Swap Hard Drives Between Mac Pro's

I have a MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (Unibody - Late 2008) that has been upgraded from the standard 320 GB SATA hard drive, to a Seagate 750 GB SATA 16 MB cache 7200 rpm hard drive.
I have recently upgraded to a MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (SD - Mid 2009) that has the standard 320 GB SATA hard drive.
Both are running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8.
I will be selling my older (2.53GHz) Mac Pro but would like to keep my larger hard drive.
Question
Can I simply swap the hard drive out of my older (2.53GHz) Mac Pro and install it into the newer (2.66GHz) Mac Pro, without having to reinstall the Mac OS X software?
I no longer have any of my OS X install disks.
Will the 750 GB hard drive still perform the same in the newer Mac Pro, given that they are running the same OS?
Thanks in advance!

From what I understand the USB/PCIe interfaces are (somewhat) device specific. But it depends on the particular vendor in question.
According to barefeats.com, regarding USB devices:
"...Our only concern was that it {the CalDigit adapter} only worked with CalDigit USB 3.0 enclosures like the AV Drive. They since updated the driver to "unlock it." In fact, all the USB 3.0 results posted above for non-Cadigit enclosures were done with the CalDigit PCIe USB 3.0 host adapter...."
So, for example, the Lacie PCIe adapters are "specific". Only works with their stuff. Originally the CalDigit PCIe adapter was the same: limited to use with their devices only. But they've altered that so that it is more generic. In fact, it was used to test the other USB 3.0 devices in the barefeats tests.
So the CalDigit card, at least, is a more flexible choice.

Similar Messages

Swapping hard drives between PXI-8115 and PXI-8105 won't boot up

I have a test system running Windows XP on PXI-8105. I've upgraded the entire test system for another project and need to upgrade my existing systems; the upgrade runs on Windows 7 and PXI-8115. I have new hard drives with Windows 7 and the new test software which were loaded/configured/tested on a PXI-8115, but I need to retrofit the PXI-8105 with them. This doesn't work. Windows begins to boot but fails and tries over and over again. In an effort to take the PXI-8105 off-line to troubleshoot, I replaced it with one of the PXI-8115 and the old (WinXP) drive. This didn't boot up, either.
Here's a summary of my situation:
An old system has PXI-8105 running WinXP
A new system has PXI -8115 running Win7
A hard drive (with Win7) from the PXI-8115 won't boot on the PXI-8105
A hard drive (with WinXP) from the PXI-8105 won't boot on the PXI-8115
What is different between the two PXI controllers that keeps me from swapping hard drives?
Jim
You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are. ~ Alice
Solved!
Go to Solution.

A couple thoughts:
1. Windows 7 probably works fine on a PXI-8105. Although NI never officially supported or shipped that configuration, I suspect that the default Windows 7 installation contains enough of the driver support needed to boot up.
2. In general, Windows is not very tolerant of swapping hard drives between completely different systems, especially with Windows XP and prior. Consider whether just installing fresh and copying over what you need is faster than trying to do this, but if you must, I would suspect that Windows 7 would be more tolerant of the swap.
3. As a debugging step, try pressing 'F8' during the boot process to launch the Windows boot menu and try safe mode or some of the other options. More information here.
4. If all else fails, Google is your friend here as there's nothing particularly specific about this being an NI product that you need to know when attempting this operation. Any information you find online about swapping hard drives between PCs should be relevant to your situation. Searching for 'swap hard drive to new computer windows 7' gave some useful hits on the first page. Beyond that, you can also look into using the 'sysprep' utility to try and clean the system and prepare for swapping to a new PC.

Can I format an IDE Hard Drive from Mac Pro?

I use a mid - 2012 Mac Pro; run Mavericks OS X 10.9.2.
1. Can an IDE hard drive (using an external drive) be formatted to 10.9.2, from my Mac Pro using Mavericks? (the IDE hard drive is new/unformatted).
2. Once formatted to 10.9.2, can I reformat the IDE hard drive to Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.8, from my Mac Pro using Mavericks?
3. If so, would should I do to accomplish Question # 2 above?

The version of the OS that is running is not relevant to formatting the drive. When you format a drive in any OS, you should select "Mac OS extended journaled." (That is, unless you plan to share the drive with a Windows computer.) Formatted this way, the drive can be used with any version of Mac OS.
You do not have to reformat the drive each time you connect it with a different OS.

Can I swap hard drives between 2007 and 2011 iMacs?

