Which external hard drive is best for the MacBook Pro? Can I use the SuperDrive?

I am looking to buy a new external hard drive for my new MacBook Pro and just want the best one for this laptop. Can i use the SuperDrive? It looks like the SuperDrive is for the MacBook Air but wasn't sure if it could be used with the Pro as well.

Apple does not make external harddrives, except maybe the TimeCapsule which is Router/HD combo for use with the TimeMachine software.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/mac_accessories/storage
There are many to choose from, and you will I sure get much advise across the board.
I would stay away from WesternDigital.
Othere then that OWC are a dependable supplier.
I am using a 1TB/QuadInterface/DiskGo/ by Edge they had a very sweet back to school discount promo.
Look around for your "sleek and thin in design" and a good deal as they all go on sale periodicly.
Think along the lines of USB 3, Thunderbolt if your machine supports it or at a minimum FireWire800.

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Please help, which internal hard drive is best for a MacBook Pro mid 2010?

Hello,
My hard drive on my macbook pro is done for it's 3 years old and I am getting the beach ball constantly, with loads of page outs. I can't afford a SSD so other than that whats the fastest drive I can get? I am guessing a 1TB 7200? Can anyone recomend any? These are the ones I found so far, any thoughts/ advice would be really apreciated.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/MacBook-MB470LL-Laptop-Internal-7200rpm/dp/B00DF2GKO0/re f=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1381746696&sr=1-6&keywords=MTXtec
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Seagate-inch-5400RPM-Drive/dp/B007NVGWV0/ref=dp_ return_2?ie=UTF8&n=340831031&s=computers
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MC729ZM/A/1tb-sata-hard-disk-drive-kit-for-mac -pro - this is so much more expensive and doesn't give the spec. I would like to avoid that markup if poss, without having an inferior product.
Many thanks.

My personal experience is as follows. I initially installed 1 TB HGST 5400 rpm HDDs and then were replaced by 1 TB HGST 7200 rpm HDDs. Both performed satisfactorily.
Currently I have 1 TB Seagate SSHDs (Hybrid) in my MBPs and they have reduced the boot and shutdown times by over 50%. They are also satisfactory.
Note that there will be cheerleaders and detractors for all brands of HDDs. I merely report my empirical results.
Ciao.
Note that I also have a 2010 MBP as well as a 2011 MBP.

What is the best external hard drive to purchase for a Macbook Pro with OS X 10.7.5?

I'm looking into purchasing a new external hard drive for video editing purposes. I own a Macbook Pro which operates on OS X Lion (10.7.5). I would like at least 1TB of memory (2TB maximum) and a FireWire 800 port for a reasonable price. Any suggestions of brands or specific models?

LaCie is a good brand name.
Avoid WD "combos" ... the pre-packaged boxes with WD drives. WD tends to pick controller/interface cards that fail and scramble the disk data.
But you can go to macsales.com and buy a "OnTheGo" enclosure and add "bare drives" from WD as their drives are good.
I ahev this "toaster" that allows easy chaning of "bare drive": http://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/FWU3ES2HDK/

Hi - have lost my Install DVD for my macbook Pro - can I use the one from my husbands Macbook or how do I get a new one??

Hi
Have lost my Install DVD for macbook pro and need it because my computer black out all the time - can I use the one from my husbands macbook (not pro) or how do I get a new one???

10.6 Snow Leopard ?
You can call Apple and order one. 1-800-275-2273
You cannot use an install dvd that is shipped with another computer.

I keep my library on an external hard drive 4TB. It's full. Can I use more than one hard drive to keep my library on?

I keep my iTunes library on an external hard drive 4TB. It's full. Can I use more than one hard drive to keep my library on? Like two 4TB next to each other.

Create a concatenated disk set
Increase storage space with a concatenated RAID set (also called “Just a Bunch of Disks” or JBOD). If you need one large disk, but you have only several smaller disks, you can create a concatenated disk set to use several small disks as one large disk.
Open Disk Utility, in the Utilities folder in Launchpad.
Select one of the disks that you want in the set, and then click RAID.
Click Add (+), and type a name for the RAID set.
Choose a format from the Format pop-up menu. Usually you’ll choose the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.
Choose Concatenated Disk Set from the RAID Type pop-up menu.
Drag the disks you want to add to the set to the list on the right.
Click Create.
Exerpt from:
Disk Utility 12.x: Create a RAID set - Apple - Support
Note that the biggest CON to concatenated RAID configurations is vulnerability to volume failure. If either disk fails, the whole volume fails. If you choose this option, I would highly recommend backing up your music to a cloud service. There are very cheap per GB/storage, and some of the most reputable actually offer unlimited storage:
Five Best Cloud Storage Providers - Lifehacker

Setting up an external hard drive to back up my MacBook Pro?

