Internal Notebook Harddrive?

Question

Seeing how my old laptop harddrive does not work anymore, I was wondering

1) Can I install the harddrive, then run the recovery disks that came with my laptop to install a OS on it?
2) If not, do I have to purchase a Windows Vista?
3) And if I do have to purchase a Windows Vista, do I have to get the more expensive of the deal? (the full package, not upgarde version)
4) What Internal Notebook Hard drive is better? I see SATA and ATA and other things, and am confused?
5) My Laptop has intel Integrated Graphics extreme (something), and will that run Windows Vista properly? The store I am at only has Ultimate edition (i think that is what it's called, it is black)


Sorry for all the questions. =[

Answer 1

1. Do you mean a new hard drive? Yes you can and you can install the recovery disks that came with the laptop.

2. You say that it is an "old laptop", so you probably can't install Vista. Check the Microsoft website for the minimum requirements for running Vista.

3. There are three versions of Vista: Basic, Premier (or Deluxe), and Ultimate. Microsoft says that there are features that are available in Premier that help for laptops. Plus Premier has Microsoft's Media Center, if you have a use for that. Judging by the questions you are asking, buying Ultimate would be a waste of your money.

4. Go to the website of the manufacturer of your laptop and check the specs. It will support only one type of hard drive. Buy the biggest one you can afford.

5. Intel and Microsoft are in tight with each other, so you can bet that all of the Intel devices are supported in Vista.

Don't forget, you can still install your original OS. Hope this helps.

Update:

Oops, I mis-read question 3. The answer is that if you don't have Windows installed on the harddrive, the upgrade disk won't work. You'll have to buy the full version if you are installing on a blank disk. There are ways around that with XP, but I don't know if Microsoft caught on to that one with Vista.

Answer 2

1. Absolutely can do
2. No, do not use Vista on an older PC
3. You already have a Windows version, so it would be an upgrade. But don't do it.
4. Most laptops and especially older models use ATA, also called parallel/ATA. Hitachi (IBM), Fujitsu, Toshiba are typical brands. I have had the best experience with the Hitachis
5. Don't get Vista for your old laptop. There are too many hardware incompatibilities and requirements for it and you will only be disappointed because it will not run.

Only get Vista if it comes with a brand new Vista-ready PC. That is the only way you can be assured that everything will work properly. It is not like Windows XP where practically every thing will work with it.

Here's the first reality - Vista requires a DVD drive and 512MB RAM just to install. At least 1GB is suggested.

Answer 3

1 -> Most of the time. Some recovery disks need the harddrive to be partitioned and formatted first so make sure you will be able to do that. If you can boot from your recovery disks you'll be fine if not you will have to buy an external USB enclosure to do that first
2 -> if you can boot from the CD/DVD drive from the notebook and option 1 doensn't work you will have to buy a copy for windows.
3 -> I don't know but this is a very good question. Since normally you don't get the Windows CD if you buy a notebook I dont know if an upgrade will work. I think calling Microsoft is the only way to know if an upgrade will work. I really would like to know this answer
4-> Whatever your notebook has now, is what you should get. ATA and SATA is the way the harddrive is connected to the computer. Normally a notebook has one of the connections, not both.
5-> You will be fine

Answer 4

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