Thinkpads Forum

I've finally been forced to think about upgrading some parts on my R400. The original 250GB Seagate hard drive that came with the machine has finally given up the ghost. It makes a telltale "chk chk chk" sound whenever the machine is turned on, and repeated runs of Spinrite have failed to make it readable, so I'm pretty sure it is beyond repair. Unfortunately, this is complicated by the fact that my DVD-RW drive has also died some time ago.

So my question is: can I buy one of these and one of these, stick them both in my machine, turn it on, and use my Windows 7 disc to perform a clean install of everything?

While I am at it, I may as well go ahead and upgrade my RAM (since I have been using 2x1GB all these years). Can I pull out the RAM I already have and replace it with two of these? Should I install Windows before I switch the RAM?

Any guidance would be massively welcome.

Welcome to the forum.
That HD is OK.
Alternative CD drive: http://www.ebay.com/itm/321201682436
His shipping to Ireland is $52.- but might be cheaper than buying from Lenovo.
Look for that model elsewhere if possible, it's a good one.
For RAM, see e.g. this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131004408691
You only need PC3-8500 or PC3-10600 (slightly cheaper than 8500), anything faster might not work.
If you install 32-bit W7, you only need 2x2GB, if 64-bit you can use up to 2x4GB.

RBS,

Thanks for the welcome, and the advice (from one fan of the black stuff to another!).

My copy of Windows 7 only has a 32-bit installer, so I think I will go with two of these 2GB RAM. I've come across this hard drive (it's the same price but 500GB instead of 320GB like the one I linked before). Do these look right? I will keep an eye on eBay for that DVD drive, second-hand imports from the US seem to be the way to go.

Thanks again, really appreciate it.

That Spinpoint HD is actually made by the former Samsung, a good drive.
RAM is OK too.