Need to replace Hard Drive in HP Laptop

keithlebaron · 07-02-2008, 07:56 AM

I have a HP Pavillion dv5220us Entertainment Notebook PC where S.M.A.R.T. is saying that HD failure is approaching. The HP tests also indicate the HD is in need of replacement. What would be a good replacement Drive?

My biggest concern is what procedure to follow to back up the hard drive, which has partitions C: and D: such that I can reinstall onto a replacement hard drive. My plan is to remove all the programs and data files so that there is not much more than the OS on the machine. Should I consider getting software such as ACRONIS to use in conjunction with an external USB hard drive?

I had been thinking about using ACRONIS and an external hard drive for long term back up anyway.

Are there better ways of skinning this cat?

Your directions and comments will be greatly appreciated.

Keith LeBaron

**TriggerFinger** · 07-02-2008, 09:55 AM

hi,

just to be on the 'sure' side, get the model/type of your current drive. if you want to replace and upgrade you can always ask the computer store which drive (of higher capacity) would be right for your laptop.

now for the data migration, you may need something like this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11379_7-6445033-1.html

**Fox** · 07-02-2008, 10:42 AM

Hi Keith,

You're lucky smart caught this in advance of the failure :)

I would recommend turning this machine off until you're ready to back things up.

As for software, I have used MaxBlast in the past to image the whole drive onto a usb external. MaxBlast is basically a stripped down version of acronis that will only make an image of the entire partition, without incremental backup support. But I don't think you would need this, so it's fine.

What makes MaxBlast nice is that if you don't care about restoring your current windows installation (which IMO would be more trouble than it's worth anyway), you can simply mount the backup image as a drive letter once you get the replacement hard drive, and pull over and reference your old data as needed.

keithlebaron · 07-04-2008, 03:12 PM

I want to thank you Fox and TriggerFinger for your responses. I have ordered a Hitachi 160 GB hard drive replacement. I also liked the idea of the Apricorn Easy Install kit so I have ordered that.

Again, thank you guys for a quick solution for me! This case can be closed.

Regards,
Keith

07-02-2008, 07:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
keithlebaron Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 2 OS: XP	Need to replace Hard Drive in HP Laptop I have a HP Pavillion dv5220us Entertainment Notebook PC where S.M.A.R.T. is saying that HD failure is approaching. The HP tests also indicate the HD is in need of replacement. What would be a good replacement Drive? My biggest concern is what procedure to follow to back up the hard drive, which has partitions C: and D: such that I can reinstall onto a replacement hard drive. My plan is to remove all the programs and data files so that there is not much more than the OS on the machine. Should I consider getting software such as ACRONIS to use in conjunction with an external USB hard drive? I had been thinking about using ACRONIS and an external hard drive for long term back up anyway. Are there better ways of skinning this cat? Your directions and comments will be greatly appreciated. Keith LeBaron

07-02-2008, 09:55 AM	#2 (permalink)
TriggerFinger Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: USA Posts: 11,846 OS: Vista SP1, XP SP3, PCLinuxOS2007	Re: Need to replace Hard Drive in HP Laptop hi, just to be on the 'sure' side, get the model/type of your current drive. if you want to replace and upgrade you can always ask the computer store which drive (of higher capacity) would be right for your laptop. now for the data migration, you may need something like this: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-11379_7-6445033-1.html __________________ DBAN - Memtest86+ - BartPE - Linux LiveCD - ImgBurn - HDD Diags - Disk Copy HOW TO BURN AN ISO FILE

07-02-2008, 10:42 AM	#3 (permalink)
Fox TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: NJ Posts: 7,752 OS: XP Pro, CentOS My System	Re: Need to replace Hard Drive in HP Laptop Hi Keith, You're lucky smart caught this in advance of the failure :) I would recommend turning this machine off until you're ready to back things up. As for software, I have used MaxBlast in the past to image the whole drive onto a usb external. MaxBlast is basically a stripped down version of acronis that will only make an image of the entire partition, without incremental backup support. But I don't think you would need this, so it's fine. What makes MaxBlast nice is that if you don't care about restoring your current windows installation (which IMO would be more trouble than it's worth anyway), you can simply mount the backup image as a drive letter once you get the replacement hard drive, and pull over and reference your old data as needed. __________________ Antec Neo Power 500W, ABIT IP35-E, Intel E2180@2.66Ghz, Corsair XMS2 2x1GB DDR2-800, PNY 8800GT, 320GB Seagate * lazy college student alert *- If I've inadvertently ignored a thread, please Let me know about it Have I helped you solve your problem? Donate to Techsupportforums Klart Skepp!

07-04-2008, 03:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
keithlebaron Registered User Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 2 OS: XP	Re: Need to replace Hard Drive in HP Laptop I want to thank you Fox and TriggerFinger for your responses. I have ordered a Hitachi 160 GB hard drive replacement. I also liked the idea of the Apricorn Easy Install kit so I have ordered that. Again, thank you guys for a quick solution for me! This case can be closed. Regards, Keith