Reformatting my Macbook Pro with OS X 10.8.3

Apples,
I need to bring my computer back to square one. It got really messed up. How do I do this and is there anything that is dangerous about refomatting a Macbook Pro.
Thanks,
P

And if you insist on wiping the slate clean, so to say, first start by running the App Store application and using it to download the Install Mountain Lion installer app onto the hard drive. Just download it, don't run it yet.
Get a USB Flashdrive of more than 4GB in size: you will have to dedicate it to the endeavour and not store anything else on it (in case you're thinking of getting a 32GB monster or bigger).
Download and install the Lion DiskMaker app: http://liondiskmaker.com/ Use it to create a bootable standalone Mountain Lion Installer drive with the USB thumbdrive (follow the instructions).
Now restart the Mac with the thumbdrive in and hold down the Option key prior to the chime. A list of boot options will appear, amongst which will be the ML Installer. Choose that to boot from it. Then use the Disk Utility app there to completely wipe and erase the internal drive on the Mac, followed by using the Installer to place a fresh copy of the cat on it.
Then suffer thru the process of reinstalling EVERYTHING. Unless you're selling the Mac and want to hand it in a blank state.

Similar Messages

In the process of reformatting my macbook pro, I saved everything but my keyword list. The keywords are with the images, but the total list I use under "Keywords" is not present. Is there a way to re-create all my keywords I've used over the last 6 year

In the process of reformatting my macbook pro, I saved everything but my keyword list. The keywords are with the images, but the total list I use under "Keywords" is not present. Is there a way to re-create all my keywords I've used over the last 6 years.

I accomplished what I needed last night. I remembered I had picked my favorite images from each year and put them in a "favorite" folder by year. These folders included 500 to 1200 images per year. I pulled up the folder for each year and highlighted all images and clicked on "Keywords" and all keywords used for all images were listed. I made those keywords persistent. It took me a while to realize I had to click on each keyword to make it persistent. After doing this for all years, I assume 95% of all keywords I have used over the many years were back in my list. I'm sure there is probably a more "technical" way to accomplish what I needed, but this seems to have worked. I also exported my list into a word document and is saved on my hard drive.
If I had not made folders with my favorite images for each year, I could not have used this method, so if you figure out a better way, I like to hear it. Thanks for your comments and willingness to help.

How to reformat a Macbook pro 2011 hard drive?

Hello,
How do you reformat a MacBook Pro (OS X 10.7.3) 2011s Hard drive? I already backed up all the files I wanted to save. But since I have the new Macbook pro 2011 (only a few months since I got it) it didn't come with an installation disc, but instead already came with all the applications. I'm wondering how to reformat the hard drive so it wipes out everything and I can start fresh and what would happen to all the applications?

Well Lion has a Lion Recovery Partition on the drive you can access by holding command r and booting, there you can erase the Lion OS X partition completely (all files and programs) and reinstall Lion or simply reinstall Lion if there is a issue with it (no programs or files are touched in this second procedure)
Lion is downloaded from apple's servers, you need AppleID and a fast reliable internet connection with no bandwidth caps limiting you.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
If you want to replace the drive, there is software called Carbon Copy Cloner than can clone both the Lion OS X Partition and the Lion Recovery Partition to a external drive intact (excpet what's in the Trash, no Filevualt, no bootcamp, use free Winclone for that)
Hold the option key and you can boot from the external drive and format and clone everything to the new internal drive. TimeMachine of 10.7.2 and later can be booted from it's Lion Recovery Parttion as well just to restore only, cloning is better process because it gives full access to everything like before on the internal drive.
http://www.bombich.com/index.html
Some newer Mac's have Lion Internet recovery built in where the firmware will install the Lion Recovery/OS back onto a completely blank/new hard drive.

HT1338 Purchased a used macbook pro with Mountain Lion. My old Mac runs Snow Leopard is backed up to Time machine. How do I register the operating system to me and how do I use Time Machine to move my files to the new used computer?

Purchased a used macbook pro with Mountain Lion. My old Mac runs Snow Leopard is backed up to Time machine. How do I register the operating system to me and how do I use Time Machine to move my files to the new used computer?

