Correct HDD to buy to upgrade Hard Drive

Have older HP dv6450 Notebook PC. Upgraded to Windows 7 approx. 2 years ago & it runs fine. Trying to upgrade & increase size of hard drive, but when I bought a SATA drive it doesn't plug in as the current does. I found found no one at HP, Seagate or WD as to how to bought the correct one. All I have found so far is my HDD slides down to install. New HDD have to be pushed into a slot on the right. HELP!
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Hi,
You're welcome and good to hear it's all working well
All the best,
DP-K
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Upgrade hard drive or buy external drive?

My MacBook has a 100GB hard drive, but because I've got so much music stored on there, I've only got 7.5 GB of free space.
I'm looking for advice in choosing between the following options:
-Upgrade the internal hard drive to the 200GB model. This would cost $300+ to have installed, but is a slightly slowed drive (4200 vs 5400)
-Buy an external hard drive and simply keep my music on that. But I'd have to have it with me everytime I want to access my music.
So is it worth the extra expense of getting a larger internal drive?
Thanks in advance for any comments.
Scott

Why not both?
Ideally, you should have external backup anyway, just in case of a hard drive failure. After having 2 hard drive failures in my MacBook, I'd dare say you'd be a fool not to have external backup.
Make sure to get an external drive with two FireWire 400 ports (for daisy-chaining). Seagate makes good ones, or you could buy a hard drive and an enclosure and make your own, but something tells me you're not the type.
Make a read/write disk image of your internal hard drive with the Disk Utility and save it onto the external drive.
How about you buy the hard drive, and pay me 100 bucks to install it? LOL. You could do it yourself, it's really not that hard. I just did it today, in fact.
Take out the battery, unscrew 3 little phillips screws, take out the panel, grab that white tab to the left, slide it out, move (unscrew) that little metal thing to the new drive (you need one of the fancy little hex thingies to do that) slide the new one in, screw her back up, and boom, you're good to go. Hey, but if you're not comfortable doing it, then don't.
Now, the hard part is getting all your data back on the new internal hard drive all at once. I found out today, you may need a second Mac to do that.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=888330&tstart=0
Okay, so maybe I'm a bit more daring than the average Mac user, but oh well.
Hope that helps.

My logic board has failed, and I'm having to buy an external hard drive. Can someone walk me through thr process of how to do this?

My logic board failed, and I need to buy an external hard drive. Can someone walk me through the process of doing this? Will the Genius Bar do it for free?
Also, I have a borrowed Mac right now. If I put the new hard drive on this computer will it erase the computer's current hard drive? Do I have to put the hard drive on another Mac?
Any help is greatly appreciated!

if your logic board failed then connecting an ext. drive will be non productive.
if you take your hdd out of the failed mac and replace it into the borrowed mac you can then extract everything from that hdd. simply connect the external hdd, go into time machine preferences select your new ext. drive as the destination.
the external drive has to be formatted to mac os extended journaled. however you can purchase ext. drives already formatted for mac.
if you are having the logic board replaced then just put the old hdd back in, it will boot up normally.
you can rest easy knowing that if anything goes wrong, you have the ability to use your fresh backup to produce the same operating environment that you were using before things went wrong.

Upgrading hard drive... need help on how to prepare current CS6 for reinstall on new hard drive

I'm about to upgrade my hard drive to a larger one and will need to reinstall my CS6 Web/Design Suite... I've seen many people having issues with activation and licensing after they reformat their computers or buy a new one and try to install the programs on the new "system". How should I go about preparing my Adobe software on the current hard drive so I won't have any issues resintalling on the new hard drive? I will be installing CS6 Student/Teacher version on Windows 7 Pro 64-bit...
Thanks for the help!

Thanks!
I wondered if that was all I needed, but when I built my new system and installed PS CS4 I kept getting errors. So, I went back to the old system and deactivated it and still got errors. Uninstalled it deactivated and still got errors on the new system. When I talked to Adobe they just kept telling me the key was invalid (even though I had been running that same program and key for the last 4 years without problems lol) and it was not a burnt copy or pirated. I had the orginal box with the original DVD case and serial number on the case... A friend of mine had upgraded their rig and went to a Suite so he gave me his CS4. But, needless to say (as it is said all over these forums apparently) Adobe was of no help at all so I had to buy a new version. I'm not looking to go through all of that BS again, haha.
So as long as I deactivate the Suite (or do I need to deactivate each program separately?) I should be able to reformat (or upgrade hard drives) and reinstall CS6 as many times as I want? (I usually do a reformat like once a year to keep my computers clean and free of junk that may have been downloaded by other household members...)

