I'm hitting the upper limits on the Macbook Pro hard drive. Took the plunge and have ordered a bigger, faster model drive to upgrade, which in itself is no small task with a 1st gen MBP...

I'm fairly happy to run CCC to clone the exiting contents to the new drive and thenget busy with the screwdrivers.

BUT, and this is were you might come in, the new drive of course isn't Mac formatted. It may also not be running the most up-to-date firmware.

So....what's the best course of action?

Plug into Mac as an external, format, then update firmware, then clone?

Or would it be possible to plug it into the Windows PC, format, update the firmware (as there's a PC utility for doing this, as opposed to burning a disc image, then booting to that, applying it, then rebooting on Mac), then plug into the mac and zero the drive and then format/clone? Would the firmware update be unaffected?

I'm normally more in the dismantle, diagnose, fix, re-assemble field, not terribly happy with voodoo-level software fiddles such as what might be required.

Any advice or insights welcomed....

I can't say I have heard of many windows users updating the firmware of their HDDS - you just have what ever it is supplied with.

As for the cloning process, I can't help there - not a mac user. I would have thought you could attach the disk via a USB cable, partition it, and then run CCC?

back up to time machine

install new drive

run recovery disc, run disc utilities, format drive

restore backup from time machine

Simples....

back up to time machine

install new drive

run recovery disc, run disc utilities, format drive

restore backup from time machine

Simples....

while that's fine in theory, I don't use time machine, nor have a backup drive that is of an adequate size to take the current drive contents (docs, music, photo's, app.suites) Time Machine back-up/restore cycles from the Time Capsule i do have are so slow as to be useless.

And there's still the issue of if the hard drive isn't running the latest firmware - several Seagate drives do have upgradeable firmware and do get revised firmwares released for various "fixes".

Unless there is a known bug in the firmware on the drive I wouldn't bother as different versions of firmware can make the drive behave quite differently.

If you get one of those linux liveCD things with a open source drive cloning prog that will probably do the job.

You dont need to update the HDD firmware, I didnt when I upgraded my Macbook to a 500GB HDD and its working perfectly fine. I used time machine to recover the entire mac and it was a quick and painless process.

You dont need to update the HDD firmware, I didnt when I upgraded my Macbook to a 500GB HDD and its working perfectly fine. I used time machine to recover the entire mac and it was a quick and painless process.

Out of interest (and in an attempt to preserve my own sanity) did you use Time Machine to back up EVERYTHING, applications as well as your own files? or did you do a clean install and then recover files? AS you can tell, I've not used Time Machine beyond the basic file back up, in the mists of time...

And the 500GB drive..... what did you go for in the end?

I mentioned the firmware, just in case - some say the previous version on the drive I've gone for is a problem, some say the new one sorts it out, so just in case I get an older drive.........

Edited 10 January, 201115 yr by Gwilo

Out of interest (and in an attempt to preserve my own sanity) did you use Time Machine to back up EVERYTHING, applications as well as your own files? or did you do a clean install and then recover files? AS you can tell, I've not used Time Machine beyond the basic file back up, in the mists of time...

And the 500GB drive..... what did you go for in the end?

I mentioned the firmware, just in case - some say the previous version on the drive I've gone for is a problem, some say the new one sorts it out, so just in case I get an older drive.........

Time machine will back up EVERYTHING, all your applications, settings, music, photos etc.

Its good practice to run continual backups anyway. I've dropped my macbook a number of times and had to recover files, time machine makes it, very very simple to restore your last backup

I use this for backups on both my macbook and imacs and also for network hosting of all my music for streaming to my ps3 etc. It requires its firmware updates initially to be time machine compatible but then runs seamlessly

Edited 10 January, 201115 yr by octaviaconvert

Almost an academic subject now - the drive was delivered at 12:30 and deader than a dead thing that died by 1pm. Intermittently appearing on disk utility, failing to mount, failing to format, then it finally refused to even be viewable across any platform.

RMA issued and now braced for the vendor hassles.

So....avoid a Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid....Stick with conventional floating platters or SSD....don't mix.....

Thinking I'll go WD on the replacement.....

Almost an academic subject now - the drive was delivered at 12:30 and deader than a dead thing that died by 1pm. Intermittently appearing on disk utility, failing to mount, failing to format, then it finally refused to even be viewable across any platform.

RMA issued and now braced for the vendor hassles.

So....avoid a Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid....Stick with conventional floating platters or SSD....don't mix.....

Thinking I'll go WD on the replacement.....

Sorry, but that sounds like it's just DOA. You get that, it's normal and I'd think a replacement would be fine.

The only way you'll get a problem is if you fiddled with the firmware (or tried to and it failed)

Sorry, but that sounds like it's just DOA. You get that, it's normal and I'd think a replacement would be fine.

The only way you'll get a problem is if you fiddled with the firmware (or tried to and it failed)

I agree with you Cheeze, don't get me wrong. I thought long and hard (well, more than I normally do) as to whether to go for a direct swap or refund.

A few factors weighed on my mind:

1.Cost. Double a conventional drive, with performance gains that are a mixed bag from reviews and tests.

2.Reliability - while fail rates are exceptionally low these days as you say, if you buy a lemon, you're more cautious the next time.

3.Convenience - my existing drives are a)full and b)becoming erratic.....do I persevere with returns processes and reinstallations taking days, or go with the more accessible option?

And did I mention the cost? Age of Austerity etc.....

Drive now cloned.....the real fun begins when I get my hands in the right Torx bit and disassemble the MacBook.....

They charge double for the hybrid drives

I know flash isn't cheap, but even so.

A useful tip:

When you take the mac apart, make sure you have lots of little boxes, such as film pots around and that you have labelled them with numbers or letters.

Make lots of stickers and place them next to each screw that comes out.

I say this because there are so many different sizes of screw used in the mac laptops I've taken apart it wasn't even funny. We took to labelling the screws by size and then managed to get it apart and back again.

Edited 11 January, 201115 yr by cheezemonkhai

They charge double for the hybrid drives

I know flash isn't cheap, but even so.

Yep, they sure do....almost.

500GB Hybrid XT - £96

500GB "Normal" - £51

That's with only a 4GB flash component.

I took to adopting the pots/labels approach last year after one too many incidents involving left overs screws and no empty holes on work's machines......

Yep, they sure do....almost.

500GB Hybrid XT - £96

500GB "Normal" - £51

That's with only a 4GB flash component.

I took to adopting the pots/labels approach last year after one too many incidents involving left overs screws and no empty holes on work's machines......

Wow, that's a lot of cash for a 500 +4GB laptop drive

Edited 11 January, 201115 yr by cheezemonkhai

Wow, that's a lot of cash for a 500 +4GB laptop drive

i know.....now you see why, after the DoA, i opted to save half the cash and go back to a conventional disk.......and very happy with it's performance I am, too......

i know.....now you see why, after the DoA, i opted to save half the cash and go back to a conventional disk.......and very happy with it's performance I am, too......

So it's up and running now is it?

What did you opt for in the end?

So it's up and running now is it?

What did you opt for in the end?

went with a "normal" WD 500GB drive, 7200rpm.

Seems happy enough.