I have a 2007 iMac that I want to replace with a refurbished 2011 model. I had upgraded my 2007 iMac with a 1.5T hard drive and the 2011 model only comes with a 1T hard drive. And you can't do any upgrade at the Apple store on refurb units. SoI am just wanting to swap hard drives. The 2007 has 10.7 and it appears that the 2011 model has the same. (says elegible for 10.8 upgrade on Apple Store site.) I have replaced the hard drive myself, so I am familiar with the process.
Thanks.

The drives themselves are compatible, yes. However, the OS might not be. In any case, if you have a Time Machine backup (or some other backup) of the older iMac, it's best to wipe the drive and reinstall the OS once installed in the new Mac. Then you can just transfer your data, apps, and settings from the backup.
One important thing to note, though: the 2011 iMacs have temperature sensors built in on the hard drive, so if you use a drive other than one supplied by Apple specifically for that system, the fans will run at full speed all the time. Probably the easiest workaround: use something like smcFanControl to regulate the speed of the fans. Hope this helps!

How to install hard drive into mac pro

how to install hard drive into mac pro

I recently bought a new 2TB internal sata drive for my Macpro.
The installation was easy, but I'm not sure what to do next.
For one, should I partition the drive?
My purpose for buying the drive was to use it as my go to drive for Parallels. I used to run my music studio on Windows based machines, and my older project files require a windows OS to recover. I installed Parallels so I can have my studio running Mac and Windows programs which will enable me to access my old project files and take them into my newer Protools system.
So now, I've installed my new hard drive, but I'm not sure if I should partition it....And!? I'm not sure how to designate that drive for my virtual pc on Parallels. I was able to allocate enough disk space to parallels in order to load my music software, but at this point, I'm not sure if I've just promised it disk space from my original partitioned drive (which only has about 350 GB left on it).
I would love to be able to make one internal drive available for Parallels, and the other available for the rest of my OSX. When I use Parallels, I still would like to save some extra information on the 2TB drive as well from my dekstop running OSX.
I hope this makes sense! Your help is much appreciated!

MacBook Pro: Swapping Hard Drives Between Two Identical Macs?

I have two Macbook Pro notebooks. They are both the June 11th 2012 models both with cd/dvd drives. They both have Mavericks installed on both.
I want to give my 15 inch to my son who has the 13 inch. They 13 will be mine and the 15 his.
Can i just swap his 750HD from the 13 and put it into the 15? Can i also remove my 250 Samsung pro SSD from my 15 and put it in his 13?
What are some ways i can go about this that are easy?
Thanks in advance,
PS: Like i said they both run mavericks and they are the same generation MBP from June 2012 release from Apple. Except one is a 2.5 i5 13 inch and the other is a 15 inch 2.3 Quad i7.
We pretty much just want to trade laptops and swap the hard drives easy.
Thanks again.

nn007400,
are each of your laptops associated with your respective Apple IDs? If so, then that might be a fly in the ointment when it comes to updating apps purchased through the Mac App Store, if the tie-in involves your MacBook Pros’ serial numbers as well as your Apple IDs. (I don’t know whether that’s the case or not.)
The disks can certainly be exchanged physically between the two portables — you could try it for a while, and if you encounter a problem, you can exchange them back and consider alternative (but unfortunately less convenient) approaches.

Problems swapping hard drive on mac book pro

Is there a way to safely loosen the screws on the bracket holding the hard drive in place on a mac book pro 17 inch? I've got one loose, but the other one simply won't budge and the head is starting to strip. the amount of downward force I'm having to exert to try to get it to move seems excessive to the point of dangerous to me. i'm using a Philips 00 screwdriver which is the correct tool, I believe, but I just cannot shift it. given that Apple say this is a user replaceable part, there must be an easy wy to do it, but all I can see me doing is more damage and being stuck with a captive screw that no one can move. Any tips gratefully received.

A 00 Phillips head screw driver is the correct size. Is your driver the type where the tip of the handle allows it to be stationary while you turn the driver? Apply a tiny bit of penetrating oil (Croil, if you can get it) and let sit after a few taps with a hammer on the screw driver set in the fastener. Make certain that the screw driver is perpendicular and apply pressure. Use a small Vise Grip on the handle if necessary. And remember, Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey.
Ciao.
A thought that may entail some risk if not done judiciously: use a soldering iron with a thin tip and heat up the fastener after applying the penetrating oil.

Swapping hard drive between MacBook and MacBook Pro ?

Hi
I'm about to receive a new MBP and would like to spend as little time as possible making the transition from my current MacBook (non-Pro). The MacBook is slightly old (mid-2006) but running the latest Leopard.
Would swapping the hard drives allow the MBP to boot properly?
Could it potentially cause any side effects?
How could I reduce or eliminate these?
I'm reluctant to use Time Machine restoration since I've already been traumatized once by the incompleteness of the TM backup, causing me to lose many hours to manual, tedious restoration.
Thanks for any info!

