Dell Latitude E6540 Hard Drive Replacement

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Introduction

If you wish to replace a failed hard drive or upgrade it to a larger drive or SSD, this guide will show you how to change the drive on the system.

Guide notes

This guide does not cover OS installation or backups. This is something you will need to figure out how to do.
If your system has a HDP on it, it may carry to your new hard drive. I recommend testing it with a junk drive first (if available), just to be sure.
You will need to figure out how to get install media for your particular system. If you wish to reinstall Windows, you can use the black Dell DVD or your custom media, if you made this when you purchased the system. If you have neither available, Dell will send you one set of media for your system, if it has not been previously requested. If this is the case, you can find these DVD's online very easily.

What you need

1. Step 1 Change note
  Tool used on this step:
  Essential Electronics Toolkit
  $29.95
  
  Buy
  Due to the EET missing several components present in the Pro Tech Go and only being $20 cheaper, the EET has been removed. The EET will work for this guide as-is, but if you are shopping for a new toolkit to complete this guide, the Pro Tech Go (new or refurbished, refurbished is ~$32 cheaper), or Pro Tech ($79 new/~$59.95 refurb) is the current recommended toolkit for this guide.
  
  If you are interested in a refurbished kit stock levels change frequently but can be found here.
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1. Step 2 Hibernate your laptop
  It is possible to plug the laptop in to avoid hibernating the system.
  
  Locate the Hibernate option in the Start menu. Let the system fully hibernate (or shut down) before removing the battery.
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2. Step 3 Unlock the battery
  Flip the laptop over and unlock the 2 battery tabs. The tabs will remain unlocked until the battery is removed.
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4. Step 4 Remove the old battery
  The "extended runtime" battery on this model will stick out a few inches by design. This cannot be avoided.
  
  Remove the battery. Pull the battery up from the back.
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5. Step 5 Install the new battery
  This step does not apply if this guide is being used as a prerequisite.
  
  Align the battery with the tabs on the chassis. Drop the battery in place once lined up. If needed, use light pressure to seat it in the computer.
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6. Step 6 Plug your laptop in
  This step does not apply if this guide is being used as a prerequisite.
  
  Turn the computer on and plug the charger in.
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1. Step 7 Remove the chassis screws
  EET owners: Your kit has this bit. No purchase needed.
  
  The screw marked in orange is directly screwed into the chassis. This point WILL break if overtightended.
  
  To remove the hard drive from the computer, remove the two screws. Use the Phillips #1 bit.
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2. Step 8 Remove the drive clip
  EET owners: Your kit has this bit. No purchase needed.
  
  This step is not required if you are moving the drive to an identical Dell computer.
  
  To remove the drive clip, remove the Phillips #0 screw holding the hard drive to the clip.
  
  Once the screw is removed, remove the drive starting from the side with the screw.
  
  Remove the drive from the right side by removing the drive from the alignment pin.
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3. Step 9 Remove the rubber bumpers
  The bumpers are held on with double sided tape. This does not have to be replaced.
  
  Once the drive is removed from the clip, remove the rubber bumpers. Transfer them to your new drive.
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