01-20-2011, 01:57 PM

I have a slowly failing start up disk so I am going to use one of my HDs as the new start up. The drive I want to use is in slot 3 so do I need to move that into the first (0,0) port?

If I move my failing start up disk into another slot will I be able to access that drive in case I want to remove files from it?

Some of the files have been corrupted due to the bad sectors, and I have some critical video files...Is there any applications I can use to uncorrupt them? I don't think its the actually files that are corrupt but the sectors it happens to b on the hard drive. Like any data recovery Apps perhaps.

Also this is my first time ever doing this kind of work...If anyone has any general advice about reinstalling I would totally appreciate it. LIke if there is any precautionary measures I need to take. Thanks!

01-20-2011, 02:42 PM

I'm not familiar with the drive bay setup on a Mac Pro so I'll let one of our Mac Pro guys answer that for you.

As far as extracting data and files from a defective drive you can give software a try. Data Rescue 3 from Prosoft is about as good as it gets for doing that. It's a bit pricey at $99 but they do have a trial version you can download and test with.

As far as reinstalling OS X goes, it's a fairly simple process provided you have your original install DVD media on hand. It's always best to do an archive and reinstall - which Snow Leopard will do automatically. If you're using Leopard, you'll have to specify. The archive and reinstall process will save your data and other settings to a separate folder during the reinstall so that you can access the data from the new installation.

01-20-2011, 03:52 PM

You do not have to move the drives ~ just go into System preferences and select the drive you wish to boot from and it will remain as the boot drive unless you change this about. Of course you do have to have the operating system on the drive you select and the best way to do this is by cloning using SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.

01-20-2011, 03:54 PM

Your Pro doesn't care what slot the boot disk is in. Simply open your Startup Disk control panel and choose a new boot disk. You can juggle them around if you wish, but the computer won't care. Moving the drives between slots is kind of a throwback to IDE devices or SCSI devices, where the first device is your master or your lowest SCSI address is your boot device. With SATA, it's irrelevant.

01-20-2011, 07:38 PM

I have regular leopard for my early 08 mac. Do you guys think I should go snow leopard? Will I notice a difference? Thanks.

01-20-2011, 09:21 PM

Yes. SL is a leaner, faster OS.

01-21-2011, 12:33 AM

cool, even if I get the upgrade, I should install leopard first, and then upgrade to Snow Leopard. Def the cheapest way to do it as well. Is Snow Leopard totally compatible with everything? Mainly I would be worried about Final Cut Studio 2, and CS5.

01-21-2011, 04:33 PM

Time will tell about your software and suggest you do not upgrade but do a clean install and transfer applications, network settings etc using Migration Assistant in Utilities. Go to Adobe forums and see what is said about Snow Leopard compatability.

01-21-2011, 06:48 PM

I can migrate all my applications and etc that easy? Wouldn't that negate the idea of a clean install? How do I go about doing that though? Do I install Snow Leopard first and then go into utilities or will I have the option when I install? Thanks.

01-21-2011, 09:44 PM

Install Snow Leopard, update to OS X.6.6 and the use Migration Assistant and select what you want to transfer over.