Upgrading Hard Drive - Should i spend extra money for a 7200?

I am looking at some 500gb Hard Drives for my Unibody Macbook, and I am wondering if I should spend a couple extra dollars (about 20) to buy a 7200rpm drive over a 5400rpm drive. Would the benefits be noticeable? I am satisfied with the current drive's speed, what is it's speed? I have the basic 250gb drive.

Yes, the 7200 RPM drive will perform quicker than the slower drive. I would be especially careful to get one with as large a cache memory as possible although I think 16 MBs is the largest available on a notebook drive. What you currently have is 5400 RPM.

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New Hard Drive- Should I use Time Machine for "fresh" install?

I have a first generation Early 2008 MacbookPro. Warranty just ended and I want to replace the hard drive w/ the Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid. I'm getting a bunch of spin wheel action and things are just running slowly/sluggish. I'm questioning whether or not I should just do a real "fresh" install and load my applications onto the new drive or use TimeMachine. If I use TM am I not adding all the stuff/files that are not needed? Am I adding bloat that I've collected over the past couple of years? Is it better to start w/ a new clean operating system? I do have CS5 and some photo programs that I think I can reinstall. Anyway I wanted to get people's perspective.
Message was edited by: mikked

It's usually best to clean your system up, and deal with any problems before doing major surgery.
With any other scenario, if something goes wrong, how will you know what it was, much less how to fix it?
I'd start with this: [Intel-based Macs: Using Apple Hardware Test|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1509].
Then Verify your internal HD, and repair your Time Machine drive, per #A5 in [Time Machine - Troubleshooting|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Troubleshooting.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
Then run a +*Repair Permissions+* on your internal HD, via Disk Utility.
Then replace the drive, do a full system restore and run for a while to be sure the new drive and everything else is ok. See #14 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for details.
Then start deleting the apps and files you don't need.
Note that, unlike Windoze, leftover files and apps may take up a bit of space, but don't cause any performace problems, unless they're actually running.
The main problems with trying to transfer things selectively are:
Permissions. If you install OSX and set up a user account, that account, even if it has the same name, may not have permission to restore the files on your backups or other drives.
Applications. Simple apps can be transferred individually, such as by restoring from Time Machine. Complex ones usually can't, as their installers put other files in other places. If you don't know what and where they all are, and restore them, too, the app won't work properly, if at all. But if you have all the original discs (and serial numbers/purchase keys), you can just reinstall them.

Going to upgrade to Lion. First have to back up computer. What external hard drive should I buy to back up computer using "time machine". Have 320 gb hard drive.

I am going to upgrade to Lion. First have to back up computer. What external hard drives should I buy in order to use time machine. I have a 320 GB hard drive. Don't have too much on computer.

patmc102 wrote:
I am going to upgrade to Lion. First have to back up computer. What external hard drives should I buy in order to use time machine. I have a 320 GB hard drive. Don't have too much on computer.
Buy an external drive 320G or larger (much larger is preferable). I do not recommend you use TM for this, instead download a copy of Carbon Copy Cloner and make a clone of your drive. Once this is done you have 2 choices, you can download and install Lion on your internal drive just as you planned or download and install Lion to the external clone, the 2nd method allows you to test the Lion install before committing to it. If the clone with Lion is to your liking then just clone it back to the internal.

Illustrator Cs5 will not open. Recently upgraded hard Drive and upgraded to Maverick OS 10.9.3. Where should I start troubleshooting?

Illustrator Cs5 will not open. Recently upgraded hard drive and upgraded to Maverick OS 10.9.3. Where should I start troubleshooting?

gj,
Unless it has worked since the upgrading, I believe you should uninstall, run the Cleaner Tool, and reinstall.
Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6

Upgrade hard drive or get an external?

I have an iBook G4, and apparently I only have 30 GB on my hard drive. Would it be more cost efficient for me to get an external hard drive for some of my files, or should I upgrade the hard drive I have?

The answer depends on a couple of things.
How much you depend on your iBook (and the files) as a portable device, and whether it would be a burden to carry around another hard drive to manage those extra files;
Whether most of your files are "active" (ie, they're part of your iTunes/iPhoto library, or are files that you use frequently) or if they can be archived off the drive.
Bear in mind also that internal hard drives aren't expensive, but they are fiddly and time-consuming to install. If you have to pay a technician to install it, you may end up paying a lot for the time. On the other hand, moving your internal drive up to 100GB or more would give you a lot of breathing space for future expansion.
If you need to stay portable but still decide on an external drive, you can get a small Firewire drive that doesn't require additional mains power (it's powered directly through the Firewire connection). If you're happy leaving the drive in one location, you can go larger at the cost of having to use a separate power connector.
Hope that helps inform your decision.
Matt

HP Pavilion DV6t-3100 CTO Entertainment Notebook PC - Upgrade hard drive to SSD and windows 8?

