Hello guys,

This is the 2nd Version of the MacBook Pro/MacBook Thread. I hope you macbook users can get along and share the joy of your MacBook. Oh yes , did I say that it comes with new rules. I hope you guys can obey the rules


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I hope you enjoy your new MacBook Pro/MacBook Thread

I'll add some useful application and list of URLs later for you all

guys...
juz wanna ask / share something here...
i notice that my boot time almost doubles when i have USB thingy plugged in my mbp....
especially noticeable when using griffin tech powermate and logitech desktop for mac....
is this common....?
without the usb thingy...i can booth in less then 25 secs....with the usb thingy...it sometime goes up to 35+ secs....
sometimes 1 min+....
i m not sure what happened actually....=(

Yeah its normal

This is because your OSX has to load the kernel extensions for all of the devices up-front..When it sees new devices , it searches for the required kext then caches it. To see how OSX works. Boot your mac with command key (apple) plus V. Its very interesting to see whats going on behind the Spinning Sunflower !

hey thanks for the info...will try it....=)

I am planning to replace the hard disk in my Macbook with a higher capacity one.

Can anyone recommend a non-Apple place to do that ? I find the Apple store prices a bit expensive :-(

If you have recently done so, please share the brand and capacity of the hard disk you selected and whether you experience any heat issue after the replacement. (And the price if you don't mind)

Thanks.

It's pretty easy to do it yourself (on the iBook it was very difficult, but no problem with the MacBook).

I recommend Seagate drives, a little more expensive but much more reliable than that Western Digital crap.

Depending on the model, if you get a much higher-capacity drive you could increase the heat output of your MacBook.

i think my macbook battery is half dead...

it charges fully, then when used without the adapter, it goes up to about 25-30% then the whole macbook shutsdown, without notice...total lost of power...

i remembered when it used to approach less than 20%, the batt bar on the top turns red right?

i ran a test with coconutbattery...and this is what i got



155 charge cycles is not too bad right?? and my capacity is still at 93%, which is not too bad considering it's age...

I'll be sending it one of the mac shops...been having a lot of hardware problems with my mac....now sekali gus kao tim the thing...

Is it because my macbook is the first batch?? I am one of the first few macbook owners in malaysia...pre booked it when it was announced, got it when it was just launched..

it should last for longer than that right ?
if not then can say its quite unreliable...
and i'm getting one soon......
hahaha

This post has been edited by MoNnY: Aug 28 2007, 08:13 AM

Yup there's something wrong with your battery alright, go get a replacement, I just got mine 2 weeks back.



I got mine 2 months back, got a Seagate as well, the original hdd is a Seagate as well. I got a 120GB, no problems. I don't think capacity will affect temperature much, instead if you want to get a 7200rpm hdd, then it may run hotter. Can't remember how much I bought it but should be a little less than RM300, including a casing for the original hdd to be used as external storage.

Actually; I'd recommend Western Digital over Seagate....


A more comprehensive resource listing valuable user experiences with drives in Macs may be read here:

http://forums.xlr8yourmac.com/drivedb/search.drivedb.lasso

As you will see searching the database for MacBookPro drives; the Western Digital Scorpio 250Gb comes VERY highly recommended. I have one in my MBP and it is very quiet and having the space for all my stuff made it a very worthwhile upgrade. The Seagates don't come in that size so comparison between the two is moot.

If you're going for a 250Gb though: stay away from the Samsung drives. They require a firmware update in order to work with the MBP. Even so; there are too many adverse experiences reported in xlr8yourmac to recommend them.

3 Days ago i just replace my stock HDD (Seagate 60GB) to Western Digital 160GB
which is very smooth actually.
i just clone my stock HDD using SuperDuper!
after that copy the clone to the new HDD.

This post has been edited by hairol83: Aug 28 2007, 11:27 AM

re replacement harddisk for Macbook

rajulkadir, civic98, MacDaNife, hairol83 and others

Thanks for your feedback. Much appreciated.

