Information regarding replacing a hard drive

We have a Macbook purchased in 2007 and a Macbook Pro purchased in 2006 that have hard drives running at about 90% full. I would like to upgrade them. What specs besides a 2.5 inch drive do I look for? Does it have to be a SATA or a serial drive? Are their size differences to look for? Any recommendations?

Any 2.5" SATA notebook drive will work provided it's not higher than 9.5 mm. You will find suitable replacement drives at:
MacSales.com
NewEgg.com
Buy.com
Amazon.com
And, other online vendors. MacSales.com has online video and written tutorials on how to disassemble your computer in order to replace the drive.
At least one special tool is required - a small Torx driver (#6 is I recall) for the 2006 model. Not positive about the 2007 model.
Drives are available in capacities up to 640 GBs (that fit) and rotational speeds of 5400 or 7200 RPM (the latter is faster than the former.)

Similar Messages

  • My hard drive was replaced last week.  The geek squad from Best Buy backed up all my information prior to replacing the hard drive.  they reinstalled everything on the new hard drive including iTunes.  When I opened I tunes, my playlists were missing

    My hard drive was replaced last week on my macbook pro.  The geek squad from Best Buy backed up all my information prior to replacing the hard drive.  They reinstalled everything on the new hard drive including iTunes.  When I opened I tunes, i had some but not all my songs listed.  All my playlists and purchases were missing.  I attempted to sync my iPod so my playlist and information would be reinstalled but iTunes does not recognize the iPod to allow it to sync.

    Hello Boylen33,
    I was very disappointed to read about your experience when taking your phone in to the Geek Squad for service. I agree with avm5689, purchasing the Geek Squad Protection plan is a great way to protect your investment in a product that is so necessary to our everyday lives. The agent should have known exactly what steps to make the exchange an easy, and smooth process, and I sincerely apologize for the frustrating experience you received instead. 
    I assure you every single post on the forum from our customers is of utmost importance to us, and we are always happy to help in anyway we can. As per the terms and conditions of your Geek Squad Protection plan, you should receive one battery per the life of the plan, and you can order it simply by calling our Partstore. As I mentioned previously, this is something the Geek Squad agent should have explained to you, or as the mobile specialist did, call them for you, and I'm truly sorry this wasn't handled in that manner causing you to waste a lot of time at the store.  Using the e-mail you registered on the forum, I was able to locate the service order, and I will be documenting your experience for further training opportunities.
    Once again, I am very sorry for any disappointment this has caused, and I appreciate very much you bringing this to our attention. I hope you will give us another in chance to offer you a much better experience.
    Respectfully,
    Maria|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
     Private Message

  • If I got a new hard drive on my computer and plugged in the time capsule afterwards, would I be able to recover the information from my old hard drive that was stored on the time capsule prior to the replacement?

    If I got a new hard drive on my computer and plugged in the time capsule afterwards, would I be able to recover the information from my old hard drive that was stored on the time capsule prior to the replacement?

    This may be of some help to you...
    http://pondini.org/TM/14.html
    From the FAQs Here...
    http://pondini.org

  • I have just had to replace my hard drive on my mac book pro and can now not sync my iphone which contains all my information onto the new drive, any ideas?

    I had to replace my hard drive on my mac book pro as it had died. Since getting laptop repaired I have been trying to sync my iphone with the new hard drive but it will not allow me to do this without first wanting to wipe the phone clean and put info on the hard drive onto the phone, of course there is no info on the hard drive at all. Any help will be greatly recieved.

    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141

  • I am about to replace my hard drive. How can I reinstall forefox and still keep all my bookmarks and other related information.

    Question
    I am about to replace my hard drive. How can I reinstall firefox and still keep all my bookmarks and other related information

    Profile is a folder which store all your personal data in a safe place
    * https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Profiles
    * here explain how to backup profile https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Backing%20up%20your%20information
    * here explain how to restore it
    https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Recovering%20important%20data%20from%20an%20old%20profile

  • How do i replace my hard drive? dv4

    I have a Pavilion DV4 Entertainment Laptop.  I replaced the hard drive and now it is acting like the drive isn't installed.  When I check BIOS, it says no HDD exists.  Is there something I am missing?  I made sure the drive is seated, it has 3 screws to ensure that.  And even when I plug the old drive in, I get the same message.  There is no HP support for this issue, well none that I don't have to pay for.  Any ideas?
    Thanks

    Hi,
    Check the connection first. Updating BIOS may help. Please also check this:
       http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/296741-30-laptop​-bios-doesnt-detect-hard-drive
    Regards.
    BH
    **Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
    Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

  • How to I restore lost audiobooks from iTunes after replacing my hard drive?