Advice about buying a new hard drive

I have a TOSHIBA Satellite L25-S1216. I have not been able to boot into Windows XP for 3 years using the factory Recovery and Applications/Drivers DVD and the Fully Recover procedure on the back of the DVD packae. I have been using Linux for the past 3 years. Ubuntu SMART test disk utility tells me I have 20 bad hard drive sectors. I have concluded I should buy a new hard drive, since mine has 20 bad sectors. My current hard drive is ATA-6, so I know I need a PATA compatible hard drive. I'd like to increase to maybe 60 GB from the current 40 GB. I'd also like to go with a solid state drive, but there don't appear to be many PATA compatible solid state drives.
And I don't want to get too complicated or expensive; I want to stay with my current Windows XP. Not sure if a SATA PATA interface adapter would work to allow me to use a SATA solid state hard drive or not. I know (from reading knowledge base posts) there is also the potential problem of the older BIOSs not recognizing the newer Advanced Drive Format drives.
QUESTION: Does anybody have any advice about buying a hard drive that would work for me? How can I be reasonably sure a hard drive I buy is compatible with my computer?
Thank you,
Bob
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either get a pata drive (you can get larger than the stock 40gb) or use your $ towards a more current new/used laptop. pata ssd would be a waste and I doubt adapter would work. also, ms is dropping support for xp so it would be a good time to upgrade to something with a more current os as well.
L305-S5955, T9300 Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 60GB SSD, Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Where can I buy a larger hard drive for my late 2008, 15" macbook pro? From reviewing questions and answers on the support community it would appear that having Apple remove the old and install the new hard drive is recommended. But how/where?

Where can I buy a larger hard drive for my late 2008, 15" macbook pro? From reviewing questions and answers on the support community it would appear that having Apple remove the old and install the new hard drive is recommended. But how/where?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You can install the new hard disk yourself if you want to. You just need a 2'5" SATA II hard drive, which is compatible with your MacBook Pro. You can buy one at OWC > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/ You can filter hard drives by computer, so press a "Click to view all...", choose your computer in the sidebar and it will give you the compatible hard drives.
There are different brands for the MacBook Pro. The most recommended are HGST and Seagate, which have good reputation. A 7200 rpm hard drive will give you extra performance

Buying an external hard drive

I just learned that memory and hard disk capacity are not the same thing. Anyway, since I've just increased my memory from 2 to 4 GB, while since my computer is now telling me that my "Starter Drive?" is full, I've decided to buy an external hard drive for my MacBook. However, since I don't know anything about them, I'd like to read a good article or two on selecting one before making my purchase, so I came here to see if anyone has any ideas on the subject. Can anyone make any suggestions?
I don't want to spend more than $150, preferably much less. Also, I want one that is EASY and SIMPLE to use. There will probably be other considerations, but not until I get some basic information on types, features, usages, etc.

