HDD stuck in T23 - Help please!

[Rahula]

The Hard Disk Drive in my T23 seems to be jammed and I am unable to pull it out. My fear is that if I pull the cap too hard it may be break off from the HDD and it would be more difficult to pull out the HDD without damaging the HDD.

The cap is the one with three audio sockets. (Yes, I have removed the screw that holds the cap). The cap has just a flimsey aluminum plate that hooks onto the two screws on each side of the HDD.

Can someone please tell me an alternative way to get the remove the HDD?

Reason for removing HDD: it is a noisy old 40GB 4200rpm and I would like upgrade it to 60GB 5400rpm.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[andyP]

I don't think there is an alternative method.
Firstly, back up everything, or even better clone the drive. (Just in case).
Secondly, close your eyes and "go for it".
Thirdly, if the hdd cover breaks you will be able to remove the hdd with a pair of pliers, (the thin pointy type), grab it on one of the corners. You can get new hdd covers for next to nothing.
This is maybe not what you want to read, but I have experienced the same problem, with various TPs, I have never had a cover break on me.

[rkawakami]

First off, make sure that the lid of the T23 is open . Second, if you can get the hard drive cover moved at least 1mm away from the fully inserted position, you can place a flat-bladed screwdriver between the cover and the bottom of the laptop (near the screw hole) and twist. It is possible that the wrong screws have been used to secure the drive to the caddy. If the head of the screw is either too big in diameter or sticks out too far, then that can cause it to jam inside the HD bay.

[Rahula]

Thanks for your replies. You've confirmed the worse scenario that I had envisaged. Now that I've checked and found that the spare HDD cover cost about $6 on ebay, it's not too bad. Just have to buy it before I start this operation.

Am I glad my workhorse is a Thinkpad where parts are still available in abundance!