If you look at the User Tips tab, you will find a write up on just this subject:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4053
The subject of buying/selling a Mac is quite complicated. Here is a guide to the steps involved. It is from the Seller's point of view, but easily read the other way too:
SELLING A MAC A
Internet Recovery, and Transferability of OS & iLife Apps
Selling an Old Mac:
• When selling an old Mac, the only OS that is legally transferable is the one that came preinstalled when the Mac was new. Selling a Mac with an upgraded OS isn't doing the new owner any favors. Attempting to do so will only result in headaches since the upgraded OS can't be registered by the new owner. If a clean install becomes necessary, they won't be able to do so and will be forced to install the original OS via Internet Recovery. Best to simply erase the drive and revert back to the original OS prior to selling any Mac.
• Additionally, upgrading the OS on a Mac you intend to sell means that you are leaving personally identifiable information on the Mac since the only way to upgrade the OS involves using your own AppleID to download the upgrade from the App Store. So there will be traces of your info and user account left behind. Again, best to erase the drive and revert to the original OS via Internet Recovery.
Internet Recovery:
• In the event that the OS has been upgraded to a newer version (i.e. Lion to Mountain Lion), Internet Recovery will offer the version of the OS that originally came with the Mac. So while booting to the Recovery Disk will show Mountain Lion as available for reinstall since that is the current version running, Internet Recovery, on the other hand, will only show Lion available since that was the OS shipped with that particular Mac.
• Though the Mac came with a particular version of Mac OS X, it appears that, when Internet Recovery is invoked, the most recent update of that version may be applied. (i.e. if the Mac originally came with 10.7.3, Internet Recovery may install a more recent update like 10.7.5)
iLife Apps:
• When the App Store is launched for the first time it will report that the iLife apps are available for the user to Accept under the Purchases section. The user will be required to enter their AppleID during the Acceptance process. From that point on the iLife apps will be tied to the AppleID used to Accept them. The user will be allowed to download the apps to other Macs they own if they wish using the same AppleID used to Accept them.
• Once Accepted on the new Mac, the iLife apps can not be transferred to any future owner when the Mac is sold. Attempting to use an AppleID after the apps have already been accepted using a different AppleID will result in the App Store reporting "These apps were already assigned to another Apple ID".
• It appears, however, that the iLife Apps do not automatically go to the first owner of the Mac. It's quite possible that the original owner, either by choice or neglect, never Accepted the iLife apps in the App Store. As a result, a future owner of the Mac may be able to successfully Accept the apps and retain them for themselves using their own AppleID. Bottom Line: Whoever Accepts the iLife apps first gets to keep them.
SELLING A MAC B
Follow these instructions step by step to prepare a Mac for sale:
Step One - Back up your data:
A. If you have any Virtual PCs shut them down. They cannot be in their "fast saved" state. They must be shut down from inside Windows.
B. Clone to an external drive using using Carbon Copy Cloner.
1. Open Carbon Copy Cloner.
2. Select the Source volume from the Select a source drop down menu on the left side.
3. Select the Destination volume from the Select a destination drop down menu on the right
side.
4. Click on the Clone button. If you are prompted about creating a clone of the Recovery HD be
sure to opt for that.
Destination means a freshly erased external backup drive. Source means the internal
startup drive.
Step Two - Prepare the machine for the new buyer:
1. De-authorize the computer in iTunes! De-authorize both iTunes and Audible accounts.
2, Remove any Open Firmware passwords or Firmware passwords.
3. Turn the brightness full up and volume nearly so.
4. Turn off File Vault, if enabled.
5. Disable iCloud, if enabled: See.What to do with iCloud before selling your computer
Step Three - Install a fresh OS:
A. Snow Leopard and earlier versions of OS X
1. Insert the original OS X install CD/DVD that came with your computer.
2. Restart the computer while holding down the C key to boot from the CD/DVD.
3. Select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu; repartition and reformat the internal hard drive.
Optionally, click on the Security button and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
4. Install OS X.
5. Upon completion DO NOT restart the computer.
6. Shutdown the computer.
B. Lion and Mountain Lion (if pre-installed on the computer at purchase*)
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because
it is three times faster than wireless.
1. Restart the computer while holding down the COMMAND and R keys until the Mac OS X
Utilities window appears.
2. Select Disk Utility from the Mac OS X Utilities window and click on the Continue button.
3. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the left side list. Click
on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
4. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on the Security button
and set the Zero Data option to one-pass.
5. Click on the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.
6. Quit DU and return to the Mac OS X Utilities window.
7. Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.
8. Upon completion shutdown the computer.
*If your computer came with Lion or Mountain Lion pre-installed then you are entitled to transfer your license once. If you purchased Lion or Mountain Lion from the App Store then you cannot transfer your license to another party. In the case of the latter you should install the original version of OS X that came with your computer. You need to repartition the hard drive as well as reformat it; this will assure that the Recovery HD partition is removed. See Step Three above. You may verify these requirements by reviewing your OS X Software License.

