Ok I cloned my old iMac 2011 fine with disk utility. Now I have an iMac 2017 with Monterey and when I tried to clone from the internal HDD to external SSD I see there is a Macintosh HD volume and also a Macintosh HD data. Which do I use as the source to clone to the SSD? I understand volume is the operating system while data is my data, but I want to do a full clone and then switch the hard drive with the SSD. Thanks in advance.
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Resolved Clone HDD to SDD help
- Thread starter blacksurfer
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Here's a method that works for me:
Boot to an external bootable Monterey installer.
Install Monterey on the external SSD.
When the install is complete, you will see a screen with choices for migration. Select "From another Mac or another volume" (not exactly that text, but similar).
You will then see connected volume(s) appear as choices. Choose your internal HDD, and continue with the migration. It will maybe take a little longer than a dedicated app like Carbon Copy Cloner, etc, but will complete, and give you exactly the same setup that you have on your HDD, and you will only see Macintosh HD as a choice (the Macintosh HD-data volume will not be offered, as that is, well, data that is part of your Macintosh HD. The migration process will sort that out for you, no problem..
And, when that is done, swap the SSD into the iMac, replacing the HDD.
Boot to an external bootable Monterey installer.
Install Monterey on the external SSD.
When the install is complete, you will see a screen with choices for migration. Select "From another Mac or another volume" (not exactly that text, but similar).
You will then see connected volume(s) appear as choices. Choose your internal HDD, and continue with the migration. It will maybe take a little longer than a dedicated app like Carbon Copy Cloner, etc, but will complete, and give you exactly the same setup that you have on your HDD, and you will only see Macintosh HD as a choice (the Macintosh HD-data volume will not be offered, as that is, well, data that is part of your Macintosh HD. The migration process will sort that out for you, no problem..
And, when that is done, swap the SSD into the iMac, replacing the HDD.
Update: I chose Macintosh HD Volume and it actually cloned the HDD. I rebooted from the SSD and everything is there. I’ll open the screen this weekend and swap them out. Thanks all.