Swop old disk for new - is this a good approach

[southof40]

I feel sure this must be a FAQ but I can't find it so here goes ...

I've got a T61P running Vista Ultimate and I'd like to put more disk in it.

The first priority is to retain the current data.

I've never done anything like this before but I have a friend who used something like this http://www.provantage.com/apricorn-ez-u ... PRC3CU.htm on his Dell with good effect. I have previously opened up my TP to reseat memory etc so I'm not a complete klutz but I'd probably want step-by-step instructions for getting the hd in and out.

• Could I do that on my T61P or is there something about TP's which is unusual ?
• Is there a better/safe approach ?
• Should I buy the new drive from Lenovo or is it OK to buy generic drives ?

Would be grateful for any advice .

[TuuS]

This is beyond easy. First, don't buy the disc from lenovo, get a good aftermarket disc, current models have much better performance then the 2008 era discs. I'd also recommend installing the middleton bios which will enable SATA2 support. If you want a link to download it send me a PM, but be very careful when updating your bios, a random crash or shutdown during the update will render the system board unusable.

To replace the drive there is a single screw on the bottom corner near where your right palm would rest. Remove the screw and cover. There is then a black plastic "tongue" that you can free and use to pull out the harddrive (note the top of the drive faces down). Remove old drive from caddy and install new one and slide it in.

For harddrives you have lots of options, my favorite setup is to install a small SSD drive in the primary bay, and a larger traditional drive in an ultrabay adapter as a second drive. Although generic ultrabay harddrive adapters are available very cheap, the genuine ones are scarce, but I have some in new condition listed in the marketplace and would be glad to ship you one for a very reasonable price, or if you're on a budget you can get generics dirt cheap, they usually work, but sometimes don't hold up well, and some are not constructed very well.

In this setup I'd recommend a 5400rpm drive in the ultrabay, they usually don't draw as much power or take as long to spin up, and since it would only be used for storage, you don't need to spend a lot of a high speed drive, your SSD will do all the highspeed work

Next option would be to get a good 7200rpm drive and use that as your primary. With or without the modified bios it will outperform your factory harddrive. You can also opt for a 5400rpm drive as primary. They are a good option if you run on battery often as they tend to draw less power.

As for transferring your data, if you're using an SSD drive I'd recommend doing a fresh install of windows. This would also be a good idea on any drive, but you can "clone" your old drive onto the new one, but you're going to be transferring the good along with the bad, like any potential corrupt files, malware or other problems. I'd take this opportunity to start with a fresh install, then you can transfer all your data from the old drive and either keep it for a spare, or sell it to help fund your upgrades.

Enjoy your upgrades and I think you'll find an SSD in one of these systems will give amazing performance.

[bighank]

I upgraded T61 and T61Ps from smaller HDs to WD Scorpio Black 500GB and 750GB 7200 RPM disks using the free version of Acronis available at the WD download site. I purchased a $7 external SATA USB HD enclosure at Micro Center to do the cloning. You first need to download the Acronis software from the WD site and make a self-booting CD that you can put in the optical drive. Then take out the one screw in the HD cover at the right front side of the T61. Pull the existing HD out of the T61. Remove rubber side rails and 4 screws and remove the disk. Replace with new larger empty disk. Put it back into the T61. You do not have to replace the covers yet. Put the old disk into the external USB HD enclosure and plug it into a USB port on the PC. Put the Acronis self booting CD in the optical drive and power on the T61. Press F12 to choose boot device. Pick the optical drive. Acronis will boot and you can clone the disk from there. Look for instructions on how to do this here or on the Lenovo forum.
You must put the new HD inside the laptop or when you are done cloning the new HD will not boot.
I have also purchased an Ultrabay HD enclosure on Ebay for about $10. You can put a HD in there and boot instead of the primary disk inside the Thinkpad.

[NoH]

I'm currently using a 120 GB SSD as my system disk and a 1 TB 5400 rpm mechanical disk for storage. It works really well, much thanks to the SSD. Battery life doesn't seem to be affected at all to me. I would highly encourage you to get an SSD, it will make your computer feel much quicker and responsive overall. One of the things I like the most with having an SSD is the lack of moving parts which makes the system very silent.

In my opinion there is very little reason not to buy an SSD nowadays as prices are dropping at a quick rate, whereas the mechanical disks have gotten more expensive.

[TuuS]

I agree with NoH except in one point. The SSD drives aren't a good choice for securing your data. They are improving, but considering they have no moving parts, I'd expect them to fail far less then a traditional drive, yet they have been failing over twice as often and when they do, they don't go gracefully, just "poff" like a lightbulb and all your data is gone. This is why I recommend a small SSD used to run your OS and most installed software, then a large spinner in your ultrabay. You can backup the contents of the SSD to the spinner daily/weekly/monthly/whenever for security purposes and setup your system to save all your data to the spinner so your SSD is used primarily for read-only, therefore greatly extending it's life. Unlike traditional drives which don't have a finite number of times you can write to them, an SSD does. This number is quite high, but you're better off avooiding unnecessary disc writes and there is no reason you need super fast access to things like documents, photos, videos, audio, etc...

[southof40]

Apologies for slow response. Thanks for all the information and different perspectives. Pleased to hear it can be done straightforwardly. I hear what some of you are saying about the SSD's and I may think about that for the new machine but this one is soon to be farmed out for low priority work so while getting, quite a bit, more disk will be good I don't think I'll get involved in the SSD side of things this time around.

Thanks again for all your help.