My MBP died, what are my options

[Hemoo]

Hello,
I bought MBP 2.5Ghz early 2008 model. And after three and half years, our wonderful relationship has sadly ended. The authorized repair shop in my country said it’s something in the BIOS and he can only replace the whole motherboard for 800$.

Now I have one question and once concern:

-Should I buy the current MBP or there is something new in the horizon, I heard about new model (MBP thin!) is it worth waiting? Or just buy the current MBP (or even repair my old MBP for 800$)?

-I’m really concerned about my itunes (music/playlists/music count), Safari bookmarks and iPhotos. Can those be exported to the new MBP from the old HD?

Many thanks

 

[miles01110]

-Should I buy the current MBP or there is something new in the horizon, I heard about new model (MBP thin!) is it worth waiting? Or just buy the current MBP (or even repair my old MBP for 800$)?

Great question, should you? If you need a computer there's no sense in waiting for a new one to come out. You can always wait.

-I’m really concerned about my itunes (music/playlists/music count), Safari bookmarks and iPhotos. Can those be exported to the new MBP from the old HD?

Just use your backup and Migration Assistant when you get a new machine.

 

[jbg232]

The new MBPs are very nice and fast. That being said there is obviously always something new around the corner and a MBP "air" design is the next likely thing. When that will happen is a mystery. Given that you need your computer now just get a new MBP after the 10/4 announcement (just in case something is released then although the likelihood of that happening is <1%).

 

[Hemoo]

Thanks guys, I guess I will go with the base model of MBP.
I didnt create backups (ooops) will I still be able to migrate itunes (playlists) Safari bookmarks and iPhotos from the old HD?

 

[AppleFanatic10]

Hello,
I bought MBP 2.5Ghz early 2008 model. And after three and half years, our wonderful relationship has sadly ended. The authorized repair shop in my country said it’s something in the BIOS and he can only replace the whole motherboard for 800$.

Now I have one question and once concern:

-Should I buy the current MBP or there is something new in the horizon, I heard about new model (MBP thin!) is it worth waiting? Or just buy the current MBP (or even repair my old MBP for 800$)?

-I’m really concerned about my itunes (music/playlists/music count), Safari bookmarks and iPhotos. Can those be exported to the new MBP from the old HD?

Many thanks

Like the guy above me said... It all depends on what you need. If you need a new computer, it doesn't make sense for you to wait until a new one comes out.

For the second question, I think it is possible to transport your old HD to the new HD, I just don't know how... Have you backed everything up?

----------

Thanks guys, I guess I will go with the base model of MBP.
I didnt create backups (ooops) will I still be able to migrate itunes (playlists) Safari bookmarks and iPhotos from the old HD?

This may help you.

 

[davidlv]

Hello,
-I’m really concerned about my itunes (music/playlists/music count), Safari bookmarks and iPhotos. Can those be exported to the new MBP from the old HD?
Many thanks

You can always try to remove the HD from the dead computer, and install it in a cheap USB case. Then when you buy a new MBP you can use the migration assistant application to transfer your data, or do it manually.

 

[Hemoo]

Many thanks everyone

 

[vincebio]

Many thanks everyone

I also own the Penryn 2.5 17" Macbook Pro...it also died a week ago. I had hoped it was the NVidia card so I could get it repaired, but it was indeed the logic board..

My solution was simple..

Bought a 17" i7 2.2 with 4gb ram and 7200 drive and antiglare...and went straight onto crucial website and bought the 8gb ram kit for £37. How apple can justify paying staff £163 to fit their ram is beyond me....

one downside as usual is the wait for delivery...14 days.

and im now praying to the gods that my machine comes with Snow Leopard...as they said Lion is not officially on pre-install yet. Otherwise ill be looking for a 10.6.8 somewhere...

 

[michelleke]

Holy crap. Hemoo and vincebio, i'm in the same position. Early 2008 macbook pro, 3 years and 3 months old and it died last week. It's also not part of the nvidia recall, except i was quoted $600aud for a replacement logic board.
I'm absolutely gutted.

And yeah, buying a new macbook pro is the way to go.

 

[chiefroastbeef]

Sorry to hear that guys, my 2008 Penryn crapped out on me 3 months after th warranty expired, but I was pretty sure it was the nividia issue after researching online. HK authorize repair replaced my logicboard and my MBP is still trucking, I want to wait for the next refresh before deciding to upgrade.

Anyway, with the old hard drive in your MBP, disassemble the computer and take out the old hard drive (if you can use a screw driver you can do this, go to ifixit for tutorial). Buy a 2.5" HD enclosure (cheap), put the old HD in it, and back it up for safe keeping until you get a new computer.

 

[Hemoo]

LOL we r discovering conspiracy from apple!
Ill take ur advice guys and keep the old HD in USB case and hopfully the migration assistant will be able to bring me back my itunes lists, iphotos and safari bookmarks
BTW, will it make a difference if the MBP came with Lion or snow leopard??