I recently upgraded a client’s computer from an old spinning hard drive to an SSD (solid state drive) to make the machine much faster. A simple disk clone did not work for Windows 7 to make the disk bootable. To make Windows 7 boot properly, the SID (Security Identifier) had to be updated. This is done easily using Paragon Partition Manager by just checking off the option to change the SID after performing the disk copy.
We just upgraded a 2011 Apple Mac Mini to have an SSD, a second hard drive, and new RAM.
Video
Also available on YouTube in High Definition or Standard Definition.
Parts List
Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9 Model MC816LL/A 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor, AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard driveAlternate Parts List
The OCZ Vertex 3 is the fastest consumer SSD at the moment. Other SSD’s that you might consider include:
The Western Digital Blue drive mentioned above is high capacity and quiet. For a faster spinning hard drive consider:
7200RPM, 16 MB cache, 2.5 inch, 9.5MM height hard driveThe dedicated graphics in the mid-tier Mac Mini make it worth it for me. But for the cheapest Mini, consider:
UPDATE: My video shows adding two 9.5MM height drives. I just upgraded another Mac Mini with a 9.5MM SSD and a 12.5MM standard hard drive. As with my first upgrade, the hard drive goes in the bottom slot (the side closest to the top of the case when upright). This does fit. But first you need to slide the logic board out slightly. Be sure to remove the IR port adapter before sliding out the logic board. The OWC video shows how to do this. I used a cut up coat hanger to insert into the logic board holes and slide it out.
First Boot
Starting with a blank hard drive is easy on the 2011 Mac Mini. Hold down Command-R to boot into Lion Recovery which allows you to format the drives and download Lion over the Internet.
TRIM Support in Lion
For optimal SSD performance, enable TRIM support within OS X Lion. Grant Pannell describes the terminal commands to enable TRIM.
Photos of Upgrade
Apple usually puts a lot of thought into the design of their hardware. However, the placement of the SD card slot right below the DVD drive has always escaped me. I always suspected people are looking directly at their screen and put the card in the slot by feel. As a result, it is probably all too common to accidentally put the card in the DVD drive which is right above it. I recently saw this happen for the first time.
My first thought was to take apart the iMac including the DVD drive. Unfortunately, this requires specialized tools and 1-2 hours of time. I tried shaking it out (a scary thought with an expensive piece of hardware) but it didn’t budge because of the foam guards at the end. Finally, I created a high tech tool just for the job.
This is a piece of cardboard cutout to have a little extension at the bottom. I inserted this at the top of the drive and pushed as far back as possible. I then slide it down and pulled it forward and the extension pushed the SD card right out. This is a rather thin piece of cardboard which is probably necessary. Be sure to be gentle as you don’t want to damage the DVD drive in any way.
Although the iPad is designed and best used as a finger input device, I occasionally switch to using a stylus, especially when drawing (see my beautiful artwork below). I’ve tried nearly all of the styluses out there and found the new Bamboo Stylus
Combining the Bamboo Stylus
I’m waiting on the Cosmonaut Stylus (should be out in August) to see how its wide-grip compares. But at least until then, the Bamboo Stylus
There is still the inherent downside that you can not rest your hand on the iPad since that will be seen as a touch input. But even with that nit, I enjoy using this stylus.
If you have new RAM in your Mac or if you are trying to diagnose weird shutdowns and problems, you should consider testing your RAM. An easy way to do so is to follow these instructions from the command-tab article “How to Test RAM Under Mac OS X“.
This will take several hours to run but should diagnose the tricky problem of bad RAM.
