Swapping hard drive from one MacBook to another

I'll spare you the gory details, but my daughter broke the screen on her 2.0 Core Duo MacBook, one of the original ones. It has a 250 gb hard drive that I put in to replace the small stock drive. We are replacing this MacBook with a new one, a 2.0 Core 2 Duo. What I would like to do is simply swap out the hard drive from the old and out it in the new one. The old one does have Leopard. Is there any reason this would not work? Thanks.
(Also, is there any market anywhere for a MacBook that works fine except for the broken screen?)

twincities1 wrote:
I'll spare you the gory details, but my daughter broke the screen on her 2.0 Core Duo MacBook, one of the original ones. It has a 250 gb hard drive that I put in to replace the small stock drive. We are replacing this MacBook with a new one, a 2.0 Core 2 Duo. What I would like to do is simply swap out the hard drive from the old and out it in the new one. The old one does have Leopard. Is there any reason this would not work? Thanks.
You may need to run Leopard install again on the drive when it's in the new MacBook. There will be some drivers and stuff that won't be on there that the new one needs. You could probably just do an upgrade to do this.
(Also, is there any market anywhere for a MacBook that works fine except for the broken screen?)
You could consider keeping it and hooking it to an external monitor and use it that way as a spare computer.
You could also look online at some of the MacBook repir shops and see if they buy broken MacBooks for parts.

Similar Messages

  • I have a 2008 Macbook.  How do you change out the hard drive from one macbook to another?  Maybe I just need the special screwdriver to get the hard drive out?

    I have a 2008 Macbook.  I want to install a newer (used) hard drive into this one.  I think all I need is the special screwdriver to remove it, then install it.  Where can I get that screw driver?

    There is some information on how to, plus some tool lists in the online iFixit guides for repair and replacement of parts, in these computers.
    •MacBook Unibody model A1278 Repair (aluminum)
    http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Unibody_Model_A1278
    http://www.powerbookmedic.com/mac-repair.php
    OWC Macsales offers tools for sale, online instruction videos
    and other helpful information without having to buy.
    A few tools are rather specific to various models.
    Good luck!

  • Can I transfer a hard drive from one macbook pro laptop to another?

    I have a 2009 Macbook pro with a cracked screen and a messed up track pad (laptop A), but a fully functional hard drive. I have another 2009 Macbook pro (laptop B) with a blown hard drive, but everything else seems to be fine.
    I removed the blown hitachi 320 hard drive from laptop B and set it aside. Then I removed the seemingly good Seagate 500 hard drive from laptop A and put it into laptop B. When I turn on Laptop B with the hard drive in it I get the folder with the question mark screen.
    HELP. I am not tech savvy at all. But I can follow directions. Thanks.
    Monica
    *Please let me know if you need additional information from me.

    Restart the computer with the Option key held down.
    If you see the drive, click on it and then select it in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
    If you don’t, insert a Mac OS X install DVD, press C if needed, and either repair the drive or install an OS onto it.
    (110094)

  • Can I swap hard drive from my Macbook (10.5.8) into Macbook Pro (10.6)?

    I have a white Macbook from 2007 (model A1181, 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, OSX 10.5.8 installed) which I upgraded with a 500GB hard drive. I now have Macbook Pro (model A1278, 2.53GHz, 10.6 fresh install from disc, 250GB hdd).
    I would like to swap the 500GB drive from the Macbook into the MBP so I can transfer over all my settings and apps. Will that upgrade work? If not, what's the best method to perform this upgrade so I can restore my system on the MBP? I use TimeMachine and SuperDuper to backup my Macbook if that matters. Thank for any input!

