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MBP 2009 need help extending its life.

M

mikeyiphone

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 10, 2009
168
10
I already upgraded to a 250 SSD and 8GB of RAM.
Machine just turned 8 Thursday.
I do not want to upgrade to a new MBP, too expensive.

All i really do is use Safari (2-5 tabs), iTunes, Calendar, and iMessage.
Dropbox runs in the background.

The issue im having is the beachball popping up during surfing the web.
Even typing now, i hit the keys and there is a delay before it hits the screen.
Fan sounds loud.

Its a pain but somewhat managable. What I am concerned with is going back to school taking online courses.

Any suggestions on how to make this computer faster?
 
What makes you think that? Sounds cheaper then a $2100 laptop

If I open it up what am i looking for?
 
I said that about the cable because it's a common issue for Macbooks from 2009 to 2012 when the Macbook starts beachballing. I have personally experienced it with a 2010 13" and 2009 15.4".

You can't tell the cable is defective by a visual inspection.
 
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I upgraded the RAM about 4 years ago.
SSD about 2 years ago.

So with my current config, and knowing it is 8 years old, i shouldnt have this problem?
 
When did the beach balling start? Tried a fresh install of the OS? Tried running the OS from an external drive to see if the beachballing persists?

A replacement hard drive cable will probably fix the issue unless there is something else like exposure to moisture or physical damage.

It's your choice in terms of how to proceed but the cable is probably the cheapest and easiest fix.

For the loud fan, did you try clearing out any dust from the unit?
 
Thank you for your quick responses and help. I do appreciate it.

Beachball I would say about 6 months ago. I was trying to plan a trip and was having issues with websites freezing and stalling. I would get frustrated and restart the mac. I never had that happen before. Now I been using my laptop more for another trip and im noticing it starts to slow down about 30 minutes into use.

I figured it was due to age but I do not use the laptop much and 2k+ is way too much for me to spend. 2k is about how much I would spend on a model 13'TB 16GB 250GB, which i would hope to last me 8 years.

I may try the cable as it seems cheap and inexpensive. Im assuming it isnt difficult to do the replacement?

I was going to clean out the dust form the unit this weekend. I just have to borrow the screw kit form a neighbor.
[doublepost=1503802929][/doublepost]

Not sure if this helps
 

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Change the cable,clean it carefully inside,but of course,first of all,move all files you don't need to store on the computer,like old photos,videos or other bulky files to an external USB drive,and delete them permanently from laptop.
Also clean browser history.
When you fixed your problem,it should work fine for your needs.
 
Memory doesn't appear to be a problem. What about cpu usage?

Replacing the cable is quite easy. The most difficult part is prying the cable away from the body and getting the replacement cable into the ir slot.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Hard+Drive+Cable+Replacement/1716

You'll need the correct screw drivers in order to disconnect the battery. You can change the cable without disconnecting the battery but it's safer to make sure there is no connected power source when changing the cable.
 
Should i do a reinstall of EL Capitan as well?
That's the last OS my macbook is compatible with.

Any SATA cable will do?
[doublepost=1503804125][/doublepost]Screen Shot 2017-08-26 at 11.21.23 PM.png
 
I appreciate your help. Im going to order the part. Would be great if i could go from 2 grand to a $20 fix.
Im assuming that if this works not only will the beach ball stop, but I should see a significant boost in speed?
[doublepost=1503805447][/doublepost]That part is for a hard drive not a solid state, does that matter?
 
Also, clean out any dust in there. I once bought a used 2012 13" for cheap that was rebooting randomly for the previous owner. When I took it home and opened it up, the machine was FULL of dust. There was even a ton of dust in the SD card slot. Once I cleaned it out, it worked perfectly.
 
I agree with the hard drive cable being defective. I had a friend who came to me with their 2010 MBP one day not being able to find a boot volume. Replaced the HD and it continued to do the same. Then I heard on here it could be the cable. Replaced the cable and it finally found the boot volume.
 
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I ordered the part, just waiting for it to come.

Would this also resolve the following delays I experience

-When I first log on and it takes 2 minutes to update my imessage chat.
-When I sync my iPhone and it has to resync almost my entire library of 3k songs. Takes 10-15 minutes.
-When i go into calendar and add event, it takes a while to cycle tho previous events.
 
Just changed out the cable.

Had some difficulty getting the yellow ribbon hooked back on. What is that ribbon, IR sensor and sleep LED. How do I know if that is connected properly. Took me about an two hours to get it to latch on.

Fan is still loud.

I do feel like everything is a bit snappier. But its probably too early to tell.
 
Not sure how to check the fans.
I use to have iStat but that was a widget, long gone.
I havent seen a beachball yet. Seems to be moving pretty well right now.
I have to play around with it a little bit more.
 
Ill look into this.
THe fan doesnt bother me as much as the lag.
I do feel like the computer is a little bit more zippy.
Indexing when i add calendar events seems snappier too.
 
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