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    are harddrives different for macs

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by jahjahwarrior, Jul 24, 2007.

  1. jahjahwarrior

    jahjahwarrior Notebook Guru

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    If I buy a MBP I wanted to upgrade the harddrive myself to save money. If I buy a drive off newegg, can i just use it.

    And how does it work if I use boot camp, doesn't windows use a different file system(ntfs) than macs.
     
    jahjahwarrior, Jul 24, 2007
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  2. kickace

    kickace Notebook Deity

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    you simply need to get a sata laptop hard drive, any will work

    and bootcamp will let everything work. - but you need to first install OSX first

    correct me if am wrong
     
    kickace, Jul 24, 2007
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  3. krieger

    krieger Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yes, you can just buy a new drive, then install OS X via the disk. MBP HD's are fairly hard to replace though (not like the MB), and I think it may void the warranty if you do it yourself (could be wrong there).

    Bootcamp will make a separate partition for each OS; ie: each one can use its own file system on its own side. You just reboot to switch.
     
    krieger, Jul 25, 2007
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  4. Sam

    Sam Notebook Virtuoso

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    Unfortunately, Apple does not allow you to change the hard drive the MacBook Pro unless its serviced by an Apple-authorized technician :(. But you may want to look at external hard drives.

    Yes, Windows does use a different file system, and in Boot Camp you partition your hard drive so one part is Windows one part is Mac OS X.
     
    Sam, Jul 25, 2007
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  5. jahjahwarrior

    jahjahwarrior Notebook Guru

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    I work in a computer repair shop at my university and there is a certified apple tech there who will do it for me for free.

    I was also wondering, say while using the dual boot, if I use media player and have a library of music on the windows side. Can I go on the mac side and see these files and such. Or will the OS's not be able to retrieve files from one another.
     
    jahjahwarrior, Jul 25, 2007
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  6. Overclocker

    Overclocker Notebook Evangelist

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    Seeing (playing) will be possible, but editing (writing to the partition) will not unless you format the Win partition as FAT32.
     
    Overclocker, Jul 25, 2007
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  7. orthorim

    orthorim Notebook Evangelist

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    That's very good because replacing the HD is not for the faint of heart. I did it myself - I didn't break any stickers that said I would void the warranty.

    Obviously, the drive is not covered, but the rest of the warranty should be still intact. Except if you fry your machine while upgrading...

    If you so happen for format that new HD before installing, be very careful to use the "GUID Partition scheme". It's the default for built-in drives but if you use Disk Utility on an external drive, you must select "options.." and change the partitioning scheme from Apple PS to GUID.

    I made this mistake - had the HD formatted with Apple partitioning scheme, installed it. Weirdly, it worked just fine until I tried to install the 1.0 EFI update which died with the message "Unknown Error(0)". Luckily somebody on the Apple discussion boards figured this out - there are some official Apple tech notes on it but I'd never heard of it.
     
    orthorim, Jul 25, 2007
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  8. bobstone

    bobstone Notebook Guru

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    is it the 95 mm 2.5 inch hdd's
     
    bobstone, Jul 25, 2007
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  9. thegsrguy

    thegsrguy Notebook Deity

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    Be careful with what drive you get, as some will cause kernel panics. This is because some drives, like the WD Scorpio, have their own built-in shock protection. It conflicts with the MBP's protection and hence you get weird errors.

    Just get a drive without shock protection. I believe the Seagates are okay.
     
    thegsrguy, Jul 25, 2007
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  10. jahjahwarrior

    jahjahwarrior Notebook Guru

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    jahjahwarrior, Jul 25, 2007
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  11. thegsrguy

    thegsrguy Notebook Deity

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    As long as it is SATA, then I don't see why not.

    Remember that opening up the MBP yourself voids the warranty.
     
    thegsrguy, Jul 25, 2007
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