SSD Upgrade to Late 2008 MBP, Plus Windows 8 Install

Hi guys,
I have a 15", late 2008 MBP that was a beast in it's time, but has started to show it's age, especially due to my aging hard drive. I've read great things about performance improvement through installing an SSD, and so I want to perform this upgrade. Also, while I do have my computer backed up through Time Machine, I'd rather just be proactive on replacing my hard drive before it fails on me (which will definitely happen at some point). Here's some more detailed specs for my computer:
CPU: 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM: 4 GB of 1067 MHz DDR 3
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB
Note about the GPU: This comp has the dual graphics chips, but I've been always using the "high-performance" one, which is what is listed above (the other one is a GeForce 9400M).
OS: Most current version of Mavericks (OSX 10.9.2)
In looking up SSD's, I've found that people that have had laptops with similar specs to mine have had success with the Crucial M500 SSDs.
After I get my drive all figured out, I want to use Boot Camp to install Windows 8 on the SSD. Currently, I do not have any Windows installations on my computer. My computer is not supported for Windows 8 installation through Boot Camp, despite the fact that hardware-wise, it is compatable with Windows 8. However, I have found discussions that are pretty standard on how to get Windows 8 installed on my computer.
-So, my first question is: Was my research good for this given SSD for my computer? It seems like Samsung makes the best SSDs, but I haven't found any evidence that it would be really compatable with my computer.
-My second question: Given that I will have just installed an SSD, will Windows 8 installation be doable? This is probably the most important question for me, because if it's not possible, then I'd rather just buy Windows 7 right off the bat and install that in boot camp instead.
-My third question: If I can get Windows up and running, how does my computer's double graphics chip configuration work in Windows? I'd want to make sure that Windows is using the more powerful of the chips and not the less powerful one.
-My fourth question: My computer has gone from Leopard to Snow Leopard to Mavericks, and I never performed a "clean install" for any of these OS upgrades. If I clone my HD to the SSD, would it be beneficial for me to run a Mavericks clean install, and then pull all my necessary data off my backup drive?
Sorry for the long-winded post, and I know much of it is demonstrated elsewhere. I have found many discussions involving SSD upgrades, and getting Windows 8 on a late 2008 MBP, but I haven't found anything that has shown both being done. Both seem easy to do, but I just don't know if doing both in tandem is going to cause a bunch of problems. Has anyone out there done this, and can anyone offer me any advice on how to make this process any smoother? I really like doing this upgrade now, because if I run into Windows issues, or other issues on the SSD, I could still just boot from my old hard drive and use my computer. Thanks everyone!

beestmode,
I have a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro, and I put a Samsung 840 PRO SSD into mine. Where did you find evidence that this model SSD would not work in your MacBook Pro? (The SSD which you’ve installed has a good reputation, so you should have no reason to regret your choice.)
Windows 8 via Boot Camp will not be possible with your model MacBook Pro. In Boot Camp, you could install up to Windows 7, either 32-bit or 64-bit. A virtualizer such as Parallels Desktop or VirtualBox could allow you to install Windows 8, but virtualizers have their own sets of positives and negatives.
Since I have a 13-inch model with only one GPU, I don’t know how your dual GPUs would be handled on the Windows side.
When I’d installed my SSD, I did a clean installation of Mavericks onto it, keeping Snow Leopard on my old internal disk, and putting it into an external enclosure.

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SSD Upgrade on Late 2013 MBP Retina

I would like to upgrade my SSD on my macbook pro retina late 2013 model it has 512 in it currently and I want to goto 1TB I know its $500 I am willing to pay the difference but apple is saying its is soldered on the logic board. Which clearly is not true. I got my laptop at bestbuy because my old one broke and bestbuy replaced it with a newer model. I would of gotten it from apple but I had to get it from BestBuy since they replaced it.

