Macbook Hard Drive + OS Install Question

Hi,

I currently have an old Macbook (Intel Core Duo, 2GHz) running Leopard on it's stock 80GB hard drive,]Hard Disk Drives & Storage Device Technology For Consumer Electronics - Toshiba.

Now, I want upgrade to a higher capacity hard drive (any 160GB+ would be fine)

However, I'm not sure if I should go with 5400rpm or 7200rpm (or even 8mb or 16mb cache). I know the 7200rpm one would definately load things up faster, but I'm worried about the heat that it would create.

Which hard drive do you recommand? (I live in Canada, so I prefer buying from Canada Computers or Tiger Direct)

I was thinking if 5400rpm is fine, ]Canada Computers - : Hitachi Travelstar 250GB 2.5" SATA 5400rpm 8MB (0A53329).

Please Recommand me some good compatible hard drives (basically any S-ATA2 2.5" Hard Drives are fine right?)


*Oh and also, I have a Leopard installed on this computer. Since I've lost the original install CD, is there any way I can copy EVERYthing on the HD i have right now onto the NEW hard drive(incl. the OS X)*

Thanks.

anyone ?

I have a 15" MBP with the 5400 120 GB HD. I decided to go to Other World Computing and purchased the 7200 rpm Seagate Momentus, 320 GB HD. It is SATA and 2.5mm. I watched OWC's video on how to install the new drive. I was able to do the installation in about an hour that included several trips to our iMac to review the video. Everything came together well. I cloned the new drive using Super Duper and now keep the 120 as a secondary external backup hard drive in an enclosure. The 320 drive doesn't seem to run any hotter and does have a VERY noticeable performance increase. Total cost to me was $133 which included a special tool kit with the necessary items to complete the installation. I was quoted $309 plus tax to do the same thing by a company that handles repairs for Apple computers. I say go for it.

I agree with Richard... the Seagate 7200rpm is an excellent choice.

I upgrade my HD yesterday from a 160GB up to a 500GB (7200rpm) - Seagate. There aren't really any heat issues, the speed is excellent and it is immediately noticeable that the MacBook Pro runs much smoother.

Also mentioned above was SuperDuper!

I used this throughout my upgrade process. It's a free software, easy to use and works perfect.

SuperDuper!

This is what I did...

1) Formatted my external hard drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
2) Opened up SuperDuper! Chose to copy Macintosh HD (your internal drive) to your External Hard Drive (that you've just formatted).
3) Then select 'backup - all files' and hit copy now. You'll get a prompt warning that you're about to erase your External drive and copy your Internal drive onto it. Hit copy...

Remember that you can use either a firewire or USB external HD if you're using an Intel Based Mac - which you probably are. If not, you should use a firewire ext. HD.

Also, beforehand - make sure you don't have any faulty programs on your Hard Drive as this may result in failure whilst copying - other than that it will run smooth.

This copy will be a complete clone of your drive with Leopard on it also so you won't require the install discs after the new internal drive installation.

4) After the NEW drive is installed - ensure it's formatted to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

5) Turn the MacBook Pro off. Plug in your external HD (that has your copy of your drive on) and turn it on.

6) Turn on your MBP and hold down the command key (Alt) until you get the option to boot from your external drive. Double click-it.

7) Once loaded, open SuperDuper! and copy this time from your External Drive to your NEW Internal drive (just like before).

Hope this helps... there are also plenty of SuperDuper! demos on the net i.e. youtube.com

Peace.

To enhance EpicOne's guidance, I installed my new Seagate 320 into its external enclosure first, before I did anything else. Then, I used Disk Utility to format it as he mentions. Once formatted, I then went into Super Duper and used my 120 as the source drive and cloned it to the new 320. The result was a perfect match for the two drives. Super Duper will reboot from the new drive as a way to ensure the process.

Once completed, I went through the process to remove the 120 and install the 320. The 120 took its place in the enclosure and I was done.

A word of caution. If you decide to do this yourself, be sure to assemble everything you'll need to do the swap. Be very systematic about removing the 21 different screws to allow access to the innards of the MBP. Some of the screws are very short; others long. They MUST go back in the correct location. Secondly, I had a little trouble separating the top keyboard from the body. There are snaps located along the edge and mine offered resistance separating the lower right corner area above the optical DVD drive. Be very careful here and don't bend anything.

Finally, having a magnetized Phillips and Torc screwdriver makes life wonderful when removing some of the screws.

Back to you,
JR

Thanks alot.

I guess ill buy a 7200rpm one.

But instead of using Super Duper, isn't it possible to use the Time Machine that comes with the OS X naturally?

I already backed my HD with Time Machine.. hoping that it would work..


Thank you.

You'll be disappointed with Time Machine. It is only capable of restoring a specific file. It was not intended to totally restore the hard drive and reboot the system. Best to rely on Super Duper which is a free download. It is foolproof. Wise choice on the Seagate.

Hi, I know I keep posting this, but I have done full video guides including how to clone your drive onto a new one. See my sig.

Okay thank you, I went ahead and bought this one.

Canada Computers - Hard Drives > Notebook Drives > 2.5" SATA Drives : Seagate Momentus (ST9320421AS) 320GB 7200.3 SATA 7200RPM 16MB Cache 2.5" Laptop HDD (OEM).

But.. unfortunately.. I dont have the tool to unscrew the panel thats attached to the HD..

I'll use the superduper i guess haha

I only need to clone the HD because I dont have the original Leopard CDs..

You can buy a great little toolkit from OWC for $18. It has everything you'll need and then some.

shoot.. I just saw your video chrismac, and I might have a little trouble cloning my HD.

This is what I currently have..

Macbook with OLD 80GB HD (w/ leopard installed)
New 320GB HD 720rpm
External 80GB HD (this is 3.5" so the NEW HD won't fit in here)
NO LEOPARD CDs

I was hoping I could "time machine" all the data to the external HD and when I insert the NEW HD into the mac, time machine it back in...


Thank you.