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IBM ThinkPad T30 Hard Drive Replacement

Device	IBM ThinkPad T30
Difficulty	Easy
Time	5 - 10 minutes
Steps	5

This guide is by Allie Knauer on iFixit and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0. ByteRot mirrors it for non-commercial preservation: formatting changed and photos resized for old browsers; full-size photos and the text are on the FTP in /DOCS/REPAIR. Original guide >>

In this guide, you will learn how to remove and replace a hard drive for an IBM ThinkPad T30 laptop. The laptop comes with an IDE / PATA Hard disk drive that is either 20/40/60GB and is easy to remove only using a few tools

Tools: Phillips #1 Screwdriver; iFixit Opening Tool

Parts: Crucial MX500 1 TB SSD; 250 GB SSD; Crucial BX500 500 GB SSD; 2 TB SSD

Step 1

• NOTE: Make sure the ThinkPad is off and the power supply is unplugged.
• Flip the ThinkPad upside down with the bottom facing you.
• Slide the latch to the right into the unlock position.
• While holding the latch in the unlock position, lift the battery out with your other hand.

Step 2 :: Hard Drive

• Flip to the back of the Thinkpad.
• Remove the single 11 mm screw using the Phillips #0 screwdriver.

Step 3

• Flip the Thinkpad on its side to get a better view of the hard drive.
• Push on the lower edge of the hard drive cover to detach the hard drive from the Thinkpad.
• Once you have detached the hard drive from the Thinkpad, slide the hard drive out of the device.

Step 4

• Using the plastic tool, remove the black plastic cover from the main body of the hard drive.
• Place the plastic tool at the ends of the plastic cover to detach it from the hard drive.
• NOTE: Once the black plastic has been detached, the plastic will then slide off the body of the hard drive.

Step 5

• Remove the four 2.8 mm screws from the mounting bracket using a Phillips #0 screwdriver.
• Pull the mounting bracket off of the hard drive.
• NOTE: It may be easier to remove the mounting bracket by rotating it off of the hard drive as if it is on a hinge.

Conclusion

To reassemble your device with a new hard drive, follow these instructions in reverse order with a new hard drive replacing the old one.

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