Corsair blog

The Corsair Force Series 3 Notebook Upgrade Kit SSDs, or NUK, comes with a software CD that is also a bootable disk that loads a Linux based version of the Apricorn Easy GIG IV software. Users that desire to perform their upgrade in a Linux environment can simply boot off the CD and they can perform the update on a system that has no existing operating system if needed. Users can also create a bootable USB flash drive which will allow the user to load the Linux utility, and run the update from that drive which is a very useful feature for systems with no CD drives such as netbooks.

The Apricorn EZ GIG IV software is exceedingly simple to use. The GUI, or graphical user interface, and the update process is exactly the same as the Windows version and we have detailed the steps below. We have also included some tips on the actual removal and replacement of the drives so keep reading!

For those users that have never replaced or upgraded a drive in their computer, you typically have three basic options. You can do a clean installation of your OS, you can restore your OS from a backup, or you can go the chimple route and simply clone your existing drive. With the EX GIG IV software, you can make an identical copy of your existing drive thus eliminating the need for working with the OS. Once the clone is done, you remove the old drive and install the new drive. Of the three options, a clone is typically the most simple and fastest way to add a new drive to your machine and get it running. And here's how you do it.

Connect the Apricorn USB to SSD adapter to the Force Series 3 Notebook Upgrade Kit 120GB SSD, then connect the other end to a USB connector on your computer.

Insert the CD and either enter your BIOS and set the system to boot from the CD drive or, manually select the CD drive as the boot drive. Typically, most systems will allow an user to select the boot device manually by pressing a specific during the POST process. If you are unsure on how to perform this task on your system, consult your user's manual or your system manufacturer.

Once the application is started, you will see the EZ GIG IV startup options screen. Start EZ GIG IV.

You'll need to accept the EULA to continue.

After you accept the EULA, select "Let's Get Started".

Select your source drive and then select next. In this example, my source drive is drive C: and it is listed as drive # 1.

The next step is selecting the destination drive. In this example, it is drive # 2 and shows up as connected by USB. Be sure to select the proper source and destination drive!

After you select the source and destination drives, you can continue with the default settings or, you can select Advanced Options and Data Select. Using Advanced Options you can manually select options to customize the cloning process. For example, since we are using an SSD as the destination drive, it is important to select the 4K Alignment option so that the partition is properly aligned on the SSD. 4K alignment is critical for proper SSD performance.

Data Select is a neat option that allows you to select data to be omitted from the clone if needed. This will help speed up the cloning process. For example, if you wished to omit the My Music folder as I have here, you would omit 19.8GB from the cloning process. You can then manually add any omitted folder at a later time while operating the OS from your newly cloned drive.

Once you have finalized these options, select Next and go to the Start Clone option. Click Start Clone and you'll be prompted to Abort the clone or Start copying. If your settings are correct, select Start copying.

The status window will show the progress. The time to clone will be determined by the speed of your source drive and the size of the data copied.

Once your clone is complete you can repeat the process with the Another Copy option, Quit EZ GIG IV, or check the details of the operation.

Once the clone is complete, you'll need to remove your old drive and replace it with the new drive. You'll most likely need a small Phillips or "T" head screw driver for this.

Most notebooks/netbooks are fundamentally the same yet subtly different in their layout. If you are not familiar with how to replace a drive in your specific unit, please consult your manual or consult the manufacturer. Here, we've used a Dell Inspiron as an example. Be sure to unplug your power supply and also remove the battery before beginning.

Find the panel covering the drive bay and remove it.

Once this panel is open, you'll need to remove the existing drive. Most drives are going to sit in a small retention cage. Remove the screws (circled in red) holding the cage and carefully pull the drive out of the machine by sliding the drive away from the SATA interface. Again, if you are not sure of this procedure, be sure to use the resources provided to get the proper procedure for your machine.

Once you have removed the old drive from the system, remove the drive from the retention cage. Place the new SSD into the retention cage in the same orientation as the original drive. Then, carefully slide the drive back into the SATA interface in the direction of the red arrow and replace the screws holding the cage. Then, replace your cover, reinstall the battery, apply the power supply if needed and power up. Once it is up and running, your OS should look exactly as it did with the previous drive and also have the blazing speed of an SSD.

In this video Jeff Checchi walks you through the Force Series 3 SSD Notebook Upgrade Kit's features, as well as the installation on a new ThinkPad laptop: