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cdhostage · Sep 20, 2003, 11:34 AM

I've got a spare MS40GX from the idiots at MCE Technologies who sent it after telling me it had been canceled. Fine and good, it's a quality drive. It spins at 5400 rpm and has got an 8MB cache, so it will be Snappier� than the one shipping in my stock Al15. I have no use for the extra space on the 60GB Apple drive, so I'll swap them and keep the Apple drive around in case the MCE hardware is as shoddy as their customer relations. Should I take the laptop to a Apple-authorized shop to get the drives switched?

LfGrdMike · Sep 20, 2003, 12:31 PM

If you got applecare or if its under warranty which it sounds like it is. I would have apple do it so you dont void any of those agreements.

mainemanx · Sep 20, 2003, 12:37 PM

Juding from Dr. Mitsunobu's dissection, it doesn't look all that difficult.

I'd be worried about broken seals, etc. voiding the warranty/applecare

LfGrdMike · Sep 20, 2003, 12:45 PM

I would be worried I just spend 2000 dollars on my machine, and all be damned if I void my warranty or applecare licences. Being a student with a part time lifeguard and swim instructing job money doesnt grow on trees. Their is a limit to how many powerbooks I could buy. Also if you have never opened a computer before it could be intimidating. So i would be worried about voiding them. You shouldnt open those up. Just let a tech do it. Another option is to get a firewire enclosure for your second internal hard drive.

I would lean toward the enclosure but that costs money so its totally your call on what you want to do.

EDIT Scratch that idea i read your post again. You want a faster drive in the damn thing DUH MICHAEL LOL. Anyway take it to the authorized apple tech. AppleStore perhaps.

amazing · Sep 20, 2003, 02:41 PM

The HD in the Ti was user installable and didn't void your warranty. The HD in the firebook is NOT user installable and your warranty will be voided if you install it yourself.

You'll have to wait awhile for Apple to either put a KB article on the support website specifying what's user installable, or perhaps consult the genius bar at an Apple Store (though you should take their answer with a grain of salt until you see official confirmation.)

Anyway, it's a very important question, and you shouldn't install the HD until you see an official answer. This is still a first generation model and you definitely don't want to void the warranty.

dbagli · Sep 20, 2003, 02:50 PM

...Should I take the laptop to a Apple-authorized shop to get the drives switched?

Two different Apple tech people told me that even if an authorized Apple service place swaps out a hard dive for a different one (in my case the Hitachi/IBM 60GB 7200!!rpm 8MB cache drive, now residing in my current 15Ti), that it would VOID the Applecare plan and warrenties! Is this really true??

I was gonna put the 7200 60GB in the new 15Alum powerbook, and the new 80 (I ordered the 5400 rpm) into a case as a back-up.

Wouldn't THAT be the snappiest thing to do??

My Alum 15Ti is due next week.....

db

PBG4 User · Sep 20, 2003, 03:03 PM

My 15" Aluminum PB doesn't contain any instructions on upgrading the hard drive. My Ti does. Since the manual doesn't contain the instructions I'm of the opinion that the hard drive isn't user-upgradeable.

iDORK · Sep 29, 2003, 03:21 PM

Originally posted by dbagli:
Two different Apple tech people told me that even if an authorized Apple service place swaps out a hard dive for a different one (in my case the Hitachi/IBM 60GB 7200!!rpm 8MB cache drive, now residing in my current 15Ti), that it would VOID the Applecare plan and warrenties! Is this really true??

I was gonna put the 7200 60GB in the new 15Alum powerbook, and the new 80 (I ordered the 5400 rpm) into a case as a back-up.

Wouldn't THAT be the snappiest thing to do??

My Alum 15Ti is due next week.....

db

Really? I was told differently from an Apple associate at the Apple Store. She recommended me to an Authorized Apple service to do the hard driveswap.

A user on here installed the 7200RPM hard drive in his new 17" if you search the threads.

Daniel Bayer · Sep 30, 2003, 02:07 AM

"A user on here installed the 7200RPM hard drive in his new 17" if you search the threads."

Yep, And I kept the 80GB in a firewire enclosure in case I need to send it in for any other reason. If I were to send it in with the Super-Snappy � 7200 in it, the warranty would indeed be................................................ ...................................VOID-OLA!!

I Would have to be as extra careful as I was putting in the 7200 in re-installing the stock 4200 as to not show ANY signs of tampering.

This takes a SHITE load of patience and about $70-$120 in really good tools not to mention a lot of electro-mechanical common sense.

My advise?? Unless you fit the description above and are willing to take the chance, live with it.