I want to upgrade my hard drive (WDC WD6400BEVT-60A0RT0) to SSD for faster performance AND upgrade to Windows 8. How should I proceed? Which should come first?
I am not very knowledgeable about these things, but I have changed hard drives before -- never an SSD though. Never had BIOS problems in these changes, so never bothered with it either. No experience about that. I am practically illiterate about that part.
What should I be careful about? Any SSD drive would work? Would BIOS (F.29) and motherboard (144A 65.38) be relevant? How should I choose my new SSD?
Do I absolutely need to clone C: drive? Could I not install windows 8 fresh/anew? What problems may I have with a new SSD?
In short -- what would be the best and least problematic way to do this?
I will back up my audio, video and office files. All copy-paste stuff. I have no problem with installing all my programs from scratch.
I couldn't find a specific thread that provides a comprehensive answer so I opened this thread.
Thanks.

It should be pretty simple _ remove the battery and adapter _ install your SSD _ hold down the power button for 1 full minute.
Eject the DVD tray with the manual eject hole using a bent out paper clip.
Load you W8 disc _ close the tray and plug in the adapter.
Boot up, it should just boot to the W8 disc, if it doesn't there will be a quick flash on the screen when to press the esc key, after that you choose f9 (with out checking) and tell the BIOS to boot from the CD/DVD ROM.
(the W8 disc will format the drive automatically)
Get the newest SSD you can find, don't buy old junk from eBay _ always buy from a reputable dealer.
I have Samsung SSD in my dv8 and has no problems, my old dv7 has an Intel SSD and it's been good too _ no problems. Stay away from bargain deals with obscure brand names.
There are no official drivers posted for your machine for W8, so you can/will have to use the generic ones, but some times the HP OEM W7 drivers will work.
Start with you Chipset driver first _ I think it's Intel _ there are no specs listed as your's is a CTO model.
Get the Chipset driver direct from Intel _ they may have updated their auto driver finder to scan in a W8 environment.
Install the rest of the drivers in any order. You can also use Windows update to find the drivers as well, it's up to you.
Be aware that some things may not work in W8, like you finger print reader.
The SSD will behave exactly the same as a standard drive, the only difference is that it will run faster.

What size external hard drive should I purchase

What size external hard drive should I purchase? I'm not tech savvy, so please speak slowly. I'm looking at OWC Mini Stack Classic to match my older Mac Mini. Do I need 500 GB, 1 TB or more? Plus, I have to add memory to upgrade to Snow Leopard. How much memory do I need and should I have an expert install it ?
Mac OSX version 10.5.8
Mac mini 3.1
Processor 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory 2GB 1067 MHz DDR3
1 Processor
2 Cores
L2 Cache 3MB
Memory 2GB
BUS Speed 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version MM3.1.0081.B06
SMC version 1.35f0
Hard Drive
Format MAC OS Extended
Capacity 297.77 GB
Available 238.69 GB
Used 59.08 GB on disk

Good points raised by all.
In my mini configs - both older and newer flatter model - I have kept their ministack external drive on top of the mini; with 3 or 4 little rubber feet added to the mini's base to give it a bit more elevation from the surface they are sitting on and a bit better chance to breathe. I'm not impressed by the very small air intakes on the bottom and the hot air that often comes out the back or how warm the case feels. Especially in the heat of summer.
I do turn the ministacks on/off as needed (primarily for backups once a week) as they're not entirely quiet and sometimes seem to have a low hum vibration. Nothing crazy. I just like it as dead quiet as possible sometimes. Plus the fan does not turn off even if the mini and ministack drive have shut down. The newer wide & slim model does seem a bit quieter than the older model.
Check through system profiler to see if your system has 2x1GB or 1x2GB. Most likely it is 2x1GB and you'd need to remove both to double your ram. On the off chance it has a free slot; a single 2GB stick would get you to 4GB. Check on the cost difference between the 2x2GB kit and a 2x4GB kit. I have an older core duo mini that functions fine with 2x2GB of RAM and 10.6.8. But, if you plan to continue to use the mini for several more years as a primary machine including upgrading the OS to Yosemite; it might not be a bad idea to just max it to 2x4 8GB. Yosemite really likes RAM to maximize performance.
Along the lines of keeping the same mini and doing upgrades. The biggest speed improvements are made by replacing the original internal hard drive with a flash drive. Of course this is a more technical upgrade, you really need to take the mini apart more and you have to weigh the cost of the upgrades and possibly paying somebody to do them; vs the cost of a newer system which would have a significantly faster processor and other improvements.

Upgrading hard drive... need help on how to prepare current CS6 for reinstall on new hard drive

I'm about to upgrade my hard drive to a larger one and will need to reinstall my CS6 Web/Design Suite... I've seen many people having issues with activation and licensing after they reformat their computers or buy a new one and try to install the programs on the new "system". How should I go about preparing my Adobe software on the current hard drive so I won't have any issues resintalling on the new hard drive? I will be installing CS6 Student/Teacher version on Windows 7 Pro 64-bit...
Thanks for the help!

