Anyone bought a refurbished macbook???

i am starting to have the jitters after having read all the 'mafunctions' on this site... i am relatively new to Mac and have just ordered a refurbished Macbook Pro 15/2.4ghz... it is due to arrive on Tuesday/Wednesday... now i am wondering if i have made a mistake....
i am currently using my sister's 5 yrs old Powerbook G4... i really enjoy it (though it has some glitches) and am not very tech savvy.... any tips i can get would be FABULOUS!!!!
i need some tips/advise on :-
1) is it a bad move to buy refurbished???
2) what is the best way of transfering my files from Powerbook G4 to Macbook Pro 15/2.4ghz... i am also running Microsoft 2004 on my G4, can that be transfered to my new laptop too (or do i have to buy Microsoft 2008)?
3) the Powerbook G4 glitches online but is normally reliable for managing documents... is there some way i can improve or spruce this old laptop up?

mlls wrote:
i am starting to have the jitters after having read all the 'mafunctions' on this site...
Do you also go into hospitals and get nervous about all the illnesses? These forums are meant for technical problems. Most people never have any.
1) is it a bad move to buy refurbished???
Not at all. Apple gives the same warranty (1 year) as for their new products, which can be extended to 3 years if you like. I've bought three refurb Macbooks for family, and they've all been cosmetically perfect and trouble-free. There's no guarantee that you won't have problems, just as with new Macs, but there's no difference in quality between the two.
2) what is the best way of transfering my files from Powerbook G4 to Macbook Pro 15/2.4ghz... i am also running Microsoft 2004 on my G4, can that be transfered to my new laptop too (or do i have to buy Microsoft 2008)?
The Migration Assistant will run automatically and help you transfer the files either through Firewire or a network connection.
3) the Powerbook G4 glitches online but is normally reliable for managing documents... is there some way i can improve or spruce this old laptop up?
Max out your RAM, if you haven't already; check your HD space and put in a larger, faster drive if appropriate; try a fresh system install.
Good luck on your purchase!
Matt

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Dear Friends,
Hi, I bought a refurbished Macbook 4,1 at present it is running Lion 10.7.5( although it is an older machine circa 2008) I would like to transfer everything from my old machine( early intel Macbook Pro) to the newer machine. My older machine runs Mac OS x 10.6.8 and that allows me run some very old software. Should I make a time machine back up?and restore from that or use Carbon Copy Cloner? to transfer everything, the system, applications and data.
Thanks for your help
-Walt

Here you go:
Connect the two using a Firewire cable. Boot the newer machine in Target Disk Mode. Boot the older one normally. The disk for the newer machine will appear on the older machines's Desktop.
Drive Partition and Format
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select newer machine's hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
Clone using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
2. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
3. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag
it to the Destination entry field.
4. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
the Source entry field.
5. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the newer machine's drive. Source means the internal startup drive.

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It is certainly possible that you will receive it tomorrow. Apple's refurbished stock is held in many locations, and the item you have ordered may be in a location sufficiently close that shipping today could result in delivery tomorrow.
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I purchased a refurbished Macbook pro without operating system.
This is my first Mac, but have heard they are very simple and much more intuitive than Windows,
I've had the machine for three weeks now, and it's been nothing more than a paperweight!!
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2) The disks are bad and/or can't be used for a clean install
I don't want to waste money buying a brand new OS, only to find out that the machine is bad.
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That model originally shipped with a special Intel version of Tiger. You should be able to install any retail version of Leopard or later. I would recommend you start with Snow Leopard. Snow Leopard requires a minimum of 1 GB of RAM. If you have 2 GBs of RAM then you could install Lion or Mountain Lion.
You can purchase Snow Leopard from Apple's online store's telesales agents.[1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753) or Customer Service and Sales Support at 1-800-676-2775.] Ask for a Sales Representative.
Third-party sources for Snow Leopard are:
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Snow Leopard from eBay
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When you receive the DVD:
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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. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) 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 Security 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.
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seldom wrote:
However I also like that the macbook pro is upgradable. My understanding is that the retina one is not. As the new one is retina I assume it is not upgradable.
There are third party storage options:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Aura_Pro_Retina_2012
But installing one will void the warranty. RAM cannot be altered in a retina.
Ciao.

Anyone bought a refurbished macbook???

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