Installing and formatting a new hard drive for MacBook

My hard drive died last week on my MacBook and I failed to back up anything forever the last couple of months. Learned my lesson there...
Anyway, I took it to the genius bar and they confirmed its death, and showed me how to replace it. I decided to go ahead and do so on my own, and also upgraded the memory while I was in there. I also decided to upgrade to lion since my DVD drive was giving me trouble and it'd be easier to use the USB - and yes the computer meets the requirements for Lion.
The problem is that when I try to boot up to format the HD, I only get a black screen. No disk utility when holding option, nothing. What am I doing wrong?

Try to boot with your original system disc.
Your mb didn't come with Lion when you bought it. So, use your original disc that came with your MB then install from there. After that, then use Lion to upgrade you os.
The above is you last resort if Lion won't boot on your usb port.

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How to install and reconfigure a new hard drive?

How to install and reconfigure a new hard drive?
I installed a new hard drive from best buy for my "vintage" MacBook laptop. When I turned on the laptop and the flashing folder appeared, I need help?
I looked online for some clues. I put in the software disk I received when I bought the disk but I cannot select a destination volume to install the software. I tired to partition the drive within disk utility but there was an input/output error. Should I just plug in my external hard drive and hope everything reboots like magic ?
Thank you for any help you can give

How to replace or upgrade a drive in a laptop
Step One: Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Step Two: Remove the old drive and install the new drive. Place the old drive in an external USB enclosure. You can buy one at OWC who is also a good vendor for drives.
Step Three: Boot from the external drive. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the external drive then click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Step Four: New Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your new 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. 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. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. 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 Options 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.
Step Five: Clone the old drive to the new drive
1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the new internal drive. Source means the old external drive.
Step Six: Open the Startup Disk preferences and select the new internal volume. Click on the Restart button. You should boot from the new drive. Eject the external drive and disconnect it from the computer.

Formatting a new hard drive for mac

Hi,
In a previous post I asked about running Snow Leopard on my mac after a hard drive fail. I'm having issues with formatting a new hard drie in my mac. I have a 2007 black macbook and I'm trying to run a 160gb SATA seagate hard drive.
After replacing this hard drive, I booted my mac up from cd, ran through setup fine until I got to the 'select a devide to install to' - the point where my hard drive should be visible. Nothing there at all. Nothing to click on in the box....
My question is, is there a process I need to undertake to format the hard drive or is this an indicator of a much bigger problem?
Thanks
HC

Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
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.
You can install OS X once formatting is complete by quitting DU and returning to the installer.

How much is a new hard drive for MacBook

My computer is slow so I think it's a hard drive problem how much is to change it ?

For a new hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC for regular hard drives and SSDs http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here are instructions on replacing the hard drive in a MacBook with a removable battery. http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
Here are video instructions on replacing the hard drive on the Aluminum Unibody
http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_unibody/
Here are video instructions on replacing the hard drive on the White Unibody http://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/macbook_13_09_unibody_hd/
To transfer your current hard drive I like the free application SuperDuper. It makes a bootable copy of everything on your hard drive http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html You'll need a cheap SATA external hard drive case. Put the new drive in the case then format and partition the new drive and clone your old drive to the new one. Check that it's set up right by booting up from the external drive. Then replace your old hard drive with the new one and put your old one in the external case.
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure/dp/B002JQNXZC/r ef=pd_cp_pc_0
If you don’t have the tools to open up the MacBook OWC has a set for $5
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TOOLKITMHD/

Trying to install SL on a new hard-drive for my iMac, when asked which disk to install on it gave me no options, i followed advice from another forum and created a partition, now can't boot from the new drive at all. Help?

I've had **** with my iMac, the hard-drive failed so i replaced it with a new 1TB Samsung drive. Then when i tried to install SL from the install disk, all went to plan until it asked me which drive i wanted to install it on, where it came up with a box where my options should have been, but instead it didn't give me any options to install it on any drive i.e. it asked which drive i wanted to install it on but no drives came up to select.
So i followed the advice from another forum, look at the 'Extended Hard-drive preparation' response
( https://discussions.apple.com/message/10576009#10576009 )
After following these instructions i have now got a new partition, but when i restarted my computer to install SL on the drive, the option to boot from the drive is now not available, now i must boot from the install disk, whereas before i was able to boot from either the install disk or the hard drive. The hard drive is still visible in disk utility as it always has been, but i am now unable to boot from it, let alone install SL.
Please help my iMac has been broken for months and i've been trying to fix it for so long and am getting problem after problem. Thank you!
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Hi db2
That off the shelf MS-DOS / FAT-32 drive needs to re-partitioned GUID Partition Table / Mac OS Extended (Journaled) before you can install OS X and Startup your Intel iMac from it.
1. Boot from your original install or retail SL DVD and open Disk Utility.
2. Highlight the new HD in the list of drives and select the Partition tab.
3. Under Volume Scheme select 1 Partition and click on the Options... button.
4. Select GUID Partition Table in the drop down window and click OK.
5. Set the Format to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click the Apply button.
6. Once thats done, then you can do a clean SL Install, Restore from TM , your old HD or Bootable Clone.
Dennis