Hi guy, how much approximately to upgrade the current 15inch MBP to 4G RAM? any cheaper option?

hi all
i just wanna know whether anyone here ever tried a flight simulation game on a macbook
i recently played need for speed on windows xp(using boot camp 1.3) and it's quiet laggy
so any advise or opinion from all of u?
is it ok to play a flight simulator regarding that macbook only using gma950

thnx
peace~

Hi all, just doing some research on what bluetooth wireless mouse to get, while waiting for my mbp to arrive. I want one which doesnt requires USB port, any recommendation? Price range preferable similar to wireless mighty mouse. Or should I get the wireless mighty mouse?

Any reasons why you are not getting the wireless mighty mouse? If there aren't any, GET IT!

Wireless mighty mouse would be nice, and match with your mac.. unless you play games on your macbook. I try my friend's wired mighty mouse for iMac and it's not suitable for hardcore games, if you're into games, maybe you would like to consider Logitech wireless mouse or Razr gaming mouse.

well there is quite alot of bad review in apple website for wireless mighty mouse e.g. the ball not being sensitive after some time of use, and the right click is not sensitive as well. anyone facing these issue?

if u dun mind wired...i'd suggest razer copperhead....
i use it a lot when on the go...first i dun have to worry about batteries...2nd i can change the dpi on the fly...=)

checked with Apple...to do so for the new MBP will cost a whopping RM1399! it means discarding the 2X1G RAM in the new MBP and fitting in a 2 x 2G RAM.....

anyoone can suggest a cheaper option?

cheers

Try This Site?

i think it's cheaper than in mac store.
or i think you can opt for the kingston value RAM. there was some thread about it prviously over here about the compatibility.

the 2x1GB you can sell it off...

quick question for kingston value RAM or any other RAm beside the Apple RAM , will it sustains the strain-full memory usage .. im a graphic designer whom regularly used 2-3 graphic software at once when designing , i also interested to upgrade my macbook d2c,




surprisingly your given website sell a paired 1gig + 1 gig ram for only RM 350 .. compared to buying from apple which will cause me 1 gig = RM 410 ----> is this true or im being cheated?

ok. i'm getting my macbook soon and thinking of ways to protect it
any idea where can i buy marware protection pack in KL ?

Mac RAM has always been ridiculously expensive in Malaysia. I bought my RAM upgrade from MCEtech (together with a harddrive upgrade too). I'd also recommend One World Computing at http://eshop.macsales.com/.

If you do go the online route be sure to ship FedEx International Priority. Saving on shipping just doesn't make sense as it's not only the time taken to transport but also the fact that they will facilitate passage through customs.

I also bought the Marware Protection Pack from Machines in MidValley. Given that this is available online for around USD35; the fact that Machines is selling for RM180 thereabouts reinforces what we already know about our local mac retailers....

Buy online.

Thanks MacDanife....
checked the MCEtech and found this
http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/merchan...Product_Count=0
-and with the Fedex Priority shipping you recommended its comes up to about USD285...
about 400RM cheaper than what i was quoted here....good value..thanks!

okok.. thx..
will check out machines @ MV

there is a cheaper option: to do it yourself. The RAM upgrade is pretty straightforward. You just need to make sure that the RAM you purchase is compatible with the mac. Im no expert in this field so maybe another forummer can help, its only like 1 screw or something to replace the ram.

also i would agree with macdenife on the WD drives as oppose to seagate. all the wd drives i bought are still functioning perfectly. I find they work much better than seagate/maxtor drives which seem to have a lifespan of two years for me.

anyways abit ot but i use superduper to back up as well.. and i run bootcamp on vista.. anyone know anybackup programs that work like superduper for vista... free ones please.. thx

guys, how do i maximize the window fullscreen ? when i click the green + button some programs only maximize the window vertically. I have to do it manually. But when i press it again, it'll go back to the initial size

what program do you guys use to watch movies ?
cause i'm looking for a program that has all the codecs... so just install and use...

VLC...=)

If you watch mainly downloaded Avi, get the Dvix codex for quicktime. VLC is good option for viewing pretty much anything, but the app sometimes quits unexpectedly while in full screen.

ello guys
i got a bit demotivated a lot after looked at LYN pricelist from CZONE for
1gb ddr2 667mhz ram = rm140

i bought mine 2 piece of 1gb ram 667mhz for my macbook from taiwan for rm180++ per piece...i'm conned?

but last time i checked with lowyat's macstore they quote me rm599 per stick for 1gb
hmm...someone...please...enlighten me...

better use perian --> http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/30931 It support tons of media format, except RMVB/RM and wmv (i think )

guys, where can i find the casing for macbook, like the one by Speck or something.

