How to replace my laptop's hard drive

[gillett44]

I'm new, plz help.  My laptop's hard drive is failing and needs replacing.  I can order a similar drive (a 160 GB SATA drive) from ebay.  Question: when I get and replace the drive, what steps must I take for the laptop's BIOS to recognize the new drive, make it the primary, then install the Windows 7 OS from my Recovery DVDs?

Perhaps the BIOS will see the drive automatically and I can simply use the Reccovery DVDs???? 

Thank you!

[Huffer]

It's really straightforward. Stick the new drive in the machine, boot from the DVD and let the installer initialize, format and mount the hard drive. 

Hard drive "how-to" is on p. 4-10 of the Service manual here:

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c01868653

These older laptops are a joy to work on. Reminds me of when the computers and pollution control stuff became common on cars. Makes you nostalgic for your 1969 Chevy Impala which you could tune up yourself. 

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[gillett44]

Thank you, Provost, for the quick and fine reply.

So, to confirm, all I need is to replace the drive, set BIOS to boot from my CD/DVD player, boot from those Recovery disks I made when I first got the laptop, and all else will be auto?  If so, that's incredible.  I didn't thik those Recovery DVDs had the ability to set and format the hard drive, then install the factory installation OS and other software.

Please confirm.... again 🙂

Note: I had a 1962 Chevy Impala (red) that was a joy to work on.  Simple.  My 2017 Kia Forte S is impossible.

Thanks again.

[Huffer · Accepted solution]

It really is exactly that simple. And I am glad my car metaphor was understood. 

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