Replacing the hard drive
My hard drive went out on my mini Mac. Can I switch it for a external drive
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If I understand what you are looking asking correctly here.
Yes, you can boot up off of an external FireWire HD (I wouldn't recommend USB - just too slow). You do need to have the system files installed on the external (making it bootable).
I would still take the old HD out as over time the system could have other problems depending on what is wrong with your current drive.
HD's aren't too expensive think about replacing it. It's also not to difficult to do this your self. Just take your time and don't force things following the IFIXIT guide for your unit.
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2 Comments
Thank you for your help. I'd like to upgrade it, would I need to do the cards too?
by Gretchen
No cards to change. Review the IFIXIT guide on how to replace the HD.
by Dan