I am currently using a 320GB Western Digital external hard drive to back up my MacBook Pro using Time Machine, soon however I am going to be putting Windows 7 onto my machine so I am trying to figure out how I am going to back up the Mac OS X and the Windows partition at the same time using this hard drive. I am thinking about completetly erasing the drive and putting 2 partitions on it in 2 different formats (one for Mac OS X and one for Windows). I am also thinking of using Carbon Copy Cloner instead of Time Machine because it creates bootable backups. However, now that I am thinking about using Carbon Copy Cloner I am wondering if FAT32 will work for both partitions? (I have been using Mac OS X extended (journaled) only because it works with Time machine). I need help though because I would not know how to go about completely erasing/resetting the drive etc.. then partitioning it and formatting it. I am also wondering if there is a windows equivalent of CCC or Super Duper to back up the Windows partition. Thanks for your help in advance.

I'm inferring from the way you wrote about using Windows that you plan on using it through Boot Camp. Have you considered using VMware Fusion (or Parallels) instead? Then Time Machine would back up the virtual machine along with everything else. You also have the advantage that you can use both Mac OS and Windows at the same time - you don't have to choose one or the other. There are two disadvantages. First, since both Mac OS and Windows are running simultaneously, you need more memory. I'd recommend no less than 8 GB if you run any serious software on either OS. You can get away with 4 GB, but at times the system will be really slow. Second, the virtual machine images are BIG - mine typically run over 20 GB - so you'll probably want a bigger backup drive if you go this way.

How do i transfer music from an external hard drive to itunes on my macbook pro?

how do i transfer music from an external hard drive to itunes on my macbook pro?

easy just open iTunes and Finder together and drag the songs into iTunes
George Karakadas, hope this helped u. if it helped u PLZ RATE MY AANSWER AS: "CORRECT ANSWRER" thnx

Looking for a Hard Drive RAID System for 17" MacBook Pro, any Suggestions?

I purchased my 17" MacBook Pro in Nov. 09 and it does have an ExpressCard/34 slot. What I am looking to do, is purchase a 4TB Caldigit VR External Hard Drive and put it on RAID 0. I Love the performance fact, but I don't feel too safe, because if that drives go down, there goes my data. So what I want to do is use Carbon Copy Cloner and find another External Hard Drive that will backup my Caldigit VR, since it will be RAID 0. Any Suggestions would help out very much! I am using this RAID System to store my HD Video using Final Cut Pro Studio. I know I can set up the Caldigit VR as a RAID 1, but I would rather set it up as a RAID 0 and have another hard drive back the data up. Let me know if you have set up a RAID System for your MacBook Pro and what you did. Also what express cards do you recommend?
Thank you,
Chad

There is a difference technically between this iStorage unit and the Cal Digit stuff. Cal Digit includes a hardware raid controller, and removable drives. The iStorage Pro unit relies on your computer's CPU to control the raid... so will tax things like render times... plus just to play a software raid can take as much as 30% of your CPU's cycles to do it...
That said, it may not matter if you're working in lower resolution files, or lower data rate stuff, either company makes great gear though. Both are intended for use with video systems. But ya do get something for the extra money on the CalDigit gear.
But if all you want to use it for is backup of data... anybody's drives would do this... doesn't have to be a raid either. Single FW drives will certainly hold the data as backup even if they won't play it without dropping frames.
OH, and Colorado... join the Denver FCP User Group... http://www.dfcpug.com We meet at the Colorado Film School in Denver on a monthly basis.
Jerry
Message was edited by: Jerry Hofmann

How do you separate corrupt files from good files on a external hard drive importing them to my macbook pro

how do you separate corrupt files from good files on a external hard drive importing them to your macbook pro

You open them one at a time into thier respective programs and see if they are good or not and then send the bad ones to the Trash and the good ones to the appropriate folder.

External Hard Drive No longer Appearing on Macbook Pro

Hello, I have a Iomega ldhd-up 1TB external hard drive which I have owned for about 3-4 years. The enclosure case of the hard drive is very poorly designed and the port for the USB cable does not fit the cable tightly. Over the years I often would have to turn off the hard drive and adjust the cord so it would appear on my computer. (yes i know its a bad idea to turn it off without unmounting, but i didn't have much choice)
However, as of today, it is no longer appearing at all no matter what I do. (not on the desktop, or disk utility, or anywhere). It is making the same sounds and the light on the external is showing up as if should be working though.
Does anyone have a fix for this or suggestions to make my hard drive appear and function again. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you.

Since you have had a history of connection problems with the Iomega, get a new enclosure for the HDD. That of course assumes that the HDD is functional.
Ciao.

