Optical Drive to be replaced

Any tips, advice, idea on how, where, how much to replace an optical HD

You have several options, here is only one. Do a Google search.
http://www.mcetech.com/?gclid=CPzAh92mg4YCFQqQJAod-kVOhw
Remember there are a multitude of choices out in the marketplace.
Don

Similar Messages

IMac...hard drive, optical drive, logic board replaced...

Hi everyone...Just wanted to post for general info, sympathizers, etc...I had multiple problems with my optical drive (watching/playing/burning dvds cds, etc) and spent an obscene amount of time with tech for the better part of two weeks. Something another user properly coined "the spinning color wheel of death" would also show its ugly face more than usual for long periods of time. Optical drive replaced - same problem. Archive and Install, failed. Erase and install, failed. I spoke with many product specialists and more than a couple were whiny babies who would rather argue with me than help me solve the problem. Then I spoke to this one guy who cut through all the bs and told me he would send someone to replace the hard drive, optical drive and logic board (just in case). That done, the install disk failed again(disk is unscratched). Now they're sending me a new install disk set. No computer for 3 weeks now. As disgusted as I am, Apple support was redeemed by that one product specialist. Anyways, has anyone had this many problems? How much money is Apple willing to spend (replacement parts, onsite repair, labor, phone time) before they replace a computer? It seems that good support is all luck of the draw...tbc.

It seems to me that you pretty much have a new computer, all your components have been replaced
That being said, I have had all the same things, with the exception of the hard drive, thank goodness, replaced under Apple Care without any complaining. I also have a new PSU. The trick is to get the original tech who first responds to your call to kick you up to a specialist, who usually knows more than I do and is willing to work with me. I find that once I reach this level, or one above, they understand the problem and realize that messing around with archive and installs is not the answer.
By the way, what you call the spinning color wheel of death is affectionately know as SBOD which is the spinning beach ball of death, or SPOD, the spinning pizza of death.
Hope this makes you feel better,
Miriam

Is the optical drive SATA & swappable?

I'm looking to buy a bunch of these now that they've finally updated them. However, the whole thing hinges on whether the optical drive can be replaced with a second hard drive.
Once folks start getting theirs delivered, I'd be interested to know if the superdrive is SATA and if there is room to replace it with a second HDD?
Thanks.

These folks have already disassembled the new Mini
http://www.macminicolo.net/macmini2009.html
"Three months ago, we published an article called The State of the Mac mini. In this article, we were the first the mention that the new mini would have a SATA optical drive, making it easier to have a second hard drive in it. It turns out that the optical drive is indeed SATA."

MBP Optical Drive, clicking and spinning wildly

I just received my new MBP yesterday and discovered a problem with the optical drive. When I insert a CD the drive makes a series of loud clicking noises, presumably as it tries to mount the media on the spindle, and then starts spinning up and out of control, sounding much like an airplane. Some data can be read and then it fails.
I tested with another CD, same problem. I then tested with a DVD, and it actually did fire up and play, and didn't quite sound like an airplane, however there was still a very noticeable hum which is loud enough to still be deemed unacceptable.
After trolling the forums here, it sounds as though other individuals are indeed having the same problem. I have tried various suggested resolutions from other posts with no luck. Unfortunately there is no genius bar close to me, so I am probably going to be stuck sending it back which is just a major disappointment since I was counting the minutes till my MBP arrived.
Update: For what it's worth... in both cases, the discs do not appear to be getting damaged.

I had a macbook that the optical drive needed to replaced for similar reasons. I would strongly recommend you visit the apple store and/or go apple support and ask them to replace your optical drive. Its a pretty quick install for them.
Please remember to mark helpful/solved replies appropriately.

