Is it possible to upgrade the internal Hard disk drive on the iMac

Is it possible to upgrade the internal Hard disk drive on the iMac?

Yes but it's definitely not advised. If you have a machine newer than 2009 Apple uses drives that have integrated heat sensors. This makes upgrading much more difficult but not impossible. If you have a machine still under warranty then definitely DO NOT do this yourself as you may void the warranty not to mention it isn't for the faint of heart. Take the machine to an AASP to have the work done, you will need to find one in your area willing to do so.
If you are considering a new machine then simply buy the configuation you need.

Similar Messages

Powerbook won't see the internal hard disk drive

I'm scratching my head with this one...
Seemed to me that my HDD had died, when I booted the computer I got a grey screen. I tried using Firewire Target Disk but the other computer connected didn't see any drive pop up, and when I booted from the installer CD the HDD did not show up in Disk Utility.
So I bought a new HDD and replaced it, but the problem was the same. I took what I thought was my dead HDD and put it in a 12" PB and it booted fine (and I was able to get my data off it that I'd thought I'd lost).
The problem I now have is that I don't know the reason why the HDD is not working. I ran the Apple Hardware test and the PB passed in both the basic and extended tests. The software reported that the mass storage (I presume that is the HDD) passed. I don't understand how it can pass when the HDD doesn't show up at all.
I'm hoping the problem might be the HDD ribbon connecting cable as that would be a 10 quid replacement, but with no feedback from the hardware test I haven't a clue.
Has anyone else encountered something like this and can they give me suggestions?

Looks like your HD cable is the problem.
Apple hardware test will not tell you that the problem is your HD ribbon cable. But from my past experience with this kind of problem, I could tell you that most likely your problem located in the HD ribbon cable.
You've tried your HD in another unit and it is working fine and by process of elimination then the HD cable is next to be tried and if after you replaced hd cable the problem still persist then you can tell that the culprit is the logic board.
Flippo

Mac OSX wont reognise my internal hard disk drive

I have a problem where for some reason when I start up my Macbook Pro (intel core duo) it does not detect the internal hard disk drive at all. I have run a hardware test and it shows no problems whatsoever. I have tried resetting the PRAM etc and to no avail. Yesterday the system hung and I tried to force quit and it wouldn't do anything so eventually I held down the power key and when it tried to reboot this is the problem I was faced with (it would boot up with the "no entry" sign). I accepted complete defeat and went to completely re-install OSX however it doesn't even show the internal hard drive when I wait for it to give me install destinations. I had tried seeing the hard drive through disk utility however it only shows the install DVD and that's it in the sidebar. I resigned myself further to thinking either the logic board or the HDD had packed in all and I took it round to my brother in law to see if there is anything he could do without opening the machine (he is Oxford educated and writes programmes etc so is very knowledgable), now this is the part that has miffed us both, he started it up using a Linux disc and once running, Linux see's the hard drive with no problems. He has been able to access the HDD with absolutely no problems under Linux both reading and writing to it. I even took my Mac Mini round and he booted them both up in Linux and completely copied Mac OSX from the mini to the macbook pro but still when I try booting up its as if the HDD isn't even there. Why can Linux see the drive and not Mac OSX? Please don't be affraid to get very technical in your answers as they may mean nothing to me but will probably all make sense to my brother in Law. Any sugestions at all would be greatly accepted.

Dear mcdkev,
You guys may have made a big error cloning the Mini HD into the MBP. They both have very different drivers and hardware settings and their OS X versions are customized to fit the hardware. That is why each mac comes with it's own version of OS X and their backup disks. That's a reason why it did not work.
Ok, so now that you do not have any of the original info on the MBP try the following:
Use linux to scan the disk surface & repair any problems.
Reformat the drive as DOS or FAT 32. (I wouldn't go into any linux specific format unless you can "Apple" format it, which I don't think linux has that option.)
Now, the MBP should be able to see it's drive...
boot from the OS X DVD , from the Utilities menu choose Disk Utilities, partition the drive as GUI file system (in case the linux format made the drive a "system boot record", you do not want that... )
Then format the drive as "OS X Extended Journaled"
Now go back to install and install your original basic set of OS X (the factory default).
*If nothing works, please do take your MBP to the Apple store or to a certified tech before you do more damage to the drive and it becomes unusable ...*

No way to free space in the internal hard disk.

