Hard disk failure

Question

Hello all,

I'm writing because I would like to know if a hard disk failure is covered under warranty or if I could buy one and get it installed. I am lead to believe so but I've been hearing conflicting reports on the issue. This evening my computer alerted me to a hard disk failure which is troublesome for me because I need this for school. I have been trying to figure out how much a 1 year warranty would cost and aside from hearing all the nasty things about dell warranties, quoted price are really high. I can't really afford a warranty right now, but saw the hard disk are a faction of a warranty cost the I was given on my system. I am also told I could install this myself, with care, but I rather not take the chance and would get a professional to do it.

My question: for $430 is a 1 year warranty worth it? Is there a way I could get renew the 90 day limited warranty instead of being forced into the 1 year basic for my model? Or would getting a hard disk and installing it be better? How do I know which hard disk my computer needs (can use)? Which type of professionals can install it, rather could some group like Geek Squad do it? How much would that cost?

Thanks

My system:

Dell XPS Studio M1640

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

The hard drive itself will cost less than $100 - a shop can install it for a 30 minute labor charge. The time consuming part is reinstalling Windows and all the drivers -- if you have a shop do that for you, add another couple of hundred dollars in charges.

Installing a drive on this model is a 10-minute job:

ftp.dell.com/.../studio-xps-1645_service%20manual_en-us.pdf

It's not worth $430 for a warranty on this system - you'd likely be lucky to get $250-300 for it on the used market, so the cost of the warranty far exceeds the value of the system itself. Unfortunately, as with older cars, repair incidence goes up - so the cost to extend a warranty goes up accordingly. This system is on the order of 3 or more years old -- and given the design life of a notebook (3 years), near the end of its expected lifespan anyway.

ejn63 · Accepted Answer

Any standard 2.5' SATA notebook drive will work as long as it's 9.5 or 7 mm high.  The fastest one is the Momentus XT www.newegg.com/.../Product.aspx All notebooks use the same hard drive, and three years is about what you can expect out of any hard drive in any system. As for the notebook itself, they're all more alike than different, since they're all made by the same contractors.  You can generally expect about three years out of any notebook -- doesn't matter if it's a $500 Dell or a $5,000 Mac.

Polarbearblu · Answer

Thanks for answer my question. I was leaning towards replacing the disk myself. I was skeptical of dell from the beginning my my mother insisted my grandmother buy this, despite my desire for a different brand. So now need to upgrade. I just have a few more.

I can reinstall all the software myself. How do I know which hard disk is right for me? Does Dell sell these parts? If so, is it still likely to be cheaper elsewhere? Also, which laptops have longer lifespans than this one?

Polarbearblu · Answer

Thank you. You've been really helpful in this matter and I appreciate the quick response times.

Locked Topics – Laptops General

Hard disk failure

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