Swapping hard drives in 2007 MacBooks

I have a mid 2007 macbook that has quit working. The problem appears to be in the power supply and won't turn on. I also have a late 2007 macbook. Both are running the same OS. I want to take the hard drive out of the non working macbook and install it in the working macbook, backup the information from the hard drive on the non working Mac through time machine, and reverse the drives back and load the information from the non working mac hard drive on to the working mac hard drive. Is this possible?

Thanks for the help. We (my son and I) tried swapping the drives just to see what would happen. It worked. We had nothing to lose since we were going to erase the working computer and give it to my wife (owner of the dead computer). I bought the new macbook pro for my birthday and gave my working 2007 macbook to my wife. The drives swapped out easily and the mac booted it right up, no problems. We performed a time machine backup on it, and it recognized that the old time machine was performed on a different computer and therefore made a new backup. After the time machine backup, we switched drives and reformatted the disk in my working mac to give it a fresh start. We restored the time machine and it runs just like my wife's old, dead, computer. I did order the external hard drive enclosure for my son. Thanks again.

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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!

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

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.

Swapping hard drives between 2 macbooks?

Hi all,
I have a question. I have a 1st gen macbook (white body) that I got nearly 3 years ago, it's running tiger. A friend has a newer mac (bought last summer) which is running leopard.
Can I swap the hdds in these two machines without having to do crazy stuff? As in if I put the newer hdd into my older machine, will my machine be running leopard, etc? What do I need to do to swap them?
Sorry if it's a silly question, I'm not finding a lot of info on it.
Thanks,
Zo.

I have the same question. I have Leopard on both however. I have two Macbooks, one black, and one white. The black one has better specs; 2.2 GHz core 2 duo with 2 GB RAM, etc while the white one has a 1.83 GHz core duo (NOT 2) with 1 gb ram. The white one I believe belonged to some sort of an advertisement designer or something because there are massive amounts of nice programs like adobe CS3 and office 2008, and not only that, but the hard drive is 250 GB as opposed to mine which is 160 GB. The graphics drivers are both intel, although one is GMA 950 while the other is GMA x3100. Can I still swap the drives and not have to restore?

I recently installed a new hard drive in a MacBook 2007 and then 10.6.3. I'd like to be able to Sync iCal to the calendars I have created on other devices (new iCloud account and an ME account). I can't upgrade to 10.7 or 10.8 because the MacBook is 32bit

I recently installed a new hard drive in a MacBook 2007 and then 10.6.3. I'd like to be able to Sync iCal to the calendars I have created on other devices (new iCloud account and an ME account). I can't upgrade to 10.7 or 10.8 because the MacBook is 32 bit. Just looking for a workaround as this is not a primary device.

You should update to the latest version of Snow Leopard, 10.6.8 - you can download it here; however it's still not compatible with iCloud and though you can connect to access your email you cannot access any other of iCloud's facilities.
However some people have been able to set up calendar syncing by using the method detailed here - this is an unsupported hack and may not be reliable, and may stop working at some future point. I've not tried it: use at your own discretion.
To access the email:
Entering iCloud email settings manually in Snow Leopard or Leopard
Are you sure you can't upgrade to Lion? It requires an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which you may well have, though it also needs 2GB RAM so you might need to add additional RAM (might not be worth it for what you want). The published specs don't mention 32 or 64 bit. You can buy Lion by ringing the Apple Store at the number at bottom left of this page.

What is a good solid state hard drive for a Macbook Pro (2007 model)?

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I am using the Corsair P256 (256 GB) SSD. It is actually a Samsung drive. It works well, but will only give you part of the speed advantage due to the fact that the MBP from 2007 only has a 1.5 GB/s interface, while newer MBPs have a 3.0 GB/s interface.
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How to swap hard drives?

I currently have a mid-2007 white Macbook with Tiger OS. I'm thinking of purchasing a 13" Macbook Pro, but would like to swap hard drives since my current one is 320gb 7200rpm.
What's the best way to do this? Can I just swap the drives out, and then reformat them with the installation discs? I don't mind reformatting the hard drives because I have all of my data backed up to an external already.

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Disk Utility and Hard Drive replacement on MacBook.

I am preparing to upgrade the hard drive on my MacBook and I was reading this document http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/MacBook13inch_HardDriveDIY.pdf and a the end after installing the hard drive and preparing to install Mac OS X the directions state the following: "Leave the Disk Utility application open, and restore the backed up files from the image you created before removing the hard drive.". I think that this would be a much quicker option then having to re install every application and copy over back up user data. My question is how do I create an image of the contents of the hard drive to use once I upgrade the drive?

I'd just clone (make a complete bootable backup) the internal to a backup external drive, swap out the internal, then clone back. That way you wouldn't have to do any installations.
To backup (clone) your main drive, you can use the donationware CarbonCopy Cloner @ http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html , or the shareware SuperDuper @ http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html , or the freeware IBackup @ http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup/index.html, or the Restore function of Disk Utility included in OS X.