Cube won't boot after installing new OWC Mercury G4 Cube optical drive

I recently was given a cube and found out that I couldn't burn music CD's because the original optical drive was read only.
So I purchased a OWC Mercury G4 Cube optical drive as a replacement to allow burning. I followed all instructions, however was a little confused about changing the jumper settings on the hard drive to slave. From what info I could gather I needed to remove the jumper to make the hard drive a slave. However when I looked at the hard drive there were actually two jumpers. I removed them both and now the Cube doesn't boot up. All I get on my monitor is a gray screen. Before replacing the optical drive there would be an apple logo during boot up.
Any ideas anyone?
Joe

Note: if there are two Jumpers on the HDD, usually
only one is used. Jumpers set in a vertical position
DO SOMETHING. Jumpers in a horizontal DON'T DO
anything, they are just in a holding position or
spares. There are the rare exception, but that's the
norm.
For more info on Cubes, you may wish to check out
Cubeowner.com. It is for Cubes only and has a big
FAQ and technical section. Plus, it's friendly, like
here.
Thank you. At least I know that the other jumper perpendicular to the one on pins 50 doesn't do anything.
I'm going to try to start from scratch and see if that doesn't work. If it doesn'r I'll put the old optical drive in and hopefully get it back to where it was
You've been extremely helpful.
Thank you

Booting from an external optical drive

Hi everyone.
I have an iMac 24'' 2.4 Ghz.
The superdrive has died...
Since I have no idea if any internal optical drive can be replaced with the superdrive, my next option would be to get an external one.
my question is, can it become bootable?
For example, would I be able to reinall MacOS X from the external one and if yes, how? do I press the "C" key on start (or will that just try to access the dead superdrive)?
Thank you in advance.

will it recognize the external drive as the primary boot drive?
do I press C or option?
Will any external optical drive work?
Thank you very much!

MacBook Pro Repeatedly Loads Purple & Teal Stripe, Gray, Light Blue, Bright Blue and Bright Blue Stripe Screens Instead of OS after Optical Drive Replacement by Apple (PICTURES INCLUDED)

