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Macbook 2.1 refurb help.. please :)

P

Phil.B

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hi, this is my first post on here although whenever i do any googling I normally end up back on here for the best research, so I thought i'd join up!

My girlfriends dad offered me his old macbook because he'd upgraded to a mbp and with my 😱 .... hp laptop's fan deafening me I thought I'd gladly accept. Also I have an iphone an want an ipad soon which swayed me even more. My girlfriend also has a mac so I know the basics of getting around. But its a bit sluggish compared to my current laptop and thats about 5 years old to, it's also suffering from a knackered battery so i've risked an ebay one which is on its way for 16 pound delivered!

I feel like a project and i'm amazed at how may people still love and used the old macbooks which made me want to do it even more especially seeing the potential in them!
I think I can upgrade to 4gb ram knowing only 3.3 will be used. Alongside that give it a good de-dust then i'll get a 128mb samsung ssd hard drive as they seem to make the biggest difference. Also upgrade to Lion if possible as I want the face time etc and feel it looks a bit fresher. If not a fresh install of SL but I don't have the discs which is why Lion is tempting.

Could anyone confirm I can do the above and advise on the RAM I need as crucial memory only show I can only have 2x1gb 🙁

Specs from crucial and profiler are:

MacBook 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (13-inch Black) MA701LL/A

Model Identifier: MacBook2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MB21.00A5.B07
SMC Version (system): 1.13f3

Every mac says it's from 2006 to May 2007 and it can have the 4gb ram but I don't know which one to choose from crucial??


Sorry for the long post i'm just excited about hopefully getting this up to speed! 😀
 
You can use 2x2GB modules but you will only be able to use 3.3GB. As for Lion, it works. Personally I'd recommend Snow Leo, but if you update to 10.7.4, its not that horrible.
 
Thanks! I don't mind wasting a bit of ram for the extra. I'm not sure which one to pick off the crucial site tho as it only lists 2x1 gb :s

I don't want to use lion if it makes it slow again, theres mixed responses as the wether or not lion runs fine I'm really unsure!
 
Congratulations on the Mac. Personally, I think the black MacBook is the best looking laptop Apple made (others have their own preference).

I recommend www.macsales.com.
Their prices are competitive and their customer service is great.
I don't know about shipping to the UK, but at least that site will tell you what type of ram will work in your Mac.

As for the OS. What is currently installed on it?
Don't reformat the hard drive until you have some way of re-installing an OS on it (I made that mistake once).

Personally, I'm a fan of Snow Leopard. The discs can be found online easily.

If you want Lion (and I understand the desire to be on the latest), then your best option is probably Apple. Lion isn't listed in the App Store anymore, but if you call Apple then can charge you over the phone and get a download code for Lion. But you'll need to be running 10.6.8 to download Lion.
 
Thanks both for your help!

I think I may stay with SL for now and see if I have any need for it down the line.

As for ram i've chosen this . Will make this purchase in the near future 🙂

Also my 16 quid battery seems to be working great!
 
Hi all, my next step is going to be do a clean install until I have the cash for the RAM.

I've managed to get the disc but its Leopard 10.5. Will this update to Snow leopard for free after the install or will I have to pay for it? When searching for info I notice people have had trouble even getting snow Leopard.

Thanks for any help.
 
Phil.B said:
Hi all, my next step is going to be do a clean install until I have the cash for the RAM.

I've managed to get the disc but its Leopard 10.5. Will this update to Snow leopard for free after the install or will I have to pay for it? When searching for info I notice people have had trouble even getting snow Leopard.

Thanks for any help.
Click to expand...

Snow leopard is a completely different operating system. You need to pay for it. Only the updates are free.
 
Ah well how do I get around that then? I already have snow leopard but the original disc is Leopard. How do I do a full reformat with paying again?
 
You can use the snow leopard disc to format the hard drive and to install the operating system.

Put the disc in.
Reboot the Mac.
Hold the option key when you hear the boot chime.
Select the DVD from the list.
Use disk utility to format and partition the hard drive.
Use the installer and choose the partition you made.

If you get stuck, ask us.

Good luck!!!
 
Thanks for your help but I don't have the snow leopard disc only leopard. I assumed (as it's not always been mine) that it was on Leopard which came with the disc then Snow leopard was upgraded online? Or should I have a disc for that to?
 
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