Need help changing HDD on Toshiba laptop..

Hello there!
I´m going to replace the internal hard disk on my laptop because it s giving strange ticking and clicking sounds and at the same time get a larger one,so i decide to prepare my self collecting some info about that.I got a few question about the procedure.I´ll be very thankful if you could help.

I´ve already done a back up using Windows Complete PC and saved it to the external drive.I ve already burned a Vista Rescue Recovery from NeoSmart,and i ve got recovery oem cd from toshiba when i purchased the laptop.
The questions are:

1: After I've physically replaced the hard disk, what have i do the next step?
2: How can i put Vista on the new drive?
3:How can the replacement disk be recognised?
4: Wouldn't reinstalling the back up from the external hd make my vista running perfectly as it deos now? I´m confused....

I´ll appreciate all step by step help i can get!

Thanks.

 

hold ESC then press F1.
now change the boot order so that it boots of CD.
put the recovery disk in.
then press "end" to save and quit the BIOS.

It will restart and boot of the recovery cd.
Now just follow the on sceen prompts untill it's done.

It will be fine if you bought the right disk.

 

What about Vista validation? would it be required through the installation?
as i mentioned before i ve got a recovery cd when i purchased the laptop,with activating key under the laptop...does it matter?Should vista run through the activation on the new drive without problems?

Thanks in advance.

 

With recovery disks, you don't validate

 

The information for the Recovery disc is in the BIOS.

I think it will automatically change to the CD if it doesn't find anything to boot from on the HDD.

But a lot of computers have got the CD drive listed before the HDD anyway.

 

The above option requires you to reinstall vista, and then import all your data/apps. A far easier solution would be to clone your existing drive onto your new drive (don't worry about the copy you've got on there already, the clone will overwrite it) - it copies EVERYTHING - the OS, applications, data, MFT, the lot - its a carbon copy. Acronis do a free trial version of their EasyMigrate program, or if you have a Western Digital or Seagate drive as either of the two discs involved, both manufacturers have free apps to do the clone. Then just put the new cloned disc in, and that's it, you're up and running exactly as you were before.

 

Wouldn´t the backup i did using function Complete PC work correctly if i migrate it after installing Vista?

 

Yep, it would work, it just requires you to install Vista again, whereas the clone won't require that.