Where is hdd located?

• Click "Start" and select "Computer" to open Windows Explorer.
• Double-click the hard drive's letter from the right pane's Hard Disk Drives section to view the drive's contents.
• Right-click the drive letter and select "Eject" when you are finished browsing the drive.

The process usually requires no more than mounting it, connecting a couple of cables, and formatting the drive for use. Still, there are a few things you should know to make installation as smooth as possible.

Installing a hard drive in your PC doesn’t necessarily follow the same procedure as installing an SSD. If you’ve opted for a solid-state drive, be sure to check out our companion guides explaining how to install an SSD in a desktop and a laptop. SSDs tend to offer much faster speeds than hard drives, but hard drives offer significantly more capacity at lower prices.

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty details, if you’re looking for a hard drive to install in your computer, these are some highly regarded options. All three spin at 7,200 revolutions per minute (RPM), the fastest speed available in consumer hard drives.

Now let’s get this hard drive installed in your computer.

Internal 3.5-inch hard disk drives are typically mounted in a drive cage or in an available drive bay. Placement and orientation of the cages or bays will vary from case to case. The most common location is at the lower front, near the intake fans and away from other components. Drive cages/bays will most often be mounted perpendicular to the bottom of the chassis, while drives mounted in the cages usually sit parallel to the bottom of the case.

In mainstream cases, drive connectors will typically point to the rear. In enthusiast-class cases, it’s becoming more common to see the drive’s connectors facing the right side, making it easier to route and hide cables behind the motherboard tray. Some enthusiast-class also cases give users the ability to remove drive cages or to mount them in different positions to optimize air flow and simplify cable management.

Physically mounting the hard drive in a PC is probably the most difficult part of the installation process.

Securing the drive to a cage usually requires four screws on the sides or bottom of the drive. Many cases—especially enthusiast cases—use tool-less trays that hold the drives with simple pins and clips.

Using screws is the more robust mounting method, but tool-less trays are fine for systems that won’t be moved around much.

Drives last longer when they stay nice and cool. When mounting drives in a system, try to leave as much space between them as possible to maximize airflow over the tops and bottoms. Positioning the drives directly in front of an intake fan also helps.

Once the drive is mounted, connecting it to your system is quick and easy.

Virtually all new desktop hard drives sold today use the SATA interface (unless you’re dealing with servers). SATA uses simple cables that are keyed to fit on the drive and motherboard connector one way.

Connect one end of the SATA cable to the drive, and the other end to an available SATA port on your motherboard, and you’re halfway there.

You may find the SATA cables included with your new drive or motherboard feature different connectors: straight ends or right-angle (L-shaped). Some may have metal retention clips, while others do not. The shape of the connector makes no difference in performance.

I like to use SATA cables with right-angle connectors on the drive side, provided there is adequate clearance between any drives in the system. Using right-angle connectors on the motherboard side will will result in blocked ports, because the connector may overlap adjacent ports.

Try to find SATA cables with metal retention clips, because they help keep the connectors secured. Most SATA 3 (6-gigabit)-compliant cables will usually come with the clips.

When you’re done connecting the SATA cable, you’ll have to connect the drive to your power supply unit (PSU). The  SATA power cable from your PSU, like the SATA data cable, is keyed to fit onto the drive one-way. As long as you don’t force it, there’s really no way to mess it up.

Once you’ve mounted and connected the drive, power up your system and enter the BIOS/UEFI. You can usually access the BIOS/UEFI by pressing the DEL or F2 keys right after powering up the system. Usually, your system will display a message along the lines of “Press DEL to enter Setup.” Consult your motherboard’s manual for the correct key.

In the BIOS, go to the standard System Settings menu or the Integrated Peripherals > SATA menu to see all of the drives installed in the system. If all of your drive controllers are enabled and the drive is properly connected (and functional), it should be listed in the BIOS.

If the drive isn’t listed, shut down your PC. Double-check all of the connections, boot into the BIOS and check again. If the drive still isn’t showing up and all the connections are secure, try plugging the SATA data cable into a different port on the motherboard.

To confirm that Windows recognizes the drive, open up Device Manager. In Windows 10, right-click the Windows button on your desktop and select Device Manager. Check for the drive in the Disk Drives section.

When you boot into Windows after installing the drive, you may see the New Hardware Found wizard pop up if the drive is detected. The last thing you need to do is partition and format the drive.

