Can i move my HDD from my current MBP Nov 2006 model to new 13" MBP?

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hey all,

I've decided to finally upgrade my aging MacBook Pro (Nov 2006 Intel 2.33Ghz Core 2 Duo) to a spanking new 13" MBP.

I have recently installed Snow Leopard from scratch on my MBP, and have also upgraded the hard drive to a 7200rpm 320gb Hitachi drive, which is way better than what's available in the MBP by default.

My question is this: How difficult would it be to pull the HDD out of my current MBP, and put it into the new one? Can anybody advise what its like (physically) to switch a HDD on a new MBP? The old one was pretty tough, but i managed... hoping the new one is easier. Also, would I void my warranty by doing this?

And what about the software side... is OSX likely to fall in a heap cos of differnet hardware etc, or is it smart enough to realise that there's new hardware and install drivers as needed?

I'm hoping i can make an easy switch, and therefore not have to worry about reinstalling everything (which took ages just a few weeks ago)... and at the same time get the advantage of my fast 7200rpm drive in the new MBP.

Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks heaps
Greg
 
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Your Mac's Specs
MacBook Pro 17" HD
Greg,

The new Unibody MBP are a bit simpler to get to the hard drive than the older MBP design. You can find a guide at iFixit (Installing MacBook Pro 15" Unibody 2.53 GHz Mid 2009 Hard Drive Replacement - iFixit). Additionally, because you are moving drives between two Intel Macs, it should boot up normally. Macs aren't as tied to installing individual drivers as Windows machines are.

The issue (if you consider it one) lies with the warranty. Opening the Mac will most likely void your warranty on your new Mac. There is also a "void type" sticker inside the new Mac over the battery which must be moved to get to the hard drive. This is likely to show that the Mac has been opened.

Jeff
 
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Hey all,

Just thought i'd post an update. Last night i got my new MacBook Pro, and performed the harddrive transplant procedure.

The hardest thing about the whole thing was opening and closing the old (2006) MBP - it's very fiddly. The new one was a breeze - just unscrew about 8 screws, and the harddrive is right there - simple as pie. Also there were no warranty voiding stickers to remove, so i believe my warranty should still be intact... there was, however, a warranty voiding sticker on the battery, so it seems apple don't want people replacing batteries on their own.

As far as the software goes... there was nothign to it. The machine booted up as normal, and worked as normal. No driver updates, no weirdness at all - it just worked. This is yet another reason why I love Macs.

That was a massive time saver for me as I'd recenlty rebuilt my machine, so being able to just switch the HDD over to a new MBP is just wonderful.

Thanks for the advice Jeff... and hope this helps others out there in a similar situation.

Cheers
Greg
 

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