How to upgrade your MacBook Pro with an SSD

How to upgrade your MacBook Pro with an SSD

Ready to give your old MacBook a serious performance boost? Find out how to replace your MacBook Pro's hard drive with an SSD for faster task completion, file saving, and application launching.

Welcome to Mac Mondays! Each Monday, the team at CNET How To will go in-depth on ways you can improve your Mac. We'll talk performance upgrades (for old and new models), hardware hacks, and workflow tips. This is where you'll go to find out how to release your Mac's potential and make the most of your purchase.

Plus, we want your very best tips and ideas. When inspiration hits, email me and we'll consider your thoughts for reader roundups.

Until about three weeks ago, my 2009 MacBook Pro was useless. Programs took ages to load, saving a file would result in the rolling ball of death, and starting up my laptop could take minutes.

I did everything -- cleared out nearly 50 percent of my storage, used "clean-up" apps from the App Store, and even upgraded my RAM. Even after all that hauling, loading pages in Firefox or opening a photo in preview would be a two-minute affair.

That's when I realized there was only one more thing to do: get rid of my hard drive. Besides the one entry-level MBP model, all MBPs sold today are stocked with flash storage.

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Flash storage, which comes in the form of Solid State Drives (SSDs), are unbelievably faster than hard disk storage. They're also more energy efficient, reliable, and quieter than hard drives. CNET editor Dong Ngo has a very useful guide about why SSDs are better performers, and why they're worth the price.

SSDs are definitely more expensive than hard drives -- about three times more on average. Still, it's a worthwhile expense if you want to bring an older Mac back to life and avoid buying a new computer.

Best of all, the installation process is really simple. Here's how I upgraded my 2009 MacBook Pro to an SSD and made it feel brand new. Any MacBook Pro from 2012 and earlier can be upgraded as well. (Newer models have the hard drive soldered in and can not be modded.)

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You'll need:

• An SSD (I used last year's version of the Samsung 840 Evo)
• SATA-to-USB cable or dock
• Small screwdriver to open your laptop
• Torx head screwdriver for disassembling the hard drive
• SuperDuper (download it here)

Step 1: Prep the SSD

Start by connecting the SSD to your computer with a dock or cable. Once it's connected, launch Disk Utility (searchable through Spotlight), and select your drive from the left sidebar. Then, head to the Erase tab, and click Erase. No need to change any settings, unless you'd like to give it a new name. This will format the drive and prep it for the next step.

Launch SuperDuper, and set it to clone your Mac's hard drive to the SSD. If you gave it a new name in Disk Utility, it'll show up as such. Then choose Backup All Files, and click Copy Now.

This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on how much you have stored on your hard drive. When the process is complete, eject the SSD and shut down your computer.

Step 2: Remove the hard drive

In case you missed it in the previous step, shut down your computer.

Begin by removing your MacBook's back cover. There are 10 screws in total, including three longer ones. Put them in a small container as you remove them.

When the cover comes off, touch a metal part to release the static electricity. At this point, you might want to clean the inside of your Mac. I found that after years without cleaning, mine was full of dust. Use a soft brush or gentle bursts of compressed air to release the dust and grime.

To remove the hard drive, use the regular screwdriver to unscrew the two black screws belonging to the bracket securing the hard drive. Remove the bracket and set it aside.

Gently lift the hard drive. You'll see that a ribbon is attached to one end. Carefully wiggle the connector -- not the ribbon itself -- to disconnect it.

Remove the four torx screws attached to the hard drive and set aside. At this point, you can store your hard drive away or convert it to an external hard drive. You're done with it.

Step 3: Install the SSD

Grab the SSD and screw in the four torx screws you removed from the hard drive. Then, carefully attach the ribbon to the SSD, and insert the drive in the same configuration as the previous drive.

Re-attach the bracket. And finally, replace the back cover using the 10 screws.

If you made it this far without fumbling, congratulations! That was probably easier than you were expecting.

