SOLVED: Can an SSD & Fresh Windows 10 Save An Old Toshiba Laptop From the Landfill?

We often work on old laptops to either recover data or upgrade them.

This gets to a common question that we answer in the video below, does it make sense to replace the old spinning drive with a solid state drive and install a fresh Windows 10 to make the laptop useable again?

Windows 7 was released in 2009 and is no longer supported, so Microsoft is not even putting out patches for it. If you want to use old Windows 7 devices, you really need to make some changes to them to keep you safe in the 2020’s.

In this case we had a Toshiba Satellite C650D-007 which first went on sale in August of 2010. That is almost 11 years ago. This is an old unit with budget specs which you can see at the bottom of this article.

Note that we completed a similar video are article on how to upgrade an ASUS ROG Laptop to and SSD and Windows 10 last year.

How To Upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 10 For Free?

As you can see in the video the Toshiba C650-007 is quite usable with Windows 10. We show you how to upgrade the spinning disk to an SSD, then how to legally source and install Windows 10 for free and then activate it using your old Windows 7 license key.

Did The Battery Get Replaced?

The battery on this Toshiba Satellite was dead so we considered a replacement battery. You can source one HERE for just $20 but we decided it was going to be plugged in all the time so the battery was not needed in our application.

Is It Worth Upgrading to a Solid State Drive on an Old Laptop?

The question ‘is it worth upgrading to an SSD’ is less clear. Because this Toshiba Satellite is so old it only has a SATA II hard drive controller which severely limits its performance compared to SATA III controllers. On the other hand, I would not keep important data on an 11 year old budget spinning disk.

We replaced the hard drive with an SSD for USD$40. An SSD does not make this machine radically faster that a decent spinning disk but we think it is worth $40 just to replace the old drive.

Is it Worth Upgrading an old Laptop to an SSD & Windows 10?

We think so. Small SATA SSD’s are cheap, Windows 10 is free and the process is easy so there is little downside to trying.

This old Toshiba laptop was never a speed demon but it works for standard applications and this small amount of money and effort will keep the unit out of the landfill for another three or four years.

TOSHIBA C650D-007 SPECIFICATIONS

Platform Technology

AMD VISION
Notebook type

Budget, Midsize
Manufacturer

Toshiba

PROCESSOR / CHIPSET

CPU

AMD E-240 1.5 GHz
Number of Cores

Dual-Core
Cache

L2 – 512 KB
64-bit Computing

Yes

CACHE MEMORY

Type

L2 cache
Installed Size

512 KB

RAM

Memory Speed

1066 MHz
Configuration Features

1 x 1 GB + 1 x 2 GB
Technology

DDR3 SDRAM
Installed Size

3 GB

STORAGE

Interface

Serial ATA-300
Optical Drive

DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM

MEMORY

Max Supported Size

8 GB
Technology

DDR3 SDRAM
Speed

1066 MHz
Slots Qty

2
Empty Slots

0

ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS

Humidity Range Operating

20 – 80% (non-condensing)

DISPLAY

LCD Backlight Technology

LED backlight
Widescreen Display

Yes
Image Aspect Ratio

16:9
Monitor Features

Clear SuperView (CSV)
Type

LED
Diagonal Size (metric)

39.6 cm
Display Resolution Abbreviation

HD

AUDIO & VIDEO

Graphics Processor

AMD Radeon HD 6310
Memory Allocation Technology

HyperMemory
Integrated Webcam

Yes
Sound

Stereo speakers, microphone

HARD DRIVE

Spindle Speed

5400 rpm
Type

HDD
Capacity

320 GB

INPUT

Type

keyboard, touchpad
Localization & Layout

US
Features

multi-touch touchpad

COMMUNICATIONS

Wireless Protocol

802.11b/g/n
Wireless Controller

Realtek RTL8188CE
Wired Protocol

10/100 Ethernet

OPTICAL STORAGE

Drive Type

DVD SuperMulti
Type

DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM

PROCESSOR

CPU Type

E-240
Manufacturer

AMD
Clock Speed

1.5 GHz

CARD READER

Type

card reader
Supported Flash Memory

MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, miniSD

BATTERY

Capacity

4400 mAh
Cells

6-cell
Technology

lithium ion

AC ADAPTER

Input

AC 120/230 V (50/60 Hz)
Output

65 Watt, 19 V, 3.42 A

CONNECTIONS & EXPANSION

Interfaces

VGA
LAN
Headphone output
Microphone input
2 x USB 2.0
Memory Card Reader

Yes (SD Card, MultiMediaCard, miniSD, SDHC Card)

HEADER

Brand

Toshiba
Product Line

Toshiba Satellite
Model

Satellite C650D
Country Kits

United States
Packaged Quantity

1
Compatibility

PC

NETWORKING

Data Link Protocol

Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n
Compliant Standards

Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
Wireless LAN Supported

Yes
Wireless NIC

Realtek RTL8188CE

MISCELLANEOUS

Color

genchaku black with tops pattern
Features

security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
Included Laptop Accessories

power adapter
Compliant Standards

RoHS

MONITOR

Diagonal Size

15.6 in

SYSTEM

Platform Technology

AMD VISION
Notebook Type

notebook
Platform

Windows
Hard Drive Capacity

320 GB

DIMENSIONS & WEIGHT

Width

15 in
Depth

9.8 in
Height

1.5 in

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Weight

5.51 lbs

POWER

Min Operating Temperature

41 °F
Max Operating Temperature

95 °F

OPERATING SYSTEM / SOFTWARE

OS Provided: Type

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Type

Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, Norton Internet Security 2011

VIDEO OUTPUT

Graphics Processor

AMD Radeon HD 6310
Graphics Processor Series

AMD Radeon HD

VIDEO MEMORY

Memory Allocation Technology

HyperMemory

NOTEBOOK CAMERA

Integrated Webcam

Yes