[header] How to remove a hard drive [title] Back up your data. [step] We're going to do our best not to lose any data, but as murphy's law will tell you ,. It's better to be ready with a little precautions than to risk losing all your data. 
[substeps] Copy your information onto an external hard drive or use another form of backup like online backup prior to removing your current hard drive. If your hard drive has failed and your data has been lost, skip this step.