Now turn on your computer. It may take a couple of extra seconds as it gets acquainted with the new drive, but generally speaking, starting up your computer will be much faster than the past. You'll also notice that programs launch faster, saving files takes less time, and it feels less sluggish overall.

link:http://www.cnet.com/how-to/upgrade-your-macbook-install-ssd-hard-drive/

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How to watch Apple's iPad and Mac event live

How to watch Apple's iPad and Mac event live

Don't miss a bit of the action when Apple unveils its new devices on October 16. Here's how you can tune in and watch the company's iPad and Mac event live.

Screenshot by Shara Tibken/CNET

Apple is expected to announce new iPads and Macs, along with revealing further details on OS X Yosemite at a special event in Cupertino on October 16. CNET will be on location to bring you the news as it breaks. Apple has also confirmed that it will live-stream the event for for iPhone, iPad, Mac andApple TV users.

Here's how you can tune in:

The event can be streamed on second- and third-generation Apple TV devices running software version 6.2 or later. You will find the stream on the Apple Events channel on the device's main menu.

You can also tune in right on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch running iOS 6 or later using the Safari mobile Web browser and clicking on this link. Mac and MacBook users on OS X 10.6.8 or later can watch the event by clicking on this link using Safari version 5.1.10 or later.

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How to set up Chromecast's new Backdrop feature

How to set up Chromecast's new Backdrop feature

Google released an update to its Chromecast app, enabling you to stream photos, weather and news on your TV.

Jason Cipriani/CNET

Jason Cipriani/CNET

Chromecast users will be happy to hear Google has enabled the Backdrop feature we first heard about in June at Google I/O.

For those unfamiliar, Backdrop uses a dormant Chromecast to display popular photos, or photos from your own Google+ albums, along with current news headlines and weather stats.

The update is slowly rolling out to Android users in typical Google fashion, while iOS users can grab the latest version of the Chromecast app in the App Store right now and immediately start using Backdrop.

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Upon updating the app, the first time you launch it, you'll be asked if you want to use Backdrop.

• Select Get Started, then, if prompted, select the Chromecast device(s) you'd like to enable the new feature on.
• Once enabled, you can edit the content displayed on your TV by tapping on the gear icon in the top-right corner.
• To access the Backdrop menu after initial setup, slide out the menu drawer and select Backdropfrom the list of options.

From here you'll find options that allow you to display all photos from your Google+ account, or a specific album of your choosing.

You can also opt to have current news and weather displayed, as well as limit where displayed photos are curated from (e.g., satellite images, featured photos, art photos).

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Get helpful contextual pop-up menus on your Mac with PopClip

Get helpful contextual pop-up menus on your Mac with PopClip

If you like the pop-up menus on your iPhone that let you cut, copy and paste text, you'll love PopClip on your Mac.

Matt Elliott/CNET

Highlight text on your iPhone and iOS helpfully offers to copy or define the highlighted word, among other options. With OS X and iOS growing more and more alike with each passing year, it's a wonder that such functionality has yet to show up on OS X. With PopClip, it does.

PopClip is available in the Mac App Store for $4.99 but is currently discounted at $1.99, £1.49 or AU$2.49 as part of $2 Tuesday. After installing the app, you'll need to allow the app to control your Mac via the Accessibility panel in System Preferences before you get started. PopClip installs as an icon in the menu bar and offers to take you to the Accessibility panel in the Security & Privacy area of System Preferences.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

When you're up and running, the next time you highlight text on your Mac, PopClip will display a small pop-up menu with context-specific actions. In addition to the basic cut, copy and paste options, it offers to define a word, correct a misspelled word, open a link or search for the word using Google.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

But, wait, there's more! PopClip offers dozens of free extensions that extend the app's functionality. There are extensions to format text, translate text, count characters or words, send text to Evernote or another note app or a to-do app, and many others. From PopClip's menu bar icon, you can uncheck the items you decide that you don't want to use. Also from the menu bar, you can also exclude apps from using PopClip, should you find it interferes with the operation of a particular app.

link:http://www.cnet.com/how-to/get-helpful-contextual-pop-up-menus-on-your-mac-with-popclip/

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How to use the Windows 10 Start menu

How to use the Windows 10 Start menu

The Start menu in Windows 10 has similarities to its counterpart in Windows 7 but also has some surprises. So how does it all work now?

