old mac book security

Gjmh Said:

"old mac book security: I have an old MacBook Pro 2010. [...]My question and my problem is should I replace the hard drive? And if I do using the latest software that the machine will take , would it be a secure machine to use on the Internet for banking etc.?"

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Troubleshooting Battery Replacement:

Q1. "should I replace the hard drive?"

Yes. You should replace this. to replace this to get your data back(restored), So, take it to an AASP (Apple Authorized Service Provider). Likely, they're remove the drive, and use a reader to extract what they can.

Contacting an AASP:

1. Go Here: Find Locations - Apple Authorized Reseller
2. Click: Service & Support
3. Enter: your location information
4. See: if there is an AASP nearby
5. Contact: an AASP that shows up, and find out more about the services that they offer to fix the iPhone

Q2. "if I do[replace the drive] using the latest software that the machine will take , would it be a secure machine to use on the Internet for banking etc.?"

A2. No. If you were to replace it, encrypt it to get better security. The encryption to use is macOS Journalized (Encrypted). I have a 2010 17" MBP and use it for troubleshooting purposes. It only goes to High Sierra, which Apple no longer provides security updates for. So, encrypting it is best. As for newer Macs, go with one. Bear in mind that newer macOS versions (Catalina and after) are 64bit-only, which means that migrating the applications on your Mac may not be an option.

What to Do:

So, based on personal experience, I'd say go with a new Mac, and keep this one for troubleshooting purposes.

The problem becomes how long will third party browsers support macOS 10.13 High Sierra. Currently Chromium based browsers require at least macOS 10.11 while Firefox requires macOS 10.12. It is only a matter of time before the third party browsers will no longer support macOS 10.13. When this will happen is anyone's guess, but it will happen. Forget about Safari since Safari is no longer getting updates since Safari is considered a part of macOS which is no longer getting security updates.

Another option would be to install Linux on the laptop, but this would require you to learn a new OS. However, Linux is not for everyone, but Linux does give you an up to date OS (non-Apple) with access to the popular web browsers (Firefrox, Google Chrome, Vivaldi, and others), plus the Linux distribution's software repositories give you access to lots of free open source software like LibreOffice. Linux Mint is probably the best option as it is easy to install and should just work on this Mac. Just make sure you have a way of booting a macOS installer so you can reinstall macOS in case you decide Linux is not for you.

Keep in mind that not all SSDs are compatible with all computers plus many of today's SSDs are just low end budget economy models which don't always perform well. The Crucial MX500 series SSD is a good compromise on price & performance if you decide to go ahead with replacing the old hard drive, however, stay away from the Crucial BX500 SSD as it is a low end model which can be as slow as a hard drive and it tends to overheat easily and has a high rate of failure.