Upgradng laptop HD

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I have upgraded many desktop HDs and they seem to be pretty generic and
backward compatible.

But I have zero experience with laptop HDs and now I must upgrade the drive
on a Toshiba 730CDT with 570 bios. It runs W2K and has both CD-M and floppy
drives. Three questions:

1. Is there any upper limit on capacity?
2. Are there specifications in addition to physical dimensions to be
concerned with?
3. Can I keep the caddie or will it need to be replaced too?

Impact Computer offers a variety of drives for this model around $100. I
need to spend much less, and could do so if I knew what to look for.

Suggestions of all kinds, including reading material on these topics, would
be welcome.

Thanks.

Tom C.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 00:16:48 -0500, "Tom Coates"
<tecoatesHatesSpam@comcast.net> wrote:

>1. Is there any upper limit on capacity?

No. But you need a bios update if this is older than say, 4 years.


>2. Are there specifications in addition to physical dimensions to be
>concerned with?

Only within the height contraint. They go from 8mm to 13mm or so.


>3. Can I keep the caddie or will it need to be replaced too?

Have you taken this out? can u unscrew drive from caddie?


>Impact Computer offers a variety of drives for this model around $100. I
>need to spend much less, and could do so if I knew what to look for.

Aside from battery, HD is another component that do wear out so I
don't recommend buying used.

Most notebook users want their HD as quiet as possible, so anything
with FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearings) drive is a must, otherwise ignore.

Drives run 4200,5400,7200 RPM. The faster drive tend to perform
better, more expensive but then to run noisier and hotter. Pick what
suit your taste.


>Suggestions of all kinds, including reading material on these topics, would
>be welcome.

This question is asked all the time. I will let u figure it out how to
search past messages of this forum.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Don't know about your model Toshiba, but on my Toshiba Satellite you cannot
access the bios to set it for any other hard drive than what came with it as
the cylinders were set in the bios. Even the repair center told me to toss
it and buy another laptop with a larger drive. Also, their supplied Windows
XP Home reinstallation disks became useless after I flashed the bios on one
of their suggested updates.

Mack

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

M. MacDonald wrote:
> Don't know about your model Toshiba, but on my Toshiba Satellite you
> cannot access the bios to set it for any other hard drive than what
> came with it as the cylinders were set in the bios. Even the repair
> center told me to toss it and buy another laptop with a larger drive.
> Also, their supplied Windows XP Home reinstallation disks became
> useless after I flashed the bios on one of their suggested updates.
>
> Mack

Sorry, the advice isn't good. I upgraded my 30GB HDD to 60GB. Ignoring all
the "advice" I just swapped the drives. No problem.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"bobb" <None@NoWhere.com> wrote in message
news:l47821prg0jdsgtan42n72euapt557tqc2@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 1 Mar 2005 00:16:48 -0500, "Tom Coates"
> <tecoatesHatesSpam@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>1. Is there any upper limit on capacity?
>
> No. But you need a bios update if this is older than say, 4 years.
>
>
>>2. Are there specifications in addition to physical dimensions to be
>>concerned with?
>
> Only within the height contraint. They go from 8mm to 13mm or so.
>
>
>>3. Can I keep the caddie or will it need to be replaced too?
>
> Have you taken this out? can u unscrew drive from caddie?
>


The mounting systems vary a lot. Not all of
them use screw in/on caddies. Some use flat
cables of various designs. Be prepared to
handle things you don't expect.


dk

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Tom Coates wrote:
> I have upgraded many desktop HDs and they seem to be pretty generic and
> backward compatible.
>
> But I have zero experience with laptop HDs and now I must upgrade the drive
> on a Toshiba 730CDT with 570 bios. It runs W2K and has both CD-M and floppy
> drives. Three questions:
>
> 1. Is there any upper limit on capacity?
> 2. Are there specifications in addition to physical dimensions to be
> concerned with?
> 3. Can I keep the caddie or will it need to be replaced too?
>
> Impact Computer offers a variety of drives for this model around $100. I
> need to spend much less, and could do so if I knew what to look for.
>
> Suggestions of all kinds, including reading material on these topics, would
> be welcome.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tom C.
>
>
Hello

Don't know if it is any help but I have a PDF copy of the Toshiba 750
series notebook repair manual. Not familar with either 730CDT or 750 so
do not know if they are similar. I can forward to you if you think it
might help.

Regards
Echy

Greetings from Melbourne, Australia
www.thatsmelbourne.com.au

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Tom Coates wrote:

> I have upgraded many desktop HDs and they seem to be pretty generic and
> backward compatible.
>
> But I have zero experience with laptop HDs and now I must upgrade the drive
> on a Toshiba 730CDT with 570 bios. It runs W2K and has both CD-M and floppy
> drives. Three questions:
>
> 1. Is there any upper limit on capacity?

