Switching Hard Drives - 13" A1181

[JonMark85]

Hey everyone .. I have a black MacBook 13", model A1181 I believe .. Well, a while back I dropped a heavy object near the trackpad while the MacBook was on and after that I got the infamous folder with a question mark upon start up. My research led me to believe that I killed my hard drive when I dropped the object on the MacBook. Awesome .

So, obviously I need a new hard drive, and I need a fairly common 2.5" Sata HD ... Here's where my question comes in, and I'm just trying to problem solve and thinking critically before purchasing stuff.

I have a SeaGate Free Agent GoFlex 640GB external hard drive that I've used to back up docs and pics in the past. I was wondering if it would be possible to disassemble to enclosure where this hard drive is in, and use THIS hard drive to replace the dead hard drive in my MacBook?

Question 2 - if this is possible, I will obviously need to download/purchase OS X to put on this hard drive. So, could I download the OS X and simply install it on this external hard drive from another laptop while it is still assembled .. THEN disassemble it, put it in my MacBook, and it start up good as new?

Question 3 - what about the documents and pics I've previously saved on here? Will they still be on the hard drive when I insert it into my MacBook and assessable?

Ok, I think that about covers all my questions lol, I really really hope you guys can help me out with this, and thanks in advance!

 

[Service Droid]

1. If the external HDD is a 2.5" drive then you will more than likely be able to swap them out like you say no problem. In rare situations an external drive will have an IDE connection internally but most of them will be SATA. You will void any warranty on the external drive though. Swapping out the HDD on a black MacBook is a very simple process, you will need a 000 Phillips and a T8 screwdriver.

2. You can call Apple on 1300 321 456 and request a copy of snow leopard for pretty cheap, about $40 I think from memory. Just put the disk in and it will boot to the installer, follow the onscreen instructions.

3. Sounds like all your data is gone for good. A good lesson to keep backups at all times.

 

[JonMark85]

3. Sounds like all your data is gone for good. A good lesson to keep backups at all times.

Thanks for the confirmation on the HD and the phone number for Apple. I know all my stuff on the MacBook HD is gone .. I meant, all of my stuff on my external hard drive that I'll be installing into my MacBook. Will the docs and pics I've previously saved on this external HD still be there when I install it into my MacBook?

 

[Service Droid]

Thanks for the confirmation on the HD and the phone number for Apple. I know all my stuff on the MacBook HD is gone .. I meant, all of my stuff on my external hard drive that I'll be installing into my MacBook. Will the docs and pics I've previously saved on this external HD still be there when I install it into my MacBook?

Once your machine is booted to the install disk you can access disk utility and create a new partition on the drive to install the os to. Once this is complete and the os is installed you can copy the files to the new partition and then repartition the drive back to a single volume, this way all data stays intact.

Get another backup driv though ASAP, having data backed up is important