You can add SSD to your laptop. But you have to be very careful while doing it and make sure that there is no hardware conflict while adding new hardware on the motherboard of your laptop. And while installing the OS on a new drive, you need to use cloning software like Acronis True Image to clone the old drive onto the new one.
I own an Asus laptop too. It was not possible to add SSD to it, but I tried something different and made my laptop faster than ever before! Also, I saved a ton of cash by not buying an SSD. My laptop is working fine with the hybrid hard drive!
Here are some methods that will help you in upgrading your laptop’s HDD to SSD:
Method 1: Adding A New Hard Drive To Your Laptop
First of all, make sure that your computer supports the addition of a new hard drive (and for this, you can visit your manufacturer’s website).
After that, open the cover of the laptop and unscrew all the screws that are found on the back of the laptop and then gently remove it.
Now, open your computer’s cover and find a place where a new hard drive can be added. Also, make sure you buy a new SATA cable for this purpose and then simply connect the new drive with the laptop’s motherboard.
Now, simply put the cover back on your laptop and start using it. But don’t install the operating system yet! Do not install the operating system just before swapping the drives, because after that it may become difficult to clone the old drive onto the new one.
First, save your all important data like pictures, movies, and other files on an external hard drive, because after the upgrade you may lose some of your data.
Secondly, after saving all the files, make sure that you install the new hard drive on your laptop and then use cloning software like Acronis True Image to clone the old drive onto the new one.
Note: Do not try to configure a RAID array when adding a second (and separate) hard drive to your laptop, because it may make the computer slower rather than faster.
You can even attach an external hard drive with your laptop using the USB port. Then, connect another external hard drive to it using an additional USB port. Now, clone your current operating system without any delay. I have done it and it works just fine.
Method 2: Replacing The Optical Drive With a Second Hard Drive
You can easily replace your optical drive with a second hard drive by following these simple steps:
First of all, make sure that the laptop is turned off and disconnect it from the mains power supply.
Open the laptop’s cover and find a place where you can replace your optical drive with a second hard drive. Remove the CD/DVD drive and replace it with a hard drive, using screws.
Now, fix the drive in place and after that attach the SATA cable to the motherboard’s USB port. Now, connect the other end of the cable with the new hard drive.
Finally, attach back the cover of the laptop and start using it. But don’t install the operating system yet! Do not install the operating system just before swapping the drives, because after that it may become difficult to clone the old drive onto the new one.
Note: Some laptop models might not be equipped with an internal USB port, but it is still possible to connect another hard drive using the e-SATA port. But before doing so, make sure it is supported by your laptop manufacturer.
Method 3: Replacing Your Optical Drive With An Additional Memory Card Reader Slot
This is one of the easiest ways to upgrade your laptop’s storage capacity. All you have to do is simply replace your laptop’s optical drive with a memory card reader slot.
Open your computer’s cover and find a place where you can replace your optical drive with a memory card reader slot.
Now, simply remove the optical drive and replace it with a memory card reader slot, using screws in some models, and in other models, you may have to deal with some very small cables.
Finally, don’t forget to attach the cover of your laptop and start using it. But don’t install the operating system yet! Do not install the operating system just before swapping the drives, because after that it may become difficult to clone the old drive onto the new one.
Note: Some people prefer removing the current card reader slot and replacing it with a DVD/CD-RW Combo Drive. You can do so if your laptop is equipped with an ExpressCard slot and is supported by your laptop manufacturer.
And yes, if you don’t want to open the laptop’s cover, there are other ways to attach an external optical drive like a USB to a SATA adapter. But make sure that it supports your type of operating system.
Is It Better To Use An External SSD Instead?
Yes, it is better to use an external SSD drive instead of a second hard drive because the whole process takes less time and it works just fine.
In addition, you could get a 500 GB or even a 1 TB hard disk from Amazon for only $50-$100.
If you don’t want to lose your data, simply attach the old hard drive to the new one and use a data cable.
Finally, don’t forget to back up your files before replacing the hard drives on your laptop. This way you’ll avoid losing precious information in case something goes wrong during the cloning process. That’s it!
I hope this article was helpful. Please write your experiences about using an external SSD instead of a second hard drive in the comments section below.
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