Yes, probably, but there's no easy way to find out what it is unless
Toshiba tells you. All that you can do is get the latest BIOS possible
and try different drives. The major barriers are at 8 gigs and 32 gigs.

> 2. Are there specifications in addition to physical dimensions to be
> concerned with?

Generally not.

> 3. Can I keep the caddie or will it need to be replaced too?

Remove the old drive from the caddy and install the new drive into it.

>
> Impact Computer offers a variety of drives for this model around $100. I
> need to spend much less, and could do so if I knew what to look for.

Just get a Generic drive. A used 10, 20 or 30 gig drive on E-Bay may be
your best option (get one sold as working with a no-DOA warranty.
"As-Is" and "untested" are, often as not, euphamisms for "defective".

> Suggestions of all kinds, including reading material on these topics, would
> be welcome.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tom C.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Your comments on Toshiba hard drives have not been true of Toshiba
laptops since at least before the 400 series back in about 1996. Even
the lowly 400 (a Pentium 75MHz) autodetected hard drive sizes, and while
it came with a 500 megabyte hard drive, could be upgraded (at least with
the latest BIOS') to anything up to 8 gigs.

As for the problem reinstalling Windows after reflashing the BIOS,
that's a well known and easily resolved problem. What's happeing is
that the "DMI String" is being cleared. This is an ASCII text string in
the BIOS that gives the model number (for example "Satellite 2805").
The Toshiba reinstallation CDs look at this and won't install unless
this matches the "correct" string for the model for which that
reinstallation CD was intended.

There is a utility to allow this string to be changed, the service
centers have it, it's hard but not impossible to find it online. Note
that [by mistake, I'm told], that utility is present on many of the
Toshiba reinstallation CDs. I beleive that the filename is CHGDMI.EXE
in most cases (but look for anything with "DMI" in the filename and an
EXE filetype). Also, looking at Install.INI on the CD will often give
you the expected machine name (it's case sensitive, so be very careful
-- "Satellite 2805" is an actual example). If this is wrong, you get a
"Wrong Machine" or "Wrong Machine Error" when you try to run the
reinstallation CD.



M. MacDonald wrote:

> Don't know about your model Toshiba, but on my Toshiba Satellite you cannot
> access the bios to set it for any other hard drive than what came with it as
> the cylinders were set in the bios. Even the repair center told me to toss
> it and buy another laptop with a larger drive. Also, their supplied Windows
> XP Home reinstallation disks became useless after I flashed the bios on one
> of their suggested updates.
>
> Mack
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

It's not true that the moungint systems for the DRIVES varies a lot, in
fact in modern drives it doesn't vary at all. All of the drives (well,
those over about 4 gigs) have the same mounting holes in the same
places, and the same connector in the same place. It's the caddys that
vary, not the drives.

Dan Koren wrote:
>
> The mounting systems vary a lot. Not all of
> them use screw in/on caddies. Some use flat
> cables of various designs. Be prepared to
> handle things you don't expect.
>
>
> dk
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Press down on the Escape key BEFORE turning on the power and keep
holding it down until you get an error message, then press the indicated
function key (F1 or F2).


B. Peg wrote:

> How did you access the Bios to set your H-D up?
>
> My Toshiba boots (a Satellite 5005) but it bypasses the Bios completely in
> the process. No key will let me into it.
>
> B~
>
>

 

[TomC]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

It's really simple. I just purchased a drive of the capacity that originally
came with the machine, so as to be confident that the BIOS would cooperate,
and less thick than the one in the machine. Then I pulled out the caddy,
removed the old small drive, inserted the newer higher capacity drive,
replaced the caddy, and reinstalled all the software. All is well.

Thanks for the encouragement.

Tom
"Tom Coates" <tecoatesHatesSpam@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:ZtadnRY4DO3wZr7fRVn-2g@comcast.com...
> I have upgraded many desktop HDs and they seem to be pretty generic and
> backward compatible.
>
> But I have zero experience with laptop HDs and now I must upgrade the
drive
> on a Toshiba 730CDT with 570 bios. It runs W2K and has both CD-M and
floppy
> drives. Three questions:
>
> 1. Is there any upper limit on capacity?
> 2. Are there specifications in addition to physical dimensions to be
> concerned with?
> 3. Can I keep the caddie or will it need to be replaced too?
>
> Impact Computer offers a variety of drives for this model around $100. I
> need to spend much less, and could do so if I knew what to look for.
>
> Suggestions of all kinds, including reading material on these topics,
would
> be welcome.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Tom C.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>