Hi Guychi;
As I said earlier, since the hardware is different I would not use the operating system from the old hardware on the new hardware.
Are you doing the work or have someone else do it?
If you are taking it in to have it do, I would suggest that you ask them to move the operating system for you.
If you are doing it yourself get an external enclosure and clone the operating system over then install the larger drive with the new operating system.
Allan

External hard drives for mac pro, external hard drives for mac pro

my laptop always says there is not enough space and I notice my hard drive it out of room, what would be a best external hard drive that will support the Mac Book Pro?

huge storage, low cost, high quality, very small and portable.
BEST FOR THE COST, Toshiba "tiny giant" 15mm thick 2TB drive (have several of them, lots of storage in tiny package)    $100
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Connect-Portable-HDTC720XK3C1/dp/B00CGUMS48    /ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1390020791&sr=8-3&keywords=toshiba+2tb
best options for the price, and high quality HD:
Quality 1TB drives are $50 per TB on 3.5" or $65 per TB on 2.5"
Perfect 1TB for $68
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-Hard-Drive/dp/B005J7YA3W/ref=sr_1_ 1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379452568&sr=8-1&keywords=1tb+toshiba
Nice 500gig for $50. ultraslim perfect for use with a notebook
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Canvio-Portable-External-Drive/dp/B009F1CXI2/ref=s    r_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1377642728&sr=1-1&keywords=toshiba+slim+500gb
*This one is the BEST portable external HD available that money can buy:
HGST Touro Mobile 1TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive $88
http://www.amazon.com/HGST-Mobile-Portable-External-0S03559/dp/B009GE6JI8/ref=sr    _1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383238934&sr=8-1&keywords=HGST+Touro+Mobile+Pro+1TB+USB+3.0+7 2 00+RPM
Most storage experts agree on the Hitachi 2.5"
Hitachi is the winner in hard drive reliability survey:
Hitachi manufacturers the safest and most reliable hard drives, according to the Storelab study. Of the hundreds of Hitachi hard drives received, not a single one had failed due to manufacturing or design errors. Adding the highest average lifespans and the best relationship between failures and market share, Hitachi can be regarded as the winner.

Does the cache matter when choosing hard drive for mac pro?

Hi,
I have been looking at all the specs to see about adding another hard drive to my mac pro. It is the 1st generation 2006 duel. I am getting a bit confused about the specs required! I don't understand cache? I think that mine is 8 cache, but a lot of the drives I am looking at are 16 or more. Is this important, have I got to stick to 8? Also does it matter about which Sata? i.e. 1, 11 or 111? and what does 'low profile' mean? Fitting it seems really easy, but buying the wrong drive seems easy as well!
Thanks for any help,
Adrian.

Desktop drives are nominal 3.5" form factors, about one inch tall. They use a 12 Volt motor to spin the heavy platters around fairly fast.
Notebook rotating drives are mostly 2.5" form factor, now mostly around 9.5mm tall, possibly less. They have only 5 Volts available to spin the motor.
SATA 1, 2, 3 -- 1.5, 3.0 and 6.0 is all specsmanship -- rotating drives cannot source data off the spinning platters faster than a burst of about 150 Mbytes/sec (1.2 Mbits/sec). So that part does not matter except that the 1.5 drives will be older models. Do note pay extra for better SATA speeds.
Rotation speed is very important, because that determines how fast the bits can fly past the read head. 5400 RPM is slower than 7200 RPM. A few 10,000 RPM drives are available, but they are too pricey for most users. I use 10,000 RPM drives in my Server. For Desktop computers, DO pay extra for 7200 over 5400. For notebook computers, a few 7200 RPM drives are available, but they sometimes run HOT.
Green drives, on the other hand, take great liberties with spin rates and sleeping, and are not suitable for production (great for Backups, but then they are not candidates for spares for your main drives). For these reasons, I do not own any Green Drives.
Large-enough cache size means the drive can read an entire track in one revolution, so that if you next ask for blocks near the original block you will not wait the average 4.166 milliseconds for the platter to spin halfway around to pick up new data (it is waiting, pre-fetched in the cache). So do not pay extra above about 8Mbytes, but use larger cache size as a tie breaker between equivalent models.