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.
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How to I find a compatible, more powerful hard drive for my macbook 13 inch late 2008?

How to I find a compatible, more powerful hard drive for my macbook 13 inch late 2008?

There are many sources for compatible 2.5" laptop SATA interface hard drives and SSD's.
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Can i get a bigger Hard drive for my Macbook? :)

Hey everybody!
Whats the biggest size hard drive i can get for my macbook
is it an easy to do, or a real pain
Does it void the macbook warrenty?
Will it slow my machine
Any recomendations
Thanks so much

macyyyyyyy wrote:
Whats the biggest size hard drive i can get for my macbook
There is a new 500 GB drive out but it is hard to find. I put this 320 GB drive in mine.
Western Digital Scorpio WD3200BEVT 320GB 5400 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Notebook Hard Drive - OEM
is it an easy to do, or a real pain
Yes it is easy. These are very good instructions on How to Upgrade Your MacBook's Hard Drive.
Creative Mac: Swapping Hard Drives on the 13-Inch MacBook
Here is the Apple Apples DIY hard drive replacement instructions.
The only step they left out is the need for a number 8 *Torx Driver* to swap a shield from the old drive to the new.
Does it void the macbook warrenty?
No it does not unless you mess it up. See this for details.
Apples DIY Warranty Info
Will it slow my machine
Mine is faster with the new drive.
Any recomendations
OWC MacBook Ram and Hard drives is a good source. Be sure the drive meets the following size specs.
English
Height: 0.374 ±0.008 inch
Length: 3.94 ±0.010 inch
Width: 2.75 ±0.010 inch
Weight: 0.26 Pounds (±0.10 lb)
Metric
Height: 9.5 ±0.20 mm
Length: 100.2 ±0.25 mm
Width: 69.85 ±0.25 mm
Weight: 0.117 kg (± 0.082 kg)
>

Internal Hard Drive for my macbook

Hi !
I'd like to know where can I buy an internal hard drive for my Macbook, and if there is a seize limit.
I bought the MB on the 05th Nov. 2007 : MB 13" white ; 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2x1Go (667MHz DDR2 SDRAM) [right now] the hard drive is 160Go [FUJITSU MHY2160BH]
I'd like to know where I can buy it (in France if it's possible or on internet)
and if it's possible to get a 500Go
Moreover 7200t/m is better than a 5400t/m but does it use more ? is it noisly ?
I guess that with the on I have right now there is something which protect the hard drive in case of shocks.
Thanks !
M@cmuft

There is no capacity limit on the MacBook but I believe you will need a drive of maximum 12.5mm deep, to be certain I'd try to get a 9.5mm drive. 7,200 rpm drives are usually a little noisier and will use slightly more battery power when running. The "sudden motion sensor" is built in to the computer, not the drive - do be careful when buying your new drive as drives with built in drop protection can cause issue with the SMS in the computer. You can disable the SMS if need, just Google for instructions.

DIY: Is it possible to replace the Hard Drive on a MacBook?!

It seems it is permitted to replace the Hard Drive on a MacBook (13"). I found Apple "Hard Drive Replacement Instructions 073-1045 Rev A" dated 26 Jan 2007.
OK this is very basic-- but my question is: When you get the Hard Drive and Install it-- can you boot from an external HD and then FORMAT THIS DRIVE? Where to PURCHASE the drive?
Thanks as I prefer to do this as my data is backed-up and to wait 15 days to have Apple do this in Belgium... I need this Mac!
Thanks for any comments.-- Again, key question is: WILL THE HD be unformatted or ??? and how to format. I have an external drive (several) or can boot from the DVD.
THANKS!
Steve

You'll find a good tutorial here: http://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/installation.cfm.
Be sure to prep the new drive properly:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disk. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Options button and set the partition scheme to GUID, then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled, if supported.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process will take 30 minutes to an hour or more depending upon the drive size.
Now you can clone your external drive to the new internal drive:
How to Clone Using Restore Option of Disk Utility
1. Select the internal volume from the left side list.
2. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (journaled, if available) and click on the Erase button. This step can be skipped if the destination has already been freshly erased.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Select the internal volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
5. Select the external (startup) volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
For added precaution you can boot into safe mode before doing the clone.

Installing 10.6 on a new hard drive in 13" MacBook

Last night, I dropped my (13", 2007) Macbook and damaged the hard drive beyond repair. I have no bootable back-up. I had upgraded this Macbook to 10.6 a few months ago, using the Snow Leopard Family Pack.
So now I am about to install a new hard drive in the MacBook (it's coming tomorrow.) What I am wondering is whether I will actually be able to install 10.6 on this new drive, using the Family Pack DVD. When I installed it on the Macbook earlier, I believe I did an erase and install, but I thought it required having 10.5 installed on the computer.
Any insights or advice would be welcome (other than "keep a bootable back-up" hahaha!)

You can install OS X on the new drive but first you have to prep the new drive:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.)
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (for Intel Macs) or APM (for PPC Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Once formatting is completed you can quit DU and install OS X.

Swapping hard drives in 2007 MacBooks

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