Upgrading laptops can be a challenge due to their small parts, proprietary components, and stringent space and power requirements. In this guide, we’ll give you the scoop on simpler laptop upgrades you can perform at home with minimal tools and experience. Professional laptop repairs can be incredibly expensive, so you can save a bundle by performing some of these basic upgrades at home!
Replacing the Battery
A laptop battery is considered a user-serviceable part and is easy to detach by depressing or sliding a button or slide-lock at the bottom rear of your case. To replace it, simply purchase the appropriate battery for your make and model and insert it into the depression where your old battery was located. The button or slide-lock should click into place. You’ll usually need to give the new battery a full 24 hours of charge before you fire up the laptop for the first time. Consult your laptop manual and the guidelines that came with your new battery for more specific directions.
Adding RAM
Your laptop’s memory (RAM) is another user-serviceable part. This time, you will probably need a small screwdriver. Consult your laptop manual to locate the proper location on the underside of your case, as well as the specific type of RAM your laptop accepts. Generally, you will remove a few screws and the RAM window will pop or slide right out. You can then insert your new RAM module or modules into the appropriate slots inside the case. Study the slots and their pins carefully to see which direction to insert the ram and then gently but firmly push into place. If it does not seem to want to settle into place, don’t force it – you’ve likely turned the module in the wrong direction.
Upgrading Drives
Upgrading the hard drives or disk drives on your laptop can be a bit more involved. Consult your laptop manufacturer to find out the specific type and size of drive you will need. Find the place on the laptop underside where your drive is located according to your manual. Remove several screws holding the case in place, and then firmly slide the entire drive out of the laptop. You will likely need to remove several more screws to separate the metal or plastic tray from the drive itself. Then you can reattach the new drive to the tray and pop or slide back into place.
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thank you very much
use for project in school and for reascher
HARD DRIVE(S),
As for upgrading your hard drive, you just need to know this…
If it has a bunch of metal pointy tips that slide into your computer, its IDE. If it has neat little (like like the tip of a flash drive) connectors, it’s SATA. When you buy a HDD, make sure its either IDE or SATA. Because they are two completely different hard drives. If you have a SATA hard drive, your in luck. Because SSD’s (Solid State Drives – Commonly found in netbooks like the EEE PC 901 and 1000) are getting cheaper and cheaper and faster and faster. You can find a 64GB Runcore SSD for like 150 bucks. You may not think that’s a lot of hard drive space, but last time I checked, windows xp doesn’t eat much hard drive space. SSD’s are very fast, and on top of that, it requires less power because there are no internal moving parts so your laptop’s battery will last longer. And if you drop your laptop, your hard drive will NOT mess up! If you drop a laptop with a normal hard drive in it, the discs inside that little 2.5 inch drive could get damaged easily. If you can afford an SSD, check out Runcore. Your computer will boot very fast and everything will run faster and smoother.
If you get a normal IDE or SATA hard drive, check out the RPM’s. Most laptops are 5,200 RPM. Check on prives for a 7,200 RPM HDD. Because the bigger that number, the sooner your computer will boot up and your computer will be dramatically faster! And if you really want speed but can’t afford SSD hard drives, check out Raptor! They make 10K (10,000 RPM) hard drives. That’s TWICE as fast as the one in your hard drive (and mine) right now!
BATTERY,
Getting a new battery is a good thing! IF you have a laptop that is a year or two old, you probably have noticed that you can’t quit finish a whole DVD anymore, and you have to bring your charger with you more often! IF you have a laptop with a good battery or you buy a new battery, make SURE that after the battery is charged, that you pull it out. If your gonna unplug it and use it, keep the battery in there. But if you are going to have your laptop plugged up for a long period of time, take the battery out! I had a HP a few years ago and I could watch a 3 hour DVD before I had to hook it up to the wall. I usually had it hooked up to the wall its whole life because I used it as a desktop most of the time. After just ONE year, I screwed that battery up bad! i could NOT leave it unplugged for more than 10 Minutes before the battery would die! And the Tablet I am using now, same thing. But the guy that owned it before me had it hooked up to the charger its whole life and the battery only lasts 20 minutes before it dies. (I am going to replace it with an extended battery I found on Amazon as soon as I can afford it.)
Tiny Error!
“Most laptops are 5,200 RPM”,
before anyone corrects me, Most laptop hard drives are 5,400 RPM. lol