17 inch March 26-29 (order date – shipping date) 2011 MacBook Pro, 256GB Solid State Drive, 2.3 GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, 1 processer, 4 Cores, 256 KB L2 Cache per core, 8 MB L3 Cache, 8 GB Memory (8GB 1333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB), AMD Radeon HD 6750M Video Card, Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 512 MB total of VRAM. 110 GBs of free/unused disk space remaining.
Full Specs are in subsequent post.
The issues described in the title continue even after I’ve reinstalled the operating system twice (Snow Leopard) and installed Mavericks (which is working fine and even faster). I’ve tried many commands to repair this.
If anyone has experienced any of the symptoms above or below, your advice and response will be much appreciated as well as marked. These are the details:
My Early 2011 MacBook Pro has had the typical blue screens, screen freezes and graphics issues since I bought it about three years ago but nothing like this and NEVER any load issues until about a month ago. That was when my superdrive replacement was put in.
Since then my MacBook Pro will go into hard freezes or kernel panics. Then I’ll have to power it down manually and power it up manually. It’ll then refuse to load the OS until after multiple tries. It started out just 2 or 3, then 4 or 5, then 6-12, then 20. Now it takes over 30 boots to load the OS. These boot issues also occur even if it doesn’t freeze, i.e.: when I shut it down or restart it naturally (via the Apple menu, etc.).
95% of the time it’ll load to a gray screen instead of the OS. 4% of the time it’ll load to a light blue screen. Then there are the others: the first time this happened it loaded to the striped purple and teal screen shown in the picture. This happened the next four times then intermittently for about 5 or so more times.
It also loaded gray flickering screens. Flickering screens also occurred right before it froze and had to be manually powered down and up. Then it began to load regular gray and light blue screens and all flickering screens stopped. And then bright blue screens a couple times intermittently for a few days, sometimes with lines. Sometimes it’ll load to a blank/black screen as well. I’d reset the NVRAM and SMC but it still continued, happening multiple times a day, each time taking more and more hard shut downs and hard power ons to finally load the OS.
Until I installed Mavericks, every time it finally loaded the OS Finder began indexing. After Mavericks this has occurred 95% of the time.
After talking to Apple Support they had me do a NVRAM and SMC reset again over the phone. The MacBook Pro refused to load the entire time we were on the phone. After the call it got worse. It froze over 6 times that day and at worse took over 30 boots to load the OS.
I finally had time to deal with it the next day when it froze again. After over 25 boots it loaded and I put in the Snow Leopard OS dvd and ran Disk Utility. I verified the hard drive and it said it was fine. Repaired the disk anyway and it gave this message at the end:
“Updating boot support partitions for volume required”.
Next I tried to start in safe mode and it just hung up for hours. Then started up in single mode and it loaded the OS. It then loaded normally for three times in a row. I reinstalled Snow Leopard. Everything loaded normally. I waited an hour or so and then I downloaded Mavericks. 5 or so hours later Mavericks was installed. Everything hardware wise was fine for a day and all software issues were easily fixable incompatibilities. My Mac was even faster with Mavericks. However, Photoshop did give a perhaps relevant message:
“Photoshop has encountered a problem with the display driver, and has temporarily disabled GPU enhancements. Check the video card manufacturer’s website for the latest software.
GPU enhancements can be enabled in the Performance panel of Preferences.”
(I have OpenGL enabled in Photoshop and it was already checked when this error occurred).
Two days ago I went to Disk Utility to repair permissions while logged in to a non-admin account. Verified and repaired the disk, then verified permissions. Everything fine. After repairing permissions however, it gave a weird error box:
"Unapproved caller, SecurityAgent may only be invoked by Apple software".
The box stayed “stuck” in the Disk Utility window. My MacBook Pro then failed to do anything. I manually powered it down and up. It loaded to a gray screen with the error message box again: "Unapproved caller, SecurityAgent may only be invoked by Apple software".
It then refused to load anything else but this message box on a gray screen even after rebooting it multiple times in safe, verbose and single modes and after resetting the NVRAM and SMC. I went online with an iPad and entered in the error and got some advice. I tried to run fsck and erase the /var/folders/ via single user mode but it still loaded to a gray screen with the error message. I just decided to skip to the end and Cmd-R loaded into recovery mode and reinstalled Mavericks again. That worked: the message has not appeared since.
Some people have said this error is related to a hard drive cable failure. I know that this cable was tampered with during the optical drive replacement procedures because I watched them do it.
Everything was fine for a day. Then yesterday my MacBook Pro froze while trying to open a VLC file. It took 12 boots to load the OS. I tried single mode once and verbose mode once. 10 times it loaded to gray screens, even in those mode. A Safe boot lead to a bright blue screen. Finally reset the SMC and it loaded on the 12th time.
Just five hours ago the same thing happened except it took over 30 boots to load the OS. Single, verbose and normal boots, NVRAM and SMC resets lead to gray screens. Safe boots lead to bright blue screens with and without lines (see pictures). Finally loaded on a normal boot.
I know I should have tried safe booting, verbose, single and recovery modes, disk utility, fsck and other command methods earlier this month but in the end, these methods have not solved the problem anymore than resetting the NVRAM or SMC.
There seems to be conclusive evidence that it’s a hardware problem, stemming from last month, the FIRST AND ONLY time my MacBook Pro was opened up. Maybe it’s the hard drive cable, but it could also be the graphics card and/or logic board (something that’s always been defective on this MacBook Pro, in my opinion). Many early 2011 MacBook Pro owners have given evidence to the latter possibility online.
The first time it started it seemed to stem from me using iPhoto and Photoshop a lot. I had both running continuously for about two weeks. This is another reason for suspecting the graphics card/logic board is at fault (in addition to three years of screen/graphics glitches). And since the card is soldered to the board and the board connected to the cable...I also have serious battery draining issues, something else that got bad after the Apple Superdrive repair. And the battery is connected to the board...
Also, since downloading Mavericks, windows from every app get blurry/fuzzy when I scroll or zoom in. I have read that this is happening to a lot of folks though for various reasons.
I guess it could always be the hard drive. I just don’t know. I’m taking it in to Apple, but can't right away because it’s not local. I know they’ll be able to run a test on the hard drive. I wanted to see if anyone else has had this problem (especially the purple and teal striped screen) before they start poking around, possibly creating another problem that goes beyond my Apple Care Plan allotment.

