Installing a bigger internal hard drive
Hello...I have a MacBook Pro with only 80 GB of internal memory....I am thinking of increasing this memory to something around 200GB...What is a good brand name that I should go for...I can't find anything on the Apple site. And is it something that I can do or it is pretty much complicated...I am a newbee but I understand the basics basically...Thanks for any help...
Installing a hard drive yourself inside a MacBook Pro is not recommended. You can damage the internal components inadvertently if you don't know what you are doing. Upon finding a non-authorized configuration change, AppleCare has in the past been known to balk at repairing machines under AppleCare's own cost that had hardware installed that wasn't authorized. Under what conditions they do or don't is not something we can really discuss here as it is clearly something Apple has its own policy that users can only read from through the AppleCare protection plan documentation. I strongly recommend you read that in the http://www.apple.com/support/ website. Sometimes you can get an authorized service center to install it for you and make sure your warranty is not affected. I would call around and find out which may be able to do that.
You would be looking for a 2.5" SATA notebook hard drive by Seagate or Western Digital. All are pretty good. And don't be put off by the slower speed, as the tracks are narrower, making seek time less even with less RPMs.
Similar Messages
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iMac, Model Identifier iMac12,1 with 121.5" screen, 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 memory, 1 TB internal hard drive, running Snow Leopard 10.6.8 from internal drive.
I want to install Yosemite onto a 1 TB external hard drive (OWC) , and keep Snow Leopard installed on the internal hard drive. I want to be able to boot from either system, depending upon circumstance (at least until Yosemite is stable). Is this possible?It is possible. I'll let you read some articles that cover the setup:
Starting from an external USB storage device (Intel-based Macs) - Apple Support
or
http://osxdaily.com/2013/06/22/boot-mac-external-drive/ -
I want to install a new internal hard drive for my Macbook (13in, Late 2009) and restore to factory settings. However, I want to keep my Mac OS X Snow Leopard., which I downloaded from the app store. How can I restore computer with the updated OS?
What I did on our two computers was partition the hard drive so that both Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion can be used on the computers. This allowed me to be able to retain/use older applications and games on the Snow Leopard partition. This will allow you to do a clean install of Mountain Lion on the newly created partition. The Mountain Lion installer has a button that allows you to select another drive so you don't install it over Snow Leopard. I cleverly name one partition Snow Leopard and the other one Mountain Lion so I wouldn't confuse the two (I never claimed to be smart).
To partition, you need to have sufficient free hard drive space (I suggest 50 GB minimum). Boot off the Snow Leopard DVD or the disks that came with the computer and use Disk Utility to partition your hard drive into two partitions. If you plan to make Mountain Lion your primary OS, then you can reduce the size of the Snow Leopard partition so most of the free hard drive space is available for Mountain Lion. While booted off the disk, you can install Snow Leopard on the partition you want it on.
Restart and download Mountain Lion, remembering to select the correct partition before installing. I would make a copy of the installer and move it out of the Applications folder because the installer self destructs.
After getting all that sorted out, I found that while booted in Mountain Lion I could access the Snow Leopard partition. That allowed me to drag files and applications from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion. Applications that won't work with Mountain Lion will be grayed out with a slash through them. -
Installing a 5th internal hard drive
What is the simplest way to install a 5th internal hard drive in a first generation Mac Pro? Is it a bad idea or does it work well? I don't want my Mac to get too hot etc.
If it is not practical I will do it another way.Use something like this:
http://www.transintl.com/store/category.cfm?category=2790. -
I have an early 2008 Mac Pro and want to install a 3TB internal hard drive. Is this compatible? The manual indicates 1 TB per bay, but I have already installed two 2 TB hard drives in two other bays, and have had no problems. Any suggestions?
RE: SATA Bus speed:
Typical Rotating drives available today, whatever their SATA spec, can source data off the spinning platters no faster than about 125MBytes/sec.