Should I upgrade to Snow Leopard/ Lion using a MacBook Pro with 2.26 GHz Inetl Core 2 Duo Processor and 2GB Memory? Can my old macbook take it?

Should I upgrade to Snow Leopard/ Lion using a MacBook Pro with 2.26 GHz Inetl Core 2 Duo Processor and 2GB Memory? Can my old macbook take it?
thanks

Yes. You should be fine with Snow Leopard, but Lion requires a minimum of 2 GBs of RAM. If you upgrade to Lion I would first upgrade your RAM to at least 4 GBs if your model supports it. Also, see:
How to Install OS X Updates Successfully
A. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions:
Boot from your current OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. Then select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. 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. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) 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.
B. Make a Bootable Backup Using Restore Option of Disk Utility:
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
C. Important: Please read before installing:
If you have a FireWire hard drive connected, disconnect it before installing the update unless you will boot from this drive and install the update on it. Reconnect it and turn it back on after installation is complete and you've restarted.
You may experience unexpected results if you have installed third-party system software modifications, or if you have modified the operating system through other means. (This does not apply to normal application software installation.)
The installation process should not be interrupted. If a power outage or other interruption occurs during installation, use the standalone installer (see below) from Apple Downloads to update. While the installation is in progress do not use the computer.
D. To upgrade:
Purchase the Snow Leopard Retail DVD.
Boot From The OS X Installer Disc:
Insert OS X Installer Disc into the optical drive.
Restart the computer.
Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "C" key.
Release the key when the spinning gear below the dark gray Apple logo appears.
Wait for installer to finish loading.
E. If updating:
Download and install update(s)
Use Software Update, or
Download standalone updater(s).

Running Linux Mint on 2011 Macbook pro with OS X Lion

I want to dual boot my Macbook Pro with Linux Mint. I have heard that there are issues using Lion with dual booting Linux? I was wondering if anyone could explain to me how to dual boot with Linux.
Thanks for the help!

Hello I run OSX Lion just fine with the "Commodore OS Vision" (Mint 10 based) on my late 2011, Macbook Pro.
the rEFIt bootloader works just fine on harddrives 500gb or lower, on my 750gb drive it doesn't seem to install correctly... I am waiting for a patch
I run everything Natively for best performance... I am not fond of virtualzation.
Here are the steps needed for installing Mint Linux
First within OSX use the disk utility to shrink the main OSX partition. (Usually called Macintosh HD)
Add 2 new partitions with the sizes you wish to designate for a "root partition" and "swap partition".
Format them both with the FAT filesystem.
Next download and burn the iso for Mini Linux, throw it into your drive.
Reboot holding down the "C" key to boot to SuperDrive/CD, the install should be pretty straight forward.
The only part I would like to warn you about is DO NOT resize or change the partitions using the Linux tools.
You can reformat partitions, change filesystem types, etc. just don't resize them or create new partitions without using the OSX disk utility, other wise you will have to sync your GPT and MBR tables using gptsync.
I hope this helps!
-Alex

How to connect an older MacBook Pro with mini VGA port to HDMI?