Hi guy
There's no way to free any space in the internal hard disk. If I throw 5 giga of files in the trash and empty it, I don't find 5 more giga of avalaible space in the internal hard disk. Time Machine is not activated. Any idea to solve the problem? Sorry for my english....

Freeing Up Space on The Hard Drive
1. See Lion/Mountain Lion/Mavericks' Storage Display.
2. You can remove data from your Home folder except for the /Home/Library/ folder.
3. Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on freeing up space on your hard drive.
4. Also see Freeing space on your Mac OS X startup disk.
5. See Where did my Disk Space go?.
6. See The Storage Display.
You must Empty the Trash in order to recover the space they occupied on the hard drive.
You should consider replacing the drive with a larger one. Check out OWC for drives, tutorials, and toolkits.
Try using OmniDiskSweeper 1.8 or GrandPerspective to search your drive for large files and where they are located.

What's the maximum hard disk size for the MBP?

Sorry the title might sound like a dumb question, but I was wondering if my MBP Core Duo, is future proof regarding the internal hard disk. Will it recognise any capacity, or stuck at a certain level?
Also what are the largest Apple supported internal drives currently available? Any recommendations?

That's kind of a gray area, but I think you may be right. Here are the conditions under which Apple can refuse service:
This warranty does not apply: (a) to damage caused by use with non-Apple products; (b) to damage caused by accident, abuse, misuse, flood, fire, earthquake or other external causes; (c) to damage caused by operating the product outside the permitted or intended uses described by Apple; (d) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider; (e) to a product or part that has been modified to significantly alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple; (f) to consumable parts, such as batteries, unless damage has occurred due to a defect in materials or workmanship; or (g) if any Apple serial number has been removed or defaced.
So if something breaks that's unrelated to your HDD upgrade, I think Apple still has to service it as long as you didn't break it while performing the ugprade. At least that's my interpretation.

Disk Utility hangs while initializing internal hard disk in Core Duo iMac

I have a 20" Core Duo iMac. Recently the internal hard drive crashed ("invalid B-tree node size" or something reported when Disk Utility tries and fails to repair it). I have all my data on an external hard disk used as a Time Machine volume, so recovery is not my issue. Initially I picked the write zeroes once security option and chose to erase the internal hard disk. Realizing this would take too long, I clicked on skip, and Disk Utility appeared to hang. I quit and restarted Disk Utility, and chose the "don't erase" security option, but when I go to erase the drive it appears to hang while at the "partitioning" stage and doesn't seem to get any further. There is motion in the progress bar, but no additional progress after about an hour. Disk Utility shows the disk but no volumes underneath it (whereas immediately after the crash, it showed an unmountable volume labeled "disk0s2").
Why would Disk Utility be taking so long and not making any progress? How can I reformat this disk if Disk Utility is not able to? Incidentally, I am running the Disk Utility that comes with OS X 10.4.8, since that is the OS X version on my portable hard drive that I booted from. I also tried using Drive Genius to initialize the hard disk, but it also appeared to hang with no progress.

It is possible the drive has failed, but to be sure start by turning off the computer. Wait five minutes. Then do this:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger or Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the number of partitions from the drop down menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Be sure to boot from the OS X installer DVD, not a backup clone.

Can I upgrade MacBook Pro hard disk drive next year?

Hi there! I'm new to the Apple Support Communities!
I am going to buy a new 13" MacBook Pro, 2.5GHz. I am going to buy the base model, with a 500GB 5400 RPM hard disk drive. Right now, I can't afford a 256GB solid-state drive, but I'll have enough for one by later next year. So, I will have done some stuff on my Mac by the time I can upgrade it. I know how to install the drive itself, but how do I transfer my information?
Here are the issues:
1) I don't know how I would make it so I could boot from an external USB.
2) And I don't know how to get all my personal information from one drive to the other.
For "2", I think I could back up my Mac to a hard drive with Time Machine, and then restore from a backup. But Time Machine couldn't back up the whole OS, right? And what would the procedure be anyway? Just turn it on when I'm done the upgrade?
If someone who has done this before could provide step-by-step instructions, I would really appreciate it!
Thanks,
Solid-State Me 

Yes you can replace the hard drive at any time. Purchase a replacement drive from any store you like - newegg or mcetech are good stores (among many others) - and when you purchase the new drive, also purchase a drive enclosure. Then download a program called "super duper" and follow the instructions to use that software. When your drive arrives, put the new drive in the enclosure, plug it in to your computer and run "super duper" with the option to "make the drive bootable" and let it finish. What it's doing is copying your drive onto the new drive. Once the copy is finished, you can shut down your computer, remove the drive, install the new one, and put the original drive into the enclosure. Now you have an external hard drive that is repurposed instead of throwing it away. Keep that drive intact for a few weeks without erasing or adding data to be sure you are happy with the new drive and how it performs. After that, use the drive to store files, backup the internal, transfer stuff, whatever.