    After replacing my hard driver I put my apple ID and password into iTunes and was able to re-download all of my music but I was not able to get my audiobooks. Does anyone know how I can do that?

    Hello
    do you have multiple itune account ?
    answer is certenly here
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
    take care of that
    Notes:
    To download previous purchases on a computer, your computer must be authorized for the Apple ID that was used for the original purchase. For more information about iTunes Store authorization and deauthorization see,this article.
    Items that have been refunded by iTunes Store support cannot be downloaded again and will no longer show on your Purchased page.
    HTH
    Pierre

  • Desire to replace my hard drive... need your input!

    I have an almost 3 year old Powerbook and I am in need of more space. My 100 gig hard drive is being stretched thin by work and I tire of carrying around mutliple 4gig-80gig externals.
    So I would love to put in a 160 gig hard drive to help simplify things (not to mention I was told it's not a horrible idea to replace a HD after 3 years) and throw my 100 in an external case as backup.
    So I looked on Newegg and found a Western Digital for about $110 then I called my local Apple Authorized retailer (Firsttech, who I have generally had good experiences) to check on prices if I didn't want to do it myself.
    The quoted me:
    $180 for the drive
    $125 for transfering everthing to the new drive
    $125 for labor to replace the drive
    This all seems a little steep to me. Can I get your guys thoughts on this?
    I saw the forum post about how to replace the hard drive yourself and it looks do-able, but I have never dug into my Powerbook any further than RAM replacement.
    What do you guys think?
    2.66 Mac Pro 2gigs RAM ATI and 7300 cards; Powerbook G4 17in   Mac OS X (10.4.9)  

    To do the transfer before hand put the drive you are about to swap in inside a Firewire hard drive case and use Shirt-Pocket Superduper to clone your information.
    http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
    Test its ability to boot your machine, and then it is ready to be transferred internally.
    Then you'll have a clone which can be moved into your internal.
    http://www.macsales.com/ offers Firewire hard drive cases for 2.5" Parallel ATA drives.
    And then in the future, simply update your backup with Superduper to another Firewire hard drive of equivalent or greater size, and use the old internal for one of your archival storage mediums.

  • HT1920 I originally opened my acct on one email address then switched to another. My PC crashed, had to replace my hard drive. I can not longer access turnes under old email... do not remember password.  what do i do

    I originally open my iTunes account using a comcast email account, I then switched to a verizon account.  I do not remember the password associated with the account when it was opened under the comcast email and no longer have the comcast email account.  My PC recently crashed and I had to replace the hard drive.  I have my saved back up files on my new drive...  but can not access the iTunes purchased when on my comcast email address and have no way of getting emails on comcast address to get password required to access old purchases.  How do I get the use of these older song purchases?

    Hi Ernie,
    If you are having issues with a forgotten Apple ID/iTunes Store password, you may find the following article helpful:
    Apple ID: If you forget your password
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5787
    Regards,
    - Brenden

  • I had to replace my hard drive and when I plug in my iPad, itunes says  it is synced with another computer, and asks to erase all my data. Help!

    I had to replace my hard drive and now when I plug in my iPad, itunes says it is synced with another library

    That is because the iPad can only "sync" to one iTunes library at a time. You can move all of the iPad contents into a new iTunes library. This discussion will give you a lot of useful information.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3305461
    This one is Mac specific - not that it is any different except for the iTunes menu.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3445538?start=0&tstart=0
    Remember to authorize the computer in iTunes first - From the iTunes menu go to Store>Authorize this computer.

  • XI have just replaced my hard drive and uploaded my backup. Now iPhoto won't launch or reset and relaunch. Suggestions?

    I have just replaced my hard drive (more memory) and uploaded my Time Machine backup. Now iPhoto won't launch or reset and relaunch. Suggestions?