One more thing, can anyone help me with my problem above hehe

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Added on September 3, 2007, 4:44 pmwhere's everyone ?

can someone tell me where can i find dvi-d to vga adapter ? I bought the wrong adapter just now, which is the dvi-a to vga. Wasted !!!!!

This post has been edited by munky: Sep 3 2007, 04:44 PM

hi! just want to know whether are there any UTM students using any macbook there? need some help to configure the wireless thingie. went to register my macbook for wireless facilities, the ppl in the IT dept was clueless on how to configure my mac for the wireless... thanks

Hi, i quoted my previous post...

I have not send my MB to the service center yet (yes, I am procastinating)..

But I've been monitoring my batt status....these few days, i managed to use it until about 10%, then i went to charge it...does that mean my battery is ok?

Since it is ok these few days, if i send it to VR tech, will they not change a new batt for me? since i cant really prove that something is faulty..

P.S. I hate it when this happens..when i want it to go wrong, it doesn't....happens to me EVERY SINGLE TIME.

RAM prices are different among countries.....I am sure you were not conned, RM40 differences is not that huge....

The RAMS sold in macstores are apple certified RAMS, which are usually much more expensive...

thanks for the reply
but the rami bought from taiwan is from apple centre at their SOGO pacific @ taipei

maybe this weekend i'll drop by lowyat to confirm the price again. scared until pant drop

You've already bought the RAM. (Presumably) it's working well in your computer. Why bother to look back?

Move on. Go look at other stuff that you're interested in. It's a far more productive use of your time, no?

apple centre in taiwan sell their 1GB ram for rm 180?
here selling rm 400++ leh
am i right?

huh? u kidding me ... anyone wanna go taiwan and buy it? i would like 2 gb please ... hhehehe

This post has been edited by deu5: Sep 3 2007, 10:49 PM

if any of u would like to buy a mini dvi to dvi adapter let me know, i wanna sell mine

EDIT : decided to keep it

This post has been edited by munky: Sep 5 2007, 03:23 PM

any MB users using notebook coolers ?
was thinking of the zalman nc1000 but not too sure..
cause the coolermaster notepal p1 looks really interesting also

and i notice alot of heat from the MB comes from the area around the F2 to F4 keys region where the CPU and graphics chip are located.

created a topic

This post has been edited by munky: Sep 6 2007, 10:38 PM

Finally my order status change to prepared for shipment, hopefully i can get my mbp by end of next week

Hi Guys,

Am going to get a Mac notebook soon but i am wondering have anyone here try to install Windows Vista Ultimate as a secondary OS on the notebook?

Plenty of people have done it. No worries there. All flavors of Windows Vista should work with Boot Camp, but I do recall some hubbub about Vista Home.

i use vista on my MBP.. only tried XP on regular macbook. both work without a hitch as long as you use the latest version of bootcamp *as i found out when trying to update drivers*

is macbook 2ghz with 1gb ram good enough to run vista smoothly ?

1G ram is not good for vista already .. what do u expect ?
so so only .
summore macbook is not build for windows , the outcome might be diferent abit .

Hmmm..i'm wondering whether want to upgrade the ram to 2gbz to run the windos vista?
by the way, will there be any lag playing games such as warcraft or starcraft?

IMHO 1GB RAM for Vista in MacBook is like XP running on 512MB RAM, smooth but not really smooth
For the games, I think warcraft and starcraft at low resolution would be no problem..