Thanks!
I wondered if that was all I needed, but when I built my new system and installed PS CS4 I kept getting errors. So, I went back to the old system and deactivated it and still got errors. Uninstalled it deactivated and still got errors on the new system. When I talked to Adobe they just kept telling me the key was invalid (even though I had been running that same program and key for the last 4 years without problems lol) and it was not a burnt copy or pirated. I had the orginal box with the original DVD case and serial number on the case... A friend of mine had upgraded their rig and went to a Suite so he gave me his CS4. But, needless to say (as it is said all over these forums apparently) Adobe was of no help at all so I had to buy a new version. I'm not looking to go through all of that BS again, haha.
So as long as I deactivate the Suite (or do I need to deactivate each program separately?) I should be able to reformat (or upgrade hard drives) and reinstall CS6 as many times as I want? (I usually do a reformat like once a year to keep my computers clean and free of junk that may have been downloaded by other household members...)

Since I upgraded to 10.9.5, my macbook no longer recognizes my external hard drive. How do I fix this? External hard drive is a 1TB Toshiba formatted for mac. Worked fine until latest upgrade.

Since I upgraded to 10.9.5, my macbook no longer recognizes my external hard drive. How do I fix this? External hard drive is a 1TB Toshiba formatted for mac. Worked fine until latest upgrade.

Solved the problem by dumping my external HD onto another computer. Re-formatting and re-installing the data. Not what I wanted to do but it solved the problem.

HT1751 when i have moved all of my data to an external hard drive should i delete all of the library files on my laptop/PC

i have moved all of my data to an external hard drive should i then delete the copies on my laptop

What are you actually trying to accomplish? Backing up the library, or moving it?
If backing up don't delete anything.
If moving did you move the library files as well? Ideally you would copy the entire iTunes folder out to the external drive then shift-start iTunes to connect to the relocated library. This method makes it easier to move the library to a new drive or computer later and keeps everything together for backing up. Rather than delete everything rename the iTunes or iTunes Media folder first (depending on which approach you took) and make sure the library still works before deleting.
tt2

HT201250 which external hard drive should I choose/use as I am setting up Time Machine on my MacBook Pro 15 for the very first time?

Which external hard drive should I use/choose as I am setting up Time Machine on my MacBook Pro 15 for the very first time?

Any of these SATA HDDs that are at least the same size as your internal HDD (preferably larger capacity). In addition you will need an enclosure, preferably one with a Firewire as well as a USB connection.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Ciao.

Which external hard drive should I use to save my iTunes library?

Hi,
So I have collected so much music and movies in iTunes that my internal HD is practically full. (Library is over 500GB of 1TB and the rest is taken up with my apps and programs.) It's time to purchase an external hard drive to transfer my library to. Furthermore, I currently have a 2TB WD My Book for Mac that I am currently using for backup. The My Book is also full and Time Machine is deleting the oldest backups to make room for the current ones.
Here is where I need everyones advice. I am planning on purchasing a 3TB WD My Book for Mac. I am planning on purchasing more movies for iTunes. Which external hard drive should I use for what? Option A or B
Option A: Put my iTunes library on the 2TB external hard drive and use the 3TB for backup
Option B: Put my iTunes library on the 3TB external hard drive and continue to use the 2TB for backup
Also please give me your reasoning.
Thanks everyone for your responses!

Limnos,
So, let's go one step further with this. I read your reply to moving iTunes library to an external hard drive: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4594518?tstart=0 However, if I move the iTunes library, will this include all the movies and apps that I have purchased?
Thanks!!!!

What external Hard drive should I use for Final Cut Pro?

Hi:
I have a Mac Pro and I'm planning to work with HD. What external hard drive should I use?
PD: I have a NVIDIA on a PCI Express graphic slot.
Thanks,
Cabezon

You'll need to be much more specific; there are 20 or 60 different kinds of high definition. Some require nothing, some require superfast RAID, some require specialized hardware support.
bogiesan

I want to move my music and photos to an external hard drive from my iMac. What external hard drive should I get?

I want to move my music and photos to an external hard drive from my iMac. What kind of hard drive should I get? Will it remove it from iMac and only be on external hard drive?

How to correctly move your media:
iTunes: How to move the library to an EHD
iPhoto: How to move the Library to an EHD
It is important that the External Hard Drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (journaled).
And also make sure that all is working to your Satisfaction before Deleting anything Off your Mac.

Upgrade Hard Drive Macbook Pro 13" 2009

I am really unsure which hard drive to get. I video edit a lot my video editing is taking up over three quarters of my hard drive space. Which one is better? I am not good with hard drive names/features such as SATA and buffer. The 750GB got better reviews but the 1TB one got much more space. Help please!
Western Digital 2.5 inch Scorpio Black 750GB 7200rpm SATA 16MB Internal Hard Drive
or
Seagate ST31000524AS 3.5 inch Barracuda 1TB GB 7200rpm SATA Drive with 32MB Buffer
links: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Scorpio-7200rpm-Internal/dp/B004I9J5OG/r ef=cm_srch_res_rtr_1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seagate-ST31000524AS-Barracuda-7200rpm-Buffer/dp/B004HBA GSO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1365196109&sr=1-1&keywords=1tb+7200rpm

Any hard drive should be fine although I'd stay away from the so-called "green" drives. Hitachi, Seagate, Toshiba are all good brands.

Upgrading Hard Drive - Should i spend extra money for a 7200?

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