Another MacBook Hard Drive Replacement Experience

Thanks to the author, the instructions worked like a charm!

HD upgrade on new MB...

Just to be sure that I am correct before I begin... Do the system discs that are included with my new MB contain everything that is on the hard drive from the factory? In other words, if I am upgrading my hard drive on a brand new MB, can I simply take the original drive out, put the new drive in, format it, and install everything from the discs?

This is my first Mac, so forgive me if I'm a little bit stupid on this. I didn't know if iLife '08 is part of the OS, or separate. For that reason, I didn't know if it was on the restore discs, as well as whether anything else is absent.

I know this is mentioned previously on this thread (to do the install from the discs), but I wanted verification that everything is on there before I began.

I had ordered a MBP for store pickup at Best Buy, but decided (as much as I lusted after the MBP.........) that I just couldn't justify the MBP over the MB. Once I got to the store, I canceled the pro and bought the white MB with the DVD burner. I wanted the black, but considering that I was going to upgrade the HD anyway, couldn't justify the extra $200 just for the black case. So, for my $700 savings for the MB vs. the MBP, I've upgraded to 4 gb Ram ($80 from Newegg), 200 gb/7200 RPM Hitachi HD (with upgrade kit which will give me a 120 gb portable USB drive from my original MB HD after the install ($170 from BB)). I will order a Time Capsule (probably 500 gb) next time I get a 12% off coupon from BB ($264, or $440 for the 1 TB). I'll have those three upgrades, and still be under $700 even if I opt for the 1 TB Time Capsule (ok, tax might push that total over $700). Sorry to be off topic with this extra info, but I just had to share it with someone! I love the MBP, but am so happy that I resisted my normal gadget oriented urges, and went with the MB instead. The thing is, I would have bought the same upgrades for the MBP, so it is a true savings of the whole $700 (only difference being that the 2x1 gb Ram taken from the MBP would be worth more than the 512 mb x 2 Ram taken out of the MB, in case I were to sell them on eBay). So... I felt (for me, not in need of the better graphics of the MBP, and willing to "suffer" without some of the other cool features that it has) that the $700 was much better spent on these 3 upgrades (4, when you consider the portable 120 gb USB drive that I will also have after the swap).

My first Mac, my first wireless network (first network of any kind, actually)... I'm sure I haven't even thought of all of the possibilities yet.

Anyway, sorry again for drifting off topic so badly.

EDIT:

I forgot that I also bought a BookEndz port replicator from NewEgg for $140. I read some bad reviews on this, but decided to take a chance on it anyway. So if I opt for the 500 gb Time Capsule, I'm still under $700 for all 4 upgrades plus the bonus USB portable HD.

Okay my story is going similar to the posted one... except I bought a SATA 2.5" enclosure and hooked up my new HD using firewire and cloned my old HD onto it. As soon as I get all of the fancy screwdrivers I wasn't aware I needed until I opened my macbook, I'll plug the new "cloned" drive into the HD bay and use the old one for extra storage. I used carbon copy cloner instead of Super Duper but they seem to be about the same... (and my OS X cd is currently on another continent... oops!) I should be able to boot up and run off of my new cloned hard drive just like I did off of the old, right? That seems to be implied by the word "clone"... but I keep seeing so many mentions of inserting the OS X cd to get the initial boot.

Thanks for putting your experience out there for us!

You should be good to go, I didn't need my OS X CD at all.
Good Luck.

I dont seem to have a HD!!!

Hi, I am trying to create a new thread but I am kind of ignorant in these matter and cant find how to do it.
I have a very big problem and you seem very knowledgeable, so I am addressing it to you hoping you are able to help me.
I was using my MACBOOK , intel core 2 duo, then set it on sleeping mode, after a while I came back to it and hit the SAFARI icon, this just kept jumping up and down, then the screen went gray with a little sign in different languages , telling me to restart my computer, I did this several time, in several different ways (disconnecting the power supply, taking the battery off, pressing down some keys on the board, etc.) nothing seemed to work, now I am trying to re-install the software (10.4), but the option to install ¨clean¨ never appeared, so I went to disk utility and selected my HD and erased as journaled, then I selected the mounted HD disk that appeared under my HD icon on the left, with my name on it, and selected erase also as journaled, then I selected ERASE EMPTY SPACES, with 0 as the following option, it took a while, but it happened. Now after all of this craziness, when I try to install my software, my HD icon does not appear, the disk just stops and keeps trying to find where to install. I went ahead and restarted my computer, took the disk out, it makes the typical sound, then the screen stays gray with a flashing folder in the middle that has an interrogation sign.
PLEASE HELP!!!
I just tried to install the software again, at the point where it asks you to select a destination, NO ICONS APPEAR, as if I dont have a HD.


p.s. After deleting everything I ran a check from Disk Utility and everything said to be fine

So... what is the largest drive that I can put into the Macbook? I have a 160 GB and it's already full... I want the same speed drive.

Macbook wont recognize HDD

so i tried to turn on my macbook the other day and it wouldn't get past that blue screen. so i called apple tech support and tried some things, and then we found out that my macbook wouldn't recognize the HDD. so now i have the opportunity to send it in, but i can't get anything off of my HDD because it won't recognize it.
Does anybody know a reason or maybe a solution to my problem?

Upgrading HD on MacBook (white)

Hi,

I just got a 250gig HD for my MacBook. I am trying to upgrade using time machine, is that possible? what is the best way to preserve what i have on the smaller drive? My current drive is currently partitioned and i have windows running on one side of the partition how i can do that without losing windows?
any help would be appriciated!

thanks,

I've replaced my hard drive (due failure) but do not know how to restore everything to it from my time capsule.

Help!!

The horror of it!
At least can use safari and somehow have an operational airport.... No access to much anything else that I need- including many utility functions. (there are 3 user accounts now- only one accessible). This all resulting from a hard drive upgrade... For me, the mechanical "Screwdriver" part is no problem-> from there everything tends to go sour-
Problem arises from a combination of not enough known & not wishing to fully install what is on the old drive. Looking like an "erase and start over" is upcoming...
Actually, for all you out there about to do this upgrade- The process does appear to be straightforward/painless- I was pleasently suprised at the automation and wondered what I was fretting about (prior thinking about the process); But Deveiations from the typical route (reproducing old drive onto the new one) seems to add significant complications for some of us....
Old drive is in an enclosure.
Have time machine backup (even put a ccc (clone) onto this external- although maybe wastefully redundant)- But I can't access anything on it beyond the "reinstall".
Running 10.6.8
Don't know how much anyone can help here- seems like such a giant mess to me- Lots of button clicking into unknown quagmires-> educational though!- Learning......