How to Remove a Hard Drive From a Toshiba Laptop
By Jack Gerard
For the most part, laptop computers don't require the user to open them up to add new parts because they have limited user upgradeable hardware. There are some parts such as the hard drive which can be removed for the purpose of upgrading them or replacing them in cases of damage. Toshiba laptops have hard drives which can be remove so that you can replace or upgrade them as needed.
Turn off the laptop and flip it over onto its top. You will want to make sure that the power is off before removing the laptop's hard drive in order to prevent any damage from occurring to either the hard drive or the laptop itself. If you want extra assurance that the laptop is powered down you may wish to remove the battery as well.
Using your screwdriver, remove the small screw from the hard drive panel that is located on the bottom part of the laptop's front side. From the position that you have placed the laptop in the panel will likely be on the left side. It should be clearly labeled as the hard drive though it may be abbreviated as "HDD" instead depending on the model.
Pull the hard drive panel out and continue sliding out the drawer that holds the hard drive. The drive will be plugged directly in to this drawer, which in turn plugs in to the laptop when fully inserted. Remove the drawer completely from the laptop.
Holding the hard drive carefully by the sides, pull it free from the laptop drawer. You may now place the hard drive into a different laptop or an external enclosure, or may plug a new hard drive into the drawer and slide it back in to the laptop so as to install a new hard drive.
Tips
- An external laptop hard drive enclosure can be used to connect your hard drive to a desktop so that you can move data from your Toshiba laptop to your desktop via a USB connection
Writer Bio
Born in West Virginia, Jack Gerard now lives in Kentucky. A writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience, he has written both articles and poetry for publication in magazines and online. A former nationally ranked sport fencer, Gerard also spent several years as a fencing coach and trainer.