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Released June 2009 / 2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor

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New SSD installed in computer

My problem is this:

Installed an OWC SSD into my mid 09 MacBook Pro. At first it was working great, then after watching some video's, screen went black, after the cursor just spun and spun.

Sometimes after going black I'd be able to move the cursor sometimes not. After a force shutdown, and restart, Then I get the circle with the line, or the question mark. I put back the old drive, worked perfectly.

It was suggested to change the hard drive cable, which I did, and surprised how easy it was, booted up the computer, all excited, and after using after a couple hours watching video from same site (mypoints.com) the same thing happened. So I reinstalled old drive, and booted up the new drive from an enclosure, but not a 3.0 (not sure if that matters) and it worked flawlessly the rest of the day... Now I have the old drive in, and I'll know if it works like is used to, as I'm sure it will... I really don't want to have to just keep the external attached to use. please help... I'm also thinking about bringing it in.

I also just noticed something else. when the old drive gets the cursor and kind of freezes, if i wait it out, it just kind of catches up and plays where the SSD I get that black screen…

Answer this question I have this problem too

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sorry took so long for me to answer… i didn’t realize…. i have the owc 250gb 3gb’s data ll… i have the right one…. i even went over it with a tech from there establishing it was the correct one, but once they help you get it in, and it’s working, they can’t get you off the phone fast enough …

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Was the new hard drive/IR cable the 2012 model?

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no mayer, it was one for a mid 2009 pro 15 inch just like i have... it works fine with my old drive..

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Most Helpful Answer

Which OWC SSD did you put in?

It sounds like you put in the SATA III (6.0 Gb/s) SSD instead of the SATA II (3.0 Gb/s) SSD.

Update (02/12/2019)

At this point you have two issues as @mayer commented your HD SATA cable needs to be replaced.

This is the cable you want MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable And Yes! it’s for the 2012 model, this is the better cable. Here’s the IFIXIT guide you’ll need to follow MacBook Pro 15" Unibody 2.53 GHz Mid 2009 Hard Drive/IR Sensor Cable Replacement.

There is two things you also need to do the first is place a strip of electricians tape on the uppercase when’re the cable crosses over to help protect it from the rough surface of the case. You also don’t want to sharply fold the cable! You wan nice even arcs around the bends. a sharp crease damages the foil wires within the ribbon cable.

The second issue you are likely facing is space run out on your drive. Being such a small drive you’ll need to leave 1/3 of it un-used! Your OS and the apps you are running need elbow room! This is virtual RAM, cache & paging. You might want to look at also increasing your RAM so you don’t need as much Virtual RAM or going with a larger SSD.

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable Image

Product

MacBook Pro 15" Unibody (Mid 2012) Hard Drive Cable

$19.99

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2 Comments:

I replaced this already, I used a generic brand, but it's working fine with my old drive.

I used the new SSD drive in an enclosure today for a good 5 to 6 hours with no problems.

Also, it's a 2009 model with 320 GB HDD. I NEVER download things onto my computer and only used about 45 GB, I have like 265 GBs of free space, and I already maxed out my RAM years ago.

I'm VERY short on funds, and just wanted to upgrade how my drive works, figuring after almost 10 years I only have 50 GBs used, I don't need a very large one.

I'm actually considering just trying another brand, like the Samsung EVO.

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If you put in a generic SSD and you have tons of space then we're back to square one the SSD is not very good or is a SATA III (6.0) model which is not the correct drive for your system.

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eric k will be eternally grateful.
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