Need to format a new hard drive for T61

Hi all hope you can help, bought a T61 from a liquidation sale with out a hard drive and was just going to put one in, but before the sale no one unlocked the bios and i found out that there is partitioning and such like for the thinkvantage stuff.
any ideas about the best way to start partitioning a new drive from scratch or are there any tools anywhere to aid this
thnaks in advance...
Message Edited by November12 on 07-23-2008 09:31 AM

November12, welcome to the forum,
It's not clear exactly what you are looking for, could you maybe explain a little more clearly in a new thread
Also, please note;
November12 wrote:
.....snip..
but before the sale no one unlocked the bios
..snip
If you are looking for help on unlocking the BIOS, this cannot be discussed here as per forum rules
No posts shall include instructions or directions intended to subvert security measures, including passwords, locking mechanisms, fingerprint scans, etc, nor shall any posts provide descriptions to the location of, nor direct links to content related to these topics.
As said, please by all means start a new thread for you other question(s). - Thread Locked
Andy ______________________________________
Please remember to come back and mark the post that you feel solved your question as the solution, it earns the member + points
Did you find a post helpfull? You can thank the member by clicking on the star to the left awarding them Kudos Please add your type, model number and OS to your signature, it helps to help you. Forum Search Option T430 2347-G7U W8 x64, Yoga 10 HD+, Tablet 1838-2BG, T61p 6460-67G W7 x64, T43p 2668-G2G XP, T23 2647-9LG XP, plus a few more. FYI Unsolicited Personal Messages will be ignored.
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New Hard Drive for Macbook Pro.

Hi,
My old harddrive completely failed on my Macbook Pro. My new harddrive arrived today, i've fitted it with no issues but thats about it.
I need to install OSX Lion from the original disk that came with the Macbook. I've tried starting it up from then pressing C after the chime but all I get is a grey screen with the Apple logo.
Any help would be greatly appreciated and please accept my aologies for my ignorance!
KR
Mike

Be sure your computer is connected to an active Internet connection. Restart the computer without any disc. Immediately upon hearing the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION-R keys until a Globe appears near the top of the screen. Since you are using Internet Recovery this will take quite some time so be patient. After 12-15 minutes you should see a Recovery screen.
Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch
Partition and Erase the hard drive:
1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
2. After DU loads select your new internal drive (mfgr.'s ID and size) from the
      left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window. Set the
      dropdown menu under Partition Scheme to one (1.)
3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition
      button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.

Need to install clean OS on new hard disk for MacBook air

I have just installed a new hard disk on my MacBook air. How do I format and install OS?
What OS to install?
How to format?
The origin hard disk is dead!

Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
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.
Steps 4-6 are optional but should be used on a drive that has never been formatted before, if the format type is not Mac OS Extended, if the partition scheme has been changed, or if a different operating system (not OS X) has been installed on the drive.

Recommended new hard drive for MacBook Pro

Hi, my mate has a MacBook Pro 2.16 GHz. He wants to upgrade the hard drive to something bigger than the current 5400rpm 120GB.
Can anyone recommend some of the best drives (or the best) to go with at this point in time?
I think probably it's worth going for 7200rpm, don't you think? Probably looking for something in the 250-320GB mark.

Presently the largest drive you can install is the Samsung 500 GB Spinpoint drive. It's the only 500 GB drive that fits in a 15" MBP. It's a 5400 RPM drive with 8 GB cache. Other drives are available up to 320 GBs (they all fit) varying from 5400 RPM to 7200 RPM - some with 8 GB and some with 16 GB caches. Models are available from the main manufacturers such as Seagate, Toshiba, Hitachi, Samsung, Western Digital. You will need to choose between performance and price.
Good sources for drives are:
MacSales.com
Buy.com
NewEgg.com
Note that when you buy an OEM drive that vendors do not provide any warranty service. If the drive doesn't work you can get it replaced (right away.) But if the drive fails more than 30 days after purchase then you get your warranty service from the drive's manufacturer. New drives may come with 3 or 5 year warranties from the manufacturer. You will pay extra for the better option.

New Hard drive for Macbook Pro 13"

I purchased a new seagate 500Gb 7200.4 HD, I know I have to format and Im gona do a fresh install should I erase the drive first and zero data even if its a new drive could this help or is it overkill what if the drive is all ready formated also what is a bare drive?

A 'bare' drive is a drive not in an enclosure. It's what your old drive will be after you remove it from the MBP, and it's what you'll put in to replace it. A bare drive can easily be mounted in any of several kinds of enclosures for more convenient use as an external drive.
You don't need to sero the new drive before partitioning and formatting it. You do need to partition and format it, because coming from the factory it will be formatted for use only in a Windows PC. Use the GUID partition scheme (a single partition is usually best for your internal drive), and format the partition as Mac OS Extended, Journaled.