lenn5 wrote:
There's only a couple things I think about when purchasing an external drive.
1. How much space do I need.
The minimum right now seems to be around 320GB for most people. That's what I have and it's fine more my needs. I don't edit video so I don't need a huge drive.
2. What type of connection: Firewire, USB2, eSATA or a combination of them.
Mine has Firewire800/USB2. It comes with a FW 400 adapter so it works with my iMacCore Duo. I wouldn't get an external without Firewire. USB2 only is too slow.
3. Brand.
That's up to the buyer. I chose Western Digital Studio drive. I'm mostly happy with it. Nice enclosure but is alittle noisy in a quiet room.
Most of the top drives are good. OWC, WD, G-Tech, LaCie ect.
Just do a search using the brand and review. There are alot of reviews on the net.
4.Price
Individual preference.
I've probably missed something but these are what's important to me.
lenn
Thanks. I have decided to buy one, but I just have to do more thinking about what to buy. At first, being a beginner, I was just thinking in terms of capacity (bigger must be better), but now that even Terrabytes can be obtained at reasonable prices, I question that. I haven't yet read anything that completely answered the question for me, but I will be reading more comparisons and buying guides in the near future. One thing I'm still thinking about is how to use it. Will it be better to use it for storage, or do I want it to be an active part of my computer. I might add that the main reason I want to get one is to improve the speed and efficiency of my computer. I've seen many, many articles that warned of the catastrophe of crashing discs, but that doesn't worry me. The first time that happened, I felt like I had lost a child, but the second, third, and fourth times it happened it didn't bother me so much. No, I'm really most interested in doing what I can to get my computer to run as fast and with as few complications as possible. You did remind me of one thing I hadn't thought of recently: noise. That's important. In fact, that's why I bought a Mac. After doing quite a bit of research, I had decided on buying the PC that was always wining popularity contests. I was just about to buy it, and even took a PC course at my college to get ready for it, when I realized that the Mac was meant for me because of its quiet operation (the PCs at school were just too noisy for me) and and its compactness. Of course, when I bought my printer, the compactness issue went out the window. Even so, I still think I made the right decision. I only regret replacing my desktop model with a laptop.

I HAD TO BUY A NEW HARD DRIVE FOR MY LAPTOP. I AM TRYING TO RE-INSTALL MY ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12 BUT IT KEEPS SAYING MY SERIAL NUMBER IS INVALID. WHAT DO I DO?

I HAD TO BUY A NEW HARD DRIVE FOR MY LAPTOP. I AM TRYING TO RE-INSTALL MY ADOBE PHOTOSHOP ELEMENTS 12 BUT IT KEEPS SAYING MY SERIAL NUMBER IS INVALID. WHAT DO I DO?

jessicar
Just user to user....based on past and current history, Adobe Tech Support is not going to help you with a technical issue which is preventing you from using your purchased serial number for Photoshop Elements. Version 12 is not the current version. And, the Adobe Tech Support is limited even for the current version which is 13. If this matter involves a purchased activated serial number trapped on a crashed computer while you are trying to install on a 3rd computer, then probably Adobe Chat Activation can be of assistance. If that is the case and you want to explore that possibility, then click on the following link
Contact Customer Care
Photoshop Elements
Adobe ID, Signing In
Adobe ID, Sign In, Account Help
Chat Panel
If the above link does not hold its set, then you will need to navigate to the Chat Panel using the above titles as guides.
Are you getting one of those "too many computers with your serial number" messages? Then the above should apply to your situation.
Before the above consider....
a. For Photoshop Elements technical issues please post your question in the Adobe Photoshop Elements Forum. Somehow your
question got posted in the Adobe Premiere Elements Forum.
b. Have you verified your Photoshop Elements serial number at the Adobe web site (http://www.adobe.com) - after signing in with your
Adobe ID and Password, type My Products in the Search field and follow the path to your product in My Products. Click on Adobe
Photoshop Elements 12 in your list to reveal the serial number.
c. Do the install with antivirus and firewall(s) disabled.
ATR

I am going to buy a bigger hard drive. i am operating on Lion. how do i install my os on the new disk? i can't use time machine.

i am going to buy a bigger hard drive. i am operating on Lion. how do i install my os on the new disk? i can't use time machine.

Plug this new drive as an external drive, boot from lion recovery "command-R" more info here: http://www.apple.com/macosx/recovery/
Open disk utility, format and partition the disk at your will (allways Mac OS plus...) and go ahead with the install, don't care if it tells you to whait thousands of hours, I did get installed in 2 hours and a half last week.
If you can't plug the disk as an external one, you'll have first to do an USB disk recovery utility, as easy as download the recovery utility and install it in an USB disk, you can find anything from the link above, plug the disk as a single master, and boot from the USB you created before.
Tell me how it went!!!

Is is better to buy an external Hard drive or an external CD RW Burner?

I am shopping to buy an external hard drive, too, to back up all my important data.....but could I buy a external CD RW Burner to burn back-up disc and it will do the same job. Or is is better to buy an external Hard drive to save the data? Will I be able to burn CD Back-ups from my external hard drive?
In other words, I am a little confused on whether to buy an external hard drive or external CD RW Burner? What is the best route?
Thanks for any body that can help with this issue.