SPECS OF MY MACBOOK PRO:
Model Name: March 26-29 2011 MacBook Pro (order date – shipping date)
Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,3
Processor Name: Quad-core Intel Core i7
Processor Speed:    2.3 GHz
Number of Processors:    1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 8 MB
Memory: 8 GB Memory (8GB 1333MHZ DDR3 SDRAM - 2X4GB)
HARD DRIVE: 256GB Solid State Drive
DISPLAY: MBP 17" HR Antiglare WS Display
AMD Radeon HD 6750M:
Chipset Model: AMD Radeon HD 6750M
Type:    GPU
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width:    x8
VRAM (Total): 1024 MB
Vendor: ATI (0x1002)
Device ID: 0x6741
Revision ID: 0x0000
ROM Revision: 113-C0170L-573
gMux Version: 1.9.24
EFI Driver Version: 01.00.573
Intel HD Graphics 3000:
Chipset Model: Intel HD Graphics 3000
Type:    GPU
Bus: Built-In
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: Intel (0x8086)
Device ID: 0x0126
Revision ID: 0x0009
gMux Version: 1.9.24
Displays
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1920 x 1200
Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Built-In: Yes
Battery Information:
Model Information:
Serial Number:    C01111403GLDGKMAE
Manufacturer: DP
Device Name: bq20z451
Pack Lot Code:    0000
PCB Lot Code: 0000
Firmware Version: 0406
Hardware Revision: 0001
Cell Revision:    1102
Charge Information:
Charge Remaining (mAh): 4583
Fully Charged:    No
Charging: Yes
Full Charge Capacity (mAh): 7765
Health Information:
Cycle Count: 276
Condition: Normal
Battery Installed: Yes
Amperage (mA):    -4487
Voltage (mV): 11306
System Power Settings:
AC Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):    15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):    15
Wake on AC Change: No
Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes
Wake on LAN: No
Current Power Source: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
GPUSwitch: 2
Battery Power:
System Sleep Timer (Minutes):    15
Disk Sleep Timer (Minutes): 10
Display Sleep Timer (Minutes):    5
Wake on AC Change: No
Wake on Clamshell Open: Yes
Display Sleep Uses Dim: No
GPUSwitch: 2
Reduce Brightness: Yes
Hardware Configuration:
UPS Installed:    No
AC Charger Information:
Connected: Yes
ID:    0x0100
Wattage (W): 85
Revision: 0x0000
Family: 0x0085
Serial Number:    0x007ad8c5
Charging: Yes
Current operating system: 10.9.3 (Mavericks) ; Installed on 6/21/14
Previous operating system: 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard); Installed 4/4/11
        Reinstalled multiple times. Last reinstall: 6/21/14

I have several cd imports which have so much noise on them that I'm unable to listen to them. Any ideas? I've spoken with Apple care who stated optical drive was at fault; this has been replaced and I've re imported them but same outcome. Michael

Hi, I have several of my cd imports to itunes, unable to listen to for lots of background noise. Applecare told me the optical drive was at fault; a new one replaced old one (less than a year old) still same problem after re-imprting relevant cds. Also ticked error box in itunes preferences.
Would the cds in question have some sort of 'block' on import. All the releevnt cds play on my various cd gadgets.
Any assistance would be much appreciated.
Michael

Does the noise occur with all imports or just some.
Do the CDs play noise free in the optical drive or just as imported.
Have you tried unchecking error correction. I virtually never use that setting.
AAC 128 - Unless disk space is at an absolute minimum, I would import at 256 AAC and a sample rate of 44.100 kHz

Can I ask for a replace meant of iMac since yjere is a failure of one part every month. Last month lcd replied now optical drive.

Can I ask for a replace meant of iMac since yjere is a failure of one part every month. Last month lcd replied now optical drive.
Imac 27".
i do not like the idea of repairing every month.
Feel the imacs supplied to India are sub standard ones

Folks have reported that the Apple policy is three major component failures and the Mac is replaced. For the first two the Mac is repaired. Apple would not risk alienating its customers from one of the most populated nations in the world, so its time to stop the "discriminating against the poor Indians and selling us sub-standard Macs" routine. Occasionally the universe aligns just right for there to be a Mac lemon. Folks in every country have experienced lemons. It is the hazard of manufacturing millions of Macs with even more millions of parts, all produced by different parts suppliers. And it is why the manufacturer's warranty exists.
Speak to the vender about a replacement. If necessary call Apple Care and request that your warranty service call be escalated to Customer Relations. Politely, but firmly, explain the situation and stand your ground that the solution to make you a happy customer is to have the Mac replaced. Don't make threats, mention lawyers or claim that Apple discriminates against Indians. If you do, you will have lost your case and Apple will then work with you from a distance and follow it policies and procedures to the letter, regardless of whether it makes you happy.

