Installing new HD on T61. (brand compatibility? quality?)

[t61owner]

Hey all, just joined to ask a question about my HD.

Lenovo claimed my troubles were not hardware related after they had me do some tests before booting up. however, I took it to a computer store beforehand, and they checked it, said the HD was bad, and that I wasn't infected with any viruses(my firsts suspicion after experiencing troubles). I have an extended warranty(good for another year), but after they claimed it must be software related, and they weren't liable, I kind of feel like the company is brushing me off, after all.. isn't everything on a computer somehow software connected/related?

Unless you have input about the above, my real question today is this:
I've got a bad HD and instead of paying $300+ at the computer store, I'd like to do it on my own with the help of a more experienced friend.

A friend recommended this:
Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9500325AS 500GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822148371

for the <$100 range, is this a decent drive?

After searching all over, I still can't find out of it will work with my T61?

I'm hearing something about needing an OS disk, for installing the HD. Lenovo just sent me a 3 disk set to restore/reformat after my HD crashed several times. will that work?

Mine current drive is only 105gb and I rarely play games. Just need a reliable computer for school, music, photos, and some home videos.

I am also have trouble with my cd RW dvd rom drive. It works on and off.. when its in a bad mood it it makes a cyclical 4 clicks,(" bo beep bee boow" only more "click-like" than beeping) while at a slow sounding speed, and won't play anything. then the next day it might work. Its 3 years old. is it worth trouble shooting or just better to replace? THink its ocvered by warranty?


Thanks a lot Folks!
t61O


*ETA,
I read the sticky "HD FAQ", but there was a lot to take in, and nothing I read seemed to be conclusive. It sounds like I can't install an non-IBM HD if my pc is a T4x or newer? is that correct?

I see member "Lukee" has something in his signature that fixes the problem?

[RealBlackStuff]

Welcome to the Forum.
You can put in ANY SATA hard disk that is 2.5" wide and 9.5mm high.
Rather than a Seagate, go for a WD Scorpio Blue (5400rpm) or Black (7200rpm).
Buy from Newegg, which has some of the best prices around.
You will only need a Phillips #1 screwdriver and about 5 minutes to swap out your old HD for the new one.
Re-use the HD-tray and rails that are mounted around the old HD. Watch how everything is mounted (upside down).
You use the recovery set that Lenovo sent you to re-install the OS, incl. the Recovery partition (ca. 1 hour).

Your DVD/CDRW might be covered by warranty, call them up and ask. If not, replace it.

[ZaZ]

The Seagate Momentus XT might be worth a look. It's a 7200RPM drive with a 4GB flash drive attached. It offers near SSD performance, more space and costs less.

[cadillacmike68]

Hitachi makes a nice 500GB 7200RPM also, and they are an OEM supplier to IBM/ Lenovo. amazon had them in the low $80s and I've seen them for less at PXs.