Standard upgrade of my HD enquiry

[Audiotechnical]

Guys, I'm now the proud owner of a new MacBook Pro, and it is my first Apple Laptop I've ever owned, so I'm not as experienced with the OSX OS than I am with Windows.

I've bought a 7200rpm Hybrid drive that I wish to install.

I've only owned this Laptop for a couple of weeks, and I have no data that I need to bring across, so is it as simple as installing the HD, inserting my OSX disc into the drive, and allowing the system to boot/install the OS ?

More specifially, I just wanted to check there was no 'de-authorisation/activation' etc that I should run on my current setup before doing this ? (The iTunes account concept popped into mind)

Thanks,
Matt

 

[gr8tfly]

De-authorizing your computer in iTunes is actually a good idea - otherwise, you lose one of your 5 allowed machines.

Otherwise, I think you have the right plan. The only addition is to run Disk Utility (from the install DVD) to format the drive properly. Disk Utility is available as a menu option after selecting the language.

From the Partition tab, create one (I assume) partition. Format the drive as Mac OS Extended (journaled) and select GUID as the partition table (from the "Options..." button).

Once you exit Disk Utility, you can begin the install. (Come to think of it, the discs which come with a machine should have an option to restore the machine to factory - installing both the OS, and iLife apps.)

Enjoy the hybrid (I assume the Seagate XT). I've had mine installed in my 2009 17" UB MBP for a couple of weeks now, and I'm very pleased with the performance and quietness of the drive.

You might want to make sure you're running the latest firmware on the drive, too. The latest is SD24 (to find the firmware version, using System Profiler > Serial ATA, and select the drive). You can search around here at MR and elsewhere to find the reports of improvements going from SD23 to SD24. One of the main things I noticed is it became even quieter - but in addition to that there have been reports of improved performance, and better battery life.

To upgrade, go to Seagate's support and download page for the drive to find the firmware tools. I would suggest the "other OSs" option for a bootable ISO CD. Burn the CD using Disk Utility. Boot up on it (using the "opt" key on startup to select it) and follow the menu options. After it's complete, power down the computer and restart.

Enjoy your new MBP and the hybrid drive!

 

[Audiotechnical]

Thanks gr8tfly, that is an excellent response, just what I was after!!

Any funnily enough, I just got to the menu where i realise my HD is not formatted, and found the disc utility menu.

So I have it here awaiting my instruction.

So, a single partition is gonna be fine for me, and in terms of what I call this?

Within a Windows environment I would leave this blank (it would be allocated a drive letter anyway), is that something you would do here too? Or should I call it 'Hard Drive' or 'Mac Drive' or something ?

 

[Audiotechnical]

Actually, no need for response. I've browsed around, and just given it a name of my choice.

And yep, it is the Seagate XT.

I'm all in agreement with de authorising iTunes accounts too. We have users coming to us on the Helpdesk who's already reached their max amount without realising!

It's an absolute beauty piece of kit though, and I can't wait to use Final Cut Pro, Logic etc on it.

 

[gr8tfly]

One partition is fine. You can add another later, if you like, on-the-fly with Disk Utility.

If you want to use Bootcamp to run Windows, use the "Bootcamp Assistant" application to setup the Windows partition.

I agree on the beauty comment - the UB design is a work of art, aside from being very functional. When closed, it feels like a single piece of aluminum. I've owned several incarnations of PowerBook and MacBook Pro, and this is the most impressive yet. Part of the enjoyment of Apple products is their astethics - like their little touches such as the "transparent aluminum" sleep light.