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Various Questions pertaining to my MacBook.

L

laughingbabe16

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 2, 2006
80
0
1) I have an Intel Core Duo processor chip. Is it possible to upgrade to the new Intel Core Duo 2 chip? If so, would this be necessary? What are the significant changes/upgrades in the new chip?

2)When going to my school's library, or any place that has free Wi-Fi internet, how can I better secure my MacBook from anyone getting into my files? (taking music files, etc etc.)

3) I am interested in getting an external hard drive. Which ones are the most recommended? I probably would want to get a drive with at least 120 GB. Are they hard to install? Do I keep it plugged into my macbook at all times or can I use it and then unplug it? When backing up files to the external hard drive, which is most likely what I'll use it for since the files on my macbook use a lot of space, how do I change the path to backup to the e.h.d?

4) iphoto and itunes: is it possible to save my iphoto library, and itunes library to my external h.d and then be able to open it up without problems when needed? or since I dont have an e.h.d now, can I save it to my flash drive and open it up without any problems?

5) How do I backup my photos and music?

6) ugh!: i've only had my macbook for 8 months, and already i'm seeing dark yellowish stains. will Apple Care definitely care of this?

7) Last question!! -- my MacBook is getting slow. I have only half the space left on my hard drive which is the standard 60 GB. What files/programs can I delete safely? Any other suggestions would be good too!


I'm very sorry for all the questions! I thank you all a million times!:D
 
1) I guess there are some people that would offer you to do that (not from Apple). But it is not worth it, it would cancel your warranty, and the speed difference is not big enough to justify it.

2) In "System Preferences" and then "Sharing" you can turn on the Firewall. It should prevent this from happening. I'm sure I have read something about being invisible, but I don;t remember very well about this.

3) You can unplug it the times you like, just right click it on the desktop and choose "eject".

4) It is possible, but it would be very unpractical. Imagine having to connect the external HD every time you want to hear music.

5) If you backup to an external hd or a DVD, just move your iTunes or iPhoto folder there. That way you keep everything in the backup (play counts, comments, ratings, film rolls, etc.).

6) Yes, they should replace the top case.

7) How much RAM do you have?
If you have more than 5GB free then you are fine. Try downloading "WhatSize" and it would show you what is taking the space. Normally you can safely delete the demos, like iWork.

Also, a very good app for general maintenance is Onyx.
 
5) If you backup to an external hd or a DVD, just move your iTunes or iPhoto folder there. That way you keep everything in the backup (play counts, comments, ratings, film rolls, etc.).

So, I move the whole entire folder(s) into the E.H.D. or DVD? Wouldn't that mean that the folder would no longer be located on my MacBook? I want to backup, not delete/move all my music there... confused.

7) I have 1 GB of RAM, which i believe is memory right?
 
laughingbabe16 said:
5) If you backup to an external hd or a DVD, just move your iTunes or iPhoto folder there. That way you keep everything in the backup (play counts, comments, ratings, film rolls, etc.).

So, I move the whole entire folder(s) into the E.H.D. or DVD? Wouldn't that mean that the folder would no longer be located on my MacBook? I want to backup, not delete/move all my music there... confused.

7) I have 1 GB of RAM, which i believe is memory right?
Click to expand...


If you move a folder to another volume (ie, an external hdd), the folder is automatically copied, and not moved. You then have to delete the original folder manually, if you want it moved, not backed up.

1 GB of memory should be alright if you just do "normal stuff". Do you remember to quit apps you don't use? you don't have a lot of icons in your dock with a little black triangle underneath? If your computer is getting slow and you have more than ~10 GB left, it is most likely because you have too many apps open. Quiting those you don't use will make it go faster, as will installing more RAM.
 
1. Upgrading your macbook chip is not allowed but I've seen some people replace it....doing this will void any warranty you have with apple.

2. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.4/en/mh1042.html

3. LaCie makes good affordable Ex drives. Everything is plug and play in the mac world so installation is a breeze.....remember to eject it before unpluging;)

4. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748

6. Call and find out....never hurts to call.

7. Get the external soon...the OS needs some space on the HDD to work...thats the reason its sluggish....move all of your stuff over to it ASAP.


Bless
 
2nyRiggz said:
1. Upgrading your macbook chip is not allowed but I've seen some people replace it....doing this will void any warranty you have with apple.
Click to expand...

I think your confusing this with the iMac/Mac Mini. Apple's Intel laptop have all had their CPUs surface mounted to the logic board. They cannot be removed or replaced.

