Management.”

Select the “Disk Management” section. Make sure that Windows has recognized the new drive's capacity. You can extend the partition by creating a new simple volume.

Additional Tip: How to Copy Everything from a Hard Drive Before Recycling It

If you're planning to buy a new laptop/PC or remove the hard drive, you need to back up your important data. In this scenario, it's best to save all your essential data on cloud storage. Presently, cloning the hard drive storage using a third-party disk cloning software is a secure and convenient method.

For this, we recommend you the best cloning software – Partition Master. It comes in both free and paid versions. You can unlock all the amazing disk clone and upgrade features without losing data.

Step 1: Select the source disk.

• Navigate to the "Clone" tab, click "Clone System Disk" or "Clone Data Disk," then click "Next" to proceed.
• Select the source disk that you wish to copy or clone, then click "Next."

Select the disk you want to copy:

Step 2: Select the target disk.

Select the target HDD/SSD you want and click “Next” to go on.

Review the warning, and then click Yes to confirm.

Step 3: Choose your cloning mode.

You can choose to Automatically adapt to disk or Clone source to customize the disk layout.

Step 4: Click "Start" to begin the cloning process.

Conclusions

The hard drive stores the system and contains a great deal of data. Removing it from your desktop or laptop and wiping the stored data can alleviate your security concerns, ensuring that your personal information isn't accessible to others.

It's essential to back up your data before removing the hard drive from your PC. If you're upgrading the hard drive, you can clone all of your personal information to the new one before removing the old one, so you don't lose any important or sensitive files.

While it's not too difficult to remove a hard drive from a PC, you still need to follow all safety precautions. Laptops, in particular, require less technical skill due to their compact and fragile components. Follow the steps above to successfully remove a hard drive from a desktop or laptop computer.