Toshiba
Satellite Laptop Hard Drive & RAM Upgrade Guide
How to replace the HDD (hard disk drive) and/or RAM memory in a Toshiba
Satellite A500, A505, A660, & A665 notebook.
 Toshiba Satellite A505 |
 Laptop Upside Down |
 Unlock Battery Pack |
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 Lift Battery Up & Out |
 Laptop Battery Removed |
 Unscrew HDD Cover |
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| The first steps are to power down the laptop, discharge your static electricity by touching something metal, and remove the laptop battery. Most laptop batteries have a lock switch and also a separate release switch. | ||||
 Lift Up HDD Cover |
 Hitachi 500 GB 5400 RPM |
 Unscrew Single Phillips |
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| Next locate the
solid black plastic hard drive cover that is held in place by one Phillips
head screw. Loosen the screw and lift up the HDD cover. The screw will stay
attached to the panel so do not try to forcibly remove it. Be sure to
discharge your static electricity again or put on an anti-static wrist strap
before touching the hard drive itself. The hard drive is held against the inside of the HDD bay with a single black Phillips head screw located in one of the corners. Remove it and be careful to not drop the screw into the computer's case. Use a magnetic tipped screwdriver if you have one available. |
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 Slide Hard Drive To Left |
 Remove Old Hard Drive |
 Hard Drive Fastener Screw |
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| Once the screw is removed, you can slide the hard drive outwards away from the SATA connector and carefully lift it out of the hard drive bay. | ||||
 2.5" Hard Drive Bay |
 SATA Hitachi 8MB Cache |
 Drive Tray - 4 Screws |
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| The old hard drive is attached to a metal tray or "caddy" with four Phillips head screws that need to be removed. | ||||
 SATA Connector |
 Unscrew HDD Caddy |
 Hard Drive Tray Removed |
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| Make a mental note of how the old hard drive is orientated in the metal tray and install the new drive in the same way. Gently secure the four screws to the sides of the caddy. Do not over tighten the screws or you could damage the new hard drive or the metal tray. | ||||
 Attach Tray To New HD |
 Motherboard SATA Plug |
 Slide In New Hard Drive |
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| Take a close look at the SATA socket in the computer and the SATA plug on the hard drive before dropping it into the HDD bay. It will only go in one way, so don't try to force it. With the new hard drive lowered into the bay, gently slide it towards the SATA socket until it rests securely in place. | ||||
 Slide Towards SATA Plug |
 Tape Screw To Screwdriver |
 Secure HDD With Screw |
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| I didn't have a small magnetic tipped screwdriver, so I used a tiny bit of Scotch tape to attach the hard drive screw to the screwdriver. Tighten the screw until it is just barely snug and won't vibrate out. | ||||
 Lower HDD Cover |
 Tighten HDD Panel Screw |
 New HDD Installed |
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| Replace the hard drive cover panel and tighten the one Phillips head screw. If the computer won't boot up, try re-installing the hard drive and checking the jumper settings if any are present. | ||||
Toshiba A505 RAM Memory Upgrade |
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 Ventilated RAM Cover |
 Unscrew & Remove Cover |
 RAM Cover Removed |
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| To replace the RAM in your Toshiba Satellite, locate the RAM cover in the middle of the computer's underside that has ventilation holes in it. Loosen the one Phillips head screw and lift up the RAM cover. The screw will remain attached to the panel, so don't try to forcibly remove it. | ||||
 Two 2 GB RAM Sticks |
 DDR3 1066 Mhz Memory |
 RAM Retaining Clip |
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| Be sure to discharge the static electricity in your body again by touching something metal before touching the RAM sticks or wear an anti-static wrist strap. | ||||
 Pry RAM Clip Outwards |
 Release Other RAM Clip |
 RAM Module Springs Up |
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| Each stick of RAM is held in place by two plastic and metal retaining clips that attach to notches on the sides of the modules. To release the RAM, use a small flathead screwdriver to very carefully pry the two clips outwards until the top RAM module springs up at a 30 degree angle. | ||||
 Carefully Remove RAM |
 Release Other RAM Stick |
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| To remove the RAM module from the socket, gently grasp it with your thumb and forefinger and pull it straight out. It should slide out easily when raised up at the 30 degree angle. Do not use excessive force to remove the RAM. | ||||
 Insert New RAM |
 30 Degree Angle |
 Push RAM Stick Down |
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| Some of the compatible 4 GB RAM modules for this Toshiba A505-S6035 include the Kingston KTT1066D3/4G, the Crucial CT1172074, the Crucial 8GB Kit (2 1066 Mhz 4GB Sticks) CT1172096, and the Crucial 8GB Kit CT1172088 (1333 Mhz). | ||||
 RAM Clips On Notches |
 Lower RAM Cover |
 Screw On RAM Cover |
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| Discharge your static electricity yet again before touching the new RAM modules. Slide in the lower RAM chip at a 30 degree angle and push it down until the two RAM clips click into the notches on each side of the module. Insert the upper RAM stick in the same fashion. Replace the RAM cover and tighten the one Phillips head screw. | ||||
 Insert Laptop Battery |
 Lock Battery In Place |
 Windows 7 Booting Up |
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| Replace the laptop
battery and slide the lock lever back to the locked position. Flip over the
laptop, turn it on and hopefully it will boot up right away. If the laptop won't boot up, try to take note of any beep codes it might emit. Then remove and re-install the RAM modules. Many times, a computer won't boot up because of a poor connection between the RAM and the memory socket. If it still won't boot up after several attempts to re-seat the RAM, insert the old RAM and see it works. If the old RAM works, you may have defective or incompatible RAM. For more of my related technology guides or
reviews, click on the following links:
Acer Aspire AS1410 ZIF Hard Drive Replacement Guide,
Acer Aspire AS1410 RAM Upgrade Guide,
Canon Underwater Camera Case Review,
Samsung Captivate i897 Smartphone Review,
Toshiba A505 i7 Laptop Review,
Laptop To HDTV HDMI Via CAT6 Extender Guide,
Acer Aspire AS1410-2285 11.6" Laptop Review,
Sony Pocket Reader Review, and
Toshiba A105 RAM & Hard Drive Upgrade Guide. |
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