How to salvage an hdd from a laptop

The following steps will guide you to help remove an HDD from a discarded laptop.

DISCLAIMER: All laptops have a different internal design, however, the process should still be the same.

Step 1:

Make sure the laptop is powered off. Flip the laptop on its backside and remove the screws using a Phillips screwdriver. Remove all the screws before heading to step two.

Step 2:

For this step, you'll need a flat-headed object that is strong enough and slim enough to remove the plastic case. I used a flat screwdriver and used it to remove the plastic case. If you're trying to preserve the overall condition of the laptop, be careful when inserting the flat screwdriver as it can break the plastic case.

After propping out the plastic case, carefully lift the plastic part because the keyboard and mousepad connectors are still connected. To disconnect them, just flip open the black tab and the connectors should easily come out.

Step 3:

Located the hard drive. Some common HDD companies are Seagate, Toshiba, and WesternDigital. The hard drive will look similar to the hard drive in the picture. Remove the screws that hold in place the HDD.

After removing the screws, pull the HDD backward. This should remove it from the SATA connector in the laptop. You can now extract the HDD from the Laptop.

Step 4:

After removing the HDD, there should be some sort of side casing around it. Remove these screws.

How To power it

In order to power the HDD, you'll need a SATA to the USB connector. These can be bought from Amazon or eBay. This connector is used to convert the SATA to a USB form and to power the HDD for it to work. The image on the right is the one I used. Connect the USB to a laptop and desktop, and the operating system will recognize the new storage drive.

Design #2

Design #1

The design itself looks pretty simple, however, designing it took an entirety. Calculating the right dimensions and ensuring that the hooks and spaces aligned with one another was complicated. The entire experience was new to me and took a lot of thinking and patience to fully complete the template.

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