Thanks for your reply. I may not have been clear enough in my post; OWCs SSDs will NOT work in the late 2013 MacBook Pros (they've clarified their website product description to make that abundantly clear); the newest MacBook Pros use PCIe controllers, both for the SSD interface and for the SDXC slot; the 2012 and early 2013 MacBook Pros use SATA; the two are NOT interchangeable, and OWC doesn't make ANY SSD cards that will work in the newest MacBook Pros (yet).
Of course, that's not relevant for the OP, who has a late 2013 MacBook Pro and wants a bigger SSD. My reply to "helpme05" was intended to suggest to him that there may BE such a product from OWC in the future, because iFixIt's teardown of the newest MacBook Pros shows that the SSD still plugs into a (mecahnically and logically different from that on the 2012 and early 2013 machines) motherboard socket.
Your response DID clear up my misunderstanding of why OWC's SSD maxes out at 480 GB; they're using the more conservative estimate of size (base 2 vs base 10), contrasting with Apple's measurement rubric. So, OWC's 480 GB is the same size as OWC's 512 GB unit.
I'm sure you've heard the joke: "There are 10 kinds of people in the world; those who understand binary, and those who don't."
Thanks again,
Jim Robertson

What is the best way to upgrade my late 2008 mbp with Leopard on it to Lion/Mountain Lion?

For whatever reason I never upgraded to Snow Leopard when it came out, and then things were a bit clunky to go to lion so I passed. I would like to upgrade to lion/mountain lion but I am not aware of any easy ways to do it, so what are my best possible options for making this happen?

Hello,
First you need to research all the problems people are having with the higher OSX versions, & make sure you have a bootable clone of what you have just in case.
then you must get 10.6 if they still have it, install it & update to 10.6.8 so you have the App Store to buy & download the huge 10.8 Installer.
Snow Leopard/10.6.x Requirements...
General requirements
   * Mac computer with an Intel processor
    * 1GB of memory (I say 4GB at least, more if you can afford it)
    * 5GB of available disk space (I say 30GB at least)
    * DVD drive for installation
    * Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
    * Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.
Which apps work with Mac OS X 10.6?...
http://snowleopard.wikidot.com/
It's been pulled from the online store & Apple Stores, so you have to call Apple to buy it, last I heard.
Call Apple Sales...in the US: 1-800-MY-APPLE. Or Support... 1-800-275-2273
Other countries...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57

Late 2008 mbp - installed new ssd - trying to boot from snow leopard iso on flash drive - says 'cannot install mac os on this computer'

Hello -
I just installed a new M500 Crucial ssd in my late 2008 mbp - everything was working fine on old hard drive (running snow leopard) but was getting slow and wanted to upgrade - i lost my snow leopard disk when moving from hawaii so i found an iso online - using a flash drive i partitioned the disk and made the bootable image on flash drive - formatted as extended/journaled - switched out the hard drives - plugged in the flash drive - started the comp - held option - install begins to boot - choose language - all is fine - choose english - next step window pops up saying 'cannot install os on this computer' - click on utility but all options are greyed out - disk util is greyed out - only options it gives is to start from backup or restart - real confused here - all help appreciated - thanks in advance and happy new year!

Snow Leopard comes in discs only. The USB drive may be a counterfeit and/or corrupt. There are two options for you:
Get replacement original OSX installation disks from Apple customer service. Have your MBP serial number ready and there is a charge.
Or two, purchase a Snow Leopard disk from the Apple online store:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Ciao.

Mavericks install failed on my late 2008 MBP. Says I should contact the software provider. Want to do a system restore, using Time Machine, but latest date to use is from last year - even tho did a backup before the download?

I downloaded the free Mavericks upgrade to my late 2008 MBP on Friday. I made sure to plug in my external hard drive so that Time Machine could back up beforehand. (I should say I'm not clear about the different kinds of backups that Time Machine does - I just plug it in and let it go.).
So have tried several times over the weekend to install, it takes 46 minutes each time - only to tell me it can't do it. There was an error message of needing to contact the software provider (or something similar). After searching the internet (on my husband's computer - since my MBP is rendered useless right now) I decided maybe I should wait on Mavericks and just do a system restore. However, when I plugged in the Hard Drive and proceed to System Restore, the latest date available is one from September of 2012 (14 months ago)... I've wondered if the date might be wrong? But I'm afraid to choose it because I'm not sure what I would lose. It might take me back to Snow Leopard rather than Lion... (however, the version on Restore was 10.8.1 which is Mtn Lion, right? Even tho it was last year...)
Some sources online say that I should go into applications and delete the install -- but I can't get to anything on my computer.
I tried to do a reboot in safe mode - but not sure if it worked...
I did look on the installer log error and the latest error is:
Local Host Report crash [378]
Can anyone help me? (Using simpleton, non-techie language?
Thanks