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

With the new Windows 10 Technical Preview, Microsoft has returned the Start menu to its rightful place. But the new menu offers a few surprises with its dual-personality of part Start menu and part Start screen. How can you use and even personalize the menu so it works best for you?

First, let's assume you've already downloaded and installed the Windows 10 Technical Preview. If not, you can download and install it directly fromMicrosoft's Technical Preview page, though you may be best downloading the ISO file, which you can either burn onto a CD or transfer to a USB flash drive and install from either media.

However and wherever you install it, you'll want to make sure you don't install it as an upgrade on your main production PC since the product is still very much in beta stage. Instead, you can install it in its own separate partition on an existing PC or as a virtual machine using a product such as VMware Player or Oracle VirtualBox.

Assuming you've installed Windows 10 on a PC, click the Start button after Windows appears, and you'll see the new Start menu with its hybrid approach. On the left, the familiar menu column appears with shortcuts to your applications and settings. On the right, a screen full of tiles to Windows apps displays so you can access key Windows apps right from the menu.

Click any shortcut on the left to open that particular setting or location. Click any tile on the right to open a specific Start screen app, such as Mail, Calendar, or News. Click the familiar All Apps setting, and the left column changes to show the standard Start screen apps as well as folders to familiar Windows settings and controls.

Need to search for an app, file or other item? Simply type your word or phrase in the search field, and a list of suggestions pops up. You can do the same thing by clicking the Search icon, but in that case Windows also displays recent and trending searches.

Want to shut down or restart Windows? Click the Power button at the top of the menu next to your name, and Windows will at the very least display options to Shut down and Restart. Right-click your account name, and you'll see a menu with three options: Change account picture, lock and sign out.

OK, now let's say you want to change or personalize some aspects of the Start menu. Here's where your right mouse button comes into play. For example, you want to add your Documents folder as a tile on the right side of the menu. Right-click the folder and click Pin to Start. A tile for your Documents appears on the right. Maybe you want to add your Documents folder to the taskbar instead. Right-click the folder and click Pin to Taskbar. Or maybe you want to remove the shortcut for your Documents folder from the menu entirely. Right-click the folder and click Remove from this List.

Now let's say you want to manage certain apps. Click the All Apps setting. Right-click any app, and you'll typically see four options: Open, Uninstall, Pin to Start (or Unpin from Start if the app is already set up as a tile), and Pin to taskbar (or Unpin from taskbar if the app is already there). Simply click the option you want.

OK, next step. Let's say you want to manage the tiles that appear on the right side of the menu. Right-click a specific tile, and a menu pops up with certain choices: Unpin from Start, Pin to taskbar, and Resize. Most apps will also have an Uninstall option. An app that can appear as a Live tile will also have one of two choices: either turn Live tile on or turn Live tile off, depending on the current setting. Again, simply click the option you want.

By customizing the left column and the right column, you can easily control how much you want to stick with the standard Start menu and how much you want to tap into the tiled Start screen portion.

Any other tricks to customizing the Start menu? Yep, as in Windows 7, there's a whole screen dedicated to that very task. Right-click the taskbar and click the Properties command. From the Taskbar and Start Menu properties window, click the tab for Start menu. In the Start Menu section, click the Customize button. You can now determine which items appear in the Start menu list and how they behave.

Since Windows 10 is just an early Technical Preview, Microsoft will undoubtedly add more features and functionality to the Start menu before the final product is released. But for now, these tips and tricks should help you navigate your way around the new Start menu and show you how to easily manage and customize it.

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How to force iOS 8

How to force iOS 8 to use third-party maps

Don't want Apple Maps to navigate you? Here's how to "opt out" in iOS 8.