I have an older MacBook Pro with a female mini VGA port. I would like to watch movies which have been downloaded to my laptop on my flat screen TV. Newer MacBook Pros have a mini DisplayPort for which Belkin makes a cable to use; however, I have not been successful in finding either an adapter or converter to use with my older laptop.
FYI. Am currently using Leopard but am upgrading to Snow Leopard.

I believe you naeed the Apple ADC to DVI adapter.

I have recently purchased MacBook Pro with Mac OSX 10.7.3 Lion and I would like to install Final Cut Pro 6 Studio2, and it came up with this error: 'you can't open application FinalCutProStudio.mpkg because PowerPc apps are no longer supported..pls advise

I have recently purchased MacBook Pro with Mac OSX 10.7.3 Lion and I would like to install Final Cut Pro 6 Studio2, and it came up with this error: 'you can't open application FinalCutProStudio.mpkg because PowerPc apps are no longer supported......Is there a way to run FCP6 on lion withoput this error? Any help would be appreciated.....

Hi Shane,
Just one more quesiton re: this topic, I am looking to get rosetta but do not have Leopard or Snow Leopard...
I read that it is not on Snow Leopard only on Leopard....so do I need to get only Leopard? Can u advise?
Alternatively I do have Mac OS X Tiger so is it on this and can I install it from here?
Please excuse my lack of knowledge here, just trying to get my FCP 6 up and running asap....
Best Rgds.

HP 1312nfi Multi-funtion printer & brand new Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard

Hi,
I just got my Macbook Pro with Snow Leopard May 2010. I can only print and fax with my 1 year old HP 1312nfi color laserjet multi-function printer. I cannot SCAN at all. I tried loading the software that came with the printer but it wouldn't install the 'Print Director' as I had on my old iMac (with Leopard). Then I went to HP and it said not to install the software that came with the HP printer because Snow Leopard has it all. I read that there are 3 ways to scan from my computer which none of them work. I brought up the printer then clicked printer setup and when I try to bring up the 'print utility' from the last tab, it won't open anything. Where is the printer utility now? Why can't I scan? There has to be a way. HELP please?

Found the answer on the HP site. It's the original software that works with this printer OS X 10.6!!
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en &cc=us&prodTypeId=18972&prodSeriesId=3558902&prodNameId=3562006&swEnvOID=219&swL ang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=ma-60835-3

I have a 3 year old MacBook Pro with MAC OSX 10.6.8, iPhoto '09 version 8.1.2 and have downloaded two software programs: one is Aperture 3.2 and the other is Photoshop Elements 9 (which I got from a friend who didn't need it). I am totally happy with the

I have a 3 year old MacBook Pro with MAC OSX 10.6.8, iPhoto ’09 version 8.1.2 and have downloaded two software programs: one is Aperture 3.2 and the other is Photoshop Elements 9 (which I got from a friend who didn’t need it).
I am totally happy with the way iPhoto organizes my photos and how I can work with iMovie to create slide shows with music from iTunes, etc.
I have been shooting mostly high resolution jpegs and I continue to learn more and more about photography, post processing etc. I realize that the small adjustments I can make in iPhoto are good, and are adequate most of the time. However, a have started to experiment with shooting RAW images and would like to go the next step, ie. post processing.I am totally technically challenged and need SIMPLE, INTUITIVE programs and am certainly NOT anywhere ready for Photoshop CS whatever!
After having these programs sit on my computer, I decided to try to see if I could figure them out. When I opened Aperture, this is what first comes up.
“Welcome to Aperture 3.2
Your library needs to be upgraded to work with this version of Aperture. Once upgraded, you will not be able to use this library with previous versions of Aperture.
Upgrading a library from previous versions of Aperture 3 generally takes a few minutes or less, though larger libraries will take longer. After that, Aperture 3.2 will upgrade your library's thumbnails, but you can use the application during that time.
Tip: To open a different library, quit Aperture and hold the Option key down while starting Aperture
Current Library Location:
Jadzia (home) -----Pictures------Aperture Library
QUIT UPGRADE”
I have heard horror stories about moving your entire library to Aperture, ending up with 2 libraries, etc. etc. hence my previous reluctance in attempting Aperture. In addition, many of my photography friends are saying: Go with Lightroom 3.....you’ll love it!
So here is my dilemma. I don’t want to mess around with my iPhoto library. All I want to be able to do, is to isolate a few photos, export them to Aperture, Elements, and work on them there, then bring them back into iPhoto.
Can I do this? Should I forget about Aperture and Elements and look at purchasing yet another program like Lightroom?

