How to install OS on newly installed SSD

rpg51 · Oct 9, 2012, 06:28 AM

I am going to drop ship a new iMac to OWC and they will install an SSD. How difficult will it be for me to move the operating system to the SSD and set the computuer up to boot off the SSD when I get it back.

Trying to decide if I can do it myself or if that will be another expense for professional help.

Weaselboy · Oct 9, 2012, 08:47 AM

Have OWC send you back your old drive with the OS and all as it was, then put your old drive in an external USB enclosure and attach it to the iMac. Now option key boot to the external drive and use Carbon Copy Cloner (free trial version will do this) to clone from old drive to new.

Go into System Prefs / Startup Disk and select the SSD as the boot drive.

Reboot. Done.

Fishrrman · Oct 9, 2012, 09:32 AM

"I am going to drop ship a new iMac to OWC and they will install an SSD."

Just wondering -
Have you talked to Small Dog Computing, down in Waitsfield?
(no financial interest)

rpg51 · Oct 9, 2012, 07:41 PM

Are you in Vermont also?

rpg51 · Oct 9, 2012, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weaselboy

Have OWC send you back your old drive with the OS and all as it was, then put your old drive in an external USB enclosure and attach it to the iMac. Now option key boot to the external drive and use Carbon Copy Cloner (free trial version will do this) to clone from old drive to new.

Go into System Prefs / Startup Disk and select the SSD as the boot drive.

Reboot. Done.

My plan was to have the SSD installed as a second drive. Can I do the same thing you suggest to put the OS on the SSD if the original drive is in the machine?

Weaselboy · Oct 10, 2012, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpg51

My plan was to have the SSD installed as a second drive. Can I do the same thing you suggest to put the OS on the SSD if the original drive is in the machine?

Yes... that would work exactly the same.

CASLondon · Oct 22, 2012, 04:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpg51

I am going to drop ship a new iMac to OWC and they will install an SSD. How difficult will it be for me to move the operating system to the SSD and set the computuer up to boot off the SSD when I get it back.

Trying to decide if I can do it myself or if that will be another expense for professional help.

Dead easy. In fact you should do this, as the system will run fastest off the ssd. Do a clean install as commented above, change boot disk in Sys Pref>Startup Disk to the SSD, and boom you're in

rpg51 · Nov 8, 2012, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weaselboy

... Now option key boot to the external drive and use Carbon Copy Cloner (free trial version will do this) to clone from old drive to new.

Go into System Prefs / Startup Disk and select the SSD as the boot drive.

Reboot. Done.

How do I "option key boot" to the newly installed internal SSD?

hfg · Nov 8, 2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpg51

How do I "option key boot" to the newly installed internal SSD?

When rebooting, or at power on, press-and-hold the "option" key on the keyboard until after you hear the chime and see the boot icons on the screen.

-howard

rpg51 · Nov 9, 2012, 06:36 AM

Will the CCC clone process put the new drive in the exact same state in all respects as the original drive bringing over the OS and all applications. Am I correct the OS is in a separate partition on the original drive? If so, will the new drive have the same structure (paritions) as the old drive after the clone?

hfg · Nov 9, 2012, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpg51

Will the CCC clone process put the new drive in the exact same state in all respects as the original drive bringing over the OS and all applications. Am I correct the OS is in a separate partition on the original drive? If so, will the new drive have the same structure (paritions) as the old drive after the clone?

The CCC clone will be exactly like the original ... OS, apps, data, user preferences, etc. It will also offer to create the OS X restore partition if the new drive doesn't have it already. If you have a Windows partition, it will NOT copy that ... you have to do that yourself by reinstalling Windows or using something like WinClone.

-howard

rpg51 · Nov 9, 2012, 07:43 PM

I have it all set up. What I did was this - I got the basic operating system set up on the original drive and updated the software etc. I set up the email accounts and I downloaded and configured the browser I use and prefer. Then I downloaded Carbon Copy Cloner and used that to clone to original drive to the added SSD. The whole process went very well and it is running great now. I did not use the option key boot process described by folks above. When I had the clone process complete I went to system preferences and changed the start up disc to the SSD and restarted.

All is running well. Fast. Very fast. Runs faster than my Air - which is really fast.

Oct 9, 2012, 06:28 AM	#1
rpg51 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2012	How to install OS on newly installed SSD I am going to drop ship a new iMac to OWC and they will install an SSD. How difficult will it be for me to move the operating system to the SSD and set the computuer up to boot off the SSD when I get it back. Trying to decide if I can do it myself or if that will be another expense for professional help.
	0

Oct 9, 2012, 07:41 PM	#4
rpg51 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2012	No I have not checked with small dog but I wil. Are you in Vermont also?
	0

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Oct 9, 2012, 08:47 AM	#2
Weaselboy macrumors 604 Join Date: Jan 2005	Have OWC send you back your old drive with the OS and all as it was, then put your old drive in an external USB enclosure and attach it to the iMac. Now option key boot to the external drive and use Carbon Copy Cloner (free trial version will do this) to clone from old drive to new. Go into System Prefs / Startup Disk and select the SSD as the boot drive. Reboot. Done.
	0

Oct 9, 2012, 09:32 AM	#3
Fishrrman macrumors 68020 Join Date: Feb 2009	"I am going to drop ship a new iMac to OWC and they will install an SSD." Just wondering - Have you talked to Small Dog Computing, down in Waitsfield? (no financial interest)
	0

Nov 9, 2012, 06:36 AM	#10
rpg51 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2012	Will the CCC clone process put the new drive in the exact same state in all respects as the original drive bringing over the OS and all applications. Am I correct the OS is in a separate partition on the original drive? If so, will the new drive have the same structure (paritions) as the old drive after the clone?
	0

Nov 9, 2012, 07:43 PM	#12
rpg51 Thread Starter macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jul 2012	I have it all set up. What I did was this - I got the basic operating system set up on the original drive and updated the software etc. I set up the email accounts and I downloaded and configured the browser I use and prefer. Then I downloaded Carbon Copy Cloner and used that to clone to original drive to the added SSD. The whole process went very well and it is running great now. I did not use the option key boot process described by folks above. When I had the clone process complete I went to system preferences and changed the start up disc to the SSD and restarted. All is running well. Fast. Very fast. Runs faster than my Air - which is really fast.
	0


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