Hi,
Welcome to Apple Discussions
I suggest getting a external hard drive over getting an external CD-RW or DVD-RW. One of the major reason is that its great for backing up your internal hard drive; you can do it all in one place. One should always backup their hard drive just incase anything happens to your computer. One can't predict the day when a friend trips over their own feet; knocking your iBook on the floor with a huge crash. The most annoying thing to carry around when traveling is the Mac OS X install discs. I hate bringing them with me because I am in constant fear that I will loose them. The reason I bring them with me is because if something happens while I am away, I can troubleshoot my problem. I can startup from the install disc and then run Disk Utility, Archive and Install, Erase, and partition my hard drive. Once someone has a problem on the road; they will never leave their house without the discs. Instead of carrying around those discs, I partitioned one of my external hard drives into three sections, one for backup (140Gb), one for Mac OS X Tiger (10Gb), and the last one is for Panther (10Gb. I gave my girlfriend an iBook and she has Panther on it). This means I am equipped to startup my computer without using my internal drive.
Have you ever lost your iTunes library or your TurboTax data? Well, by backing up your hard drive (internal to external), you can save all your vital data incase something happens. You will find it a life saver if anything ever happens.
If you are looking into external hard drives, I suggest anything from LaCie, SmartDisk, or Western Digital
I recommend the LaCie D2 Hard Drive Extreme w/ Triple Interface, SmartDisk CrossFire, or the WD Dual Option.
I use a SmartDisk CrossFire for both my iTunes library as well as my iPhoto library. If you need help moving your iTunes library you might want to look at Knowledge Base Document #301748 explains How to Move Your iTunes Library.
I don't think you want an external burner of any kind for backing files because it will cost you a lot more in the end. You will have to use multiple discs for one big folder like iTunes. It is a pain and is also expensive. You can easily loose a disc or scratch it up.
Jon
PS Duane brings up the a really good point.
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When I try to install ios lion the installer says my hard drive has SMART errors and that I need to buy a new Hard Drive, but my computer witch has snowleprd and runs just fine

When I try to install ios lion the installer says my hard drive has SMART errors and that I need to buy a new Hard Drive, but my computer witch has snowleprd and runs just fine.

SMART is a technology that monitors the drive for signs of impending failure. You can verify that SMART is indicating a problem in Disk Utility. Select the hard drive and look at the bottom of the window. It should look like this:
If the SMART status is not "Verified" then you should back up your drive and start shopping for a new one.

Is there an application where I can back up all my info that I have on my computer so I don't have to buy a external hard drive?

Is there an application where I can back up all my info that I have on my computer so I don't have to buy a external hard drive?

Yes, but off-site storage (i.e. Mozy) is more expensive in the long-run than an external drive, however, off-site storage is safer (not sure if I trust the security though), and even with a fast connection, the inital backup can take days

If I buy a new hard drive reinstall my OS and Adobe apps, will this count as installing on 2nd comp?

If I buy a new hard drive, or format my current one and reinstall my OS and Adobe apps, will this count as installing on a 'second computer'? If so, how then do I go about ACTUALLY installing the apps on a second computer if I'm unable to 'de-register' the 'first' one because it was on an old hard drive?

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Yes! you can simply go ahead and deactivate the product before wiping your hard drive. This would simply reset the counter back to 0 and you will be able to activate the product on the new machine as well .
Kartikay Sharma

Illustrator Cs5 will not open. Recently upgraded hard Drive and upgraded to Maverick OS 10.9.3. Where should I start troubleshooting?

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Unless it has worked since the upgrading, I believe you should uninstall, run the Cleaner Tool, and reinstall.
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How do I figure out if I have usb 3.0? I am trying to buy compatible external hard drive (western digital my passport for mac) and I can not figure out if it will work with my mac book.

how do I figure out if I have usb 3.0? I am trying to buy compatible external hard drive (western digital my passport for mac) and I can not figure out if it will work with my mac book.

Dont buy a Western Digital, get a Hitachi or Seagate (Toshiba is made by Hitachi). These are the most reliable, and the HD used inside Macs.
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Correct HDD to buy to upgrade Hard Drive

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