SATA 3 is rated at 6G bits/sec, which theoretically is about 750 Mega Bytes/sec
SATA 2 is rated at 3G bits/sec, which is theoretically about 375 Mega Bytes/sec
SATA 1 is rated at 1.5G bits/sec, which is theoretically about 187.5 Meg Bytes/sec
None of the SATA Busses is a bottleneck for consumer Rotating drives you can buy today. Trying to speed up the SATA Bus will not provide any real-world performance increases for Rotating Drives.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/22690384 -
Lousy 'fan' noise after installing a new internal hard drive
Hi,
I installed a new internet hard drive to replace my corrupted hard drive. The new hard drive is WD 320GB. Somehow, i got it installed and work. I install leopard on it and it works well as far as this point. Now, I have a new problem. Before installing the hard drive, my iMac run very quiet. Now, as soon as I turn on my iMac, i can hear a very noisy and loud 'fan' sound. I do not know if it is hard drive spinning or one of the fan. I do not notice any weird sound except it definitely a very loud spinning fan sound. I do not have Apple Care or warranty with Apple. Any suggestion to isolate the problem pls ?
I use iStat Pro and have the following info:
- CPU fan : 800-900 rpm
- CPU and GPU temp : 40 - 60 C degree
- Hard drive fan : 5000 rpm
Another question is : when i take my old hard drive, i noticed it has 1 power cable, 1 SATA cable and 1 small cable with connect some kind of chip on my motherboard to a small chip on the right hand side of hard drive. It appears to me that Apple attached a small chip on the side of hard drive. And i do not know where to connect that wire to my new hard drive. So i just left it un-connected. Thought, i connect power cable and the SATA cable. Any idea what that wire used for ?
Thanks
Message was edited by: DeathNoteHi Dennis,
Thank for informing me the heat sensor. Basically, i can take the heat sensor out from my old internal hard drive and stick it on the new drive ? If so, how do i do it ? can i use any glue to stick heat sensor on new drive ?
Also, I just figure something. I opened the front cover, then run iMac. I noticed the noisy sound, i thought it might be the fan or the hard drive. So , i disconnect the fan power cable and restart the computer. Now, it runs very quitely. I can not hear anything noise as all. No thing. So i assume that the hard drive is not the problem. As soon as i plug back the power cable for the fan. The noise come back.
Is there a software to control the speed of the fan ? Using Istat, i have the following info :
- CPU : 42 C degree
- HD : 29 C degree
- GPU : 43 C degree
- Ambient : 22 C degree
- mem controller : 37 C degree
- CPU fan : 860 rpm
- HD fan : 5000 rpm
- Optical fan : 800 rpm
Thank you .
p/s: inside my iMac is different than in the picture. -
Questions about installing a large internal hard drive
Hello all,
I recently bought a Seagate 250GB internal hard drive for my Power Mac G4 (AGP graphics). I intend to install it alongside my old 20GB drive. I have a couple of questions about installing it:
• What kind of PCI card do I need in order to use the full capacity of the drive?
• I'm considering partitioning the drive and installing Debian Linux on one partition. Is it possible that Debian won't recognize the PCI card?
• Is it possible to connect (RAID?) the old and new drives together so that they appear as one big 270GB drive? Is this a good idea?
• What is the easiest way to copy the contents of my old drive onto the new one? I'd like an exact copy so that I don't have to reinstall the system and everything else; can Carbon Copy Cloner do that?
Thanks for any help and advice!
Power Mac G4 - AGP graphics Mac OS X (10.4.3) 768 MB RAM• What kind of PCI card do I need in order to use the
full capacity of the drive?
If the drive is an SATA drive you need an SATA controller. If an IDE/ATA drive you need an IDE controller.
• I'm considering partitioning the drive and
installing Debian Linux on one partition. Is it
possible that Debian won't recognize the PCI card?
