So if they don't know they'll say so and someone can explain to them how to use it, or heck, even simply google how to use it. :P And if they know how to disable it they'll know how to use it (even though if disabled currently it wouldn't be very useful, which considering there isn't much reason to disable System Restore on 7 it would just of been fairly pointless to disable it in the first place). I wouldn't say that 'most' people don't know what it is or how to use it either.
Didn't you just make a point to Dhalin about 'most' people not even knowing how to use System Restore, and now you're talking about removing, installing, and potentially replacing hardware on a laptop? >.>
Reagle, I'd say try what Dhalin suggested first. He is right about the drivers. Unless you had some very strangely unique disk drive that required strangely unique drivers it's unlikely to be the cause of the drive's failure.