How-to Replace/Upgrade Hard Disk Drive SSD VAIO F Series Notebook

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[URL="http://tinyurl.com/282qn3y"]How to Replace the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) of a VAIO_VPCF Series Laptop[/URL] Note: if you don't put an underscore between comercial words like Vaio F or F Series or Acer, etc, then NBR automatically parse the words with links to their coupons pages & break the intended links. Hence the Vaio_F.

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Upgrading or replacing yourself the hard drive or SSD on your Vaio F11, F12 or F13 is very easy. Whatever the storage capacity (500GB, 750GB or 1TB) as long as it's a 9.5mm thick 2.5" replacement hard drive or SSD, it will fit in the HDD OEM caddy & drive bay. A 1TB 12.5mm thick HDD does not fit in the caddy. It takes about 3 minutes to do and the only tool requiered is a small screwdriver. Many Vaio VPCF owners simply buy the Vaio F Series with the cheapest HDD in it, then find their favorite HDD or SSD for a lot less than what is offered by Sony as an upgrade, replace the drive and buy an external 2.5" hard drive enclosure to use the OEM HDD as a backup of for data storage. About cloning your old drive or making your Vaio F Series system even faster, leaner & meaner see Clean Install using the Vaio F OEM Recovery Discs - F11, F12 & F13. If you want to add a second hard disk drive to your Vaio F Series for more storage capacity or to work in tandem with a small SSD, check Add a Secondary Hard Drive to a Vaio F Series.

Tools:

Magnetized small #0 Phillips screwdriver (crosshead). Magnetized because it's much easier

to extract the screws from deep holes instead of flipping over the notebook to get the screw out & it helps for reinstalling the small screws w/o dropping them because they stick to the magnetized screwdriver's point.
Clean working surface covered with a towel or clean rag to avoid scratching the Precious' lid and help catching the screws if you drop any.

Warnings:

Never touch a circuit or electrical contacts with the screwdriver's magnetized point.
When manipulating the hard drive, avoid touching the underside circuits with your fingers.
Don't work over a shaggy rug as you may have to search for that tiny screw you've dropped.
Get your curious pets out of the room (or not).
As they say in USA: this coffee is hot and the floor is slippery and don't sue us if you try this DIY & mess up something in your notebook as you were warned: use this how-to guide @ your own risk. Note that unless you are very clumsy, it's very easy to do and it's not brain surgery.

1- Unplug the Vaio laptop

2- Remove the battery. Press the main power button for at least 5 sec. to drain the residual power.

VAIO F Series HDD

3- Remove the two screws securing the cover of the hard drive bay.

3a- Slide out the door horizontally.

4- Remove the two screws securing the hard drive caddy.

VAIO VPCF

5- Slide the hard drive to the left to disconnect the drive. Don't try to lift it out before doing that or you will bend the connector's pins. Check the left side of the photo below: the metal screw tabs slide in holes made for this purpous in the notebook's plastic bottom cover. You may have to guide the tabs in the holes if they are bent or misalligned & preventing the caddy from being fully moved to the left to clear the HDD's SATA connector.

6- Lift the hard drive & it's caddy out. You can use the clear plastic tab to do this. Don't touch the HDD's underside circuits.

VAIO VPCF115FM

7- Remove the four screws fastening the drive to the caddy.

VAIO F11 Hard Drive Replacement

8- Reverse the steps to install your new hard drive or SSD drive.

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Monteverde Costa Rica