Saving data while upgrading a laptop hd

[dragonflyspit]

My HP dv7 hard drive is full. I think it's around 300 gb. I need a larger hd, so here are my questions and concerns:

1. Is upgrading the hd even possible on this laptop?

2. Is it possible to precisely copy the entire contents of the old hd in working order, including several virtual drives, onto the new hd? I have some very expensive language software on the virtual drives, and I no longer have the original CDs, so losing this would be very expensive.

3. Most of my hd space is filled with photographs and home movies, hundreds of thousands of them. Instead of replacing my whole hard drive because I keep too many pictures, is there another safe, practical way to keep so many photos and movies? DVDs are out of the question. I want to be able to access and search my entire library at once, not search dozens of DVDs. Also, I don't have Internet except on my mobile, so keeping everything on a server wouldn't really work for me.

Please write clearly, and dumb things down for me a bit. I know a little more about PCs than the average user, but I had never even heard of a virtual drive until a friend walked me through the setup, and I don't remember how we did it (except it took forever). I don't want to give you the impression I know more than I do.

Thanks in advance,

K

 

[PP Mguire]

Upgrading the HDD is possible, but unless you have another computer to work with so you can clone the two drives it would be easier just to get an external and offload all the data you need backed up to relieve some space like pictures and whatnot.

 

[dragonflyspit]

Thank you. I have an old external hd, but it's too small for this, and a bit cumbersome. Is there a type of external hd, a brand, or any features you'd recommend? I used to backup my important files by manually copying and pasting them to the external hd. I'm certain there are much better options.

Also, I travel a lot in an RV, so an external hd that travels well would be important if you have any suggestions.

Thanks very much for your help.

K

 

[PP Mguire]

You have a couple options. If you're usually plugged in then for the money a 3.5" external would be better because you can get a bigger size. Only downside is it requires a power adapter.

If you want a smaller style drive that doesn't require external power then here is a good option for the money.
Seagate Backup Plus 1TB USB 3.0 Black Portable Hard Drive STBU1000100 - Newegg.com

Copy paste, best IMO. If something messes up during the copy process the original isn't touched.

 

[dragonflyspit]

That is great information. I really appreciate your help. Thank you.