Format New SSD in Mavericks?

[Mr. Monsieur]

Hey folks!

I just upgraded my 2009 MBP to a 128GB SSD using the MCE Optibay.

I currently have the new SSD (currently formatted, but otherwise empty) in the main hard drive slot, and placed my old HDD into the Optibay, where the optical drive used to be. I booted up, holding down the Option key, from the old HDD in the Optibay.

I was about to use Carbon Copy Cloner to move my application files, etc. from the old HDD to the new SSD, but CCC warned me that if I were to do so, the new SSD would not have a Recovery HD partition.

So...I''m trying to figure out how to proceed.

Do I:

1) Use createinstallmedia to install Mavericks on the new SSD, then use CCC to move files over from the old HDD

2) Something else?

My concern with #1 is that if I do that, will I end up with 2 installations of Mavericks on the same drive?

My understanding is that the Recovery HD partition ends up being invisible to Disk Utility (and perhaps to CCC?), so perhaps doing #1 would be fine, and CCC would simply erase the initial Mavericks install on the SSD?

If I do #1, when I use CCC should I choose "Temporariiy archive modified and deleted items" or "Delete anything that doesn't exist on the source"?

My inclination would be to use the second, as long as it wouldn't mean deleting the Recovery HD partition...

 

[ricede]

CCC will tell you that there is no Recovery Partition and will offer to install one for you before cloning. (You will probably need the latest version of CCC installed). It will create a new Recovery Partition for just that drive & will then allow you to clone the original HD to the new SSD.

In CCC under 'Handling of data already on the destination' - set to 'Preserve newer files, don't delete anything'.

Whichever way you go about this, you will still end up with 2 copies of Mavericks on your mac, the new copy on the SSD & the old one on the HD. Just erase the original HD ( when the cloning is finished ) using Disk Utility.

However you go about this - make sure you have a complete Time Machine backup ( or equivalent ) before starting to do anything. You can never have enough backups !!!!

 

[Weaselboy]

I was about to use Carbon Copy Cloner to move my application files, etc. from the old HDD to the new SSD, but CCC warned me that if I were to do so, the new SSD would not have a Recovery HD partition.

Is the 128GB SSD large enough to hold everything on the hard drive? Are you trying to do a complete clone from HDD to SSD?

Normally you would just click Macintosh HD on the left and the new SSD on the right then clone over with it set to "Delete anything that doesn't exist on the source". That would give you a mirror image of the HDD on the SSD.

Doing it this way will cause CCC to copy the recovery partition over to the SSD like you want.

Sounds like maybe you did not select the whole drive for clone and just checked Applications?

On the old drive run "diskutil list" (without the quotes) in Terminal to make sure you have a 650MB Recovery HD partition on there.

 

[RareTBone]

wow, 128GB is really not that much space... just sayin

 

[Mr. Monsieur]

Is the 128GB SSD large enough to hold everything on the hard drive? Are you trying to do a complete clone from HDD to SSD?

No...I also have my old 500GB drive in there, where I'll keep most of my files. The SSD will just have system and application files...

 

[Mr. Monsieur]

Thanks for all of your help! My SSD is up and running...