And with that, the drive should be available for use. If you split the drive up into multiple partitions, you should see several drives appear in File Explorer, each with its own drive letter and label.

A hard drive is the storage component of a computer or laptop. It is, therefore, responsible for keeping data such as media and document files on your PC. But hard drives differ in types, sizes, and laptop models. Hence, the location of a hard drive in a laptop may differ from one to another. Some are located at the bottom of the laptop; some are in the front or side of the laptop. No matter the location of your hard drive, it is essential to carefully handle the hard drive regardless of the need to remove it.

Internal hard drives are usually installed in the laptop or desktop PC tower. In contrast, the external hard drives are connected to a laptop via Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable. Sometimes, they are connected via a Firewire connection.

Although internal and external hard drives contain spinning plates and write data to magnetic discs, they have peculiarities. For instance, internal hard drives are faster to use because they work directly with the motherboard rather than a cable.

Furthermore, they typically have a bigger potential storage capacity than external HDDs. Again, compared to buying a quality external hard drive, internal HDDs are more affordable, especially when you consider the fact they come along with purchasing a laptop. Since the HDD is built into the laptop, it is almost at a discounted price with the laptop or desktop computer.

Moreover, internal hard drives are always connected to the laptop, so there's no need to worry about loss or vulnerability to external factors that can damage them.

External hard drives perform the same functions as internal hard drives, yet they possess some peculiarities. They are usually installed on the laptop by connecting them via USB cables, and you can then save your files, whether software, media, or document files.

Also, they can serve as backup to the laptop’s internal HDDs, precluding any possible loss or theft of your important files. If you duplicate your files by backing them up on your external hard drive, you can be assured of the safety of your documents.

External hard drives also have huge storage capacity, saving many documents, images, videos, and more. Depending on the model and the drive manufacturer, it is possible to increase the

data.

The internal hard drive of a laptop can be located in different parts of the laptop. Some are mounted under the laptop, some are installed on the front of the laptop, yet, some are located by the side of the laptop. The manufacturer and the laptop model usually determine the internal HDDs' locations.

A bottom-mounted hard drive is usually posited beneath the laptop, and you can locate it by turning your laptop over. You will find a small section, usually rectangular, that indicates the location of the internal hard drive. To open this section, unscrew the plastic casing and carefully detach the hard drive. Please go through the same process to replace it.

Front-mounted hard drives are posited by the front side of a laptop, opposite the user's viewpoint. So, to access the hard drive, you will have to turn the laptop over and unscrew the rectangular section that encloses the hard drive. However, you must be conscious of the delicate components of the laptop, like the screen, webcam, and flex of the laptop, since this is a front-mounted hard drive. After unscrewing the casing, carefully push to detach the hard drive. Please do the same to connect it back to the laptop.

Mounting an internal hard drive by the side of the laptop is now very common. Side-mounted HDDs are usually fixed beside the CD ROM. There is usually a rectangular cut-out section by the left or right side of the laptop, tightened by two or four screws, depending on the model. Unscrewing this section will reveal the hard drive. Carefully detach the hard drive.

The hard drive is responsible for storing files, your credentials, music playlist, photos from vacation, top-notch movies, etc. Therefore, you must handle it carefully when you want to remove it from the laptop. The following is the step-by-step guide to removing an internal hard drive from a laptop.

Step 1. Backup your important files

This article has earlier stated the importance of backing up your files (to avoid the loss of any of your files). You can back them up on an external hard drive.

Step 2. Disconnect the laptop from any power source or your battery

It is strongly advised never to do repairs on a laptop if it is connected to any power source. Else you will be vulnerable to electric shock. Also, ensure you disconnect the laptop battery before you unscrew anything on the laptop. Disconnect all cables, too, whether USB or network cables. Ensure the laptop is shut down.

Step 3. Unscrew the access panel.

The access panel encloses the hard drive mount, which serves as a covering for the hard drive. Hence, carefully unscrewing the access panel and hard drive mount is important to remove the hard disk.

Step 4. Carefully detach the HDD from the connectors.

Carefully pull the hard drive from the connectors to detach it. Sometimes, you may need a flat tool to achieve this. After this, carefully place it on a neat, stable, dry surface.

On a desktop PC, it is most likely located in one of the drive slots on the front of the computer tower. If you are using a laptop, it is most likely held inside a mounting bracket and mounted inside the computer under the keyboard or under the bottom panel.