256SDD or 1TB HD on late 2009 macbook pro?

Hello,
my mac had to be repaired due to water damage and it turns out that the hd is not functioning anymore. The repair company (RC) has given me some options for replacing the hd but I am not much of a techie so I would really appreciate some help.
My mac has the following specs Macbook Pro 15 inch, 2.53GHz mid 2009. Ram is 4GB. The RC offered to replace the hd and place a 1TB hd. They also advised me to upgrade Ram to 8GB. Alternatively they offered to place a 256GB SSD.
I use my mac for very light stuff, surfing the web mostly, some Word and Pp. I do download quite a bit. I used to game as well (WoW) but haven't in years. Can't say I never will again though. I don't have the money to buy a new Macbook as of yet, and I was happy with how my Mac performed before it died. Could be a bit faster maybe but overall, it was fine for me.
Would love to hear your advice,
Eva

It will cost more than the HD. The HD is €250 and the SSD is €330. That's an all-in price. I don't really back up my Macbook, other than that my important files are automatically saved in a Dropbox folder. So everything has to be on the Mac, I don't want to carry around an external harddrive in case I opt for the SSD.
Is an SSD really that much faster than a regular HD? I have been reading up on them and get a lot of info on users that rely heavily on their macs for Photoshop and the like. But I don't use my Mac for that and I rarely shut it down. Would an SSD then still provide me with signifant benefits to justify the extra cost?

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I own a late 2009 Macbook Pro, and it keeps freezing after OSX Lion installation.

I own a late 2009 Macbook Pro, and it keeps freezing after OSX Lion installation. I will post my computer's 'specs' below. I installed Lion, from Snow Leopard, through the App store. The first week, it worked like a dream, and was loving my brand new computer, or so it seemed. I then began to run into problems, and I can't confirm this 100%, but I believe it was after I updated from 10.7.1, to 10.7.2.
The freezes are sporatic at best, and cannot be narrowed down to one app. I googled the issue about two weeks ago, and found a fix involving a temporary log-in, verifying the disk, restarting the computer holding CMD+R, and repairing the disk from there. That fixed the problem. For about three or four days. From there I brought my laptop to Best Buy, where I purchased the computer (start the groans, my dad wanted the accidental damage, and he was paying, there was no argument). My warranty there was still good, but all they were offering was to check my hard-drive, and possibly ship it out. That would not be good for me, as I am a High School student, who works online.
So I then decided to go to the Apple store, see what they said. They said a bunch of people had this problem, it would cost a lot to fix, as I would need a new Logic Board. This did not make any sense to me, as I knew it was Lion's fault, so why would they not make the L-2009MBP Logic Board compatible, and why are only a few people having this problem, well a lot more than a few, but I mean not everyone.
So I asked a friend about it, and we decided to run a back up, and erase the computer, and re-install Lion. Figuring maybe my data was corrupted during install. This helped for a day or two, and happened again. So this time, we backed up only files (music, pics, documents, etc.,) and did a fresh install. I got my computer back last night. Now, I am not saying that didn't help. Previously I would have frozen about 18 times well writing this, but I have not frozen once (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself). I have gone from about one freeze every 10-15 minutes (sometimes worse), to about one every 1-3 hours. Which, let's be honest is still a lot.
So, before I just decide to go and revert to Snow Leopard on my merry way, I ask, do any of you have any other ideas? Or guarenteed fixes? I know a guarentee is a hard thing to ask for, but I am desperate, my teachers are getting angry with me for not sending work, and I know this would help a lot of people. Thank you to those who read through my whole spiel, and thank you to those who will help me!
[Ps, while I am somewhat of a noob, I know my way around a computer, so any help, or knowledge you could bestow upon me is awesome. Especially DIY fixes. (if your only advice is, don't buy a mac at Best Buy, don't bother commenting)]
Macbook Pro
15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009
Processor: 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M 256 MB
Software: Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2 (11C74)

Once it is downloaded you need to restart the computer if it does not restart automatically. When it next starts up you should note a progress bar appearing below the Apple logo. When done the computer will restart once more. The new firmware should now be installed.