Adata sp900 sdd 128-GB ssd, optibay optical drive to replace superdrive, and 16 GB upgrade for macbook pro mid 2012.

Hello everyone,
Thank you in advanced for all of the support. This is my first post to the communities. I just bought a 2.9 GHz core 17 processor MacBook pro mid 2012 13" with 8 GB of RAM and I am in the process of upgrading it. When I bought the MacBook pro originally, I was told that I would never mac out the performance because I do not do a lot of photo/video editing. This is true, but I am an academic researcher and tend to multitask often, having 20+ safari tabs open, SPSS (a statistical program), full screen mail app, full screen calendar app, and preview, iTunes open all at the same time. I often get slow performance and error messages that state low memory. This is why I am interested in upgrading the laptop. I am getting ready to go to medical school and I want to have a powerful laptop. I also want to future proof because I plan on having a dual boot system to mac OS and windows OS.
Because I know I will be maxing out the performance of the computer, I want to take full advantage of upgrades, especially now because the cost of the components is reasonable at the moment. The following are the proposed upgrades:
1. Upgrade my current 8-GB ram (2x4-GB) with 16-GB ram (2x8-GB). I plan on using crucial RAM.
Crucial 16-GB Ram: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LTBJFW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&coli d=2B1KHELSPJPNN&coliid=IYGJWGQDH8LV0&psc=1
2. Replace my optical drive with a hard drive. I will place a SSD into my current hard drive position and then install my current HDD into the optical drive bay with the optibay optical drive caddy. I am doing this because I plan to use the SSD as the boot drive and my current HDD as my backup and files drive. I am putting the SDD into the HDD because I have read it is better to place it in this bay for performance. I will put the other HDD in the optical drive because the performance of that one will not be as important.
Adata SSD: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LTBJFW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&coli d=2B1KHELSPJPNN&coliid=IYGJWGQDH8LV0&psc=1
Optibay Optical Drive Caddy: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058AH2US/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&coli d=2B1KHELSPJPNN&coliid=I3GI8MGWAKXY79
My questions:
1. Is the listed RAM appropriate and sufficient for my MacBook pro?
2. Is the listed SSD appropriate and sufficient for my MacBook pro?
3. Is the listed Optical Drive Caddy appropriate and sufficient for my MacBook pro?
4. Is there still a firmware problem that does not allow for SATA 3 (6Gb/s) support in the optical drive?
5. Would it be easier to format the new SSD outside of the MacBook using a SATA to USB adapter?
6. Does working on any of the listed components void my AppleCare (I plan on keeping all of the original components so I can replace them, if I ever need to see apple support)?
7. What is the best way to put Mavericks onto the SSD to make this my boot drive?
8. What is the best way to make all of my files remain on the HDD, but link to the SSD with the operating system?
9. Has anyone ever successfully upgraded to 16-GB RAM and used their optical drive for a secondary hard drive?
10. Is there any miscellaneous advice for this project?
Please feel free to give partial answers. I know this was a lot of information, but I wanted to be efficient in my post. I am very appreciative of everyone who will contribute.
Thank you!

rmichaud91 wrote:
Hello everyone,
I just bought a 2.9 GHz core 17 processor MacBook pro mid 2012 13" with 8 GB of RAM
16 GB of RAM is the best you can do.
The optibay HD will null and void your warranty.

CD/DVD Optical drive appears and then disappears, replacement also does not show up

