Laptop Hard Drive

MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
edited April 2005 in Hardware
Well, it finally happened. Despite all my work (aka attempting every stupid fix ever), my hard drive has finally kicked the bucket. I need a replacement, but for less than $100. It's a Compaq Presario 3000 (I know, I know, I hate Compaq too), and I can't find a damned thing about what kind of drive it has. I'm assuming (for all intents and purposes) it's a normal notebook hard drive.

Comments

  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    For the most part... hard drives for laptops are all the same. Look for 2.5" EIDE Hard drive

    Try searching Pricewatch

    Here's one Samsung 60GB @ 5400RPM for $87

    I didn't look hard though....
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    I did a little searching, and the hard drive it had before was a Toshiba MK4018GAP 40GB. I don't know why it sh*t the bed, but it did. My question is, are the interface types interchangeable? Meaning since that one is an ATA-5 will an EIDE work?
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    Normally, if the manufacturer has a different interface, its via a converter that can be removed and put on the new hard drive. Manufacturer's (Compaq) don't want to re-invent the wheel so they go with standard parts and make them work with their hardware. I dealt with many laptops and all of the hard drives were standard laptop 2/5" hard drives.

    As for why it died... there are moving parts in there. any of which may fail for no good reason. Bearings seize for heat, the laptop gets bumped at the right time and the heads contact the platters... bad board, bad power... tons of reasons.
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    Does the fact that it made clicking noises give you any idea?

    For some reason I feel something got bent that shouldn't.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    The clicking is "normal" for a hard drive about to die. I believe it is the motor that moves the heads back and forth across the platters... I think it gets screwed and cannot track thus the clicking...

    Anyone have a better explanation?
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    Well, I can offer up that my laptop likes to overheat beyond all things normal (I'm seirous when I say I can cook an egg on my desk). I any case, I should use this as an excuse to build a new desktop :D
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    We'd had several threads regarding laptops and overheating. Normally its due to dust and foreign material inhibiting air flow to the system.

    If you are technically and courageous, you could try to open the laptop case and try to blow all the dust and stuff out... but it may void any warrantee and could damage things if you make any mistakes...

    But, yes, heat could make the hard drive die prematurely.
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    I opened the laptop a few times before to check for dust, it wasn't bad at all. Of course it's been overheating since I bought it ^_^
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    Not to beat a dead horse, literally, but will this hard drive work? http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-146-206&catalog=23&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

    I regret not knowing more about laptops.
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    Yep... should work fine. You might also see a performance increase too. The drive is faster than you old hard drive so the OS should boot faster, games load faster too.... :D
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited March 2005
    Go me, and only $80 too!
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    edited April 2005
    Just so everyone knows, this Hard Drive is in already, and I'm currently fixing everything back to normals....
  • QCHQCH Ancient Guru Chicago Area - USA Icrontian
    edited April 2005
    Alright!!!! Let us know how everything goes. :thumbsup:
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