Late-2009 Macbook Pro 10.9.2 Random Shut Down

My Macbook has started intermittently shutting down while in use anywhere from 10 min. to 4hrs after startup. I took it to the Genius bar where they advised me to unistall Chrome and remove several Launch Daemons. After removing those, my computer ran well for 3 days after which it began shutting down again. Today it began to shut down (screen off, indicator light off), resist restart (would not power back on for over 15 mins), and then switch back on without going through the normal startup procedures. AHT said that everything was in working order and I have already reset the SMC. Currently I can't keep my computer on for more than a couple minutes at a time so I will post my kernel panic log ASAP.

Here is my EtreCheck:
Hardware Information:
    MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2.53GHz, Mid 2009)
    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro5,4
    1 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU: 2 cores
    4 GB RAM
Video Information:
    NVIDIA GeForce 9400M - VRAM: 256 MB
System Software:
    OS X 10.9.2 (13C1021) - Uptime: 0 days 0:12:22
Disk Information:
    Hitachi HTS545025B9SA02 disk0 : (250.06 GB)
        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / [Startup]: 249.2 GB (9.7 GB free) (Low!)
        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB
    MATSHITADVD-R   UJ-868
USB Information:
    Apple Inc. Built-in iSight
    Apple Internal Memory Card Reader
    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
    Apple Inc. BRCM2046 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
Thunderbolt Information:
Gatekeeper:
    Anywhere
Kernel Extensions:
    [not loaded]    at.obdev.nke.LittleSnitch (3932 - SDK 10.8) Support
    [not loaded]    com.IKMultimedia.driver.StompIO1 (1.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.ikmultimedia.driver.StealthPedal (1.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.maudio.usb.mobilepre.boot.driver (1.8.1) Support
    [not loaded]    com.maudio.usb.mobilepre.driver (1.8.1) Support
    [not loaded]    com.mice.driver.Wireless360Controller (1.0.0d10) Support
    [not loaded]    com.mice.driver.WirelessGamingReceiver (1.0.0d10) Support
    [not loaded]    com.mice.driver.Xbox360Controller (1.0.0d10) Support
    [not loaded]    com.orderedbytes.driver.CMADBDevices (4.3.11) Support
    [not loaded]    com.orderedbytes.driver.CMUSBDevices (4.3.11) Support
    [not loaded]    com.orderedbytes.driver.ControllerMateFamily (4.3.11) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmci (3.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmioplug (3.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmnet (3.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    com.vmware.kext.vmx86 (3.0.0) Support
    [kext loaded]    com.waves.driver.soundgrid (2.0.0) Support
    [not loaded]    org.walisser.driver.DWXBoxHIDDriver (1.3.4) Support
Startup Items:
    360ControlDaemon: Path: /Library/StartupItems/360ControlDaemon
    HP IO: Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO
    M-Audio Firmware Loader: Path: /Library/StartupItems/M-Audio Firmware Loader
    MAudioMobilePreUSB: Path: /Library/StartupItems/MAudioMobilePreUSB
Launch Daemons:
    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist Support
    [running]    com.m-audio.usb.firmwareloader.plist Support
    [running]    com.tunabellysoftware.TGFanHelper.plist Support
    [running]    com.waves.daemon.SoundGridProtocolService.plist Support
User Launch Agents:
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist Support
    [loaded]    com.divx.agent.postinstall.plist Support
User Login Items:
    iTunesHelper
    VMware Fusion Helper
    Dropbox
    Hightail Desktop App
    HP Product Research
    HP Scheduler
Internet Plug-ins:
    GameFacePlugin: Version: GameFacePlugin 1.8.0.1 - SDK 10.5 Support
    Unity Web Player: Version: UnityPlayer version 4.3.5f1 - SDK 10.6 Support
    Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
    Silverlight: Version: 5.1.30317.0 - SDK 10.6 Support
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 13.0.0.206 - SDK 10.6 Support
    Flash Player: Version: 13.0.0.206 - SDK 10.6 Support
    iPhotoPhotocast: Version: 7.0
    GameTreeDM_NPAPI: Version: 1.11 Support
    QuickTime Plugin: Version: 7.7.3
    AdobePDFViewer: Version: 9.5.4 Support
    GameTreeDM: Version: 1.4 Support
    DirectorShockwave: Version: 11.5.6r606 Support
Audio Plug-ins:
    BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0 - SDK 10.9
    AirPlay: Version: 2.0 - SDK 10.9
    AppleAVBAudio: Version: 203.2 - SDK 10.9
    iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3 - SDK 10.9
iTunes Plug-ins:
    Quartz Composer Visualizer: Version: 1.4 - SDK 10.9
3rd Party Preference Panes:
    Flash Player Support
    MAudioMobilePreUSB Support
    MacFUSE Support
    Perian Support
Time Machine:
    Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU:
         2%    WindowServer
         1%    SGProtocolService
         1%    fontd
         0%    SystemUIServer
         0%    VMware Fusion Helper
Top Processes by Memory:
    168 MB    Finder
    156 MB    com.apple.IconServicesAgent
    74 MB    Dropbox
    61 MB    Console
    45 MB    mds_stores
Virtual Memory Information:
    1.74 GB    Free RAM
    1.17 GB    Active RAM
    390 MB    Inactive RAM
    474 MB    Wired RAM
    460 MB    Page-ins
    0 B    Page-outs

