03-01-2008, 05:16 PM
Swapped my MBP HDD for a WD 320 and went from 30GB free space to 184GB! I'm a little disappointed by what a project it is to get into the MBP... seems like the whole darn machine is practically disassembled to complete the process. BTW, (a la Seinfeld): What's the deal with Torx screws? Is it really necessary to throw in a few of those things (no, they're not the same size as the ones in your old Titanium Powerbook)? And about 25 of those absurd Philips #0 screws? Any way, it works, and the Passport case seems to work fine with the old drive, though only on the right side MBP USB port, not the left.
As for the G5, I got the Maxtor IV firewire case with a 750 GB drive in it. That case is a PAIN to open, and I couldn't find any take-apart instructions on the web. It's not really possible to get the drive out without destroying the "Warranty Void If..." sticker, so I said screw it. There are five screws in the bottom, 2 of which are hidden under the frond end rubber foot (peel it off). Once open, the drive is still captive to a mettal skin (that contains the bridge board) and a plastic exoskeleton that you need to psychically guess how to peel apart and remember how to re-assemble the thing if you want to ever use it again. I highly recommend having the replacement drive ready to swap in before going on to the Desktop drive install.
The firewire drive went back together more easily than it came apart, albeit cosmetically damaged (not noticeably), and lacking 4 screws that are still sitting on my desk.
I had a moment of anxiety as I thought there was a possibility the drive inside wasn't SATA. You see, while it appears that the only 750GB available that isn't SATA is a Seagate drive, guess who owns Maxtor? Sure enough, the drive inside WAS a Seagate, but it was also SATA. Whew.
EDIT: The passport DOES work on the left when I use the short 12" USB cable that came w/it.
As for the G5, I got the Maxtor IV firewire case with a 750 GB drive in it. That case is a PAIN to open, and I couldn't find any take-apart instructions on the web. It's not really possible to get the drive out without destroying the "Warranty Void If..." sticker, so I said screw it. There are five screws in the bottom, 2 of which are hidden under the frond end rubber foot (peel it off). Once open, the drive is still captive to a mettal skin (that contains the bridge board) and a plastic exoskeleton that you need to psychically guess how to peel apart and remember how to re-assemble the thing if you want to ever use it again. I highly recommend having the replacement drive ready to swap in before going on to the Desktop drive install.
The firewire drive went back together more easily than it came apart, albeit cosmetically damaged (not noticeably), and lacking 4 screws that are still sitting on my desk.
I had a moment of anxiety as I thought there was a possibility the drive inside wasn't SATA. You see, while it appears that the only 750GB available that isn't SATA is a Seagate drive, guess who owns Maxtor? Sure enough, the drive inside WAS a Seagate, but it was also SATA. Whew.
EDIT: The passport DOES work on the left when I use the short 12" USB cable that came w/it.