The iMac and Mac Mini don't have the same constraints in terms of thickness so have socketed CPUs.
 
laughingbabe16 said:
5) If you backup to an external hd or a DVD, just move your iTunes or iPhoto folder there. That way you keep everything in the backup (play counts, comments, ratings, film rolls, etc.).

So, I move the whole entire folder(s) into the E.H.D. or DVD? Wouldn't that mean that the folder would no longer be located on my MacBook? I want to backup, not delete/move all my music there... confused.

7) I have 1 GB of RAM, which i believe is memory right?
Click to expand...

As NJuul said, it is only copied. It won't be deleted.

And 1GB of RAM is enough for most users. Do you use a lot of app that need Rosetta? Or do you use very intensive apps?

I have 1.25 GB of RAM, and it will never be slow. And I usually have open Adium, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Safari, Firefox, iTunes, Mail and some other apps.

Just be careful with apps like Google Earth, which use a lot of RAM.

I would recommend you to buy another hard drive (120GB would be ideal) and put it in the MB, it is very easy. and then you can use your 60GB HD as an external one.
 
laughingbabe16 said:
1) I have an Intel Core Duo processor chip. Is it possible to upgrade to the new Intel Core Duo 2 chip? If so, would this be necessary? What are the significant changes/upgrades in the new chip?
Click to expand...

The recommended way to upgrade the processor is to use eBay:D Upgrading memory and harddisk is easy on a MacBook for anyone who can hold a screwdriver straight. Upgrading the processor, no way.
 
Roco said:
I would recommend you to buy another hard drive (120GB would be ideal) and put it in the MB, it is very easy. and then you can use your 60GB HD as an external one.
Click to expand...

200 GB internal is quite affordable now. If you do exchange the harddisk, I wouldn't go for 120 only. The other cheap possibility is to get a _big_ external harddisk, like 500GB, but it wouldn't be portable.
 
gnasher729 said:
200 GB internal is quite affordable now. If you do exchange the harddisk, I wouldn't go for 120 only. The other cheap possibility is to get a _big_ external harddisk, like 500GB, but it wouldn't be portable.
Click to expand...

Are there 200GB HD of the same speed than the 120GB ones?
 
If you want a new internal drive, you should buy at least 160 gb, as they use perpendicular recording which gives you faster access to your data at lower RPMs.
 
2nyRiggz said:
7. Get the external soon...the OS needs some space on the HDD to work...thats the reason its sluggish....move all of your stuff over to it ASAP.
Click to expand...

If she has 30 GB free out of 60 GB, it's not a lack of space that's slowing down the 'Book.
 
Roco said:
Are there 200GB HD of the same speed than the 120GB ones?
Click to expand...
There's 160gb 7200rpm drives that'll fit the MacBook. If you don't mind 4200/5400rpm drives, then..

NJuul said:
If you want a new internal drive, you should buy at least 160 gb, as they use perpendicular recording which gives you faster access to your data at lower RPMs.
Click to expand...
Perpendicular recording is named thusly because it allows you to pack in more data into the same amount of space and lets you read more data at the same RPMs, not necessarily lower (unless i'm misreading your statement to mean RPM is lower..)

Also, 160gb hard drives are immensely expensive for 2.5" drives. And perpendicular recording tech isn't in every hard drive above 160gb in capacity. You'll have to actively seek it out on your own, and really the price and performance difference is almost nothing for external 3.5" drives (but of course this all makes a huuge difference for internal laptop drives). Or at least, nothing like going from a 4200rpm 2.5" drive to a 10k raptor or something.
 
If she has 30 GB free out of 60 GB, it's not a lack of space that's slowing down the 'Book.

Then what is slowing down my macbook? I already have 1 GB of RAM. I always install new updates when they need be. I have moved saved school documents to my flash drive and then deleted those under my documents folder, deleted 2 applications I did not need. Under my FireFox preferences, I do have have saved history, I set that to 0 days, and I have checked the box for "clear private data" everytime you close firefox, whenever I use applications, I try not to run any more than 3 at a time, and i do fully close them when im finished. I've deleted 2 widgets for dashboard that i've downloaded from apple but never really used...

1) If I upgrade my H.D, will all my information be erased?
2) If I uninstall a program, by dragging the applications icon to the trash, and emptying the trash, are all the files associated with the program, deleted as well?
 
You might want to open Activity Monitor, All Processes (it's in Apps>Utilities) and see what's going on. I suspect PPC apps as they are dog slow, and suck resources like crazy on my Macbook, and I have 2G of RAM!
 
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