Woah, i didnt know that they do shipment on saturday as well, yeah, will be receiving my mbp by or before friday

Thanks for the information.
Well, now i need to think whether to get the white or the black?
n is RM800 diffrent ? sigh

well, its all up to you.. every bit of information u need on the macbook is already on the net...

but, basically, the major diff is only the superdrive, faster proc and bigger HDD
thats it...

hey.. do you think in malaysia where can i find this product by http://speckproducts.com/
i like the seethru hardshell for my mb

the second white and black different is only the HDD. One is 120Gb and the black is 160Gb. Rest of the spec are the same. You can go check at apple.com

This post has been edited by allvin: Sep 9 2007, 02:03 PM

i am now, very very unsatisfied with my macbook...
tomorrow going back to macstudio..
see what they can do...
best thing, replace with new unit..

the keyboard plate on my right side, squeeks.. most likely because its warped from being overtighten..

the front panel, along the infrared, doesn't match the top part when its closed... there are 2 bumps along the case...

that day itself they brought out a second unit, it was worse than mine.. i thought i could live with it.. but obviously i can't

---

Added on September 9, 2007, 5:30 pmhere are some pictures to those that are unclear of what i'm talking about


the arrow, points to a chip... a small bit has been chipped off the cover


this picture, speaks for itself

This post has been edited by MoNnY: Sep 9 2007, 05:30 PM

The second picture happens to me..
but i used to ignored it...
not only that part..
the other part around USB and ethernet area also occur
as long it serve me in good condition
i dont mind at all..

let me know the outcome....

i have even more squeeks and gaps and not matching covers.....

if u could get it fixed(i doubt they'll give u a replacement), i might send for warranty as well.....

i am too busy to send it to warranty and i need my macbook....cant afford to have it with apple for 1 week...heheh

the squeek getting REAL irritating..
the moment i lift my hands from the palmrest it squeeks..

i called them today and asked if their technician around tomorrow
they seem to remember me from my description of the problem.. haha

see how.. maybe will bug them for a replacement..

dun really care about the marware protective pack on it now..
as long as the problem is solved..

my macbook can't even close flushly...
the bottom case sticks out

To be frank, these are the things to check when buying, not after. And it's really nothing serious, nothing is perfect obviously, especially after taken it home.

no
i did..
then the DAMN SUAY fella who took my macbook out from the store room, went back in to take another cause i was complaning like ass...

the second one he brought out was even worse than mine..
they told me to come back on monday when technician around...
i wasn't free last monday.. so i'm going tomorrow..
my MB one week old only

the least they could do is change the keyboard cover la..
its really irritating and doesn't sit flush with the back case..
thats the least i hope they can do la

---

Added on September 9, 2007, 9:23 pmthe 2 buldges from the bottom case, we'll see how it goes la...

This post has been edited by MoNnY: Sep 9 2007, 09:23 PM

eeeerm...are u allowed to check before buying??

i am not too sure..hahah....mine came to me by courier......

i was at the shop..
after paying, they brought it out, i check it...

i wasn't happy at all.. but when i saw the second unit, i thought i'd take my chances with the first one...

now i regret not making them bring out a third unit from their store... those bast**ds

Haha my MacBook Pro now has the same problem after I took it apart to have a look inside. Is your MacBook a stock unit or you upgraded the harddrive or something?

stock..... it was freaking new..
came out of the damn plastic like that

Where you bought it?

wah.. so expensive stuff also got this prb meh?? somemore Macbook Pro worr....

hey guys, since the new ipods is already out, is there gonna be a new macbook and macbook pro? or just new softwares?

The MacBook got a speed bump in May and the MacBook Pro was updated in June so probably no updates for now.

@justinckl, macbook *might* update in Dec 07/Jan 08. As for now, there sure no update. Extra info, Mac Pro might update in Dec cos' penryn server processor release around that time.

wow coming end of the year ..i believe that the new macbook will be very expensive.
by the way, i m wondering how much disc space used my MAC OS? I m planning to install 2 OS on the same hardisk OSK & VISTA Ultimate and i believe it will take a lot of space for both of the OS

Why say so?

Btw, it should be either cheaper or same price as before.

I don't understand why you guys want to install Vista(my friend install ultimate which waste 20GB for that junkie). Better install xp if you want to run some windows applications or games.. Less resource (ram) needed. And most games still support for winxp except DirectX10 and you do require to have DirectX10 graphic card.

