MacBook Help - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

nickerjones · 11-19-2011, 01:32 PM

Hey guys ,

I need some help. I bought a Black Macbook in Sept, 2008. When I view about this mac these are the specs:
Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 2 GB

Lately in addition to seeming to run slower in general I have been getting the pinwheel of death a lot and safari will become unresponsive and close. A few other programs have been doing this too. I am not sure why. I know the computer is getting old and will eventually need to be replaced. However I am trying to find ways of prolonging its life for 6 months or so. I figured maybe I could add more Ram? I searched around and think I have found that I could double the ram on this model by buying 2 x 2GB sticks. I am also going to buy a TB external HD to back up everything and clean out the Harddrive . Will either of these help? Any other suggestions?

sclitheroe · 11-19-2011, 01:45 PM

What version of Mac OS X?

photon · 11-19-2011, 02:07 PM

An SSD would probably make a pretty big difference too, depending on how much is on the drive now it might be a not too expensive option.

nickerjones · 11-19-2011, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

What version of Mac OS X?

I never upgraded to snow leopard.
System Version: Mac OS X 10.5.8

HotHotHeat · 11-19-2011, 04:58 PM

I had the same specs on my computer. Loaded it with 2x2 GB of RAM, upgraded to Snow Leopard, then Lion, and it runs fine.

simmonjam1 · 11-19-2011, 08:45 PM

I'd do a time machine backup.
Boot from OS X disc, erase the main partition, reinstall OS X.
Transfer your data back onto your HDD from your time machine backup.

nickerjones · 11-19-2011, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

I had the same specs on my computer. Loaded it with 2x2 GB of RAM, upgraded to Snow Leopard, then Lion, and it runs fine.

dang that sucks... I have to buy a 30 dollar Snow upgrade and then a 30 dollar Lion upgrade.... HAHA man am I cheap!

DownhillGoat · 11-19-2011, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

dang that sucks... I have to buy a 30 dollar Snow upgrade and then a 30 dollar Lion upgrade.... HAHA man am I cheap!

I'd save $30 and skip the Lion upgrade, but your mileage may vary.

Quote:

Originally Posted by simmonjam1

I'd do a time machine backup.
Boot from OS X disc, erase the main partition, reinstall OS X.
Transfer your data back onto your HDD from your time machine backup.

Wouldn't that just put him back to where he's at now? I've never really done much with time machine. Does a re-install actually do anything if you replace it with the backup? Or does that just replace the files and not programs/settings/etc?

nickerjones · 11-19-2011, 09:01 PM

Listen , I am pretty computer dumb when it comes to this ram stuff... Would this work in my macbook?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-193-_-na-_-na

silentsim · 11-20-2011, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

Listen , I am pretty computer dumb when it comes to this ram stuff... Would this work in my macbook?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-193-_-na-_-na

Yup, that should work.

simmonjam1 · 11-20-2011, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

I'd save $30 and skip the Lion upgrade, but your mileage may vary.

Wouldn't that just put him back to where he's at now? I've never really done much with time machine. Does a re-install actually do anything if you replace it with the backup? Or does that just replace the files and not programs/settings/etc?

When you do a time machine backup some system work files, caches and logs are not backed up. Alternatively he could verify / repair permissions and disk from disk utility but this would be done on a clean install.

Is the hard drive full? This article may help. http://macs.about.com/od/faq1/f/How-...-Do-I-Need.htm

FanIn80 · 11-20-2011, 09:55 AM

Without spending money
Quick fix (1A): Repair disk permissions and disable Flash in Safari
Long fix (1B): Back up data, wipe drive, fresh install OS X with all updates, put data back on

With spending money
Cheaper (2A): All of 1A, plus bump RAM to 4GB and upgrade to Snow Leopard
More expensive (2B): All of 2A, plus a SATA2 SSD and an upgrade to Lion

If you do 1A, you may or may not notice a difference. If you do 1B, you should get another year out of the MacBook. 2A will get you another two years, while 2B will get you at least four more years.

Approximate costs for 2B:
SATA2 SSD: $100
RAM: $50
Snow Leopard: $30
Lion: $30
Total: $210

nickerjones · 11-20-2011, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Without spending money
Quick fix (1A): Repair disk permissions and disable Flash in Safari
Long fix (1B): Back up data, wipe drive, fresh install OS X with all updates, put data back on

With spending money
Cheaper (2A): All of 1A, plus bump RAM to 4GB and upgrade to Snow Leopard
More expensive (2B): All of 2A, plus a SATA2 SSD and an upgrade to Lion

If you do 1A, you may or may not notice a difference. If you do 1B, you should get another year out of the MacBook. 2A will get you another two years, while 2B will get you at least four more years.

Approximate costs for 2B:
SATA2 SSD: $100
RAM: $50
Snow Leopard: $30
Lion: $30
Total: $210

I believe I am going to go with 2A. My buddy bought a family pack of snow leopard and has a couple left. I am going to just order the RAM for 50 bucks. To be honest I would upgrade to a Macbook pro right now but I just started a new job and want to get settled in at the new job before I make a large purchase. I am thinking in 6 or 7 months I will upgrade to the Pro. I'll still upgrade the ram for now and my wife can have the macbook when I get the pro.
Thanks for all your help guys.

-Nick

nickerjones · 11-20-2011, 06:54 PM

I bought a 1 TB portable hd. Can i just put everything on there and then delete everything on my computer HD?

Rathji · 11-21-2011, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickerjones

I bought a 1 TB portable hd. Can i just put everything on there and then delete everything on my computer HD?

If you are talking about while you wipe, then of course.

If you are talking about after your have reinstalled, then no. You shouldn't only ever have one copy of your data.

BigDogg · 11-22-2011, 02:53 AM

Could be the internal HD starting to show early signs of failing. Bad time to be looking for replacement drives unfortunately.

nickerjones · 12-18-2011, 06:47 PM

when i go to burn a disc ( of pictures) it will burn but wont ever finalize my Cd. I installed a trial of a burning software and it burns just fine. Now the software is out of its trial and wants me to pay 50 bucks. Anything I can do to get the mac to finalize my disc burns?

Jing · 12-18-2011, 09:46 PM

I just bought a 8gb ram kit (2x4gb) from Memory Express for $40 for my macbook pro. Not entirely sure if it would work on the macbook, but definitely check it out.