    No, once you put the older MacBook drive in, if it even fits, you can't transfer to the new one because it's not physically in the MacBookPro anymore.
    And the MacBookPro may not be able to read a 10.5 boot disk if it shipped with 10.6.
    They are not backwards compatible when trying to boot from an older machines drive that probably doesn't have the correct drivers to run on a MacPro.
    First,
    Try using Disk Utility to do a Disk Repair, as shown in this link, while booted up on your install disk in case you have some directory corruption.
    Let us know what errors Disk Utility reports and if DU was able to repair them. Disk Utility's Disk Repair is not perfect and may not find or repair all directory issues. A stronger utility may be required to finish the job. Better, run DiskWarrior if you have it.
    After that Repair Permissions.
    No need to report Permissions errors....we all get them.
    Then use Target Disk Mode and Migration Assistant to move settings and data.
    Make sure all your apps. are 10.6 compatible. I would trash any plug ins also.
    I followed this routine and had no troubles.
    DALE

  • Can i copy my entire hard drive from one computer to another?

    I am buying a used ibook 900gh 640ram 40gb hd using 300mh clamshell now - i would like to copy my entire hard drive from the clamshell to the new ibook OS and all so when i use it everything will look and work exactly like it does on the clamshell - can i do this easily? disc copy when booted from a CD?

    Hi, not on Tiger at the moment, so I can't be certain, but...
    I may be wrong, but I thought the Networked Mac only came about in Leopard's Migration assistant.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1554
    Setup Assistant, included with computers that have Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later preinstalled, can transfer data (including account settings and home folders) from a previous Mac (that's using Mac OS X 10.1 or later) to your newer computer. You'll need a FireWire cable to connect the two computers together. The Assistant offers to transfer (or "migrate") data from your older computer when you turn on your new computer for the first time. Make sure the older computer's firmware is up-to-date first.
    The only way I see this is going to happen is with a USB/FW external drive, and painfully Clone the Clamshell via USB 1.1 to the external drive, move the drive to the iBook and connect via FW.
    More info...
    http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/mac/2005/05/17/tiger.html

  • I want to move a hard drive from one MacBook to a newer MacBook

    I want to understand the full process I need to go through. Both MacBooks are running 10.6.8. The older MacBook A has a larger hard drive (new last year). I want to keep the newer MacBook B and put the newer hard drive in it. I also want to replicate the data from the older MacBook A onto the newer one...the data is already on the hard drive, but I assume I'll have to restore it after I move the drive into the newer computer. I will use Time Machine to move the data.
    Here are the specs:
    MacBook A:
    MacBook running 10.6.8 with 2 GHz Intel Core Duo
    contains the hard drive I want to move
    MacBook B:
    MacBook running 10.6.8 with 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    I want to move the hard drive and data here
    1. Will this work? What would happen if I just moved the hard drive and turned on MacBook B? I'm assuming that's not a good option, but am I wrong?
    2. I have the original install DVD for 10.5.4 and a newer install DVD for 10.6.3. Do I need to use the original disk and then update. or can I start with 10.6.3?
    3. Is it safe to assume that if I back up MacBook A using Time Machine I will be able to restore it onto MacBook B once I move the hard drive and re-install the operating system?
    4. Should I wipe the hard drive before I move it?
    5. I plan to put MacBook B's hard drive into MacBook A, reinstall the op sys, and sell it. Will it be compatible? It comes from a faster machine.
    I can get info on the physical aspects of moving the drives on YouTube, so I'm really more interested in how to make sure I get the operating system and data parts right.
    Thanks for any and all help. Step by step instructions would be awesome!
    Jeannie

    1.  What would happen if I just moved the hard drive and turned on MacBook B? I'm assuming that's not a good option, but am I wrong?
    I can see no reason why this would not work. I would try it.
    What you do next depends on the results of this test.
    2. You do not need to go back to 10.5, except when you are selling A.
    3. Yes. If you reinstall the OS on B, during set up you can transfer data from a TM back up.
    4. Since you plan to reinstall the OS after the drive is in place, I would not erase before the transfer. That will give you a chance to test the transplant before you reinstall. You can of course wipe the drive just before you start the install.
    5. No problem. Drives don't care about a machine's processor speed.