My laptop: HP Pavilion dv9601AU
I have read a similar post here but my problem is different. My problem is that the DVD drive *sometimes* show up in My Computer and *sometimes* dont. Even the BIOS does not detect it. When I formatted my laptop with Windows 7, to my surprise it was gone. But it appeared again and I somehow installed all the required drivers from my driver DVD.... then it dissapered again. It never came back.
Failed attempt 1: I tried to re-format the PC using virtual drive but the problem persists.
Failed attempt 2: Thinking it to be a physical loose connection, I took it to local HP service station, they removed the drive, put it back firmly, but in vain.
Failed attempt 3: They attached other similar optical drive but to my surprise, the new drive was also not detected.
Failed attempt 4: I tried Microsoft's "Fix It" thing and also read about removing "upper filters" and "lower filters" in registry. However, I didnt have any of those filters entry in the first place so no question about making changes to the registry.
Facts:
1) The drivers are installed. There should not be any problem with the drivers.
2) The lens is perfect. I was able to install all the drivers from DVD when the drive appeared for a short period of time.
3) The HP logo tht appears upon starting the laptop lingers for a longer period of time compared to what it was doing so when the drive was fine.
4) The boot menu does not show the optical drive.
5) I live in India where normal room temperatures go upto 42 degrees Celcius and my laptop gets much much warm most of the times. I think some damage has been done to the internal circuitry.
Please, if somebody can provide me a solution to this. How can I get back my DVD Drive working. The support personnel here are having no clue (especially after learning the fact that their new optical drive also didnt show up) I hope I get some guidance from you guys as what should I do next. Please help me.
Message Edited by jal_desai on 10-09-2009 06:51 AM

I am having the exact same problem with my customer's dvd drive sometimes showing up during boot (BIOS) and sometimes not. Also ran full system diagnostic software and everything else tests fine, although the drive is not showing present. I have also tried 2 different drives but they do the same thing. I would go on to say that if you always left the dvd drive out of the laptop, your boot problems would probably go away. This would then tell you that it's not your drive at all, but the connections on the MOBO or the traces (wires) connecting the drive to the MOBO.
I work on computers and have for several years and most times this is related to a MOBO issue since that is the only item left in this situation. You know it's not the drive since it's been replaced with the same issue so drivers/firmware are not the case. I am assuming you have already updated the BIOS as well, but this shouldn't matter. There could be a dirty contact, faulty component, or a bad trace (wire) on the MOBO which is almost always harder to fix and is better to just replace the MOBO. However, replacing the MOBO is usually expensive when you have to buy the part and then pay someone to install it making it not usually the best option. Even if it is a dirty contact, it was probably caused by something that was spilled which could cause problems later. In this case, I am probably just going to recommend disabling the internal dvd drive and buying a slim external usb dvd drive, and then saving their money for a new laptop. You will still have to wait through a slower boot while staring at the HP screen, but I don't think replacing the MOBO is the most economical thing to do, unless you are the manufacturer and have several laying around.
I know this isn't good news, but it is what I've found to be the case in my experiences. Anybody else care to chime in?

Installing Windows 8.1 on early 2011 Macbook Pro (optical drive replaced by SSD)

Hi,
I recently replaced my HDD with an SSD and the Superdrive with the old HDD. Is there any possibility to install Windows 8.1 with help of an external Superdrive or a bootable USB stick without removing HDD/SSD again?! Would be great!
Thanks,
Linksaussen13

okay, thanks!
but I guess the bigger problem will be that the internal Superdrive is replaced and that there is not support for installing windows from an external optical drive if you had an internal drive before. Or am I false!?
But I will try to install windows 7, may be this works! Do you know wheather the upgrade from win7 to win 8.1 is possible?

(2011 13" Macbook Pro Model 8,1) I want to replace my 320GB HDD and replace it with a 6gb/s 120GB SSD. I also want to replace the optical drive with a 7200RPM HDD 750GB.

I want to use:
The SSD and enclosure to replace the optical drive with the new HDD
So basically, I want to use the SSD in the link above. I want to set this up as either preferrably a fusion drive. If not the smoothest most stable configuration. I have a Macbook Pro Early 2011 13" with 8 GB of ram, 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5, 320GB HDD.
I want to install the SSD directly to the SATA port where the 320 GB HDD is currently. I then want to install the new HDD, preferrably a name brand 750 GB 7200RPM hard drive where the optical drive is now. I want the storage to work in a way in which the OS, and my most used programs and files get stored on the SSD, and everything else gets stored on the larger hard drive. My most preferred method would be Fusion drive, or a SPAN drive.
I would like to use a Seagate Momentus XT, but I learned that there might be issues with compatability with this. I dont mind using the 3 gb/s 500GB option, but would like to know if it would even be smart to do it. I also have no problem settling for a regular 7200 RPM hard drive.
I have read a bunch of stuff online but I still am not sure if this is even possible. I want my machine to run as fluid as possible so any info would be appreciated.