Late 2009 Macbook Pro reading selective discs

Hi there,
I own a late 2009 Unibody Macbook Pro. Running snow leopard.
I've been having issues with my disc drive for the longest time now but now it's just becoming irritating and am looking for a solution or I may need to get my MBP combodrive serviced.
I'll place a DVD movie into the combodrive, it spins, spins real fast then stops and sits idle, Spins again for a few seconds and sits idle. RInse and Repeat for about 5 minutes.
Then I get a popup message stating that I inserted a blank DVD, which is clearly not the case.
Now this is the fourth disc out of the boxed set the first 3 discs worked fine. Now its just this one that is having the issues.
I've tried cleaning the lens, SMB reset, everything.
Anything else anyone can suggest?

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Can I exchange my late 2009 macbook pro for the new 2010 one?

Ya, just what the subject asks... I really like to keep up with technology, and I bought my macbook pro like 1-1/2 to 2 months ago...

There aren't really any quad-core options that have reasonable power requirements at this time. The current machines that do use the mobile i7 quad core processors are all pretty hefty desktop replacement machines and typically get just a few hours of runtime on battery.
One of the advantages of the i5 and i7 (dual core) over the previous Core 2 processors is that they use Hyperthreading. So, the OS actually "sees" 4 cores and each of those four cores can be utilized as if it were an actual core.

Late 2009 Macbook Pro won't turn on

Last Friday, my half charged Macbook Pro randomly turned off and was unresponsive. No sleep/power indicator light, no start up chime, nothing. The only thing that works is the battery indicator light. I have tried a PRAM reset, SMC reset, everything suggested on this website and in the manual. I'm wondering what I'm looking at replacing here, and what the cost could be.

I think a visit to an Apple Store or a Service Provider may be the best choice, if only for the diagnosis. There's a high probability that repairs will be costly so you'll want to make sure to hit the problem dead on instead of splurging money all over.

I have a late 2009 MacBook Pro 13.3". The unit keeps restarting w/o finishing boot up.

After Firefox updated it suggested a new version of Flashplayer should be installed. During this operation a dialog box asked for thepassword. As this is primarily my wife’s computer I did not have it, so Idecided to wait for her to arrive. I left the computer waiting for the passwordand closed the lid. When my wife got home I opened the computer expecting herto continue the installation. Idiscovered the unit had apparently shut down, and tried to turn it backon. I got a gray screen with an Applelogo and spinning wheel, after about one minute the computer shut down againwithout completing boot. After a fewattempts to reboot without success, I discovered it would complete the startupif I kept my finger moving on the touchpad. After a few minutes a dialog box popped up asking if I wanted to shutdown. I answered ‘cancel’ and after afew seconds the box popped up again. After a few iterations of this the computer shut down again. I have tried several suggested fixes for thisbehavior from this forum and none have kept this from happening. The behavior has however changed and the computerhas gone through several modes of malfunction. From continually trying to restart, to appearing completely dead. At this point the computer tries to restartover and over when not on th e charger. If plugged in I can boot to the desktop as long as I keep activity on the touchpad. Within a few seconds of no activity, the dialog box appears asking torestart, sleep, cancel, or shut down. I can shut down without trying to restartas long as it is plugged in. But as soon as I remove the magsafe connector itstarts a cycle of continuous restarts even with the lid closed. Any suggestions?

It's probably a hardware fault, but to be thorough, you should boot from your installation DVD and run "Repair Disk" (not "Repair Permissions"). If any problems are found with the directory of the boot volume, after repairing it run the Installer to reinstall the OS. Then reboot if possible, run Software Update, and test.
Needless to say, you must back up all data before you do any of this, which you can do while booted from the installation disc. If you do have a hardware fault, none of it will help.

