Q: Firmware update and SATA II hard drive (continued)

I have a late 2008 unibody and my HD is connecting at 3GB also. Dont know what firmware I have currently but am getting prompts for both 1.6 and 1.8. Do the late 2008 models have the same SATA cable length problems that the later mid 2009 models do?

Ok, I've just rolled back (actually is more a "forth" ) to EFI 1.7 ...
Still have beachball issues with 1.6 , so it's better to have the last firmware (the negotiation is done at 3 Gb w/o problems).
Awaiting for EFI 1.8 , if Apple is going to release it ....

Bizarro wrote:
I have a late 2008 unibody and my HD is connecting at 3GB also. Dont know what firmware I have currently but am getting prompts for both 1.6 and 1.8. Do the late 2008 models have the same SATA cable length problems that the later mid 2009 models do?

What EFI 1.8 are you speaking of ?!?
Last version should be EFI 1.7 ....

The one that pops up in Software Update? It must be a different update than the ones available for the mid 2009 MBPs.
Applied it last night, so far so good.

Ok, in my case, the spinning beachball issue seems to be solved. I used hdapm, as explained in this guide: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=601219

I'm using EFI 1.7, negotiated speed is 3 Gigabit.

FIshbert! Can you post a link to where you purchased your new shielded sata cable? I own a mid 2009 macbook pro and just recently upgraded the hard drive and have had the exact issues as everyone else. I downgraded the firmware and it's working again, but I would like to see my laptop working with efi 1.7. Thanks for the info!!

MPS

There is a second big thread about this issue, affecting iCore Macbook Pro
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2407560&start=0&tstart=0

but Apple is still ignoring this problem...i'm stuck with my original 5400 rpm drive and I will not extend my Apple Care guaranty...

The cable you need is Apple Part number 922-8706. That's the shielded SATA cable shipped with MBP prior to mid 2009. If you just google that part number, you'll see several outlets selling it, as well as some on eBay.

And BTW Apple, if you're reading: your support *****. I called AppleCare and they referred me to the Apple Store. I went to the Apple Store and they referred me to AppleCare. I called again, got through to a senior tech support person there who just passed the buck again. The whole idea of "no user replaceable parts" is in conflict with the manual shipped with the MacBookPro which describes the very process of an END USER installing a new hard drive. As there are no internal laptop hard drives for sale on the Apple Store, this means that EVERY hard drive that a user installs as described in the manual is necessarily a "non Apple" part.

Apple's preposterous inaction appears to be a disingenuous scam to try make a few extra dollars on AppleStore aftermarket upgrades.

I just made a video of the freezing issue on my late 2009 MBP. Can people here please watch the video and see if it is the same issue you are having??? I am not having any luck with Apple and the Genius Bar in regards to fixing my computer. They are basically claiming there is no issue, and refuse to look at all of the thousands of posts on this forum from others with the exact same problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCO3SyIrkLw

Yes this is exactly this problem !

Here also the console error messages when trying to clone on the internal SATA II hard drive :
http://img188.imageshack.us/i/dfdf.tif/

Hi,
I just exchanged this weekend the original 160GB Seagate HDD
with a Hitachi 500GB and everything worked fine from the start.
I have a MBP 13' produced dez. 2009.
Can it be that my MBP produced dez. 2009 doesn't have the described problem?
Or is it just a coincidence that this Hitachi works???????

So EFI1.7 on MBP 13' produced dez. 2009 and
Hitachi HTS545050B9A300 500 GB (500 GB) AABIJ5 works without problem.

Are there other HDD that work without problem?

It appears to be a problem between the SATA controller and the hard disk. Some hard disks are exhibiting the problem and others are not, even when using the same make and model hard disk. The cause is something in the EFI 1.7 update. Downgrading to 1.6 instantly fixes the problem.

I have also downgraded the Firmware to from 1.7 to 1.6 and everything is working perfectly. Cant wait for a firmware update from Apple that actually works...

Ok, then that means I just was lucky that I bought
a HDD that works with EFI1.7.

Can be that there is / was a hardware problem and Apple fixed
this problem already with the newer or later produced MBP's?
Some people say, that the SATA cable might be the problem.
Can be that Apple already improved this cable?

I can remember that someone is using an Intel SSD
with EFI1.7 also without problems.

Is he also just lucky?

Is there someone that has a MBP produced dez. 2009 that can confirm
that a HDD with EFI1.7 doesn't work? This would disprove my theory.

OnkiDonki wrote:
Ok, then that means I just was lucky that I bought
a HDD that works with EFI1.7.

Can be that there is / was a hardware problem and Apple fixed
this problem already with the newer or later produced MBP's?
Some people say, that the SATA cable might be the problem.
Can be that Apple already improved this cable?

I can remember that someone is using an Intel SSD
with EFI1.7 also without problems.

Is he also just lucky?

Is there someone that has a MBP produced dez. 2009 that can confirm
that a HDD with EFI1.7 doesn't work? This would disprove my theory.

Based on the two other threads dedicated to the same issue on the new 2010 MBP's, it appears to be an ongoing issue for Apple that not only has not been fixed, but even carried on to the new model.