    Well without no information to work with, try reinstall.
    To re-install iPhoto
    1. Put the iPhoto.app in the trash (Drag it from your Applications Folder to the trash)
    2a: On 10.5:  Go to HD/Library/Receipts and remove any pkg file there with iPhoto in the name.
    2b: On 10.6: Those receipts may be found as follows:  In the Finder use the Go menu and select Go To Folder. In the resulting window type
    /var/db/receipts/
    2c: on 10.7 they're at
    /private/var/db/receipts
    A Finder Window will open at that location and you can remove the iPhoto pkg files.
    3. Re-install.
    If you purchased an iLife Disk, then iPhoto is on it.
    If iPhoto was installed on your Mac when you go it then it’s on the System Restore disks that came with your Mac. Insert the first one and opt to ‘Install Bundled Applications Only.
    If you purchased it on the App Store or have a Recent Mac you can find it in your Purchases List.

  • I replaced my hard drive and lost iPhoto. Is there a way to retrieve?  I can not find the starter discs that came with my Macbook Pro.

    I replaced my hard drive and lost iPhoto. Is there a way to retrieve?  I can not find the starter discs that came with my Macbook Pro.

    Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. You can purchase replacement discs from Apple.
    Or, you can upgrade to Lion or Mountain Lion:
    Upgrading from Snow Leopard to Lion or Mountain Lion
    You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99.
    If you sign into the App Store and try to purchase Mountain Lion but the App Store says your computer is not compatible then you may still be able to upgrade to Lion per the following information.
    A. Upgrading to Mountain Lion
    To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
         OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
           Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
             1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
             2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
             3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
             5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
             7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
    To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
         Are my applications compatible?
             See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
         For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.
    B. Upgrading to Lion
    If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
    You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax.  It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
         Lion System Requirements
           1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
               or Xeon processor
           2. 2GB of memory
           3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
           4. 7GB of available space
           5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

  • How much will it cost to replace my hard drive?

    My wife dropped my Macbook Pro from countertop hight and the screen cracked so I sent it into iresQ and got the screen replaced for cheep and my computer was lagging bad still. I asked apple what the problem was and they told me that a lens on my hard drive was probably cracked and I should replace my hard drive soon before real problems start to emerge. I did all this over the phone and forgot to ask about cost, this is why I'm posting here.

    I asked apple what the problem was and they told me that a lens on my hard drive was probably cracked and I should replace my hard drive soon before real problems start to emerge.
    Sorry, "lens"? There is no "lens" in any hard drive. "Lens" could only apply to the DVD-R optical drive. Not to say that the hard drive might not have been damaged in the fall, but there is no "lens", so either someone misheard or someone misspoke.
    Before you pay to replace the hard drive, do some basic troubleshooting. Boot your system from the Mac OS X install disk, run Disk Utility, and have it verify the drive. If the drive comes back without errors, the problem is more likely to be software related rather than hardware, though a hardware problem cannot be ruled out. You probably should back up your important data, reformat the drive, and reinstall Mac OS X and your applications and data and then see where things stand.
    Regards.

  • Replacing a Hard drive and upgrading to windows 7

    Hi all, I own a Lenovo N200 0769-BLG laptop with 3gb of ram and a 110gb hard drive running on XP 1.66ghz dual cpu t2330.
         I am thinking of replacing the Hard drive with a 320gb Western digital Sata, rpm 5400 to increase the storage on my laptop. Im also thinking of upgrading the OS to windows 7 from XP and Im wondering what would be the best way of doing this, can I do it at the same time for instance. 
    Your help is greatly appreciated 
    The_springbok

    you need to get the larger hdd first, the largest you can get is about 500 gig in 9.5 mm and 2.5 inch form factor, you can get this online through places like newegg.com, then you would need to purchase a copy of the Win 7 home from somewhere.
    Regards,
    Jin Li
    May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
    I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

  • Hp 4530s replace ide hard drive with sata

    Would like to replace ide hard drive with a sata in a probook 4530s. any suggestions/information?

    Not sure what you mean. It has no IDE hard drive it is SATA. 
    Look at disassembly video at 1:00 in. That is a SATA hard drive, my friend. Problem solved. 
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWkCsrVJFlY

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