Preparing Advanced Format hard drives for Microsoft Windows installations on HP Business Notebook PCs and desktop PCs - White Paper
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Phase-in of Advanced Format drives
There is no set cut-over date for the introduction of Advanced Format drives into new HP Business
Notebook or Desktop PCs, or Retail POS systems; instead, drives will be phased in, as shown in Table
4.
Note the following caveats:
While Advanced Format drives are initially being phased in, multi-unit shipments may include both
Advanced Format and conventional (512-byte sector) drives.
HDD suppliers are not ramping up Advanced Format drive production at the same time.
Furthermore, a particular supplier may ramp up the production of different capacities at different
times. Thus, at some point in time, Supplier A may not be offering any Advanced Format drives,
while Supplier B may be offering 750 GB and 1 TB Advanced Format drives along with 250 GB
and 500 GB conventional drives.
Spare parts will be phased in at the same time as the particular Advanced Format drive.
Table 4. Phase-in dates
Scenario
Disk capacity/
system type
Comments
3.5-inch drive
(desktops, workstations,
Retail POS)
160 GB
Discontinued in December 2011
250 GB
Non-AF drives with 512-byte sectors will be available for
an extended period.
320 GB
Discontinued in December 2011
500 GB
Non-AF drives with 512-byte sectors will be available for
an extended period.
750 GB
Discontinued in December 2011
1 TB and larger
Advanced Format drives will be phased in beginning no
sooner than October 2011, perhaps beginning in mid-
January 2012.
2.5-inch drive*
(notebooks, desktops,
Retail POS)
POS systems and
ultra-slim desktops
Advanced Format drives will be phased in beginning in
October/November 2011
s- and m-series
notebooks
Advanced Format drives will be phased in beginning in
October/November 2011
b-, p-, and w-series
notebooks
Advanced Format drives will be phased in beginning in
January/February 2011
* HP will be shipping 2.5-inch drives with 512-byte sectors until inventory has been consumed.