How to rename the "Windows" hard disk icon in the boot options screen

I have been able to rename the "Recovery HD" hard disk icon in the boot options screen by finding its mount mount and running
sudo bless --folder "/Volumes/Recovery HD" -label "Mac Recovery". When I do this for the Windows object, it is not renamed, even when the Windows partition that it represents is formatted FAT32.

Update 2013-05-08 sudo bless --folder "/Volumes/Win OS" -label "Win OS" fails with "Could not write scale 1 bitmap label file". "Win OS" is the name of the Windows folder in Finder.

IMac doesn't recognise the internal hard disk (intermittent)

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could give me an advice on this problem.
Background: A few days ago my iMac (20-inch MA877LL) would not boot up, it would sit on the gray screen with the wheel spinning for ever. I thought the OS might have got corrupted so I tried to re-install Snow Leopard from the CD. Installation fails with a message like 'the content of HD can not be changed'. I then went to Disk Utilities trying to repair the disk but had no luck with the repair so I decided to format the disk. I managed to get into my hard disk using the cmd R key combination at power up and backed up my essential files onto a external hard disk. I formatted/erase the hard disk (zeroed out) and tried to reinstall the Snow Leopard again. The installation failed again. Rebooted the system again and tried to re instal again but this time I got as far as the 'select the disk where you want to install Mac OS' but my Hard Disk is not listed, it's a blank list! Rebooted the maching again, tried the installation, this time it sees the hard disk but the installation fails again.
I have tried to change the boot source by hodling the 'alt' key down at power up, but I am only given the option of the CD drive with installation disk as the boot source i.e. no Har Disk. It appears that the Hard Disk is intermittently recognised and hence my problem with booting the maching when the problem started.
I am happy to purchase an internal disk to replace the existing one, but I have a feeling the actual Disk it's OK, after all I managed to access my data to back up and then format it with no problem. I just think there's a problem somewhere that intemittently doesn't recognise the Hard Disk.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

You need to have the hard drive replaced. The one that is currently installed has failed.

Any problems with the recalled hard disk drives, any problems with the recalled hard disk drives

Has anyone had their defective hard drive replaced?
any problems with the Apple service or restarting the machine with a new hard drive?

See this FAQ: http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/freeingspace.html

I am waiting for a new iMac with two drives: SSD conventional hard drive. How can I transfer only a certain number of applications to the SSD and the rest to the physical hard disk drive?

I am expecting a new iMac (i7 with SSD). How can I transfer only certain applications along with the system, library etc. to this limited (space) HD and other applications to the conventional disk HD in order to save space on the SSD?
Thank you,
Gilles

Tom Lassiter wrote:
I have the same scenario, using an SSD for my start-up drive. I have copied my Applications folder to a mechanical hard drive and created symbolic link to it. The symbolic link resides on the SSD and works properly.
That may not be the best solution. Many updaters expect apps, especially Apple apps, to be in the /Applications folder on the OSX drive; if there are updates, the apps may not be found, thus may not be updated. I don't know if the installers/updaters will follow a symbolic link or not.
DItto some apps, especially Adobe apps, won't even work if they're anywhere else. Again, I don't know if they'll follow a symbolic link, either.

How to upgrade my internal hard drive for macbook 5,2 from 160GB to 1TB?

Hello,
I wonder if you can please help me out.
I wonder, is it possible to upgrade my internal hard drive for macbook 5,2 from 160GB to 1TB?
Thanks,

There's only one 9.5mm high 1tb drive around http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Samsung/HNM101MBB/
With a video on replacing the hard drive http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_mem_hd/

To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade (From External Hard disk to Internal Hard Disk

Hi, need some advise here.
Currently I have a External Hard Disk (320GB) connect with my IMac with Internal Hard Disk of standard 80GB.It is ok just that have to power on/off the External Hard Disk. It is very common that I forgot to power on the External Hard Disk and my iTune library goes to other location in the Internal Hard Disk instead of follow my setting in my External Hard Disk.
So I am considering remove the standard 80GB in my IMac and change with the 320GB.Read some instruction/procedure on this to me look complicated with the thermal pad thing so now hesitating worth the risk to swap the hard dsik or just leave it as it is.
Leave it as it is or change it?
Any advice ?