I actually got a free licesne for vista so i dont want to waste it and i want to try this new OS

I've just gotten the new macbook, and am posting through it

sadly i can't post up any photos because my n73 installation setup don't work on mac, or at least thats what i think

@-Jonathan-,
N73 no bluetooth? Work it via Bluetooth

Just use BT (BlueTooth) la.. Or use USB cardreader to read your memory card of the mobile phone.

bluetooth would work fine on the mac..
also...
u can try bluephoneelite...phone manager...=)

LOL...reformating my macbook pro on the 1st day...messed up lots of coding to enable writing on ntfs...

overall am happy with my purchase...anyone found any guide for noobie pc convertz? all those coding makes me go... haha

Severely need some getting used to

Any thing for mac newbies like me?





This post has been edited by -Jonathan-: Sep 11 2007, 11:52 PM

why is it my ext hdd cannot be detected by my MB ? when i turn it on, it will be busy forever, but nothing happens on my MB. I need to restart my MB with the ext hdd connected, then only i can get it to appear on my MB. And now even after i restarted my MB, it doesnt appear.

Any idea why n what should i do ?

I was wondering, now that i've gotten my new macbook, there are several issues that is bugging me. I know i should've googled it out, but if anyone here wouldn't mind assisting me, that'll be great

#1 How do i transfer files from the old notebook (Windows XP) into the new macbook. I can't exactly find the thing to search for computer. I have a wireless router in my unit, and i can connect both notebooks through the wifi.

#2 I downloaded the 400 mb file of bootcamp, and i've got an XP pro CD, do i just install the bootcamp and then subsequently install XP? How are the drivers installed in XP?

#3 MSN Messenger on mac doesn't have the features i was actually wanting (Webcam feature). I downloaded the newest MSN messenger for OSX, it doesn't have webcam features, and also i can't format my contact list according to groups eh?

#1, make sure u are sharing the folders on windows XP..
open finder, go networks.. u should see the workgroup name under a folder

#2, i dunno.. i dun find the need to install windows

#3, donwload amsn or adium... i'm using amsn.. no problem.. exactly like mac messenger

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Added on September 12, 2007, 12:42 amu cold boot your macbook... once OS X is loaded, plug in cannot detect ?

This post has been edited by MoNnY: Sep 12 2007, 12:42 AM

apparently the step to find computer doesn't work.

I can't google this up, but anyone know the shortcut key to "Show the desktop"

In windows, its the windows button + D

Sadly, adium doesn't support voice/video system. aMSn seems to be having problem with the video chat.

Some compilers are windows compatible only, i've got no choice as well

Go to System Preferences and set up your Dashboard and Expose settings. You can bind a keystroke to show the desktop through this.

Follow the instructions on the Boot Camp site to install Windows. Or read the included readme file. It's a fairly simple process. Install the Boot Camp Assistant, burn a CD with driver files, use the Boot Camp Assistant to partition your harddrive, install your Microsoft Windows XP/Vista OS of choice, run the driver installation CD.

I've been using Adium for chatting, but it certainly does have its limitations. :\

erm,
press the F11 key...
it will show finder/desktop..

press F9 to expose all running programs
F10 is to bring the current window to front and f12 shows dashboard
try it out

my adium doesnt support video chat

of cos it won't la..

Try aMsn..

Ill give that a good try, binding the keystroke

Yea, problem is that i dont have a blank CD here, yikes...i have to get the driver files from the net eh?


even aMSN video chat doesn't really work for me...something i tried going after

MSN wont work with Video Chat. it is because of the version is not allowed to do so, Perhaps Apple want every user goes Video chat on iChat?

Not MSN, aMSN, a protocol for MSN on OSX

It has the webcam button, but it has problem connecting

Anyone has used this before?
Well, sadly but truly i have iChat (not a .MAC account though), but my family member uses MSN Messenger

Anyone still know how to search for computers within the network?

Do u have a cross cable? just connect both notebook n just set an ip address on both notebook. For example , Notebook 1 IP Address 10.10.10.1 Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0 n MAC IP Address 10.10.10.2 Subnet MAsk 255.255.255.0

I think it is pretty straight forward.

yesterday 2nd time boot macbook, it detected the hdd. But then very tulan la have to restart everytime wanna connect the ext hdd.

BTW, will it affect the battery life if i use the AC adapter all the time even when the battery is fully charged ?