Late 2009 MacBook Pro OS X 10.6.8 stuck on Desktop with no icons.... what do I do ?

Need help

Run through these two links
Step by Step to fix your Mac
Most commonly used backup methods
If you don't have a backup of your data off the machine and if it still won't boot properly
Create a data recovery/undelete external boot drive

Does the later 2009 MacBook support the Apple DVI to Video Adapter (s-video). I want to connect it to an old tv which does not support HDMI. Any suggestions?

I have a late 2009 MacBook which I want to connect to an old LG tv. The tv does not support HDMI it only has the (red, while, and yellow) ports. Sorry I dunno the exact name for it.
So I was thinking of using the Apple Mini DVI to Video Adapter (s-video), link below...
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/dk/Images/M9319_screen.jpg
But I'm afraid that the MacBook might not support the adapter.
Can anyone give me a solution for this? Is there an alternative way of doing this? I'm kinda new to apple display adapters.

The Late 2009 model 6,1 has a Mini DisplayPort not the Mini-DVI. To see which model you have go to the Apple in the upper left corner and select About This Mac, then click on More Info. When the System Profiler comes up check the Model Identifier.
Composite is the name for the red, white and yellow RCA plugs on your TV or red, white and S-Video plugs. If you want to use the Composite input on your TV there’s no Mini DisplayPort to Composite. You’ll have to get a Mini DisplayPort to VGA adapter http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_19?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field -keywords=mini+displayport+to+vga&sprefix=mini+Displayport+to and a VGA Adapter to TV S-Video RCA Out Cable for PC Video. http://www.amazon.com/VGA-Adapter-S-Video-Cable-Video/dp/B000Y7T5UU/ref=sr_1_7?s =electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1316369974&sr=1-7
Only the Yellow plug or the S-Video plug for video will work. For sound you'll also need audio cables to the TV using a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack to RCA sound plugs. You attach it from the headphone jack of your MacBook to the appropriate input plugs on your TV http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=min i-dvi&x=9&y=13#/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_19?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=macboo k+audio+cable&sprefix=macbook+audio+cable&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Amacbook+audio+cable

Connecting my Late 2009 Macbook to a Samsung Series 5 TV

So I'm trying to connect my Late 2009 Macbook upto my Series 5 Samsung TV and I've stumbled across a bit (a lot!) of difficulty.
I have the picture coming through perfectly on my MiniDisplayport to HDMI connection but I can't for the life of me work out how to get the sound through as well. I have literally every cable at my disposal at the minute, RCA to audio, optical with a TOSlink connector and a standard 3.5mm audio cable. I assumed the optical to TOSlink connector would be my best option but no such look, I've tried every combination I can think of. Whenever I connect the TOSlink connector in, the sound icon greys out immediately and my TV doesn't appear in the Output list.
I'm really hoping somebody would be able to help me out, I'm fast running out of options, something I thought might be a good idea is quickly turning into a bit of a pain...

The Mini DisplayPort to HDMI doesn't carry audio unless you have the Mid 2010 model 7,1 and there're no audio plugs on most TVs to work with HDMI since it's expecting audio with the HDMI.
Check your TV manual though to see if it might have audio plugs that work with one of the HDMI ports. You attach it from the headphone jack of your MacBook to the appropriate audio input plugs on your TV.
If you have the Late 2008 model 5,1 Aluminum Unibody or Late 2009 model 6,1 White Unibody with the Mini DisplayPort rather than the Mini-DVI there is an adapter that uses the Mini DisplayPort and a USB port to combine video and audio to HDMI. It's only 2 channel stereo not 5.1 Dolby Surround.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10428&cs_id=1042802 &p_id=5969&seq=1&format=2

Ive just upgraded my late 2009 macbook, and things are not working properly. First of all, when I started the computer first time after installing Mountain Lion, some message advised me that some files were impossible to install.

Ive just upgraded my late 2009 macbook, and things are not working properly. First of all, when I started the computer first time after installing Mountain Lion, some message advised me that some files were impossible to install. Once I wrote my password, and for now on, everytime I start the session, another window advise me that "Java SE 6" is missing, due that, the computer can't run some "CS5Service Manager". If I try to install it, the download ends with an error. If finally, you skip the istallation, you arrive to the dock, but the menu bar at the top of the screen doesn't show up.
In addition, my trackpad doesn't works either. I can move the arrow but i can't click anywhere, probably because the option of clicking by touching is disabeled and I can't performance a regular click.
I'll be very glad if someone know what the heck is happening with my computer. Anyway, I'm going to the genius bar next Saturday. Thx!