New Hard drive for MacBook Pro 2008

Hi,
My 2008 MacBook Pro is really slow and I was told I could update my hard drive on it and upgrade the memory and speed. Does anyone by any chance know which one will work for my laptop??
It its the fall 2008 model
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2GB 1067 MHz DDR3
Any information would be really helpful!!
Thanks
Leanne

One more thing, and thanks for your patience:
Applications > Utilities > System Profiler (I believe that is where it is located)
On the left side of the window that opens up will be a section near the top under Hardware that says Memory.
There will be a section inside memory that says Memory Slots: Can you copy that?
Mine (example):
Memory Slots:
ECC:          Disabled
BANK 0/DIMM0:
Size:          8 GB
Type:          DDR3
Speed:          1600 MHz
Status:          OK
Manufacturer:          0x80AD
Part Number:          0x484D5434314753364D465238432D50422020
Serial Number:          0x00000000
BANK 1/DIMM0:
Size:          8 GB
Type:          DDR3
Speed:          1600 MHz
Status:          OK
Manufacturer:          0x80AD
Part Number:          0x484D5434314753364D465238432D50422020
Serial Number:          0x00000000

Which new hard drive for macbook??

what type of hard drive fits into the macbook? (and preferably works). if anyone has any specific recommendations that would be great, need min 160G, fastest available (that still 7200?).
thanks.

Here is [OWC's Search By Model|http://eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Models.cfm?TI=5724] version of your inquiry. -GDF

New hard drive for macbook pro (late 2009) anti shock or not?

I thought I read somewhere that if you replace a HD in your macbook pro, the new one should not have shock protection as it interferes with the mac's own internal shock sensor.
So I went out and bought a Seagate 7200.4 500GB drive - without the 'G' Suffix - ie the non-shock version of the drive.
I carefully opened my Macbook Pro and was surprised to see the drive in it was a Seagate with a 'G' Suffix!
Does the macbook actually have it's own separate shock sensor?
Is there any published data from apple as to what drives to use for replacement?
Thanks!

Shifty08:
I can speak form experience!
I got messed up 3 times with my Mid 2009 15 inch MB Pro (Some 13 inch units also) with a Seagate 500 GB Sata // 3 gps HD right after the EFI 1.7 update. There may be issue with some other larger 3rd party HDs including WD.
This is my MB Pro present configuration:
+MacBook Pro+
+Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,4+
+Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo+
+Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz+
+Number Of Processors: 1+
+Total Number Of Cores: 2+
+L2 Cache: 3 MB+
+Memory: 4 GB+
+Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz+
+Boot ROM Version: MBP53.00AC.B02+
+SMC Version (system): 1.49f2+
This is my present internal HD configuration:
ST9500420ASG:
+Capacity: 465.76 GB+
+Model: ST9500420ASG+
+Revision: 0002SDM1+
The resolution to these issues is now well established and discussed on a different discussion thread.
One has to have Firmware EFI 1.6 installed to avoid the problem. If Firmware EFI 1.7 is installed--back roll it to EFI 1.6. Run the Performance update 1.0.
In order to do this you have to remove the 500 GB 3rd party HD and "back roll" to EFI 1.6 from an external HD. There is a special download for this.
If you have Apple Care or have 3 month coverage for free tech support have the Apple store do it for you. It is about a 20 min routine. Schedule this appointment with the "Genius" through the Apple care. Apple is aware of the issue though some of the Genius staff are not. There is an Apple Engineering bulletin on this. There is a *EFI 1.6 rollback.dmg* file which is on the apple site.
Once this rolled back is in effect, then re-install the 3rd party HD. Then install the Performance Upgrade 1.0--and the MB Pro will work at 1.5 GPS--but this is better than nothing and it does not seem to be an issue for this MB Pro.
Now one likely can install the larger drive in an enclosure and it may work without this modification. I have not done this so I can not confirm this.
I did install the factory supplied 250 GB Hitachi HD in an enclosure and have it working as Universal boot drive.
See below for details.
+1394/USB20 Drive SBP-LUN:+
+Capacity: 232.89 GB+
+Removable Media: Yes+
+BSD Name: disk2+
+Mac OS 9 Drivers: No+
+Partition Map Type: APM (Apple Partition Map)+
+S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported+
Volumes:
+Leopard Universal Boot:+
+Capacity: 220.76 GB+
+Available: 171.42 GB+
+Writable: Yes+
+File System: Journaled HFS++
+BSD Name: disk2s3+
+Mount Point: /Volumes/Leopard Universal Boot 2+
This universal boot drive is explained in the Apple KB posting here.
*http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2595*
Best of luck!
bobg

I got new hard driver for my MacBook I don't have the cd but I do have flash drive that has the software I need help because when I turn on my laptop it shows me a file with question mark how can I install the software from the flash driver?

I got new hard driver for my MacBook I don't have the cd but I do have flash drive that has the software I need help because when I turn on my laptop it shows me a file with question mark how can I install the software from the flash driver?

Hold down the Option key while you boot your Mac. Then, it should show you a selection of devices. Click your flash drive and it will boot from that.

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

Installing and formatting a new hard drive for MacBook

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