  • Transferring a hard drive from one imac to another

    I have an iMac G5 1.8GHz (2gb RAM) bought new in 2004. I updated the hard drive last year from 80GB to 1TB (Hitachi serial ATA)
    I have over 500GB of data on this disc.
    I have now bought the following from a friend:
    Model Name: iMac
    Model Identifier: iMac8,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
    Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
    Number Of Processors: 1
    Total Number Of Cores: 2
    L2 Cache: 6 MB
    Memory: 2 GB
    Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
    Boot ROM Version: IM81.00C1.B00
    SMC Version (system): 1.29f1
    Serial Number (system): YM8362M1ZE3
    This is an early 2008 imac and is still in warranty till January 2010. The hard drive in this machine is 320GB.
    My question is: If I take the hard drive out of my old iMac and take it (and my new iMac) to a genius centre, would they swap the drives for me? and would this void the warranty?
    I would like, if possible, to take out an Applecare extended warranty on it.
    Thanks for any help given
    Cris

    To Apple Discussions!
    Call the Apple Store *to confirm.* Better yet, call Customer Relations about the warranty & how to transfer same - 1-800-767-2775.

  • How can I transfer contents of hard drive from one iMac to another,

    Hi
    I have two iMacs (older G3 CRT) both are running OSX 10.2.8.
    I want to copy the contents of the hard drive on iMac "A' to the hard drive of iMac "B". Can I do this,,, How can this be accomplished ??

    Hi Everyone
    Ok,,, here is my update, I was able to download finally Carbon Copy Cloner, but it will not even launch because the BSD module is missing on my iMac #1, it seems that I need to install this file from the original OSX disk which happens to be at work. OK, then I tried SuperDuper, it installed fine, then I read the instruction PDF, but when I went to make the copy onto the iMac #2, ( I did start it in Firewire mode, connected it via firewire to iMac #1
    and the drive mounted fine on the desktop) BUT for some reason Super Duper won't allow the copying of files.
    SO< then I stupidly just copied the entire contents of the hard drive on iMac #1 to the hard drive of iMac #2, which was mounted on the desktop of iMac #1. Then when all the files copied, I ejected the mounted drive, disconnected the Firewire cable and started imac #2, But iMac #2 would not boot up, I repaired it's disk permissions by once again starting in Firewire wire mode and using the disk utility on iMac #1 to repair the mounted drive of iMac #2), Then I disconneted the cable and started iMac #2, but still no boot up, just the little flashing file icon.. I also reset the PRAM on startup but still nothing. Any ideas, I can wait until Monday and do a clean install of OSX from my original disk, but was hoping there was something I can until then. And, of course, I;m still seeking a solution to getting all the programs, dats amd files from the hard drive on iMac #1 copied over to iMac #2,,, Any other ideas would be appreciated.<br>
    imac Mac OS X (10.2.x)

  • Can I move my bootable hard drive from one G5 to another?

    Hi there,
    Due to issues with our Power Mac G5 dual 2.3, 1Gb RAM, 250Gb HDD, Mac OS X10.5.8 we have bought a refurb Power Mac G5 running dual 2Ghz, 4Gb RAM, 160HDD & OS X 10.5.
    My question is can we simply swap the 250Gb HDD from the old MAC to the refurb one & remove the 160Gb (or use as second HDD) meanig the 250Gb drive is the boot drive? I'm concerned there may be processor /RAM incompatibility issues.
    There is a lot of data on the old Mac HDD, plus all the programs which we don't have the original discs for (long, sore story) such as Office '08 & AdobeCS4. My main concern is the Entourage database which has around 4year's worth of emails on is '08 version on the old Mac but we only have the install discs for the 2004 version!
    I have had a scan through other discussions but could not see anything similar, sorry if I missed anything (I probally did!)
    Any help would be really appreciated!

    Excellent!! Thanks so much for answering my query so quickly.
    I am very relieved to be staying Mac, the alternative was to go to a PC...... Belive me I lost sleep over that!!
    Thanks again
    Rich

  • How do i transfer my itunes library from one macbook to another?

    hi,how do i transfer my itunes library from one macbook to another?

    From your OLD computer...
    Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
    Full Details Here  >  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
    An Added Bonus is that you will have a Backup of iTunes.
    Also... have a look at these 2 Videos...
    http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-library.html
    http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html

  • Is it possible to remove my hard drive from the Macbook and install it in a new Macbook Pro?

