Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement

Nick and 2 other contributors

Last updated on March 9, 2025

25 - 45 minutes

Easy

Community-Contributed Guide

Introduction

Go to step 1

This guide will show you how to replace the hard drive cable in your Latitude E7440/7450. If your machine is having unusual issues with sleep and hibernation not working correctly, this is sometimes related to a intermittent hard drive cable that is beginning to fail, but still works. In other cases if your drive no longer shows up, it can be due to a bad drive, cable or motherboard.

Due to the low cost of this cable (or in my case, I kept a spare on hand just in case), this can quickly rule out the hard drive cable so you can looking at a potentially deeper issue that may be causing your problem. In the case of my E7440, the machine is not properly hibernating. This has occurred since the original installation of Windows 10, and 2 wipe and reloads. I am changing my cable to make sure it's not a issue with the SSD or motherboard.

What you need

Tools

Step 1 Prepare the laptop

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Prepare the laptop: step 1, image 1 of 1

Power off your laptop before starting.
Flip the device over so that the vents on the bottom are facing away from you.

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Step 2 Release the battery

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Release the battery: step 2, image 1 of 3

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Release the battery: step 2, image 2 of 3

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Release the battery: step 2, image 3 of 3

Place your finger on the latch located in the center of the laptop.
Slide the latch to the right, applying enough force to reveal a red indicator.
You will hear a soft click when the latch has been disengaged.

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Step 3 Remove the battery

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the battery: step 3, image 1 of 1

Lift the battery by the top, away from the laptop body.

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Step 4 Remove the bottom screws

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the bottom screws: step 4, image 1 of 2

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the bottom screws: step 4, image 2 of 2

EET owners: Your kit has this bit. No purchase needed.
After removing the battery, remove the 2 Phillips #0 screws securing the service panel.
Slide the panel off after removing the screws.

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Step 5 Remove the original HD cable

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the original HD cable: step 5, image 1 of 3

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the original HD cable: step 5, image 2 of 3

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the original HD cable: step 5, image 3 of 3

EET owners: Your kit has this bit. No purchase needed.
If your E7440 is missing the caddy or bumpers, these parts can be safely omitted if an SSD is installed. If your unit is complete, remove the 4 screws marked in red. These screws are Phillips #0 if your laptop has them.
Pull the tab on the drive cable up to disconnect it from the motherboard.
Deroute the hard drive cable from the system.

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Step 6 Remove the drive and cable

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the drive and cable: step 6, image 1 of 2

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Remove the drive and cable: step 6, image 2 of 2

If you are removing the cable to complete a different repair, do not use force.
Remove the drive from the machine, and disconnect the cable.

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Step 7 Install the new HD cable

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Install the new HD cable: step 7, image 1 of 2

Dell Latitude E7440 Hard Drive Cable Replacement, Install the new HD cable: step 7, image 2 of 2

Once the old cable is removed, partially install the replacement cable. Final placement is done with the drive installed.
Reinstall the drive into the laptop, and setup the final cable placement.