Max disk size for a FX501 vaio upgrade?

[jcollomosse]

Hi there,

My vaio harddisk failed at the weekend (after a couple of years heavy service!), and I've been looking at buying a new one. Installing it hopefully shouldn't be a problem as I have already taken the vaio apart to see what sort of disk it takes. I just wondered if anyone knew what the maximum capacity of a harddisk is in a vaio? I don't want to buy a 80 gig disk and not be able to see it all when its installed!

My setup is: Sony Vaio FX501, which I bought in March 2002.
For info: the broken disk was an IBM/Hitatchi Travelstar 20Gb with 4200rpm speed.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

John

[kee-lo_]

If you want a big drive get a caddy and just keep essentials on the hard disk inside the VAIO

[Woody27]

If you want a big drive get a caddy and just keep essentials on the hard disk inside the VAIO

Good point Kee-Lo!

You can always just use an iLink enabled external HDD. I have heard that the LACIE ones are pretty good!

If you look on e-bay some peaple also sell external HDD cases for VAIOs with the logo on it! Sony also make there own external HDD called 'Gigapocket' but they are low capacity and very expensive (as usual!), but look nice (as usual!)

CW

[kee-lo_]

Sony also make there own external HDD called 'Gigapocket' but they are low capacity and very expensive (as usual!), but look nice (as usual!)

CW

Gigapocket is software that records from a TV card, I don't think they ever made a hard disk called that.

[Woody27]

Gigapocket is software that records from a TV card, I don't think they ever made a hard disk called that.

Sorry, your absolutely right!

It was called Giga Vault !

CW

[kee-lo_]

Ah I see it on eBay, looks a cool unit

[kee-lo_]

[Woody27]

Ah I see it on eBay, looks a cool unit

Yeah, only goes upto 80 Gb though!

Cost around £200 to £300 when it first came out, maybe cheaper now!

CW

[kee-lo_]

Not much cheaper!

[jcollomosse]

Thanks to everyone who replied helping me out on this one, esp. Woody27 and Kee-Lo.

I'm happy to report that installation of a 60Gb drive is indeed possible on a Vaio PCG-FX501, and I can see all of it!

Having trawled the web for instructions on replacing the disk in a vaio and finding very little, I have now put some of my own up at http://www.cs.bath.ac.uk/~jpc/vaio/.

Thanks again for the advice!
John

[ChrisOfTheOT]

This link will also be useful:

http://www.myplc.com/sony/

It's Brad White's huge site about upgrading all aspects of the FX series. Fabulous and amazing - I used it loads with my old FX401. (Also see the very useful link to the Yahoo group.)

Cheers :smileygrin: ,

Chris