We're sorry.
We can't find the article you're looking for.
Please return to the Apple Support homepage.
Sigh.

WD 1TB not recognised on 13" macbook pro retina (late 2013) even though it is exFAT file structure. The same drive is recognised on iMac and an old Dell laptop. I also have a seagate 2TB external hard drive (powered) that is recognised by my macbook pro.

I just bought a late 2013 macbook pro retina 13" a few days ago. I am trying to transfer all my music from my old Dell laptop. I formatted by 1TB Western Digital MyPassport to exFAT to allow read and write on both operating systems. The 1TB WD My Passport is recognised by both my Dell and iMac but not my new macbook pro retina 13 (late 2013). My 1TB WD My Passport is USB 3.0 with USB 2.0 backward compatability. I also just bought a 2TB Seagate Desktop Backup Plus (which is powered) for backing up and extra file storage, THIS WORKS! I don't understand how this works on my macbook pro but my 1TB western digital my passport doesn't. PLEASE HELP!! I have done full formats as well (not quick ones) which take nearly 8 hours. PLEASE HELP

Is there a pattern to the time of day or other detail that may be
traced back to a OS X system cause of this odd phenomenon?
Are there any copies of system files on any of the attached USB
external drives? Any libraries, such as iTunes, iPhoto, etc?
Once the drives are indexed by Spotlight, are their permissions
ignored by the OS X? Content, if neutral, should not affect the
wake or sleep cycle; especially if they're ignored by the OS X.
Could there be a bad cable or other component? If so that would
be a difficult process of elimination to detect it. Usually replacing
most suspect components in the USB stream (external to Macs)
is a rote way to mechanically test that idea; & not 100% sure.
Does the equipment all have a good ground to the utility or house
electrical field? An intermittent ground may affect more than sleep.
Hard to say at this point. Maybe a late-night talk radio guru on
remote viewing could peer into your situation and sleuth it out?
Sorry to have run out of ideas, but the process must be electrical
& mechanical to some extent. - Or perhaps odd software inspired.
Do you have any phone-home spyware items inside, just jumping
at the chance to spill your information? Little Snitch may help.
PS: Perhaps the computer needs to go into Apple & have a genius
or product specialist at AASP test the unit thoroughly... BlueTooth?
see:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Wake+reason:+XHC1
Good luck & happy computing!
edited 2x

How big (GB) of a hard drive can my late 2009 MacBook handle?

I'm looking to upgrade my internal hard drive in my late 2009 MacBook and I want to know what is the highest GB that can be supported?

I have a late 2009 MacBook White with 4GB Ram and running on Lion.
I just installed a 750 GB Seagate Momentus XT with 8 GB SSD hybrid drive. It was no trouble and works fast and perfect!
Just make a new partition on the new disk, clone your current HD to the new disk (I used Carbon Copy Clone) and then replace. Simple as that!
It just makes a bit more noise and battery life is shortened because of the specs of the Seagate HD.
I hope this was helpfull.

HT1338 I have a 2009 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.5.8. How do I upgrade to 10.6 or later??

I have a 2009 MacBook Pro running OS X 10.5.8.
How do I upgrade to 10.6 or later??

Click here and buy it on DVD.
(75849)

Difficulty with software update on my late 2009 macbook

Software update version 10.6.6 would not install until I reinstalled snow leopard from the install disk. This is a late 2009 macbook with 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Before reinstalling snow leopard I tried repairing disk permissions. There is plenty of room on the hard drive, only about half full. The update would just show the blue bar forever. I have two iMacs and they had no problem with the update. I had to do the same thing with the last software update 10.6.5, reinstalling snow leopard before the update would install. What could be causing this, how can I get rid of this problem of difficult updates? It is tedious to have to reinstall snow leopard each time there is an update.

it finds 11 updates.
Repair permissions and restart your computer. Install 2-3 updates at a time. Repair permissions & restart after each installation.
Never install more than 3 updates at a time. Your system will thank you.

256SDD or 1TB HD on late 2009 macbook pro?

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