CNET

Has Apple Maps improved in iOS 8? Back in March, reports indicated "major upgrades" were coming to the unpopular app, which debuted in iOS 6 to widespread criticism. But Apple didn't say much about Maps when iOS 8 arrived, and the app never saw the public-transit option which was rumored to be in the works.

In any case, one thing hasn't changed: You still can't alter the operating system's default navigation app. If you tap an address in, say, your address book or on a website, you'll land in Apple Maps, like it or not.

However, there's an easy way to bounce out of Maps and into your preferred navigator. Here's how:

Step one: Open an address in Apple Maps as you normally would.

Step two: Tap the car icon to start the routing process.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step three: Tap Apps in the route-selection menu.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step four: Tap Route next to whatever installed navigation app you want to use.

And that's it! It's not quite as seamless as changing the default, but it's certainly easier than entering an address manually in your map app of choice. What's more, you also get a list of App Store options, just in case you need something more suitable than what's already installed.

As you may recall, iOS 7 offered a similar tweak, though it required you to choose the Bus option. That would connect you with installed apps offering public-transit directions. In iOS 8, it's a little more straightforward.

However, the underlying code apparently hasn't changed that much, because if you choose Google Maps, it will load the app with Bus as the default mode of transport. (Just tap car or another option to change it.)

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How to install Windows 10

How to install Windows 10 Technical Preview as a virtual machine

Want to test-drive the new OS with the least amount of hassle? Give it a sandbox to play in.

Yep, that's Windows 10 running in a Windows 8, er, window.Photo by Rick Broida/CNET

Windows 10 has arrived! Well, an early beta, anyway, in the form of the Windows 10 Technical Preview. As noted in "Where, when and how to get Windows 10," Microsoft made the OS available for download as of last week.

Ready to take it for a spin? You have a couple options. If you have an old PC lying around, you couldinstall Windows 10 from a flash drive. But I think the better approach is to run the new OS inside a "sandbox," a virtual machine that won't affect your system in any way (except for borrowing some space on the hard drive).

Indeed, thanks to free virtualization software, you can run Windows 10 on your current PC -- then remove it when you've seen enough (or the Technical Preview expires, whichever comes first). The entire process takes about 30 minutes -- maybe longer depending on the speed of your PC. Here's how to make it happen:

Step 1: Start by downloading the Windows 10 Technical Preview ISO file. You'll need to click through the handful of "Get Started" and "Join Now" screens until you land at the download page, then scroll down and choose the appropriate language and version (32- or 64-bit).

Step 2: Download and install Oracle VM VirtualBox, the free virtualization tool that's going to make it possible for you to run Windows 10 inside Windows Whatever-You-Have.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step 3: Run VirtualBox, then click the New icon. In the Create Virtual Machine dialog box, type "Windows 10," then click the version selector and choose Windows 8.1 (making sure to match the ISO you downloaded: 32- or 64-bit). Then click Next.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step 4: VirtualBox will show a recommended memory size; go ahead and accept unless you have a specific reason for changing it. Then select "Create a virtual hard drive" and click Create. Accept VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) as the file type for the drive, then choose Fixed Size for the virtual drive. Finally, click Create, then wait while VirtualBox builds your virtual drive.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step 5: Once the drive is ready, click the Start button in the VirtualBox toolbar. You'll see a box telling you to "Select start-up disk." Click the little file folder next to the pull-down, then navigate to the Windows 10 ISO file you downloaded in Step 1. Then, click Start -- you're off to the races!

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step 6: Install Windows as you normally would, making sure to choose the "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)" option when it presents itself. As usual, the setup process may involve a few reboots, though only within the confines of the virtual machine.

And that's it! When it's all done, you should have Windows 10 running in a window. However, one thing I've discovered -- at least following my two deployments -- is that the new Start Menu doesn't appear right away. Although installation appears to be complete, you have to reboot -- manually -- one more time.

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