You should check the Hardware Compatibility List for Debian against your potential mac compatible purchases. You might also get some good information from Yellow Dog Linux compatibility lists.
• Is it possible to connect (RAID?) the old and new
drives together so that they appear as one big 270GB
drive? Is this a good idea?
If you want to stripe the 2 dives together your overall performance will be slowed down by the slower of the two drives. For example, If you have one 5400rpm drive and another 7200rpm drive, the RAID will be bogged down by the slower drive so you wont get the full benefit of the lower latencies of the 7200. You will still get some of the faster transfer times, just not the lower latencies.
Wether or not it's a good idea depends on your personal needs. Do you need a drive that can can move very large files to and from memory quickly (bandwidth) or a drive that can locate and serve up the files quickly (latency)?
• What is the easiest way to copy the contents of my
old drive onto the new one? I'd like an exact copy
so that I don't have to reinstall the system and
everything else; can Carbon Copy Cloner do that?
CCC should work fine for you. You could also use the command line asr utility. -
*** PLEASE NOTE*** - This is a query about an INTERNAL HDD not an external one. Thanks.
My Mac is a late 2009 model and the current hard drive recently failed. So I bought a new one, exactly the same, albeit 750gb instead of 500gb. The HDD is a Seagate Momentus 7200. Before the my current drive failed I made a time machine back up to an external USB HDD. I've inserted the HDD into the bottom of my Mac, plugged in the USB and started my machine pressing the 'Option' ([ALT]) key. I go into Disk Utility to try and format the new HDD by creating a new partition but I keep getting the messages,
"Error: -69760: Unable to write to the last block of the device"
or
"POSIX: could not allocate memory"
This is actaully the third HDD I've tried. The first was another Seagate Momentus 7200 500gb, but this time it was a newer model (model number ended in 423AS instead of 420AS - the new one I am trying ends with 420AS, which is the same as the current HDD). I then tried a Western Digital drive but that one didn't even show up in DU. Forums and tech support are suggesting it's faults with the HDDs but surely not three in a row?
Could this be an issue with another part of my Mac?
Is there anything else I can do to format the HDD, have I missed a crucial step?Did you ever get a resolution to this issue?
I am having that exact error with a new 512GB SSD from Crucial, in a 15" MBP mid-2010.
I really wonder now if the stupid SATA cable could be bad - causing the initial SSD fail. I am replacing it with the EXACT same drive, and getting that "last block" error when i partition in the GUI or from command-line.
thanks! -
Can anyone please advise me as to how to obtain the correct DVD to re-format my new hard drive? I had taken my computer to the nearest Apple store when I first discovered the problem with the gray screen, and was advised to purchase a new hard drive over the Internet for my computer since it was over 5 years old. The Apple associate never mentioned anything about needing the original disc to finish the installation. Now I've invested money in this new disc as well as the time taken to install it, and I still don't have a working Mac notebook. How can I fix this problem without a lot of additional cost. This computer had been my son's originally, and he can not locate the DVD that came with this Mac. Please help!!!
You can contact Apple Customer Support at 800-767-2775 to replace your install disc. You may be charged for shipping and handling.
You will need the serial number for your Mac to do so.
How to find the serial number of your Apple hardware product -
I want to install a new internal hard drive in my iMac
I have a 17" 2.0GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo
So I have two questions:
1. I want to double check that this hard drive is comptatible with my iMac:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Caviar-SATAIII-Internal/dp/B00461LT6S/re f=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306173965&sr=8-3
2. is there some way I can clone my current hard drive to the new one? or is it better just to start fresh?
Many thanks,
TomRegarding your question #2
You can clone the drive if you put either the new or old HDD in an external enclosure and use software such as SuperDuper! Or CarbonCopy.
Visit www.MacSales.com OWC to see some external enclosures. OWC also has an easy way to reference which devices are compatible with you model of iMac, and how-to videos too. -
Can I install my old internal hard drive into my new G5?
