Removing a Solid-State Drive (SSD) From a PC

ID: 142481

Description: A solid-state drive may need to be removed from...

Steps:

1. Put on the anti-shock wristband and connect the alligator clip to a large, grounded piece of metal.
2. Turn off the power supply on the back of the PC and disconnect all power cables.

3. Remove the side panels of the PC case. Many cases are designed with a latch or large screws such that side panels can be removed without any tools.
4. For the case used in this guide, four screws on the back of the case must be removed, and the side panels slide towards the back to come free.

5. Locate the SSD. In most cases, it will be mounted in a bay next to the motherboard.
6. Remove the screws holding the SSD in the bay.

7. Gently slide the SSD out of its bay slot.
8. Unplug the two cables which are connected to the back of the SSD.

9. The SSD is now removed, but there are two cables left in its place. One is a SATA cable, which can be identified by tracing it back to the mother board.
10. Find this connection and unplug the cable from the motherboard, then remove the cable from the PC.

11. Trace the second cable, the power cable, back to the power supply unit.
12. If the cable can be removed from the power supply without removing any other cables, then the power supply is modular and the unused SSD cable can be safely removed.
13. If the power supply is not modular, tuck the unused SSD cable into space next to the power supply. Use a zip tie to secure it out of the way, if needed.
14. Slide the side panels of the case back into place, and secure with the appropriate screws as necessary. The solid-state drive has been successfully removed from the PC.