bump

Replaced my iMac optical drive with ssd - now I can't create a bootcamp partition

I have a late 2009 imac 27". Recently my imac hard drive crashed so I used this opportunity to replace the broken hard drive and also replacethe iMac optical drive with a SSD drive. The idea was to use the ssd drive as my bootcamp partition and boost things up. WRONG IDEA!
I wasted already 5 hours trying to get bootcamp to install windows 7 onto the ssd using an external optical drive, a USB drive, an internal partition of my new hard drive. I used rEFIt to try and boot from these fine devices - nothing! Once the OS restarts to install Windows 7 it gets stuck either in blank screen or with a message that it requires a bootable device.
This is one of the most puzzling situation I've seen. Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Amir

This is the same problem people have with their MacBook Pro. Some people have had success using rEFIT, but many didn't. The only solution that I found was just installing my opitcal drive back in and installing windows on what ever hardrive you need. Then taking the optical drive back out. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but once your done you will be relieved.

Bad Optical Drive Replaced with a New MacBook Black!

Hello,
I just wanted to write and let you all know of my 1st experience buying a Mac computer. I needed a laptop, so I
decided on the MacBook. I saw BH Photo had some 1st generation
Macbooks at a decent price, so I took the plunge and bought one.
When it arrived, I tried loading Adobe's Creative Suite software,
however the optical drive keep rejecting the media. So I made an
appointment with an Apple Genius at our local Apple store. To my
surprise, after the Tech confirmed the drive was not working, he
asked me if it would be OK if he just replaced my whole machine. He
brought out a new machine which upgraded me to the 2nd generation
with a 2ghz duo core 2 processor, a full gig a ram, and a 6x
superdrive. Wow!
Well, when I arrived home, I once again went through the whole
process of setting up the machine. This time when I placed a cd in
the optical drive it made a horrible mechanical noise, like it was
taking a bite out it. I couldn't believe my bad luck.
Today, I took it back to the Apple Store, and again the Tech
confirmed there was something wrong with the drive. I really thought
that they would just replace the drive for me since they had already
upgraded my machine for free. However, the Tech asked me if I would
like the top of the line Black MacBook since I had to return a second
time. I couldn't believe it...I really had liked the looks of the
black MacBook, but could not justify paying nearly $200 just for the
black color.
Well, tonight I'm writing to you on my new MacBook Black laptop.
I've got the entire Creative Suite loaded on it along with Lightroom,
and I'm very happy with the performance thus far.
Apple has the best customer service I have ever dealt with...they
just might have won over a new customer for life!
Judgement of a company should not be solely on the mistakes they make, no company is going to be perfect, to me is a much better scale to see what they do about their mistakes...I love my new MacBook Black!
-Bryan
Salt Lake City, Utah

Awesome, another fellow BlackBook owner.
Coincidentally, I've found Apple's customer service is generally pretty good. I had to exchange my week-old Blackbook b/c of a slight seperation of the screen bezel (next to the iSight). They were really up-front "...this shouldn't be doing this...please have a seat, we'll exchange this for you right away...do you need us to transfer your data?" Wow. Not to rant, but this is a lot different than when we were at Best Buy a year ago and my g/f bought her Vaio (she teaches at a high school that is PC-only, no Mac at all). She uses her old G3 Lombard as a spare and it still runs beautifully.
The Vaio had a blemish on the lid (paint defect on the lid...bubbles) that we brought back the same day. No big deal, just want an exchange. The kid-manager-on-duty told us that it was "within manufacturer's specifications....restocking fee...etc." before even looking at it. We told him it wasn't a pixel, but a paint defect, and he could at least look at it before telling us to "pound sand." After a 10min demand for the store manager, they relented and exchanged the Vaio for us. Her Vaio just had an XP re-install this last weekend but is otherwise in excellent shape.
After our expeirence w/ my Macbook exchange (..."have a seat...transfer data..etc.") she bought herself a new Mac Mini and is anxiously awaiting it to arrive.
Happy Macs to all.
13" Core 2 Black Macbook Mac OS X (10.4.9) 14" Core Duo HP Notebook XP SP2

Optical Drive to be replaced

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