Hello All,
I've just purchased a new computer:
Apple Mac Pro CTO
2GB (4 x 512MB) Two 3GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon
500GB 7200-rpm Serial ATA 3Gb/s
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT 256MB (single e-link DVI/dual-link DVI)
My old computer is a PMG4, Dual 1Ghz, 1GBRam, 80G HD. I installed a secondary internal drive; a Maxtor 250G 7L250RO, 16MB ATA (MXT-6B250RO)
I've filled up about 100G on the Maxtor and was wondering if I can install this HD into one of the empty bays of my new computer? Space is not necessarily the issue, rather I would love to be able to put all I need on the Maxtor from the old computer and just pop it into my new Mac.
Can this internal be installed into my new Mac?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.He means buy a FireWire 400/800 drive enclosure that will take your drive and let you use it. It is almost impossible (for me) to fit a PATA drive in the 2nd optical drive bay of the Mac Pro.
I would invest in some more drive(s) for the Mac Pro though. I firmly believe in having two backup sets minimum. And to have a backup of the system as well as a "safe" emergency boot drive as well.
In order to boot from a drive on Mac Pro, it must be formatted or reformatted with GUID partition scheme (Disk Utility: Partition and at the bottom, click on "Options" to make the selection. So you may want to boot from backup/clone at some point to repair your main drive.
You can begin to find FW cases at OWC (www.macsales.com) and other places like Amazon, FWDepot etc. -
Need to install a new internal Hard drive
Hi there,
My Mac Book Pro is 1st generation, I think, I bought it on May 2006 with a 100GB hard drive and made some upgrades trough the time but now I'm looking for a larger hard drive because I use it for professional audio recording with Logic Studio and the last upgrade calls for more storage space. I put any other data sucker files like iTunes and iPhoto Libraries away but still is not enough.
I read the same issue in another topic ( http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2424292&tstart=60 ) and they recommend a SEAGATE 500GB 7200RPM but still I'm not sure if his computer and mine are the same. I read in my system profiler things like "Removable Media: No / Detachable Drive: No" that make me suspicious about if change my HD is possible or not.
Could anyone confirm that the SEAGATE 500GB works for my Mac Book Pro?
Thanks
FranThanks for the advice! I think I'll go ahead and go for it but I can definitely see that it's not as easy as someone told me in another forum... at least for someone who has to do it for the very first time. But I think I can handle it.
Another question please... what about the memory RAM? At this point I am in 2GB. Supposedly there's no way to improve that in my original Mac Book Pro but I'm reading somewhere that there is a way to get 3GB... anyone could enlighten me on this?
Thanks
Fran -
Installing internal hard drive on an old iMac
I am an absolute novice when it comes to taking apart a computer and know nothing about any technical terms or parts. I was able to install a new battery when the original died, so when the "genius" at the Apple Store said I could install an additional internal hard drive, I gave it a whirl. Before I try to return the hard drive, I thought I would give this a shot.
My iMac is a 400 MHz PowerPC G3, one of the early generations, if the not the first (see-through cobalt blue exterier). I am running with 256 MB of memory and the CPU type is PowerPC 750 (83.0). I have Mac OS X Tiger, version 10.4.6 and this machine had been working great until we recently purchased our first iPod. Now with all the music being loaded in iTunes, the iMac has slowed down and even frozen when trying to use a few applications at once.
I figured I needed more hard drive space and/or memory and the people at the Apple store suggested I purchase a Seagate 80 GB Barracuda and install it myself.
Well, I got the computer apart and found the old hard drive, but that is about as far as I can go. I read about making the new hard drive the "slave" hooking up the BLUE, BLACK and GRAY connectors on the new cable, but I don't know a motherboard from a jumpdrive and the new connectors do not match up with the old one (the Blue connector is not the same size as the old one that I think was going into the motherboard). There is also something about an unused power cable in the old computer for the new hard drive, (which I did not see) and a suggestion that I get a Y-shaped power cable from an electronics store, which even if I knew what it was, I would not know where to begin connecting it. Not only does the new connector not match up, it is about 10 times as long as the old one, which leads me to the final issue: if I could get this all hooked up and power-supplied, where in the world would I put the new, additional hard drive? There is no room I can see adjacent to the current hard drive. Do I have to take the thing further apart?
