Upgrade your Sony PCG-F630 Revised on Expand Your Horizons I get a lot of email from people who own Sony Vaio laptops wanting to get a bigger hard drive. It's not as easy as Dell or Toshiba because the Sony guys decided to put the hard drive inside and under the keyboard in a not-so-easy-to-access place. The higher end Sony's have a easy access panel to replace the hard drive. These models also sport a removable CDRW or DVDR drive.

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Step 1: The first step is to locate the first screw that you need to remove to access the guts of the Sony.

Step 1a: It's a very small Phillips screw. You can get a small jewelers Philips screwdriver at Radio Shack for a few dollars.

Step 2: Ready your Weapon...

Step 3: Remove the screw holding the access panel. Careful, the screw is really small and can drop out and bounce somewhere and you'll loose it. If you do (believe me I know) Sony will be more than happy to charge you $2 for the screw and $12 for the minimum order fee. I speak from experience here...

Step 4: Once the screw is out, give the access panel a little push from the left side of the laptop to the right.

Step 5: Lay the laptop screen all the way back and flip the panel on it's back to lay on top of the screen. Be very careful not to remove or pop out the small ribbon cable that connects the keyboard to the motherboard..

Step 6: Locate the one and only screw that holds the keyboard to the laptop. It's near the center where the ribbon cable connects the access panel to the laptop motherboard.

Step 7: You can now lift up the keyboard and flip it over where the access panel is. Remember about the ribbon cable. Careful not to disconnect it.

Step 8: Now we see the hard drive sitting in it's cage waiting to be liberated.

Step 9: Remove the screws that hold the hard drive cage to the motherboard. There are 5 of them.

Step 10: Now you can carefully lift up the laptop hard drive from the motherboard.

Step 11: There are 4 screws to remove to release the hard drive from the cage. 2 on each side.

Step 12: Here are the other 2.

Step 13: Okay, it's time to remove the data connector from the hard drive. You need to be careful here kids. I myself have ruined the connector here that connects the data connector to the hard drive. The pins that hold it to the drive are very small and delicate. When you remove the connector make sure to remove it straight off. Do not rock it left and right. it will bend the pins and if you attempt to straighten them there is a very good chance they will break off and you're out a hard drive and your data.

Step 14: Okay, you have the data connector off now. Place it with your screws and other parts for reassembly.

Step 15: Here's your hard drive. Ready for duplication and data transfer to a new one.

>>Laptop Data Transfer Procedure