TX 1320 HD won’t boot

[BCNishi]

Dear sirs:  I have an old TX 1320 complete with a docking port that worked well for a few years running Windows Vista but then started failing to boot occasionally.  The unit turns on and you hear it try to start but the HD fails to start.  I used another PC so It sat inactive for many years but I wanted to know if it’s possible to swap the HD with a SSD and if it’s worth the effort and cost to have it as a spare laptop.  If so what are your recommendations?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

That old notebook uses an IDE drive controller (even though the drive is SATA) and has an AMD processor and Nvidia chipset.

I don't know of anyone that has successfully installed a SSD in a notebook like yours but I do know that folks have tried to install SSD's in the dv6000 model series with the same specs and they don't work.

If you want to use the notebook, I recommend you play it safe and install a SATA mechanical hard drive.

If you want to experiment, buy a cheap 120 GB 2.5" SSD such as this one:

PNY CS900 120GB Internal SSD SATA SSD7CS900-120-RB - Best Buy

[BCNishi]

Thanks Paul,

do you have a recommendation if I choose a mechanical drive?  And what do I do to get some version of windows on it so it will boot?

thanks,

blair

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome, Blair.

According to the specs I could find, your notebook came with a 250 GB drive.

I'd go with this one:

Amazon.com: Western Digital (WD) Black 250 GB (250gb) Mobile Hard Drive: 2.5 Inch, 7200 RPM, SATA II...

Installing an operating system...The only place I know of where you can buy recovery media for your notebook would be from this vendor at the link below.

Make sure your notebook's product number matches one of the ones listed.

Recovery media is model-specific.

Computer Surgeons - Recovery Kit 451547-001 For HP Model Number tx1320US

[Paul_Tikkanen]

One other thing I forgot to mention with that model series:

When you remove the old hard drive, there is a connector on the end of the drive you have to remove and transfer to the new drive.

When you compare the ends of the drives you will see that they are totally different, since the new drive doesn't have the connector installed.

Some hapless folks have tossed out the bad drive along with the attached connector, and when they got the new one, they realized there was no way the bare drive was going to connect back up.

Fortunately, I was able to point them to buying replacement connectors on eBay.

See chapter 4 of the service manual for the hard drive removal and replacement procedure.

Maintenance and Service Guide (hp.com)

[BCNishi]

Paul,

 thanks so much !!!  You are fantastic and I really appreciate the support for this old notebook.  I’ll try this as it will be nice to have as a spare for looking at the internet or working on simple files.  

thanks

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime, Blair.

Glad to have been of assistance.

[BCNishi]

Paul,

thanks for the heads up.  I will keep the connector.  I probably wouldn’t have thrown it away as I’m a packrat still holding this 10 yr old laptop but I would have been lost and had to come back for more explanation.

 Thanks again!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Blair.