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Is my hard drive failing!? Looking to upgrade to SSD

  • 17-03-2015 01:04PM
    #1
    DarraghR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭


    My Mac Book Pro is really getting slow and I no longer have any patience left so could someone advise me on what to do.


    First off my laptop specs:

    OSX Yosemite
    MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
    Processor - 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    Memory - 6GB
    Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB
    Hard Drive - 500GB (200GB FREE)

    Problems I am experiencing:
    1. Slow boot up time
    2. Takes a long time to save work in Adobe Fireworks
    3. Scrolling down websites with Facebook can take some time and stick
    4. Folders dont open instantly
    5. When playing music sometimes it will stop for a second or two if I open something else
    6. The digital gaming download service 'Steam' is quite slow opening
    7. Some streaming video on Facebook, YouTube and other sites can lag and stick for the first few seconds

    I have used a program called Disk Drill so see if there are any bad sectors but everything seems fine. Also used Disk Utility and ran a Repair Disk and Verify Disk but once again no errors. My house mate told me that it is still possible that my hard drive could be failing even though no fails are showing up.

    To be honest I don't want to invest in a 512GB SSD which costs over €200 and still experience the exact same problems so I need to be 100% that the hard drive is at fault.
    I know my laptop is nearly 6 years old but after spending €2000 on it I expected a bit more life. No?

    My MacBook Pro is a 17" so the best option I have heard so far would be to remove the CD/DVD drive and put the SSD into that area.
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    LeakingLava
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,368 ✭✭✭LeakingLava


    DarraghR wrote: »
    My Mac Book Pro is really getting slow and I no longer have any patience left so could someone advise me on what to do.


    First off my laptop specs:

    OSX Yosemite
    MacBook Pro (17-inch, Mid 2009)
    Processor - 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
    Memory - 6GB
    Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT 512 MB
    Hard Drive - 500GB (200GB FREE)

    Problems I am experiencing:
    1. Slow boot up time
    2. Takes a long time to save work in Adobe Fireworks
    3. Scrolling down websites with Facebook can take some time and stick
    4. Folders dont open instantly
    5. When playing music sometimes it will stop for a second or two if I open something else
    6. The digital gaming download service 'Steam' is quite slow opening
    7. Some streaming video on Facebook, YouTube and other sites can lag and stick for the first few seconds

    I have used a program called Disk Drill so see if there are any bad sectors but everything seems fine. Also used Disk Utility and ran a Repair Disk and Verify Disk but once again no errors. My house mate told me that it is still possible that my hard drive could be failing even though no fails are showing up.

    To be honest I don't want to invest in a 512GB SSD which costs over €200 and still experience the exact same problems so I need to be 100% that the hard drive is at fault.
    I know my laptop is nearly 6 years old but after spending €2000 on it I expected a bit more life. No?

    My MacBook Pro is a 17" so the best option I have heard so far would be to remove the CD/DVD drive and put the SSD into that area.

    Hi there. First off, I'm not an expert on this. But I will be advising based on personal experience.

    All of those symptoms are normal for HDD compared to SSDs. If you do upgrade to an SSD, you can surely eliminate every single on of those problems. But this doesn't say that the HDD is giving problems. As far as I know, if a HDD starts to fail, you will start getting blue screens due to bad sectors or you will start to notice some noise from the HDD.

    What's the exact model and brand of the HDD? I currently have a Western Digital Green (Or maybe some other brand but I know it's a 'green' version) which spins on lower RPM when it's not in use and so if I do use a program that's stored in that HDD, I notice some sort of lag on opening up and this is due to the HDD taking time 'firing up' to normal RPM speed.

    To be honest, I don't think the HDD is the problem. But as I said, I'm no expert. :P


  • #3
    DarraghR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭DarraghR


    The model and make of my HDD is a Hitachi HTS545050B9SA02 Media

    If it is not the HDD what else could it be?

    Also forgot to mention that my battery is on the way out. If its not plugged in I might get an hour out of it. Could this cause any of the issues that I have listed?


  • #4
    Luck100
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 878 ✭✭✭Luck100


    Have you tried defragging the hard drive?


  • #5
    DarraghR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭DarraghR


    I have never done a defrag. Thought that was only for Windows computers! How do I go about doing one, what options should I choose and could I lose important files!?


  • #6
    jayo26
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,779 ✭✭✭✭jayo26


    DarraghR wrote: »
    I have never done a defrag. Thought that was only for Windows computers! How do I go about doing one, what options should I choose and could I lose important files!?

    I don't think its hdd either mate as the lads said if it was hard drive it would be noisey or blue screens, I've no experience with any apple os really but if it was windows id be looking at if there was any bloath ware that had been installed recently or just generally alot of programmes starting up when its been booted up that kind of thing. Do you have much space left on the hard drive?
    I think a good option for you would be an ssd and install your os on that it would drastically speed up your system either way and you could get the cd to hard drive adaptor and use the 2nd hard drive space for your current hard drive to store your files on.

    Edit: You wouldn't need a big ssd to run your os something an 120gb ssd would be grand and you would still have your current hdd to store your files.


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  • #7
    DarraghR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭DarraghR


    DarraghR wrote: »
    Hard Drive - 500GB (200GB FREE)

    Thats what I would like to do it would also be cheaper as I wouldn't need a 512GB SSD. 256 or maybe 128GB might do?

    One question about doing that. If I have my operating system installed on the SSD can I still run software off my HDD or would I be only using this for storage and media playback?
    The main software I rund at the moment would be Steam (Installed Games), Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Logic Studio and a few others.


  • #8
    jayo26
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,779 ✭✭✭✭jayo26


    DarraghR wrote: »
    Thats what I would like to do it would also be cheaper as I wouldn't need a 512GB SSD. 256 or maybe 128GB might do?

    One question about doing that. If I have my operating system installed on the SSD can I still run software off my HDD or would I be only using this for storage and media playback?
    The main software I rund at the moment would be Steam (Installed Games), Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Logic Studio and a few others.

    Run all your software from the ssd and just use hdd for files would be my advice this would be fastest setup.

    Sorry I didn't see the original status of your hdd but yhh a 128 or a 256 would be plenty and u can use it again in another system.


  • #9
    DarraghR
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 509 ✭✭✭DarraghR


    I don't think a 256 would be enough for operating system and all my software :/

    Also a bit risky if my HDD has a fault. Do HDD usually last 6 years?


  • #10
    jayo26
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,779 ✭✭✭✭jayo26


    DarraghR wrote: »
    I don't think a 256 would be enough for operating system and all my software :/

    Also a bit risky if my HDD has a fault. Do HDD usually last 6 years?

    Mate if your currently using 300gb of your 500gb hard drive for files and software and your os then 256 will be plenty, if you have done checks on your hdd and I shows no faults then I wouldn't think there is any reason to believe it will just pack it in but in any event even a brand new hdd would not set you back much you would get a 1tb drive and a 250gb ssd for around 200 mark on some sites.


  • #11
    Digital Solitude
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,397 ✭✭✭✭Digital Solitude


    Seagate Barracuda 1Tb and a Crucial MX100 256gb are about €150 delivered from hardwareversand op, if it came to getting a new HDD.

    On windows you can install a program onto a different disk and run it fine, I would assume OSX has a similar function.

    Try installing something like chrome on a USB and see if you can launch it to make sure


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