Question Can I replace the DVD drive in my laptop with an HDD?

[Light2424]

I have an HP Pavilion 15-p001tx laptop from 2014, it currently has a 1TB HDD and a DVD drive. I plan on replacing the HDD with a 250GB SSD, and since I have never used the optical drive, I figured I might as well swap it out with my HDD for additional storage. Can I do this, and are there certain things to keep in mind before I do so? Specifically, will the HDD be recognized? I have heard of specific cases where this will not work.

 

[Barty1884]

There are some laptops with weird configuration for the SATA port for the DVD drive but, more often than not, it should just "work" - provided you have a replacement sled, or some other way to mount the HDD in the bay

 

[jsmithepa]

Most likely it will work. Can simply move your existing HD over, and if BIOS sees it that's a good sign, unless u have another 2.5" HD to test.

Not a major concern to you right now, but you need a blank cover over the hole after put in the HD.

 

[Light2424]

There are some laptops with weird configuration for the SATA port for the DVD drive but, more often than not, it should just "work" - provided you have a replacement sled, or some other way to mount the HDD in the bay

You're talking about a caddy, right?

 

[Barty1884]

Yes.

 

[Light2424]

Most likely it will work. Can simply move your existing HD over, and if BIOS sees it that's a good sign, unless u have another 2.5" HD to test.

Not a major concern to you right now, but you need a blank cover over the hole after put in the HD.

I'm confused, what do you mean by a blank cover?

 

[Light2424]

Yes.

Ok, thanks.

 

[Barty1884]

Exactly how the HDD mounts can vary between laptops. Most often, you'll buy a caddy/sled that houses the HDD and slides in like the optical drive did before it.

There are some laptops where the HDD can be secured to the chassis, at which point you just need a cover plate to seal up the hold left from removing the optical drive.

The caddy route is by far the most common one though.

 

[Ulopes]

I have an HP Pavilion 15-p001tx laptop from 2014, it currently has a 1TB HDD and a DVD drive. I plan on replacing the HDD with a 250GB SSD, and since I have never used the optical drive, I figured I might as well swap it out with my HDD for additional storage. Can I do this, and are there certain things to keep in mind before I do so? Specifically, will the HDD be recognized? I have heard of specific cases where this will not work.

Hi, if you google for "dvd to hdd adapter" you'll have a lot of valuable links (look at youtube videos).
You have on https://www.amazon.com/Protronix-Optical-Drive-Caddy-Universal/dp/B004XIUQYA option for 9.5mm and 12.5mm thickness (depends on your DVD drive and HDD thickness).
Good luck