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Got SSD...now what?

P

PNGento

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 7, 2011
69
0
Ok, well, don't have the SSD yet, but it's literally "in the mail". It's the crucial m4 512GB unit. My MBP is the early 2011 13" 2.3GHz I-5 (upgraded to 8GB RAM). When I get the drive, what do I do as far as regarding the transition from the old HD to this SDD? I am not worried about the physical transfer...but, what do I need to do to make the transition as seamless as possible? How do I transfer the data from the old drive to the new drive? Do I first install the OS (Lion) on the new drive first...and then "restore" the last backup I performed? Of do I just restore the last backup to the new using a transfer cable before I ever install it into the laptop?

Is there some type of special backup procedure to make sure the new drive behaves just like the old drive (only faster I hope). Do I make a "clone" image of the old drive? If so, how do I do that...the only backup I have been doing is using the backup program that comes with the laptop.

Anyway, I am sure I can do the physical swap...but just not sure what to do to prepare the new drive and how to get the old drive's data and functionality to the new drive the best way possible. Thanks in advance.
 
A simple method is to put the new drive in an external enclosure, then use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable clone of your internal to the external, then swap the drives and boot up. Your old drive is now useful as an external drive for backups or additional storage.
 
GGJstudios said:
A simple method is to put the new drive in an external enclosure, then use Carbon Copy Cloner to make a bootable clone of your internal to the external, then swap the drives and boot up. Your old drive is now useful as an external drive for backups or additional storage.
Click to expand...

This makes sense and I've downloaded Carbon Copy. Now, about the external enclosure...I don't plan to put the old hard drive in the optibay like many do...but, I can see turning it into an external hard drive. Would the external enclosure you mention for initially being used for the new SSD, after the cloning, could it be used to make the original hard drive a functioning external HD?

I see enclosures for sale on ebay...what am I looking for that will first work on the new SSD, and then on the original HD? i think the info I need is regarding what size SATA (2.5 or 3.0 or 3.5, etc), and what USB 2.0 (or 3.0, or?). What other features do I need to consider when buying the enclosure?

Thanks in advance.
 
PNGento said:
Would the external enclosure you mention for initially being used for the new SSD, after the cloning, could it be used to make the original hard drive a functioning external HD?
Click to expand...
Yes.
PNGento said:
I see enclosures for sale on ebay...what am I looking for that will first work on the new SSD, and then on the original HD? i think the info I need is regarding what size SATA (2.5 or 3.0 or 3.5, etc), and what USB 2.0 (or 3.0, or?). What other features do I need to consider when buying the enclosure?
Click to expand...
Basically, any enclosure that works with the SSD will also work with the HDD. Look for one with the connections you want (USB 2 and/or 3, Firewire, etc.) OWC is a good source for enclosures.
 
Peace said:
Legacy kernel extensions.
Click to expand...

Ok, I know everyone is trying to be helpful, but all this is doing is confusing me more. First off, I agree, if there is a reason to NOT do a clone, which made perfect sense to me, then what does a "fresh" install matter? I mean, zeros and ones are zeros and ones (what all the data is composed of). How can these be more accurate if "fresher"? Just doesn't make sense, but I'm willing to listen.

And what is "legacy kernel extensions"? If this is something that matters to the OP question, then please explain. This is a term I've never heard of before, but it does sound nice and technical and important...but in what way?
 
Irock619 said:
I should be able to post my two cents and not be asked to do research and post where I got my references, especially when most of them come from this website.
Click to expand...
If you're posting opinion and make it known that it's opinion, you don't need to provide any sources. If you claim something is factual, sources are appropriate when asked.
PNGento said:
Ok, I know everyone is trying to be helpful, but all this is doing is confusing me more.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I'm talking about. Don't be confused. Cloning with CCC is perfectly fine for what you want to accomplish, and is a method used countless times by users in this forum and elsewhere.
 
Cloning is fine, no problem. I've done it before to an SSD.

However, it would be nice to start fresh. This is personal preference.

Especially with 2011 and up, you can just use "Net Recovery" and get the latest OS X installed without anything else. Can just pop in the SSD and go.
 
