hello all. this is my first post so go easy on me. i have a macbook 2.0 unibody. i just bought 500Gb internal hard drive and i want to replace the stock 160Gb with it. how do i move all my stuff from my old drive to the new one? i don't have the cash to buy an external hard drive just so i can move my stuff back and forth, i will have no need for an external right now since i have a 500Gb internal. someone told me to get an HDD caddy and use the stock drive as an external. what i am wondering is, will i be able to transfer all my applications without having the install files (i deleted all my install files as soon as i installed them). is it going to be a simple "drag and drop" kind of deal and every file knows exactly where to go? i just don't know what complications might come about. if anyone has any experience doing this, i would appreciate any help. thank you
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how do i transfer all my stuff from my old hd to my new one?
- Thread starter ammanbesaw
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Just burn all your stuff (pics, vids, music) on to a DVD and do a clean install on that new drive.
if i put an enclosure on it and hook it up to the usb, will i be able to transfer it to make it look like my old drive? i'm more worried about my applications(i have about 103 apps), considering i don't have the install files, will i have to re-install them again? do i have to use time machine?
Yes, you'll be able to use Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to make an exact copy of the drive onto the new one (in the external enclosure). Then all you have to do is swap the drives and you are set - with a 160GB external as well.
You need to place your 500 in an external enclosure and then you can clone the 160 to it with Carbon Copy Cloner.
As r.j.s. said, it will be difficult without an external HD enclosure for one of the two drives.
You can follow rgarjr's advice and burn to DVDs, but if you have a large amount of applications and files, that could be time consuming and cumbersome.
The three easiest ways are:
1. Backup and restore with Time Machine
2. Clone your HD with SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner and restore
3. Use Target Disk mode with Migration Assistant
All three of these suggestions will require an active external HD in addition to your internal. If you use one of these methods, you will not have to reinstall your applications.
You mention you have no need for an external drive once you install your new HD. Does this mean you will not be backing up your data? I would suggest you invest in an external enclosure for your unused drive and use it for your initial file transfer and then use it for regular Time Machine backups. Most likely you will be glad you did down the road.
Woof, Woof - Dawg
You can follow rgarjr's advice and burn to DVDs, but if you have a large amount of applications and files, that could be time consuming and cumbersome.
The three easiest ways are:
1. Backup and restore with Time Machine
2. Clone your HD with SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner and restore
3. Use Target Disk mode with Migration Assistant
All three of these suggestions will require an active external HD in addition to your internal. If you use one of these methods, you will not have to reinstall your applications.
You mention you have no need for an external drive once you install your new HD. Does this mean you will not be backing up your data? I would suggest you invest in an external enclosure for your unused drive and use it for your initial file transfer and then use it for regular Time Machine backups. Most likely you will be glad you did down the road.
Woof, Woof - Dawg
The three easiest ways are:
1. Backup and restore with Time Machine
2. Clone your HD with SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner and restore
3. Use Target Disk mode with Migration Assistant
All three of these suggestions will require an active external HD in addition to your internal. If you use one of these methods, you will not have to reinstall your applications.
great!!! that answers all my questions. as far as backing up my data goes, i was going to use my stock drive as an external, but someone told me that they external has to be bigger than the internal because time machine backs up EVERYTHING, and u can't pick and choose what u want backed up. is that true?
1. Backup and restore with Time Machine
2. Clone your HD with SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner and restore
3. Use Target Disk mode with Migration Assistant
All three of these suggestions will require an active external HD in addition to your internal. If you use one of these methods, you will not have to reinstall your applications.
great!!! that answers all my questions. as far as backing up my data goes, i was going to use my stock drive as an external, but someone told me that they external has to be bigger than the internal because time machine backs up EVERYTHING, and u can't pick and choose what u want backed up. is that true?
Yes, Time Machine will back up everything, so if you have more than 160 on your new 500, then yes, that would be a problem. If you have less than 160, you might be OK. Time machine deletes the oldest backups when the drive gets full.
Woof, Woof - Dawg