I downloaded the free Mavericks upgrade to my late 2008 MBP on Friday. I made sure to plug in my external hard drive so that Time Machine could back up beforehand. (I should say I'm not clear about the different kinds of backups that Time Machine does - I just plug it in and let it go.).
So have tried several times over the weekend to install, it takes 46 minutes each time - only to tell me it can't do it. There was an error message of needing to contact the software provider (or something similar). After searching the internet (on my husband's computer - since my MBP is rendered useless right now) I decided maybe I should wait on Mavericks and just do a system restore. However, when I plugged in the Hard Drive and proceed to System Restore, the latest date available is one from September of 2012 (14 months ago)... I've wondered if the date might be wrong? But I'm afraid to choose it because I'm not sure what I would lose. It might take me back to Snow Leopard rather than Lion... (however, the version on Restore was 10.8.1 which is Mtn Lion, right? Even tho it was last year...)
Some sources online say that I should go into applications and delete the install -- but I can't get to anything on my computer.
I tried to do a reboot in safe mode - but not sure if it worked...
I did look on the installer log error and the latest error is:
Local Host Report crash [378]
Can anyone help me? (Using simpleton, non-techie language?
Thanks

How to go from 10.8.5 to 10.8.4 on late 2008 mbp?

On a late 2008 mbp went from a perfectly working 10.6.8 to the downloaded 10.8.5 from App store.
My airport is constantly unusable, I keep deleting and remaking the wifi account in Networks, it crashes at least 2 or 3 times in the beginning of the day until it finally stays working, usually while using Safari or Firefox(latest 26). Updated the system thru all available posted updates and still misbehaves. Others seem to suggest a software glitch as the culprit and have suggested going to 10.8.4.
I never had 10.8.4, so how can one get it and install it. Will it require a clean install? I have fixed permissions, checked the drive with DriveGenius but nothing seems to do the trick.
I may have to return to 10.6.x but to run Lightroom 5 I need 10.8.x. Has anyone solved this quandry out there?
Thanks, I'm at the end of this rope.
L

Will it require a clean install?
The only installer available from the Mac App Store is the 10.8.5. You can't go from 10.8.5 to 10.8.4 and you can't do a clean install with anything other than 10.8.5. You should try a new clean install of 10.8.5 to see if you had a bad upgrade originally.

Edge RAM fails on late 2008 MBP Unibody

I recently decided to upgrade my late 2008 unibody MBP (2.53 GHz) by adding a 7200 RPM drive and bringing the RAM up to 6 GB, the total this machine will hold. The drive upgrade went fine, but the Edge RAM kept throwing kernel panics. I finally put back the original 2 GB stick and everything returned to normal.
I don't actually think there is anything defective about the Edge stick, I just think it's just not compatible with this computer even though it is labeled that it should work. I'd like to know if anyone has successfully upgraded the RAM on their 2008 MBP that's the same model as mine (see above) and if so, what they used.
In advance, thanks!

Some people here will tell you to buy only "X" brand, but actual reliability studies have shown that it doesn't really make that much difference. The failure rates are pretty much the same regardless of manufacturer. It's OK to shop for price rather than paying higher prices for a so-called well known brand. The key is to buy from a vendor you know is reliable and provides a reasonable return policy in case you get a bad piece. It happens. And only buy a product with a lifetime warranty. Stay away from so-called "economy" RAM that only has a 90-day warranty.
Macs are not that finicky in my experience. I've bought lots of different kinds of RAM for more than a couple dozen Macs. I've never had a problem. But sometimes problems do arise. You get a marginal module that won't pass the system's POST test.
If you want a reliable source I recommend Data Mem. I've dealt with them for 20 years. I've no complaints. I always buy computers with a minimum RAM configuration and do my own upgrading. Thus far I've upgraded the RAM in seven Intel Macs without incident, and I've never bought "brand" RAM. But then that's me. If you prefer the "brand" crowd they usually recommend Crucial. Apple mostly uses Samsung in the new computers. And there's Hynix which is also a big brand manufacturer like Samsung. But the big memory manufacturers also sell unbranded RAM or RAM that is OEM branded.