Export those few photos via the File ➙ Export ➙ File Export menu option with Kind = Original to the Desktop. Then import them into the Aperture library. That would keep one copy in your iPhoto library and another in your Aperture library to edit, etc.
You can use Photoshop Elements 9 from within iPhoto as your editor of choice. However, if you edit a raw file in iPhoto with PSE9 the resulting edited version must be saved outside the iPhoto Library and imported back in as a new file. For editing jpegs just do a Save (not a Save As) and it all will be kept within iPhoto.
Using Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as Your Editor of Choice in iPhoto.
1 - select Photoshop or Photoshop Elememts as your editor of choice in iPhoto's General Preference Section's under the "Edit photo:" menu.
2 - double click on the thumbnail in iPhoto to open it in Photoshop. When you're finished editing click on the Save button. If you immediately get the JPEG Options window make your selection (Baseline standard seems to be the most compatible jpeg format) and click on the OK button. Your done.
3 - however, if you get the navigation window
that indicates that PS wants to save it as a PS formatted file. You'll need to either select JPEG from the menu and save (top image) or click on the desktop in the Navigation window (bottom image) and save it to the desktop for importing as a new photo.
This method will let iPhoto know that the photo has been editied and will update the thumbnail file to reflect the edit..
NOTE: With Photoshop Elements the Saving File preferences should be configured as shown:
I also suggest the Maximize PSD File Compatabilty be set to Always. In PSE’s General preference pane set the Color Picker to Apple as shown:
Note: to switch between iPhoto and PS or PSE as the editor of choice Control (right)-click on the thumbnail and select either Edit in iPhoto or Edit in External Editor from the contextual menu. If you use iPhoto to edit more than PSE re-select iPhoto in the iPhoto General preference pane. Then iPhoto will be the default editor and you can use the contextual menu to select PSE for your editor when desired.
OT

Every time I try to back up my Macbook Pro with an external hard drive using Time Machine, I receive the error of "the disk does not have enough space". I have a 500GB hard drive and only 120GB Macbook. It worked fine before the latest Maverick's

Every time I try to back up my Macbook Pro with an external hard drive using Time Machine, I receive the error of "the disk does not have enough space". I have a 500GB external hard drive and only 120GB Macbook. It worked fine before the latest Maverick's update. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

My guess would be it has created an entirely new backup of your drive when you upgraded to Mavericks.
See Here: http://pondini.org/TM/1.html
And here: http://pondini.org/TM/9.html
Peruse the whole site. There is a lot of information there.

HOW DO I FIND THE EJECT BUTTON ON MACBOOK PRO WITH RETINA

i have a macbook pro with retina display , and i want to know how i eject the disc from the apple external optical drive i can't see the eject button on the keyboard layout.

Ralph Landry1 wrote:
Works for me every time without failure.
It's not a matter of failure, it's the idea of training people to associate the Trash with unmounting a volume. The Trash is a mechanism for the permanent deletion of your data, and designed to appear as such. Apple haters used to laugh at this..."Eject by dragging to the Trash? And you say the Mac is intuitive? Ha ha ha..." And they were right. It's better to teach ways that actually make more sense.
The great thing about all the newer ways is that they are easily discoverable, you don't have to remember or figure out that you have to virtually trash your disk. A new user would naturally expect to find an Eject command or button, and there they are in plain sight.
SwankPeRFection wrote:
I always find a ton of mounted installers left behind by users who install stuff on their systems. I don't understand why Apple cannot make an automated process to unmount the installer once it's done. Just seems stupid to me I guess. I've seen that mounted installer confuse people into clicking on it each and every time they want to start the app because they don't understand that once it's installed, that installer should be ejected because they're done with it.
I agree about the installer volume behavior...and Apple made it worse in Mountain Lion by putting the volumes on the bottom of the Finder sidebar, which is often out of view. Incidentally, drag-to-trash does not seem to work with volumes in the sidebar, but the other Eject methods do.
The "installer problem" is another reason I love the other methods much more than dragging to the trash. To eject multiple volumes by selecting them and pressing Command-E is much faster than the time taken to gather them up with the mouse and drag all of them to a specific spatial target.