    I currently have a 2009 Macbook and am wanting to upgrade to a new Macbook Pro.  I have upgraded my hard drive in the macbook to a 500gb and have a duel boot with Windows 7 installed with Boot Camp along with other software that I do not want to lose.  Is it possible to remove my hard drive from the Macbook and install it in a new Macbook Pro?

    A much better solution is to hook your two Mac together and the first time you start the new Mac and it asks if you wish to recover data from another Mac, answer yes. This will invoke Setup Assitant which will do the job for you but intelligently.
    I know because I just used Setup Assitant. It worked like  a charm.
    Allan

  • What is the exact name of the cable I need to connect my old hard drive from my macbook pro (it has been taken out of the computer) to my new macbook pro?  I need to transfer files from the old hard drive to the new computer.

    What is the exact name of the cable I need to connect my old hard drive from my macbook pro, which has been removed from the computer, to my new macbook pro?  I need to transfere files from the old hard drive to the new computer.

    No eSATA to USB. Just a SATA/IDE to USB adapter. Google SATA/IDE to USB adapter and you will get tons of links to buy them. Most likely your local computer electronics store has them, although they might be more expensive buying locally than online.
    I have several. You can get either USB 2, which what I recommend, or USB 3. USB is backward compatible so a USB 3 adapter will work on a USB 2 port and a USB 2 adapter will work on a USB 3 port. Backward compatible in both directions.
    I suggest a USB 2 type because there have been some problems with certain USB 3 devices, the USB 3 interface used isn't all that good in those certain devices. USB 3 is still fairly new where as USB 2 has been around for over 10 years.
    synghem wrote:
    Thank you LowLuster,
    At the apple store they said I needed an esata to usb wire.  But looking at wires on line has been confusing.  Is sata the same as esata?  How do I know if I need a usb 3 or usb 2?

  • How do i transfer iTunes  from one Macbook to another?

    Hello.
    How can I transfer my itunes account from one Macbook to another.  They are not in the same household for sharing etc.
    Please advise.

    Are you trying to transfer the content or just the user?  Transferring the user is pretty easy, transferring the content is a littel more involved.  To transfer the user alone, just sign into iTunes on the new computer with your same user name.  Easy as that.  To transfer the content, follow these instructions:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

  • How do I transfer some folders of photo from one macbook to another? I do not want the complete library right now

    How do I transfer some photos from an external harddrive (with backup data from one macbook) to another macbook? Ideally, I'd also like to transfer albums as well that photos are linked to.  I need to do this because my macbook is broken and I need to work on photos for the holidays.  I'm not interested in transferring the full library necessarily at this time..but if that is the easiest thing to do let me know.  There are already some photos in the "new" computer's iphoto. 

    Thank you very much Terence for your input.  I successfully transferred the library and attempted to open it on my "new" mac.  However, unfortunately, I discovered the OS and iphoto have not been updated for some time so it couldn't open..argh. 
    My photos were in a 9.4.3 version of iPhoto, so it looks like to get that on this new computer I have to upgrade to snow leopard and then to Lion (not wanting to go all the way up in OS necessarily if it will slow my computer down more).  However, is there a way to open a version 9.4.3 library on an iPhoto app from snow leopard? 

  • I have a macbook pro, and i want to transfer my hard drive from my macbook, but the display drivers and such are different.  How do i do this?

    I have a macbook pro, and i want to transfer my hard drive from my macbook (500g), but the display drivers and such are different.  How do i do this and is it possible?
    The Macbook Pro has Mac OS X 10.4.11 (70g hard drive)
    The Macbook has Mac OS X 10.6.8 (500g hard drive)

    The MacBook's hard drive lacks the necessary hardware drivers to boot the MacBook Pro even though it has a much newer OS on it; that's why simply moving it into the Pro doesn't work. Presumably you have a very old MB Pro, because only the very first MB Pro model (produced January to May 2006) was ever offered with an 80GB hard drive. Are you sure you want to move your big drive into such an old machine? The MacBook must be newer, because the first MacBook was introduced just as the first Pro model was discontinued.

Maybe you are looking for