On a Laptop

• 1). Turn off the laptop you intend to remove the hard drive from and unplug the power cable. Close the screen and turn the laptop upside down.
  
  
• 2). Unplug the battery from its port on the side of the computer.
  
  
• 3). Locate the hard drive compartment on the bottom of the computer. Consult your user guide if you have problems. Generally it is the largest of three compartments on the bottom of a laptop. On some computers the hard drive is removable from the side of the computer.
  
  
• 4). Remove all screws holding the hard drive compartment cover in place and lift up the cover to expose the drive.
  
  
• 5). Slide the hard drive out of the compartment and set it aside.
  
  
• 6). Turn off the laptop you wish to transfer the hard drive to, remove the power cable and turn the computer upside down. Remove the battery.
  
  
• 7). Remove the screws holding the hard drive compartment cover in place and lift the cover up to expose the hard drive inside.
  
  
• 8). Slide the hard drive out of the compartment and fit the first hard drive in its place. Replace the compartment cover and screws.
  
  

On a Desktop

• 1). Turn off your desktop computer and unplug all cables from the computer tower. Place the computer tower on a sturdy work surface and lay it on its side.
  
  
• 2). Remove any screws from the back of the tower or the removable side panel and pull the side panel off the tower. Consult the user guide for your particular model desktop if you have problems locating the panel screws.
  
  
• 3). Locate the rectangular hard drive in the tower and unplug any SATA cables connected to the back of it. The hard drive will be located at the front of the tower.
  
  
• 4). Remove any screws securing the hard drive to the tower and remove the drive from the tower.
  
  
• 5). Remove the side panel of the tower you intend to transfer the drive to and remove any drive already installed. Fit the new drive in the tower and replace the cables, screws and side panel.