Here's a link to a take-apart guide I used a few times to replace & upgrade drives & memory in my old G4.
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/iMacg4/imacg4takeapart.html
No it's not as easy as opening up a pc, but the key word is patience. The key thing to remember is to make sure you get some heatsink paste from your local computer store, and apply it to the areas that need it before buttoning everything back up.
It'll only take you a few hours if you work carefully. While you have it open I highly suggest upgrading your upper memory stick, as well as upgrading your superdrive. I get all my stuff here, they haven't steered me wrong yet:
http://eshop.macsales.com/static_pages/index.cfm
Sean
San Diego

Upgrade internal hard disk on ibook G4

Hello,
I am interested in upgrading the internal hard disk of my ibook G4 from 40GB to something better. Is there an Apple service centre in bangalore, India which will do the upgrade? what manufacturer/model# of HDD will be suitable for my 2005 ibook G4?
Can I run Aperture/Adobe photoshop on the same as in will the system be suitable for that application? I have 1.5 GB ram and an external display attached to the laptop.
thanks
-kamal

The words you quoted are supposed to usually mean they
have "service" or access to someone who would be able
to repair or upgrade a computer within Apple specs; those
are usually authorized to do the work, but not Apple.
Some companies doing that kind of work, who don't have
a staff repair service, may collect those for repair and an
other company may pick them up for off-site service.
In some areas, with more than one company listed in the
page resource I cited, some of them are product specialists
and know the line of portable computer very well, so they
would be able to do most things and check it thoroughly.
But those who do not really work on the computer in their
store or attached service (having none) should be checked
into more carefully to discover what they do/where it's done.
The post linked to in your earlier inquiry, where someone
replied to you there with three links to web pages of info,
is worth considering; in that these kinds of jobs can be
tedious and take a great attention to detail with care to not
damage the fine wires and parts inside these portables.
And a skilled tech, with that kind of information, may be
able to replace an iBook's hard disk drive; but some who
only work on Windows OS & PC hardware may be lacking.
Especially when it comes to moving the contents of the
existing drive (or just migrating existing user accounts, etc)
from the old hard drive into a new system installed on the
new replacement hard disk drive.
Some areas of the world are harder to find the resource to
get a job done correctly; when an old iBook portable I had
for a time needed a reed-switch and cable replaced to fix
a display defect when the lid was opened/closed, I ended
up sending the iBook from AK to SC. (Across the continent.)
No body did the work in my area, or if they really did, charged
more than twice what I paid including shipping it both ways.
More than 5,000 miles. Since then, sold, the iBook still works.
Unfortunately sometimes good qualified service is where
you find it after some effort of looking; where I live by some
comparison, has almost no people; just great natural beauty.
Hopefully someone or another you contact can refer you to
a reasonably fine shop of careful people who are qualified.
You may have to ask around, and perhaps expect the iBook
to be transported miles to some other facility for that job.
PS: are there any indications of an "apple user group" of
interested owners who have, use and meet to discuss their
shared community of those interests, in your area? If so,
sometimes people who get together like that know more.
Good luck & happy computing!

Problem installating Snow Leopard on old Macbook Pro with Intel Core 2 Duo. After creating partition on internal hard disk (Extended Journaled), installation starts but stops at half of the progress bar. Screen asking Restart appears.

Hello:
I have tried installing Snow Leopard via the installation disc on a Macbook Pro (2007) with an Intel Core 2 Duo, but I the installation has failed more than 5 times.
I have first formatted and partitioned the internal hard disk with Mac Os Extended Journal format.
Once the installation starts, it starts without a problem unti lthe progress bar gest until half completed then a screen asking for a Computer Restart shows up.
It asks to press the power button for some time until it the computer shuts down and then, press again to turn it on.
Once turned on, the installation disc gets readed, the installation screen appears again and asks again to start the whole installation process form the beginning.

Then you have a Hardware Problem.
Your system is Crashing part way through the install and Re-Booting because of the crash.
Could be the drive itself or it could be some other hardware part in your system. Like the RAM.
To check if it is the internal drive connect an External drive to the system by USB and do the install on that external. If the install completes then it more then likely the drive is bad. If it crashes again then it is more then likely some other piece of hardware in your system.

Is it possible to upgrade the internal Hard disk drive on the iMac

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