Using iPod as a hard drive between Mac and PC

I'd like to use my Mac-formatted iPod to back up some personal files om my work PC laptop, and then transfer them to my Mac at home. I need to repeat this process every month or so.
I've enabled my iPod for disk use, but the PC wants to reformat in order to allow me to use it as a hard drive on the PC. However, all of my iTunes and photos and videos are on my Mac at home, and I'd like to keep the iPod Mac-formatted.
There appears to be some 3rd-party software trials out there, but I'm reluctant to download anything that is potentially sketchy.
Advice will be greatly appreciated.
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.5) Also a PC user (at work)

Probably the easiest way to use an iPod on both Mac and Windows computers is to format the iPod (using iPod Updater) using the PC. This will force your iPod to use the Windows file system (FAT32) which both the Mac and PC can read from and write to without the help of additional software. Of course then all your software updates for the iPod will have to be done on Windows.
If you need to use a Mac (HFS+) formatted iPod on a Windows PC, you'll need to install some 3rd party software such as XPlay 2.0 (which you can get from MediaFour Software). This will enable your Windows PC to read a Mac-formatted iPod.

SWAP Hard Drive. Mac & PC

Hello people I have got a Laptop PC with 320GB hard drive installed and I want to swap it with my current 120GB hard drive on my Macbook... So for the 320GB hard drive i’ll have to format that to Mac OS Extended? Then with the 120GB i’ll have to format it to NTFS? Then obviously installl the operating systems on each?

There's no such thing as a windows or Mac hard drive! Just hard drives that have one or the other installed on them. As long as the drives both have the same specifications just wipe them clean, format them properly and install new OS on each.
Yes, in order for the Mac drive to be bootable you MUST select GUID.

Swapping hard drives between two different HP mini towers DC7600 TO DC7900

I would like to know if it will be possible to take out and re-install the Hard drive from my HP DC7600 tower running XP Pro over to my HP DC 7900 tower and remove the hard drive running windows 7 with out having to reinstall my Win XP OS . Is it possible ? What problems may i encounter ?? Are the Motherboard drivers similar so as not to have replace them ? i am hoping that this can be a plug and play operation - thanks GGW

Hello @grant1951,
I understand that you are looking to swap the hard drive from a HP Compaq dc7600 Convertible Minitower PC to a HP Compaq dc7900 Business PC. As both of these computer as commercial units, I would suggest posting it in the commercial forums, since these are commercial products. You can do this at Business PCs - Compaq, Elite, Pro.
I hope this helps. Thank you for posting on the HP Forums. Have a great day!
Please click the "Thumbs Up" on the bottom right of this post to say thank you if you appreciate the support I provide!
Also be sure to mark my post as “Accept as Solution" if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others who face the same challenge find the same solution.
Dunidar
I work on behalf of HP
Find out a bit more about me by checking out my profile!
"Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong." ~ Donald Porter

Moving OS hard drives between Macs of different makes/models

Is it okay to move the operating system hard drive (E.g. the Boot drive) from one mac to another? What about from one model of mac (E.g. a Mac Mini) to a different model. (Mac Pro) In the PC world, this is an absolute no no due to drivers, registry issues, and other problems. However, I've spoken to a couple of mac technicians who say it's perfectly acceptable and works "flawlessly."
The reason i'm asking is because we recently built a new boot drive for one of our Mac Pros (2010 model) using a Mac Mini (2012). The tech installed the OS and all the applications using his mac mini and then moved the hard drive to the mac pro. Now we are having a bunch of weird issues with this specific mac pro such as lock ups and other glitches. We are now wondering if perhaps the issue is related to the build process used.
Thanks for any advice you can provide.

MattRK wrote:
...However, I've spoken to a couple of mac technicians who say it's perfectly acceptable and works "flawlessly."...
I'd say only if you're really lucky, but since you're having issues, you apparently weren't.
...We are now wondering if perhaps the issue is related to the build process used...
As The hatter has said, you'd need the machine-specific installer (i.e., Mac OS 10.6.4) for a 2010 Mac Pro which wasn't what was done.
However, since it looks like you're using Lion now, if you download and install the 10.7.5 combo updater, a good portion of the operating system will be replaced and customized for the Mac Pro. You can try that to see if the various glitches are cured. There are similar combo updaters for Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion which can accomplish pretty much the same thing.

Maximum Size of Hard Drive in Mac Pro (Early 2008)

What is the Maximum size of Hard Drive that I can install in drive bay 3 or 4?
Computer info below:
Model Name: Mac Pro (Early 2008)
Model Identifier: MacPro3,1
Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Xeon
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 8
L2 Cache (per processor): 12 MB
Memory: 14 GB
Bus Speed: 1.6 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MP31.006C.B05
SMC Version (system): 1.25f4
Hardware UUID: FF121465-84A1-52F2-A94A-58A60A20F4AF

WE don't know, all there are today are 2TB and those are fine. I think you could RAID 6 for 10TB and maybe then?
Serious, there are none. Do you really expect to hit some ceiling?
http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso

Swap Hard Drives Between Mac Pro's

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