I have a work laptop and I want to switch out a personal HD with my work HD so that I can access personal items, install programs etc. Is this possible? If so do the HDs have be from the same model (I have a dell latitude from work, but I have a formated Dell inspiron HD on hand).

While possible, I would advise AGAINST it as it may well breach your companies IT policy.
At the end of the day this machine is the property of the company and most IT managers take a very dim of end users making such radical adjustments.

It was my bosses idea. I will check w/ IT before going ahead with it, but any help on how?

Ask your own IT people about this.

The idea is to do any homework, buy any hardware, etc that would be nesscary on the front end. Please instead of replying with answers of this caliber consider that I understand the risks and will ensure that I am within my companies standards. Im sure that my IT guys would thank you for your dilengence.

Now anyone else want to help? Im looking for if this is possible and how to go about it. Sorry Curlyben but "ask you IT" isn't exactly why I went to a forum.

In theory, yes it would work, but there are always other factors at play.
You say they are the same, but a latitude and an inspiron are very different in spec and build, hence the potential for difficulty.

I have swapped hardware between, believed, identical systems and come out with BSoD.
Which is why I said ask your IT people as they have probably got a much better idea than this antiquated drive swapping..
Virtualisation may well be the route to take.

This all assume that it is deemed acceptable to use the machine for your own personal requirements.
That decision is NOT up to YOUR boss, but the IT Boss.

Thank you for your expert opinion on the command structure of my organization and for rendering this thread useless.

I will get help else where. Please feel free to leave further posts, maybe what my wife's favorite flowers are, or what is the best fuel to put in my car or other items that are completely irrevlant. You seem to deem yourself an expert without actually being able to answer any questions.

You're kidding right.
I have 10+ years in professional IT management for a GLOBAL company, as well as numerous IT qualifications including MSCE, CCNA, MCDBA...

Unless I'm very much mistaken paragraphs ONE and TWO deal with your problem and gives you some ideas what to look at.

If you'd rather I said, "sure swap them over everything will be fine" and your machine entered permanent BSoD, you would wind up looking rather ineffectual explaining THAT to your boss.

So the choice is yours, but I guess you shouldn't make such ludicrous assumptions before you know the entire picture.

Ps I'm also an Admin of this site so your report of my "spamming" has landed directly in my lap.

Ok, I don't doubt you have experience, I just doubt you are here to help. You have now spammed my thread 4 times and offered such insight such as "Ask IT" and "Not your bosses call". You seem content on just chruning out replies.

What ever your intent your job is done here, please quit. You've successfully hijacked this thread and now I'll have to go somewhere else to get actual answers.

You seem to have an unerring knack of ONLY reading the parts of my responses that you want to.
I HAVE offered a suggestion BUT until you have consulted with your own IT department it is NOT advised to proceed.
Seriously.

I have known of people "made to leave" after tampering with allocated IT equipment in this manner and damaging company property.
What you are suggesting is not an all together simple exercise and can cause permanent damage to your machine.

This site offers solutions not just answers. It would be irresponsible for someone to tell you to go ahead with your plan when it could compromise your work PC. It would appear that you don't want an intelligent helpful answer, but rather a rubber stamp of your plan. Sorry you won't get that here.