Going to a smaller hard drive (making a clone)

[ForbiddenX]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at upgrading my main hard drive to an SSD.

My only issue is that the SSD is going to be smaller than what I currently have right now. 500GB vs 256GB.

What would be the best route I take to make sure nothing goes wrong? Should I just install a fresh copy of mountain lion on the SSD and drag/move the files that I need?

One problem with this is that I have a lot of programs that I already have configured. Most that I need to do my work and a few server configurations for when I need to do my work locally. It takes some time to set it up and to get it configured the right way.

When I went from 160GB to 500GB it was pretty simple cause I just made an exact copy of it lol.

Is there anyway to just copy over OSX + Apps and nothing else ?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

If you have less than 240 GB used on the 500 GB HDD, a clone will suffice. If you have more than 240 GB used on the HDD, you need to deselect stuff you don't want, most likely files/folders in YOUR user folder.
To do that, you can use CarbonCopyCloner (version 3.4.4 is still free, 3.5 costs some shekel now).

 

[MCAsan]

Move the subfolders of you user folder (documents, music, pictures, movies) to an external drive. Those are the folders that usually eat up the big space.

 

[iMacFarlane]

I was wondering the same thing since I plan to upgrade my MBP with the ol' ODD to SSD changeout maneuver. Obviously, I want to move OS X over to the SSD to realize the speed enhancements, but my question relates to Microsoft Office (for Mac).

When I activated my Office software initially, it told me I had 1 activation left. That was on my iMac. I then installed it and activated it on my MBP. Fine. Then I upgraded to ML, and remembered this, and thought, "I'll try installing it anyway". It installed, and activated. I read somewhere that the activations are keyed to hardware signatures, so Microsoft is basically extending you a gimmie because you're on the same computer.

But I also saw that this activation was based solely on HDD information. Does anyone out there know if I use CarbonCopyCloner to migrate to the SSD, will it copy my 'activation successful' status over, or will it invalidate my Office install?

 

[snoylekim]

I was wondering the same thing since I plan to upgrade my MBP with the ol' ODD to SSD changeout maneuver. Obviously, I want to move OS X over to the SSD to realize the speed enhancements, but my question relates to Microsoft Office (for Mac).

When I activated my Office software initially, it told me I had 1 activation left. That was on my iMac. I then installed it and activated it on my MBP. Fine. Then I upgraded to ML, and remembered this, and thought, "I'll try installing it anyway". It installed, and activated. I read somewhere that the activations are keyed to hardware signatures, so Microsoft is basically extending you a gimmie because you're on the same computer.

But I also saw that this activation was based solely on HDD information. Does anyone out there know if I use CarbonCopyCloner to migrate to the SSD, will it copy my 'activation successful' status over, or will it invalidate my Office install?

No, CC will not copy over activation.. Office ( 2011) will require product key/reactivation over the internet once it smells the new hard drive .. Not sure if it offers the telephone activation option, where you might get a pass..Typically, if you answer the magic question about how many computers the software is running on, you'll get the key ..

 

[iMacFarlane]

No, CC will not copy over activation.. Office ( 2011) will require product key/reactivation over the internet once it smells the new hard drive .. Not sure if it offers the telephone activation option, where you might get a pass..Typically, if you answer the magic question about how many computers the software is running on, you'll get the key ..

Hey, didn't know about the telephone activation route, I'll look into that!

Thanks.

 

[snoylekim]

Hey, didn't know about the telephone activation route, I'll look into that!

Thanks.

That's what pops up as a choice on the Windows version if the online activation ( after you enter the product key) doesn't check out .. I haven't needed to use it on the Mac version, so I don't know if/how it works .. automated process that takes about 10 minutes... I upgraded a windows desktop and my MB pro this summer, so ..
Good Luck wading onto the scary world of Office Licensing

 

[iMacFarlane]

That's what pops up as a choice on the Windows version if the online activation ( after you enter the product key) doesn't check out .. I haven't needed to use it on the Mac version, so I don't know if/how it works .. automated process that takes about 10 minutes... I upgraded a windows desktop and my MB pro this summer, so ..
Good Luck wading onto the scary world of Office Licensing

Thanks, looking forward to it! What I really wish for is a new version of Office that would basically be the Windows version, on my Mac. Don't know why they have to be sooooo different.

 

[ForbiddenX]

Awesome, thanks for the replies everyone! I didn't know I could target which folders I didn't want in CCC