MacBookAir1,1

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MacBookAir1,1 is the original Apple MacBook Air (MBA) released in 2008 as model# A1237. It has an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU running at 1.6GHz (L7500), 2GB DDR2 RAM with a 667MHz FSB, a 13.3" screen (1280x800), IEEE802.11 Wifi, Bluetooth and a single USB 2.0 port.

Contents

Replacing HDD

The A1237 came with a 1.8" 80GB rotating HDD or, optionally, with a 64GB Solid-State Device (SSD) Flash drive.

The internal connection is a "Zero-Insertion Force" (ZIF) Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) (aka Integrated Device Electronics - IDE) 40-pin ribbon cable. Note that other 1.8" devices are available with the more traditional 40-pins interface, which is incompatible with the MBA.

A working SSD option to replace the HDD is the KingSpec KSD-ZF18.6-064MS available from KingSpec as well as online dealers.

Detailed instructions on replacing the HDD/SSD are available at MacBook Air Models A1237 and A1304 Hard Drive Replacement on iFixit.

Reinstalling Mac OS X

Once the drive is replaced, Mac OS X (or an alternative OS) needs to be installed.

Some SSDs will come pre-formatted/partitioned for MS-DOS/VFAT. Mac OS X doesn't like that, and so the drive will need to be repartioned using Disk Utility in the installer.

As the MBA does not have an optical drive, installation can be done with a external USB drive, such as the Acer..., or using Remote something, or from a USB Flash drive.

The original MBA came with Mac OS X version 10.5.2 ("Leopard") install disks. Once booted from the install disk 1, repartition the SSD drive (I created a 48GiB partition for Mac OS X and an 11GiB partition for Debian).

Then proceed to install Mac OS X. Once installed, use Software Upgrade to bring it up to Mac OS X 10.5.8.

Upgrading to Snow Leopard

The original MBA can run Mac OS X versions 10.5 (Leopard) thru 10.7 (Lion), although some recommend not running higher than 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

Installing Snow Leopard can be done by using the external DVD drive, using Remote Install or a USB Flash drive.

Details for getting an ISO image onto a bootable USB stick are found at: Snow Leopard installation on older Mac (found by my dear wife). I managed to get it working with an 8GB USB stick, so don't worry if you don't have a 16GB stick laying around.

Snow Leopard comes in a number of DVD variations, tied to specific Apple hardware. It is possible to adjust the installation image to allow it to install on additional hardware. Instructions are available here: Installing OS X (Non-Retail) On Un-Supported Macs.

I did some things differently (of course...). Instead of enabling hidden files in the Finder, I used the Terminal command-line to un-xar System/Installation/Packages/OSInstall.mpkg to a directory in my home, then edited the Distribution file with vi, then xar'd it all back up and put it back onto the USB stick.

It all booted fine by holding down the "Option" key around the time of the "dong" sound for a few more seconds, then selecting the "Mac OS X Install Disk" option on the screen.

Mac OS X 10.5.8 upgraded fine to Snow Leopard, then a further "Software Update" brought it up to 10.6.8, from which it is possible to install and run the latest Mozilla Firefox (version 24). Problem solved (eventually).

External Links