Swapping Hard Drives

[Mick F]

Mrs Mick F and me have identical MacBooks.
If we were to swap our hard drives over, would her computer become mine, and mine become hers?
Is a hard drive the be all and end all of the computer info?
Is there nothing other than "processing electronics" in the computer itself?

I ask, because both of ours are getting tired and old, and I wonder if I can make one good one out of two.

[gaz]

.

[Tigerbiten]

If the hardware is identical then yes.
I've swapped hard drives between PC that had identical hardware before.

[honesty]

Essentially yes, even swapping between non identical hardware will only cause problems with driver conflicts which can be sorted out relatively easily (though apple os x doesn't like some hard drives that wont be a problem when swapping between 2 macs).

[Mark1978]

Essentially yes the hard drive is the entity of what you think of as the computer. But operating systems can get funny about running on hardware which it hasn't been installed on.

Macs especially might not take kindly to it.

[PH]

I ask, because both of ours are getting tired and old, and I wonder if I can make one good one out of two.

Computers, even Macs, don't get tired with age! They should run as well as they did when new, if they don't it will most probably be a software issue. If by old you mean outdated, I can't see how swapping components is going to make any difference. But yes, as others said no problem swapping drives.

[Mark1978]

The only way I can see of making one good out of two is by combining the memory? But Mac memory slots are limited and from experience funny about what they take.

[Dafydd17]

If the Macbooks are the same model, the best way of making a good one out of the two would be to install the best (biggest?) HD in the one which is in the best cosmetic condition (fewest cracks in the casing!). Then add as much memory as it'll take (unless you've already done so), and re-install whichever version of OS X you're happiest with. A clean install should restore performance to as-new, getting rid of any clutter the old one's acquired.
I'm told that Mavericks is available as a free download. Personally I'm sticking with 10.6.8, as I've got PowerPC applications that need Rosetta to run.

[Mick F]

Thanks guys, I knew you'd know.

The two MacBook are "tired" by dint of a battery, a power supply (Apple don't do them any more so you have to but cheapo ones that don't last), cracks in the casings, clicky pad not very ""clicky". Both HD's aren't too good, but if I could get the best MacBook with all the best bits, at least one of us will be fine for a while.

When one is fine, a fresh re-load of the OS would be next, and maybe a flash drive HD in the medium term.

Mavericks and Yosemite won't run on these MacBooks because of the processors, even though they are both Intel Dual Core. Mine is eight years old now, and Mrs Mick F's is just over seven years old. We are stuck with 10.6.8 and are reasonably happy with it, but speed is slow when you compare to the modern stuff.

What we actually want, is to replace BOTH of these MacBooks with MacBook Airs, or even PowerMacs, but the cost is a bit eyewatering. Maybe Father Christmas might look favourably on us.

[francovendee]

MickF. Go Windows, less than half the price so you could upgrade twice as often

[Flinders]

MickF. Go Windows, less than half the price so you could upgrade twice as often

Quite- and no problems with stuff like power supplies, you can update/upgrade just about any part of the system independently whenever you like.

[kwackers]

When one is fine, a fresh re-load of the OS would be next, and maybe a flash drive HD in the medium term.

SSD first then reinstall the OS.
SSD's are so cheap now and the performance increase so large you'd be daft not to.

[Mick F]

Yep, I was discussing this over breakfast with Mrs Mick F. Flash drives are the way forward.
First thing to do is swap the best HD into the best MacBook, finding the best battery, and use the best PSU lead. The rubbish can be all in one place.

Next question:
How can you asses the mechanical HDs?
Is there a program or method to ascertain the quantity of bad blocks on the discs?
How can we tell which one is better than the other?

However, this is all sticking plaster until we can afford new computers, as no matter what we do to these, they are still out of date.

[al_yrpal]

With a wireless printer getting a print from anything on the tablet is simple. A £20 tablet keyboard works fine on the odd occasion we need to use it. The £30 Chomecast plugged into the TV means anything available on the tablet can be viewed full screen on the TV.

Our PC has become practically redundant now due to £50 worth of new technology. Its rarely used. Never felt the need for a laptop which is more of a business tool. Note that Which no longer puts Apple stuff Best Buy in anything other than laptops, and even then recommends much cheaper stuff

Al

[honesty]

SSD is a fantastic and cheap way to speed up a PC. The speed bump you get from using one is massive compared to any other component you can stick in. definitely suggest doing that with a fresh install.