Painless thinkpad HDD Upgrade

[jtharris]

STRAIGHT FORWARD, PAINLESS THINKPAD HDD UPGRADE- Having struggled to find a way to upgrade a Thinkpad HDD to a larger one, I wanted to share a simple solution. This takes care of all of the Service Partition questions, and so on, that proliferate on the internet. (The procedure works for either an IDE (PATA) HDD, or SATA HDD, which may be in your Thinkpad. It, of course, also works for any notebook computer or even a desktop if you change the the recommended external USB drive adapter.)

To prepare, you will need to:
--Buy an HDD (hard disc drive) external adapter to hold the new hard drive. The "Tech.com 2.4 Tool-less USB to IDE SATA External Drive Enclosure" is effective and easy to use. (Amazon, $16.) This adapater is USB powered. STAY AWAY FROM A/C POWERED ADAPTERS. Some of them are OK, but many will fry the new hard drive. A powered USB hub can always be used if, for whatever reason more power is required, which I haven't found necessary.

--Buy the larger HDD that you want to use for upgrading. Check the computer specs to determine whether it uses an IDE(PATA) or SATA drive. Or, right click on the My Computer, Manage, Device Manager, Disc Drives, get the HDD model # and do a search for its description. Or, take a look at the drive label to get the type.

--Download the program "EaseUs Disc Copy" (download.cnet.com) onto your computer, or any computer. Running it will create a bootable disc (you need a CD burner on the computer).

--Download and install "Mini Tool Partition Wizard" (download.cnet.com). (This can also be done after the new HDD is installed, if you prefer.)

--Install the new, larger HDD in the external USB adapter and connect the provided cable to it. Place the Disc Copy CD in the computer to be upgraded and shut down the computer. Or, if it is not powered up, use a paper clip to open the CD drive. Turn on the computer and allow the copy program to boot. Connect the external HDD adapter to the computer's USB port using at least the heavier of the 2 wires. The other one can be connected to another free USB port for more power; I haven't needed to, but it can't hurt. (You can try connecting prior to booting, but it may prevent the CD drive from booting first.) Once the external drive is recognized, indicate the original HDD partitions you want to copy, which would normally be both (or all) of them. Then indicate to where you want to copy, which is the external adapter. Now, have a glass of wine or single malt while the copying proceeds. When the program tells you the job is complete, unplug the external HDD adapter, remove the program CD, and shut down the computer.

--Take the new, larger HDD out of the adapter and install it into the computer, replacing the original HDD. Instructions for HDD replacement can be found by searching on the internet or referring to computer's User Manual. (YouTube may have a useful video.) The only tool required is a small Phillips head screwdriver, preferably with a decent-sized handle in the event of a too-tight screw.

--Boot up the computer. Locate and run the "Mini Tool Partition Wizard" you installed earlier. Select the main partition (C) and choose Expand on the left-hand menu. Then choose Unallocated from which to take the space and run the indicator to the end to use all of it. LEAVE the Servce Partion as is. Then click the button to do it or hit Cntl+A. Enjoy some more wine or single malt while processing executes.

--When the paritioning shows Complete, you're done and now have a larger drive. Have some more wine to celebrate.

Notice that there was NO NEED to mess with the BIOS for deactivating the Predesktop area, or to make any BIOS changes at all.
.
Hope you found this useful.

Joe H.