I realize this may provide a great laugh for anyone who knows how all this works. If trying to walk someone through this process using Apple Discussions does not make sense, I completely understand. I had nothing to lose (except possibly the cost of the Seagate drive if they won't take it back).
I was able to put everything back together after taking the old hard drive out, so I think I could do this if the parts were all there and matched up....but I would still need to know where to put the new drive!
Any suggestions are appreciated. I have already resigned myself to the fact I may just need a more expensive external drive...I just have few available ports.
Thanks,
Conrad Farner"...when the "genius" at the Apple Store said I could install an additional internal hard drive, I gave it a whirl... if I could get this all hooked up and power-supplied, where in the world would I put the new, additional hard drive?"
Your iMac has room for one hard drive and the optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, etc.). Any ribbon cable supplied with the hard drive or a Y-splitter power cable is of no use in the iMac. The new drive must replace the original, because the two can't coexist internally. Additionally, you need to configure the new Seagate as "master," since the optical drive is "slave." Refer to Seagate's accompanying documentation, for instructions on setting the small jumper(s) to designate the drive as "master." The drive may have been factory-configured for "cable select," which isn't supported in your iMac. After you get that straightened out, you'll need to boot the computer from the Tiger installer CD and use "Disk Utility" to format the new drive as a Mac OS Extended (HFS+) volume. You may also want to partition it as well.
Incidentally, you should post any future questions about your iMac in the Forum dedicated to the CRT-style iMacs. You'll receive informative answers to any questions that you might have, from those who are thoroughly familiar with your model iMac. -
Even though you are using Internet "Recovery", the program will not format your hard disk for you. In fact, once you get to the recovery screen, it will show no hard drive is even available, which at first caused me to believe I had been delivered a dead on arrival hard drive. Instead, exit the Recovery program and enter the Disk Utility program and partition your new, uprade hard drive as apple instructed for an "external" hard driver. After that just proceed with the Recovery program.
"...when the "genius" at the Apple Store said I could install an additional internal hard drive, I gave it a whirl... if I could get this all hooked up and power-supplied, where in the world would I put the new, additional hard drive?"
Your iMac has room for one hard drive and the optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, etc.). Any ribbon cable supplied with the hard drive or a Y-splitter power cable is of no use in the iMac. The new drive must replace the original, because the two can't coexist internally. Additionally, you need to configure the new Seagate as "master," since the optical drive is "slave." Refer to Seagate's accompanying documentation, for instructions on setting the small jumper(s) to designate the drive as "master." The drive may have been factory-configured for "cable select," which isn't supported in your iMac. After you get that straightened out, you'll need to boot the computer from the Tiger installer CD and use "Disk Utility" to format the new drive as a Mac OS Extended (HFS+) volume. You may also want to partition it as well.
Incidentally, you should post any future questions about your iMac in the Forum dedicated to the CRT-style iMacs. You'll receive informative answers to any questions that you might have, from those who are thoroughly familiar with your model iMac. -
At the end of the installation process (Clean install, new 500GB internal hard drive, formatted and partitioned, MacBook 13" Aluminum, late 2008) the progress bar stalls and eventually a drop down error message appears "Can't download the additional components needed to install OS X". I am using a USB 8 GB bootable flash drive. Any ideas?
At the end of the installation process (Clean install, new 500GB internal hard drive, formatted and partitioned, MacBook 13" Aluminum, late 2008) the progress bar stalls and eventually a drop down error message appears "Can't download the additional components needed to install OS X". I am using a USB 8 GB bootable flash drive. Any ideas?
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