My external hard drive suddenly not recognized (retina macbook pro)

Windows 8 has a great feature which is "windows to go", so I have installed windows 8 in my external hard drive. The problem just happened. I was using windows via my hard drive. I shut down the computer and turned on mac system. Then the hard drive wasn't detected!
I have tried doing following things but didn't work:
I plugged out and plugged in the the external hard drive again.
I restarted the mac system.
I put my charger on.
I opened the console and here are the "Message"...:
1/18/14 8:53:51.000 AM kernel[0]: USBMSC Identifier (non-unique): 012345678933 0x152d 0x539 0x1302, 3
1/18/14 8:53:52.000 AM kernel[0]: MacAuthEvent en0   Auth result for: 10:bf:48:3d:cb:03 Auth request tx failed
1/18/14 8:54:39.000 AM kernel[0]: MacAuthEvent en0   Auth result for: 10:bf:48:3d:cb:03 Auth request tx failed
1/18/14 8:57:13.000 AM kernel[0]: MacAuthEvent en0   Auth result for: 10:bf:48:3d:cb:03 Auth request tx failed
PLEASE HELP ME!

It is formatted for both PC and Mac
I have tried finding it in Disk Utility, no dice...
Tried both USB Ports
And a reboot is still unsuccessful..

WD External Hard drive not working with new Macbook Pro

I have recently upgraded to a new Macbook Pro and when connecting a WD 1 TB Passport external hard drive, it doesn't appear on the MBP, but when I connect it to my old Macbook running 10.5.8, it appears normally. Is this a problem with formatting or an issue because it is USB 2.0...
Any help appreciated as I have a lot of data on the hard drive and would like to be able to use it with my new MBP.

I'm on Lion, with similar issues with two WD external HD. But what I found fixed the problem was to:
1. go to the manufacturer's website (in this case Western Digital),
2. locate my external HD, download the download.
For instance, I downloaded the WD Drive Utilities for Mac (for My Passport for Mac USB 3.0):
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=219&sid=157&lang=en
Install the downloaded app.
3. Plug in external (this part, I think is important) directly into your tower or laptop (as opposed to through a USB multi-plug extender). Possibly this is because you access more power?
[I'm trying to remember in which order everything happened. But I think at this point the external hard drive mounted]
4. Install the software that is found on the external HD (in my case, it was a brand new device, so that had never been installed).
5. Run "WD Drive Utilities" and run diagnostics.
6. Test to see if it holds. Unmount the External HD. Unplug. Replug in and see if it mounts.
Note: I have not yet tested to see if plugging in the external somewhere other than directly into the tower also works. But I think the main problem is getting it to mount the first time and installing the software. That's what I think.

Can't get my external hard drive to show up on MacBook Pro

I used Time Machine to keep backups for my MacBook Pro using the latest version of Lion. I backed up to a WD external drive. My computer went to be repaired and they had to put in a new hard drive. When I got home and plugged in the external drive it appeared on my desktop. The Apple rep told me to drag over folders from the backup. I looked through a few of the backups (dated) and everything seemed to be there. But I got the spinning wheel as I tried to copy over "latest". I couldn't get rid of it and had to reboot.
So next it appeared, showed one folder but when I clicked on that folder there was nothing inside.
Then I couldn't see the hard drive any longer. Now I take out the drive and plug it in again and the drive won't appear in the list of devices. I use the disk utility and it doesn't see it either.
Needless to say I'm pretty concerned. I've had the problem of an external drive not appearing a few times over the years but a reboot or unplug and plug back in always fixed it. not this time.
Help!
Much appreciate,

If you have recently upgraded to Lion, it would be probably a matter of drivers. You should go to the official web site and download the latest drivers. If not, try to format the HDD with disc utilities. If your disc doesn't appear even in disc utilities, try to format it with any copy of windows in fat 32 format

What to do if an external hard drive is recognized on one macbook pro but is NOT recognized on another?

Attached a friend's external hard drive to my MacBook Pro and it wouldn't mount (Finder is set to show external disks), though I could clearly hear it functioning. However, if it's plugged into his Mac, it is recognized.
Thanks in advance for any solutions and apologies in advance if this has been a topic before.

Reset the SMC and NVRAM:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

Portable External Hard-drive is not recognised on Macbook Pro after latest update

Recently my Seagate Portable hard-drive is no longer recognised in Finder, disk utility or the system profile. It no longer sufficiently powers the device as no light appears but the external hard-drive does make a noise. The device still works with other macs.
So far I have tried turning it off and on and have consulted my local apple store with no luck.

Do other peripherals work when connected to the MBP?
Try a NVRAM reset:
http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063
Ciao.

Which external hard drive is best for the MacBook Pro? Can I use the SuperDrive?

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