Drive swap and time machine (noob)

Back up your data to an external using Time Machine and then install your OS onto the new 500gb and then backup using your Time machine when it asks you during the setup.

Better yet...

Get an external enclosure for your 500gb hard drive and install it in there. Connect it to your MBP. Format it with a GUID partition map. Download SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner and then clone your existing 160gb drive to it. Be sure you can boot from it before swapping into your MBP to make sure the cloning process was a success. If all goes well, shutdown and proceed to the swap. You now have a 500gb HDD in your MBP. Enjoy.

You can put your 160gb into that external enclosure and use as a Time Machine backup or just extra portable storage.

 

Can you also do this when you move to a smaller sized hdd?
From a 500gb 7200 to a 256 SSD for example?
what do these programs do with the extra space that doesn't fit on the new drive?

 

You should try googleing your question first. This is a common question with many many answers already.

 

yes, you can also migrate to a smaller drive, of course provided that there is not too much data on the old drive that wouldn't fit onto the new one.

I have done this procedure quite a number of times successfully, be more my own old PB G4, or some of my friends' MacBook Pro's.

The procedure is in essence the same like OrangeSVTguy explained above:
1. put the new drive into an external case and connect it to your Macbook
2. format the new drive (GUID table is needed for intel-based laptops)
3. copy your entire old drive contents to the new one (I use the xupport.ch tool)
4. choose the (still externally connected) new drive as new startup disk
5. boot your Macbook from the external new drive
6. check whether everything works fine based on the new drive
7. exchange the old internal drive with the new drive
8. check again by starting up from the new (now internal) drive
9. put the old drive into the external drive case so you can use the old drive as an external data storage


On step 3, be sure to check in Xupport tool the option "startup disk". Otherwise it may not work.

Cheers, RAPHAEL