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Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement

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  1. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Gather Materials: crwdns2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdne2935265:0
    • You will need to have a replacement drive ready. The R61i officially supports SATA I speeds, but if you flash the Middleton's BIOS, you will get the full SATA II speed. If you plan on upgrading to an SSD during this process, I would recommend flashing Middleton's BIOS. Get more information & download links here

  2. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the battery & unplug power adapter: crwdns2935265:02crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:02crwdne2935265:0 Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the battery & unplug power adapter: crwdns2935265:02crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:02crwdne2935265:0
    • You may need to apply a good amount of force to the levers that hold the battery in place. Mine was especially well stuck, as it was a recently installed aftermarket battery.

  3. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the HDD caddy's cover: crwdns2935265:03crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdne2935265:0
    • Locate and remove the #2 philips screw on the hard drive bay cover.

    • Pull the hard drive bay cover straight out. Mine required a good bit of wiggling and force before it came out of the computer.

  4. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the caddy & hard drive: crwdns2935265:04crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the caddy & hard drive: crwdns2935265:04crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0 Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the caddy & hard drive: crwdns2935265:04crwdnd2935265:03crwdnd2935265:03crwdne2935265:0
    • Locate the plastic tab that you will need to use to remove the caddy. I recommend using the iFixit plastic tool to remove this, as most screwdrivers could tear or scratch the plastic or drive caddy.

    • Pull the hard drive and caddy straight out of the machine.

  5. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the rubber sleds from the drive caddy: crwdns2935265:05crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:02crwdne2935265:0 Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the rubber sleds from the drive caddy: crwdns2935265:05crwdnd2935265:02crwdnd2935265:02crwdne2935265:0
    • Remove the two rubber sleds from the drive caddy.

  6. Lenovo ThinkPad R61i Hard Drive Replacement, Remove the hard drive from the caddy: crwdns2935265:06crwdnd2935265:01crwdnd2935265:01crwdne2935265:0
    • Remove the four phillips head screws around the hard drive. Do not lose these, as they will be used to install your new hard drive or SSD!

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Congratulations! To re-assemble the device, follow the guide in reverse order.

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Sam

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