I did a clone of my Internal that came with the system. System had only been used for a day before my SSD arrived and I cloned it. No issues so far. If you clone the drive just make sure it shows up as a bootable drive while connected externally before you swap them out to save you some trouble in case something went wrong.
 
ugp said:
I did a clone of my Internal that came with the system. System had only been used for a day before my SSD arrived and I cloned it. No issues so far. If you clone the drive just make sure it shows up as a bootable drive while connected externally before you swap them out to save you some trouble in case something went wrong.
Click to expand...
It may not show up as a bootable drive when in an external enclosure. Not all external enclosures seem to support booting. The cheap USB one I bought purely for doing the clone for example, does not support booting my MBP. That doesn't mean the disk won't work when you put it back into the MBP though. It just means you won't know if it's bootable until you try it for real. My clone worked fine.
 
steve-p said:
It may not show up as a bootable drive when in an external enclosure. Not all external enclosures seem to support booting. The cheap USB one I bought purely for doing the clone for example, does not support booting my MBP. That doesn't mean the disk won't work when you put it back into the MBP though. It just means you won't know if it's bootable until you try it for real. My clone worked fine.
Click to expand...

I did not know that. When I purchased my Crucial it came with a Transfer cable. It was an enclosure. It was just something I was told when I did my swap out.
 
I just installed the Crucial M4 in my early 2011 MBP last week. I chose to replace the SuperDrive with my HDD, so here's what it took:

  • SSD
  • HDD caddy for superdrive spot (about $15 on Amazon)
  • External enclosure for superdrive (about the same on Amazon)
First, I removed the HDD. I installed the SSD in its spot. Then, I put the HDD in the caddy, removed the superdrive, placed the HDD in its spot. Then I put the MBP back together, and put the superdrive in the enclosure.

Then, I turned on the computer. It booted up on the HDD. I used disk utility to format the SSD, used Carbon Copy Cloner to make a clone of the HDD and move it to the SSD. Then I changed my default boot drive to the SSD. I plugged the superdrive into the USB port to make sure it worked, all was well.

The actual operation took maybe 40 minutes (I was being careful with the TINY screws and I also threw some new memory in, while I was at it). Then the cloning operation took about an hour.

By the way, of course my original HDD had a back-up before I started.
 
I think the argument for a fresh, clean install is a valid one. Given that the OP's computer is an early 2011" MBP it probably came with Snow Leopard, then was upgraded to Lion, and has accumulated lots of files since original installation. Now, granted, I do not know the kind of caretaker the OP is with his MBP but here is a small but valid list of issues:

-Leftover files from Snow Leopard (notably in /System/Library and ~/Library/)
-Any dead PPC Apps that were made obsolete in Lion
-Legacy Kexts; see Snow Leopard upgrade
-Orphaned files from applications that were downloaded, tested, and then removed to the Trash Can.

Since OS X promotes bad File Management many orphaned files can remain: You download an application or game, you drag it to your Application Folder. You test it. You decide you don't like it so you drag it to your Trash Can. Application or Game is now gone! Well, that is easier than Windows but leaves a mess behind. Config files, preferences files, support files, Framework files, Fonts, they all add up...

You are correct that using Carbon Cloner would get the OP up and running quickly but acting like a fresh install is not a valid option is a disservice to the OP.


-P
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pentad said:
You are correct that using Carbon Cloner would get the OP up and running quickly but acting like a fresh install is not a valid option is a disservice to the OP.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:

Apparently, you didn't read the thread. I did not ever suggest that a fresh install wasn't a valid option. On the contrary, Irock619 suggested that cloning with CCC was not a valid option. I challenged that position, as both are valid options. For the purposes of simply migrating to a new drive, either one will work, but cloning is quicker and easier. For the purposes of cleaning up a drive, which is a completely separate issue, a fresh install is appropriate.
 
GGJstudios said:
:rolleyes:

Apparently, you didn't read the thread. I did not ever suggest that a fresh install wasn't a valid option. On the contrary, Irock619 suggested that cloning with CCC was not a valid option. I challenged that position, as both are valid options. For the purposes of simply migrating to a new drive, either one will work, but cloning is quicker and easier. For the purposes of cleaning up a drive, which is a completely separate issue, a fresh install is appropriate.
Click to expand...

Apparently you didn't read my first post. I simply said what I wouldn't do with a new drive, which is carbon copy the drive. Then I followed that by saying what I would do, which is a fresh install then use time machine. IMHO this is the best way to set up a new HDD or SSD, for all the reasons that have been mentioned above.
 
Irock619 said:
Apparently you didn't read my first post. I simply said what I wouldn't do with a new drive, which is carbon copy the drive. Then I followed that by saying what I would do, which is a fresh install then use time machine.
Click to expand...
No, you followed it up by saying a clean install was better, which isn't the case for doing what the OP asked. Either method is equally effective for that.
 
Don't you need to do a clean install to restore the recovery partition or will carbon copy restore it? I was pretty sure using Time Machine alone will not restore the recovery partition. My experience was to do a clean install with the Lion DVD then do a restore from Time Machine.
 
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