Please note that although this procedure has been carried out on a C850D, the same instructions will apply for other Satellite Pro’s in the range.
Tools you will need
A small Phillips electronics screwdriver
A small Flat Head Screwdriver (to prise the drive panel off)
A protective surface to lie the laptop on to prevent scratches
Replacing the Hard Drive
Replacing the hard disk drive in this model is really straight forward, all upgradeable components are accessible via hatches on the underside of the laptop.
Toshiba have made the process even easier by labeling the screw holes with markers, labeled as FX where X is a number. This labeling system makes repair documentation a lot easier to follow.
To start, close the laptop lid and flip the laptop over onto the top on a protective surface to prevent scratches to the cover.
Remove the power lead if inserted, then remove the battery by sliding the switch labeled “1” to the right to unlock the battery and push and hold switch “2” to the left, while simultaneously sliding the battery out and away from the laptop.
This step is critical as the battery still provides power to the laptop circuitry even if the laptop is switched off and removing hard drives or memory while the laptop still has power can cause shorts and potential damage.
Once the battery is out, we can now remove the hard drive cover. The Hard Drive cover is situated at the top right of the laptop under a panel roughly 5″ x 3″ in dimension.
Unscrew screw labeled “F5″ using a small Phillips screwdriver, a small electrical screwdriver is perfect for this job. Then using a flat head screwdriver, carefully prise the hard drive lid open from the right hand side where the notch is until it lifts off.
By design, the screw does not need to be removed from the panel as it is stepped (the top section near the head of the screw is not threaded). This prevents you from losing it!
Unscrew screw F3 at the top right of the hard drive cage which is holding the hard drive down and place in a safe place, an upturned lid for an aerosol is a good spot to store screws so you don’t lose them!
Slide the hard drive to the right using the protruding lip on the back of the hard drive and it will pull away from the SATA interface. You can now lift the hard drive up and out of the laptop.
To replace the hard drive, make a note of the hard drive orientation in the cage, then undo the 4 cage screws on either side of the hard drive, then slide the hard drive out of the cage.
Insert your new hard drive into the cage and replace the screws.
Place the hard drive cage with new hard drive installed back into the laptop and using the ends of your fingers, slide the drive to the left until the hard drive pushes back on to the SATA interface and the screw hole in the cage lines up with screw hole F3 in the laptop.
Reinsert the screw we removed earlier and insert into screwhole F3, then tighten.
Take the panel we removed earlier and holding this so the F5 screw hole is to the right hand side of the laptop, tilt the hard drive panel to the left and insert the 2 catches into the holes in the laptop.
Once the 2 catches are in place and the panel is flush, press home the right of the panel, by applying pressure to either side of the screw hole until it clicks into place.
The top right part of the panel will be the most difficult to clip into place as there is a catch on this part and you will need to apply a degree of force for this to clip in, there will eventually be a resounding click and the panel will fall flush with the underside of the laptop.
Once the panel is in place, align the screw F5 (which should still be attached to the hard drive panel) and screw back down until the panel is fully secure.
Replace the battery and you’re good to go.
Power the laptop on and install your operating system!