Moving from Late 2008 MB to Late 2008 MBP... best way to restore via TM?

Hello,
My Late 2008 Macbook was involved in an accident (RIP). I had hopes the HDD would still work okay, but it just beeps at me and is unable to load anything.
So, I've already ordered my replacement Mac. I ended up ordering the 2.53 Late 2008 MBP refurbed from Apple.
I need to eventually restore my data on here. Fortunately I had Time Machine setup with my backup applications and files. What is the best way to restore my applications/settings on the New Macbook? Migration Assistant? Archive and Install?
The previous Macbook had a problem when opening Safari, sometimes it would take a few seconds longer than normal to load with the beachball. I'm trying to avoid migrating the issues I had previously onto the new system, so ideally I'd have a fresh OS X install, but with all of my applications and settings intact. Is there an ideal way to do this?
Thanks,
Jonathan

I understand completely about wanting to have a fresh OS to start out from to minimize any performance issues and whatnot.
As far as I can imagine, the only way to do this with all your settings and files intact is to do the Time Machine restore, then Archive and Install after (aka Option 2). However, I would evaluate the performance of the system before doing the Archive and Install. I have a feeling that you'll think its more than satisfactory and not feel the need to do the A&I at all.
As to the Safari issue, it was probably a .plist file corruption or something like that which is very simple to fix. If the new machine presents the same issue with Safari as the old one, I'm pretty confident that we can fix that up quite easily.
--Travis

Why would a late 2008 MBP not boot with 10.8?

I have a late 2008 MBP I update from 10.7.4 to 10.7.5 and it refused to boot, although it would safe boot. So I tried a clean 10.7.5 install still would not boot. Again happy to boot into safe mode.
Next tried a clean 10.8 install again it will only boot into safe mode.
Booting into verbose mode it fails at the bluetooth, so i tried disabling the bluetooth extensions, still no joy.
Any ideas?

Hey Sig,
I ran all the usally disk repairs and permissions repairs. It still will not boot in normal mode in any OSX above 10.7.4. I assume they have change a driver or extention that is causing a conflict. Its very fustrating as others seem to be running ML on the seem hardware with no problem.
cheers
Mike

Flickering Horizontal Bar on Late 2008 MBP

I have late 2008 mbp (5,1)....NVIDIA 9400M and 9600M GT/Intel Core 2 Duo 2.93 Ghz, 4GB RAM
Having issues where on random occasions (especially if computer screen is open and laptop is just placed on a desk-so movement?), a horizontal bar on the bottom of the screen about 4.5 cm in height begins to rapidly flicker. It started happening about a week ago, and twice it has caused the computer to freeze (reboot necessary).
Also, although temp sensors seem to be giving normal values, I have been noticing that the entire surface of the laptop is getty very hot (hotter than I have normally experienced from the laptop under a normal load).
Graphics card issue, screen connection issue? Any thoughts of what it is?

Display problems do not improve over time. Make an appointment with Genius bar at the Apple store and bring it in. If you have Applecare and is still within the 3 year warranty period, your saved, other wise be prepared to pay. I have experienced display issues twice.
Ciao

Original capacity of 15 inch Late 2008 MBP

I'm just a little confused as to what the starting capacity of the late 2008 MBP battery is. The battery itself reads that it is at 50 Wh. But, according to Coconut Battery and iStat Pro, the original capacity is 4600 mAh.
I'm debating whether to buy a new battery since my battery has 463 cycles on it, and it's current capacity is at about 4023 mAh. If the battery started with 50 Wh, then I'm right at about 80%, and my battery should be replaced soon, but if it started at 4600, then I'm at about 87%, and it's a-okay.
The battery definitely doesn't last as long as when it was new, but I'm just trying to figure out if buying a new battery will be worth it to me at this point, or if I should give it another 100 cycles, then buy a new one.
Thanks guys!
P.S. My battery never charges all-the-way to the full holding capacity. The computer always reports that it's charged at 3900 mAh, give or take, which is about 98% of the reported capacity of 4023.

Your model's battery had a maximum capacity of roughly 4.5 hours under the minimum load. Watt-hours is not a capacity measure but a power delivery measure. The capacity measure is 4600 mAh. That is what it was when new. The battery has an expected life of 500 cycles so yours is near the time for replacement. At the point where it is now the battery should power the computer for a maximum of about 4 hours.

