 Hello everybody! In today's video, I'm going to show you how to replace a hard disk, random access memory, cooling system, or other components in a laptop. You will see how to do it and what difficulties you may encounter in the process. I will also say a few words about making the smart choice of a hard disk for a laptop. Let's begin. In our channel and blog, you will find solutions to any problem, from installing an operating system or configuring it to fixing possible bugs and errors or optimizing mobile gadgets. Our specialists will answer any questions you ask in your comments under the videos or articles. Generally speaking, there are two reasons making laptop owners think about replacing a hard disk. They either want to boost the computer performance and expand the disk space or get the laptop back to work because the old hard disk got out of order. If you go for high performance, it's better to replace the old HDD with a good solid state drive. The reading-write speeds are considerably higher. Yet, if you mean more space, choose a conventional hard disk. Yes, they can be a dozen times slower than any SSD, but they are so much cheaper. Besides, hard disks are more reliable than solid state drives in terms of keeping your data safe. Recovering data from a full HDD is almost always possible as long as the disk platters are intact. On the other hand, there are certain difficulties if you may encounter if an SSD stops working. In our channel, there is an impressive playlist of videos about recovering data from both conventional hard disks and solid state drives. If you are interested, please follow the link below. Before you buy and mount a new storage component, you need to decide what kind of disk you need and make sure it fits your laptop. Ideally, connection interfaces for the new and the old disks should be the same. Almost all modern laptops support disks with a SATA interface. The only exception is Ultrabooks and Netbooks with integrated flash memory, the kind of storage that smartphones and tablets are sporting, or portable computers that only support slim SSDs with M-SATA and M.2 interfaces, but we are not going any deeper now. This is what a SATA connector looks like. If your old hard disk has the same interface type, there is no problem to find a replacement. Old machines produced before introduction of SATA have wide ribbon cables with the IDE, or PETA, interface. These days, finding a new hard disk of this type is next to impossible, so you are more likely to end up using a SATA disk with a special adapter. However, bear in mind that such a replacement only makes sense if the original disk is broken. No matter how fast the new SATA drive is, it will still exchange data with the rest of the laptop at the same miserable speed of the IDE interface. Form factor and thickness, otherwise known as height. The actual dimensions of a hard disk determine if it's going to fit inside the portable computer. Standard hard disks for laptops come in two form factors – 2.5-inch canoes and 1.8-inch small for Netbooks and Ultrabooks. To replace an old disk, you need to find a new drive in the same form factor and with the height being the same or less. However, in the second case, some kind of gasket has to be used to eliminate vibration. And finally, how to take out the old hard disk and install a new one? Replacing the hard disk is one of the easiest operations involving the laptop hardware. It doesn't require any serious dismantling in most of the cases. You will have to open the underside cover and take out a few screws that hold the distant base. Then, take out the old one and put inside the new one. Many models have a special cover for the hard disk unit. It makes the entire process even simpler, and in three to five minutes the new disk is ready for work. The only tool required to replace the hard disk is a Phillips screwdriver. First of all, unplug the power adapter and remove the battery. This is an important part. For that, use the screwdriver to take out screws holding the disk cover and open it. Take out any screws used to fix the hard disk in its place, if you see any. Some models do not use the screws, but the hard disk is just firmly fitted into the compartment. On the opposite side of the data connector, there may be a kind of latch to release the hard disk. If there is one, move it for the disk to slide back a little. Now, taking it out is much easier. The disk could be sitting inside a sort of metal or rubber frame. Remove that and put it onto the new disk. Put the disk into the compartment, use the screws to secure its position and close the covers using corresponding screws to ensure it sits firmly. Now, everything is ready. If your computer has an optical drive or there is a special compartment with a special cover on it, you can use this face to install another HDD or SSD. The necessary requirement is to buy a special adapter. The steps for connecting and installing it are usually shown on special stickers you can find on the adapter. Even without them, the task is not so difficult as it seems. After you try a do-it-yourself approach in replacing a hard disk in your laptop, adding another disk will be as easy as it in a piece of cake. When everything is over, put the laptop together in the reverse order. As soon as the last screw is finished and the battery is back to its proper place, turn the laptop on and install Windows onto the new hard disk. Talking of installing an operating system, there is another how-to playlist you can enjoy in our channel. I will give the link in the description. To replace the system memory for the cooling system or Wi-Fi module of a laptop, you will have to take some other covers away. In my case, for a laptop Acerus Fire 5100, remove screws and open one more cover on the underside. However, in some models you can remove the underside in one piece, but the entire procedure is not so simple. Under the cover, you can see everything you need. Here is the RAM stick. To take it out, open the clips and the stick will turn up. Take it out of the slot carefully. Do the same to the other stick if your RAM comes in two models. Put the new stick into the slot and press slightly to have the clips spring into place. Talking of choosing a new RAM stick, the new model has to be of the same type as the old one – DDR2, DDR3, DDR4 and so on. You can find this information on a sticker placed on the memory module. Also, pay attention to the maximal memory size that the central processor of your specific laptop can support. This information is usually given in the CPU specifications. That is, you are unlikely to replace two sticks of 512 MB each with two sticks of 8 GB each. In the same way, remove the Wi-Fi model. This is what it looks like. The model name and number are usually specified on the component. When choosing a new Wi-Fi model, read its description attentively. Typically, seller-specific laptop models wear a certain Wi-Fi model could fit, and the models which don't support it. There are even laptops where there is no way to replace the wireless network adapter. They have a kind of association recorded in the BIAS, and the laptop only works with the network adapter which it had originally installed at the factory. It is typical for HP and Dell devices. It is in my next video that I will tell you how to eliminate the problem of overheating. But as long as this cover is open, you can also see the cooling system. If, for some reason, you want to replace the cooling fan, follow the simple steps. Take out the screws holding it. Disconnect the power cable. Take the fan out. When you need to replace a faulty cooling fan in your laptop, you should find a new fan of the same type and model, because other models will certainly differ by dimensions and pinouts. Besides, laptops with dual fan cooling systems have different coolers for the right and left sides, which cannot be used interchangeably. The fan model is usually specified on its body. When you want to put back the model you have removed, follow the same steps but in the reverse order. Watch my next video about cleaning a laptop from dust. Step by step I will show you how to take out the motherboard, the cooling system and replace the thermal paste on the center processor and chipset. And that is all for now. Hit the like button below and subscribe to have more software channel. Leave comments to ask questions. Thank you for watching. Good luck.