I am about to buy a 13" MacBook Pro with 256 GB SSD drive. I want a i am about to buy a MacBook Pro Windows partition set up. How large should it be, and can I use XP Pro or does it need to be Win 7 or 8?

I am about to buy a 13" MacBook Pro with 256 GB SSD. I want a Windows partition set up. What size should it be, and can I load Win XP Pro or does it need to be Win 7 or 8?

You can use XP but it has to be in a Virtual Machine and OS X as the host instead of as a dual boot system with XP in its own partition. That is how I run Windows on my Mac, in a Virtual Machine.
Take a look at VritualBox from Oracle. It's free and works very well.

Should I get a 13" or 15" Macbook Pro with retina laptop?

I, FINALLY, after one year of wanting to get a new laptop to use as my primary computer replacing my desktop computer at home.........have decided to switch gears from a Windows computer to a MACBOOK PRO with RETINA laptop. It's not an easy decision when you are spending SO much money on something you hope will last a long time as I do NOT plan on getting a new laptop once I buy this one for a very long time (until it breaks / can no longer function)!
My dilemma now is whether to go with the high end 13" Macbook Pro OR get a similar if not higher end 15" Macbook Pro. Here's background on myself and what I plan on using the laptop for:
I plan on using it as my new primary computer for home so primarily for my personal use, but I will be using it also for work so I will be using it for basically EVERYTHING!
I will use it to do word processing (MS Word), to do my finances (reconcile my bank stmts/accounts), using MS Excel for accounting work, check my emails, research the Internet, photo editing (pretty much basic, definitely not advanced) and creating slideshows with my photos/music, downloading/playing music. I do not plan on using it to play any games.
I use alot of MS Office / Excel and some Powerpoint - either for work or home.
I need alot of storage space for photos (recreational - up to 400 per vacation trip) and I plan on creating slideshows with the photos using Apple's great photo/video/slideshow apps! At last count, I had about 100GB of photo files.
I also need alot of storage for my music files - I have @ least 12GB of music right now and am always downloading more each year.
I plan on taking it with me outside of home only on the weekends for the most part like to a cafe (Starbucks) or library, but not for anything further than that (not for travel as I will just take my ipad).
I know it's only ~1lb difference in weight, but a couple of my concerns is since it will be my primary home computer (i.e.I'll be using it in the evenings/on the weekends and probably more (since it's an Apple!) to work on photos/slideshows, if the screen size difference will matter in the longrun in terms of having any impact on my vision (not sure if the 2" will make a difference in that). I'm only 45yo, but I do worry about that! I tried both the 13" and 15" in the Apple store and the only difference I saw was that the 15" screen allowed you to have multiple programs visible on the screen side by side, but viewing the actual programs was the same (in size). I don't really view programs side by side right now (I use the ALT-TAB shortcut alot to view multiple programs I have open at once), but I could see how having programs viewable side by side could come in handy.
I had a Toshiba 17" laptop before that was too HEAVY to lug around even if on the weekend so I no longer want a heavy laptop and want something more portable to take with me on my weekend excursions to the local cafe/library which basically means going from home to car and car to location at most, but when I go to use the restroom, I like to take it with me (do not feel safe leaving it behind on table) so I don't want it too heavy.
I do plan on getting me a Western Digital external hard drive to backup ALL my files yet since I plan on keeping the computer for as long as it'll hold up, I want to make sure I have alot of storage to keep up with me. I like the flashdrive component because there are fewer moving parts so less likely to have problems in the long run and given that (despite my need for alot of storage), I'll backup my photos/music to external drives should I end up maxing out on my storage.
I value your opinions, please help me DECIDE!!!!! I'm frustrated and it's driving me nuts!!! I know it's too much to ask, but if they had a 14", I would probably go with it! A 2" difference seems pretty big. :-)
THANK YOU!!!

