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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.

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Toshiba Satellite A505
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Laptop Upside Down
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Unlock Battery Pack
This computer "how-to" guide was specifically written to assist owners of the Toshiba Satellite A505 series of 16" laptops in removing and upgrading the 2.5" hard disk drive and/or the RAM system memory modules.

Owners of other similar Toshiba notebook computers such as the A205, A215, A300, A305, A355, A500, A660, or A665 series of laptops may also find this guide to be helpful.

I bought this Toshiba A505-S6035 about a year ago equipped with a 500 GB 5400 RPM 2.5" hard drive and two 2 GB sticks of DDR3 1066 Mhz RAM memory modules.

I'd like to upgrade the hard drive to a larger 640 GB or 750 GB size unit spinning at a faster 7200 RPM or an SSD drive.

I also think that Windows 7 would be happier with 8 GB of RAM versus just 4.

The only tools needed to upgrade either the RAM or HDD in a Toshiba Satellite laptop is a Phillips head screwdriver, a flat head screwdriver and an anti-static wrist strap.



 
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Lift Battery Up & Out
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Laptop Battery Removed
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Unscrew HDD Cover
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.

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Lift Up HDD Cover
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Hitachi 500 GB 5400 RPM
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Unscrew Single Phillips
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
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Remove Old Hard Drive
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Hard Drive Fastener Screw
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.
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2.5" Hard Drive Bay
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SATA Hitachi 8MB Cache
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Drive Tray - 4 Screws
The old hard drive is attached to a metal tray or "caddy" with four Phillips head screws that need to be removed.
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SATA Connector
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Unscrew HDD Caddy
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Hard Drive Tray Removed
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.

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Attach Tray To New HD
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Motherboard SATA Plug
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Slide In New Hard Drive
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.

Since SSD (solid state drive) units are so inexpensive now, I recommend getting one instead of a traditional hard drive.

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Slide Towards SATA Plug
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Tape Screw To Screwdriver
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Secure HDD With Screw
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.

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Lower HDD Cover
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Tighten HDD Panel Screw
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New HDD Installed
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
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Unscrew & Remove Cover
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RAM Cover Removed
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.

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Two 2 GB RAM Sticks
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DDR3 1066 Mhz Memory
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RAM Retaining Clip
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.
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Pry RAM Clip Outwards
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Release Other RAM Clip
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RAM Module Springs Up
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.

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Carefully Remove RAM
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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.

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Insert New RAM
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30 Degree Angle
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Push RAM Stick Down
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).
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RAM Clips On Notches
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Lower RAM Cover
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Screw On RAM Cover
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.

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Insert Laptop Battery
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Lock Battery In Place
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Windows 7 Booting Up
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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