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EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
14,085
11,848
a sideways followup question. since i won't be able to use this imac, i might have a use for the Crucial 1 tb hard drive. i need a new hard drive for my 2016 dell laptop. i did download the OS onto this drice, but i presume i can erase it and download a windows OS, if i can use it in the dell. any restrictions or comparability issues? Rather use one I have than buy another. here is the Crucial, and here is the bad dell drive.
View attachment 2285048
You can use the Crucial SSD in the Dell (unless there is some weird unexpected incompatibility). You will have to install the drive first and then install Windows. The drive will have to be formatted appropriately for use in Windows. It might make it easier to erase it first in Disk Utility in macOS.
 

rwh63

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
436
238
New England
meaning, erase it after install in the dell? its currently still installed in the imac, which is exhibiting a graphics card failure. i know you were helpful and involved during the imac investigation. can i hook up my laptop via firewire to access that drive and erase it before pulling it?

a sort of related question: my 2011 macbook pro, which will need replacing at some point, has a rather full 320 gb hdd. could a drive like the crucial 1 tb be popped into that, and can i first clone the 320 onto it via firwire (usb ports are shot)?
 

rwh63

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
436
238
New England
i believe the only thing on the crucial is high sierra, which is the same OS as is on my pro. might be easier to clone the pro onto the crucial while it is in the imac, and get a fresh drive for the dell?
 

EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
14,085
11,848
meaning, erase it after install in the dell? its currently still installed in the imac, which is exhibiting a graphics card failure. i know you were helpful and involved during the imac investigation. can i hook up my laptop via firewire to access that drive and erase it before pulling it?

a sort of related question: my 2011 macbook pro, which will need replacing at some point, has a rather full 320 gb hdd. could a drive like the crucial 1 tb be popped into that, and can i first clone the 320 onto it via firwire (usb ports are shot)?
If the USB ports are shot, personally I'd retire it, but if you want to keep it going, the Crucial would work well in it.

i believe the only thing on the crucial is high sierra, which is the same OS as is on my pro. might be easier to clone the pro onto the crucial while it is in the imac, and get a fresh drive for the dell?
You can clone a drive with a $10 external USB 3 2.5-inch HD/SSD enclosure too... but your USB ports are shot...

If you were going to put it into the Dell, just in case I'd format the drive first before sticking it in the Dell. I can't remember what happens if you run the Windows installer but it sees macOS on the drive. Maybe it will prompt you to format it first, but I can't remember the procedure during the Windows install process. It's been years since I've done that on Windows.
 
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rwh63

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
436
238
New England
Game over for this iMac 😢
 

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rwh63

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
436
238
New England
I bought that glass last year. It was like $30. Don’t know how much resource would be needed to resuscitate this old machine at this point. I’ve got a nearly new Dell desktop to integrate, which should cover that need.
 

rwh63

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 24, 2010
436
238
New England
And, I planned on putting the removed Crucial HD in a Dell laptop to start it fresh. Just have to wipe OS off of it.
 
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