Thanks guys. I'm set on the 15" now and am now deciding on whether I should go with the standard MBP or the MBP with retina display? I'm not an advanced photographer, but I do like to take alot of photos especially when travelling and I do plan on creating slideshows with my photos synched with music. I don't think I'd be one to really be able to tell the difference between a retina vs. non-retina screen given that since I can't really tell the difference between a tv screen with vs. without HD. So for me, I don't think it'd be about the retina display at all. It is more about the storage capacity AND the fact that I hear with the retina/flash storage, that there are less apt to have problems down the road so a more sturdy a machine. Given I take alot of photos/will be creating slideshows wth my photos, and downloading/playing music, I'm thinking the standard MBP might be better storage-wise. But also given I plan on keeping this laptop for a long time (basically, until it breaks or becomes too slow to function productively), that makes me want to go the retina/flash storage route. SIGH.
Should I not be so concerned about the longevity of the machine, but rather opt for the one with more storage?

What kind of longevity can I expect from the SSD in a new MacBook Pro with Retina Display?

Hi all,
I recently ordered a new MacBook Pro with the Retina Display. This will be both my first computer and my first Mac that uses a SSD as the primary storage device. As the title of this post suggests, what I would like to know is what sort of lifespan/longevity can I expect to get out of it? My current MacBook Pro was manufactured in 2007 and has a stock 160GB Fujitsu hard drive that has been fantastic for me over the past 4-5 years. It continues to run like a champ, and I would hope that a brand new SSD would be able to last at least that long. Given that the new retina MBPs cannot be upgraded or (easily) user-serviced, I am somewhat curious to know whether or not Apple's new proprietary SSD modules will give out/slow to a crawl before/after my new machine becomes completely obsolete. I have been searching for articles published within the past few months on whether or not the current crop of SSDs on the market are more reliable than those introduced a year or two ago, but alas, I haven't had much luck. Perhaps it is still too early to tell?
I found a few discussion threads on here somewhere where some users indicated that their original MacBook Airs, or other SSD-equipped MacBooks, were still performing quite well and responsively after a few years of use. Can anyone substantiate this for me? How long have you been using your SSD(s) in your Mac(s), and do you think the newer models will be able to last several years? I would greatly appreciate any insight.

ARealMac(PPC)User wrote:
...I found a few discussion threads on here somewhere where some users indicated that their original MacBook Airs, or other SSD-equipped MacBooks, were still performing quite well and responsively after a few years of use. Can anyone substantiate this for me? How long have you been using your SSD(s) in your Mac(s), and do you think the newer models will be able to last several years? I would greatly appreciate any insight.
While I think your concern is legitimate (it was mine too), I think to some extent, how long they last will be up to you. The individual cells in the flash media in an SSD have limited life spans, and SSD controllers have a variety of techniques to spread that wear around evenly (wear leveling). That wear is exacerbated by the controller having to erase a whole block of data when even just one page needs to be changed, and if not all the data in the block is still valid, more data than necessary gets moved (write amplification). To provide some extra room for all this reshuffling of data, SSD manufacturers build in extra space that's inaccessible to the user (over-provisioning), but it typically runs about 7%. (This is a good discussion of the inner workings of all this)
If you stuff your SSD full of files, so that there's very little room to do all this rearranging, I think you'll experience the slowdown you're concerned about. TRIM, which Apple's SSD's support, will help, but you can too. Allow plenty of free space on your SSD and perhaps partition it so that there is free space outside the partition (check this out to see what a difference it can make). You can't use it but the controller can as an extension of the built-in over-provisioning.
You also mention that you "will most likely use it to record several tracks and store my growing library of songs and videos." Why not instead use an external SSD connected via USB 3.0 for storage? They're relatively cheap, very fast, and keep the space on your internal working drive free. A BootCamp partition would also take up space, so you might consider using Windows in a Virtual Machine instead. VMware Fusion or Parallels would be installed on the internal SSD but the virtual machine files could go on the external.
In any case, your data is more important than your SSD, so back up, back up, back up.

Reformatting my Macbook Pro with OS X 10.8.3

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