New Hard Drive?

[RobPro]

Hello, so another laptop has a damaged hard drive, this time I don't see any good laptop deals so looking to just see what a replacement hard drive can do. First time doing all this, where can i get a replacement hard drive and which do I need for a Acer Aspire V5-571? Do I need to buy a new OS (was Windows 8)?

Is it as simple as getting a new hard drive and swapping them over or do I need to buy anything else?

Sorry I am a novice at this, just seems a waste to get a new laptop if everything else still works. Thanks

 

[casper1973]

Hard drives are available at most tech stores, Amazon, Newegg etc.

They are very generic so you don't need a specific one just for your laptop make/model. Any decent 2.5" SATA hard drive will do the job.

With Windows 8 the licence is built into the UEFI/BIOS. You will need to re-install Windows 8 from a DVD/USB drive but if you are using the correct version it will activate itself automatically. No licence key required. By correct version I mean the exact version that came pre-installed on the laptop. If it came with Windows 8 Professional you need to use Windows 8 Professional install media. Even 8.1 Professional won't work.

For a novice, it may be easier to order recovery media from Acer. This saves you the hassle of finding/installing drivers once you have Windows installed. Find the media here - http/store.acer.com/store/aceramer/en_US/eRecovery

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, RobPro!

You wouldn't need a new OS if you already have Windows 8 pre-installed on your laptop. The OS communicates with the motherboard, and in the pre-built operating systems you have two options:
1. The product key written somewhere on the bottom of the laptop
2. Or once you go online after swapping the HDD and re-installing Windows, it will automatically activate itself.
You should contact your laptop manufacturer if you don't have a recovery disk to re-install the OS.

P.S. Sorry, I was writing while @casper answered! ^+1

Good luck!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[RobPro]

Hard drives are available at most tech stores, Amazon, Newegg etc.

They are very generic so you don't need a specific one just for your laptop make/model. Any decent 2.5" SATA hard drive will do the job.

With Windows 8 the licence is built into the UEFI/BIOS. You will need to re-install Windows 8 from a DVD/USB drive but if you are using the correct version it will activate itself automatically. No licence key required. By correct version I mean the exact version that came pre-installed on the laptop. If it came with Windows 8 Professional you need to use Windows 8 Professional install media. Even 8.1 Professional won't work.

For a novice, it may be easier to order recovery media from Acer. This saves you the hassle of finding/installing drivers once you have Windows installed. Find the media here - http/store.acer.com/store/aceramer/en_US/eRecovery

That's a great help thanks. Problem number 2 is that the cd drive doesn't work !!

 

[casper1973]

You can use this to make a bootable USB stick from a Windows DVD or ISO - http/www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool.

You will need access to another computer and a USB stick 4GB or larger,

Or alternatively you could use an external CD/DVD drive that connects to a USB port on your laptop. Something like this - http/www.amazon.com/Samsung-SE-208DB-TSBS-External-Drive/dp/B009QBIZ60/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1427307980&sr=8-7&keywords=external+dvd