Late 2008 MBP not waking up since last update.

Ever since the last update (10.6.4) my late 2008 MBP will not wake up if it goes to sleep for long periods.
It never used to do this, and I'm getting really annoyed with having to do a hard shutdown every time I want to use the **** thing.
There is nothing unusual about my MBP, no aftermarket peripherals or anything like that.

Try booting from your OS installer disk and run Repair Disk from Disk Utility. I would also try booting in safe mode (hold down the shift key until you see the cog - takes a while to boot) and then run Repair Permissions from Disk Utility. If there is something in the Trash empty it. Then reboot.

I can not delete my history and adding new bookmarks. Upgrading to later Firefox versions and/or re-installing didn't help. The address bar still shows the web addresses of old and whenever I make new bookmarks, it's always gone as if it was never made.

I can not delete my history and adding new bookmarks.
Upgrading to later Firefox versions and/or re-installing didn't rectify it either.
The address bar still shows the web addresses of old and whenever I make new bookmarks, it's always gone as if it was never made.
Also, I have noticed that every once in awhile you can not close tabs you've opened, either by pushing on the X button and/or clicking on the mouse to close it. Although closing the window and opening it again (without closing the Firefox application) seemed to rectify the problem in the short term, it's becoming quite annoying.
== This happened ==
Every time Firefox opened
== the Firefox is being used

I think I have a solution.
First, download the add-on SQManager. This should be included with FireFox, it is really good.
Look for the file '''moz_hosts''' in the folder '''places.sqlite'''.
Don't delete the file, just delete the information in the file. My file has over 3600 websites, which go back years!! I did not know they were there, but I was frustrated about not being able to get rid of them. They popped up every time I used the address bar. Clearing my history would not get rid of them.
This is where they are stored!! I found that by deleting the pesky web site from '''moz_hosts''', it does not appear in my address bar anymore!!!
I think that if I just delete all the websites in moz_hosts....
Wa-la...History Gone!!!
As long as you don't delete the file, just empty it, FireFox won't know the difference. It will just keep adding websites to it until you empty it again.
Why running "clear recent history" doesn't do this, I don't know. You are doing manually what "clear recent history" is not doing.
Please tell me if you see any flaw in this.
''I think it's the solution we've all been looking for!''

Upgrade Macbook Late 2008 Unibody Hard Drive SSD or size?

I have a late 2008 macbook aluminum unibody..........it currently only has the standard 160 GB...and I'm at about 152 GB. I need to upgrade (already upgraded from 2GB RAM to 8GB), but now I need the bigger hard drive. My friend is telling me how great a SSD would be, but I can obviously get a much bigger drive if iI do a standard or hybrid. Please let me know if I should spend $$$$$$$ on SSD...or on Hybrid.........or if I should just get a regular HD?
More info: I'm a firefighter, who is a mortgage originator as a side job. I have NO INTEREST in PC's.......but for my Mortgage side job- I need to have a windows based option. at 152/160 GB used; 8 GB RAM - it is 'fast enough'. Any suggestions as to what type of HD I should get for this old boy? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!!!

Get a regular HDD for your computer. It should be a notebook sized drive, SATA II-3.0 Gb/s, 7200 RPM. A Seagate XT500 Hybrid is a good trade-off of performance and price.

Upgrading MacBook Late 2008

I’ve had my MacBook 13″ Late 2008 now for three and a half years, and it has been used every day since I bought it, and with every passing day, it’s getting slower and slower. I’ve checked with every forum out there to find methods for speeding it up, but nothing works! I’m therefore convinced my hard drive is failing. I want to get a new one, and better memory than the standard 2Gb while I’m at it, rather than buy a whole new MacBook. Luckily, I have a few pennies saved up and want so splash out to get the creme de la creme of upgrades. Any advice on the latest gadgets? Both for hard drives and memory? Can SSD's be put into the late 2008 laptop? Thanks, C

You are also able to upgrade to Mountain Lion.
Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You must purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard - Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service - this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion - System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) - Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
     Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

SSD Upgrade to Late 2008 MBP, Plus Windows 8 Install

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