Siemens Nixdorf PCD-4ND - replace HDD with a 60GB HDD \ VOGONS

Siemens Nixdorf PCD-4ND - replace HDD with a 60GB HDD

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First post, by bbence84

Posted on 2026-06-30, 23:16

bbence84 Offline

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Rank: Newbie
Posts: 3
Joined: 2026-06-22, 16:39

I have the Siemens Nixdorf PCD-4ND 486 DX 75mhz laptop and I would like to replace the HDD with a newer one, as the old one seems to be acting up.
I have found the following guide which shows that it's possible to do this:
https://boginjr.com/electronics/old/pcd-4nd/

I have a Fujitsu 2.5" IDE 60GB lying around and I was wondering if it's indeed necessary to partition the drive inside the machine directly, or maybe there's another way?
Ultimately, I would like to have a Windows 3.11 and a Windows 95 OSR dual boot installed on this HDD.
Can this be done on a modern PC using some obscure approach or should it be performed in the machine itself?

Thanks!

Reply 1 of 1, by wierd_w

Posted on 2026-06-30, 23:26

wierd_w Offline

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Posts: 2040
Joined: 2023-07-14, 06:20

Yes, you really do need to partition and format it in the host machine.
The reasons for this relate mostly to more recent windows versions writing strange stuff to the MBR, and also aligning the partition table structure with 1mb boundaries, instead of sector boundaries, like DOS needs.

What I would suggest you do, since this is a laptop, is use EZDRIVE 9.
https://vogonsdrivers.com/getfile.php?fileid= … 900&menustate=0

EZDRIVE 9 can give you greater than 8gb disk support, and has FAT32 boot support, so it's the best option here, unless you have some way to re-bake the system bios to contain XTIDE.

You'll need to make the boot/install diskettes, boot them, and use THAT to partition and format the drive. It will make it possible to have large disk support on an old machine.

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