How to innstall OSX on new SSD disk

[teigas]

My friend is going to update his Macbook Pro 17 Late 2011 with a new ssd disk.

He wants to start fresh, so not planning to clone. He does not have any cd or dvd with osx.

The first question is: Do i need to format the ssd before using it? Or does this happen when installing OSX?

2. I see there are somthing called internet recovery ? if you press cmd - r. Is this stored in the mac somwhere else like som sort of bios? That it will still be there if you change hdd? Is there a way to now that the late 2011 suppoerts internet recovery? And do I need some sort of cd key like windows, to get it working?

3. I see there is another option to use a recovery tool to a usb disk or pen? Does it add osx to the pen when using the tool and just boots it when insterted on startup from the new disk?

Some tips in the right direction her, would be helpfull

 

[maflynn]

Since is fresh disk, he'll need internet recovery, the new SSD must be partitioned and formatted (to HFS+) and then OSX can be installed.

I highly recommend prior to upgrading the drive (if its not too late) is to back up the existing drive).

 

[teigas]

Since is fresh disk, he'll need internet recovery, the new SSD must be partitioned and formatted (to HFS+) and then OSX can be installed.

I highly recommend prior to upgrading the drive (if its not too late) is to back up the existing drive).

Its not to late, the disk is in the macbook now and working. When you talk about backing up the drive? You mean pictures documents etc? Or did you say it with somthing other on your mind?

I am not a mac guru, i use windows, but now how to insert the hardware, so i agreed to help out, thats why I ask all this stupid questions.

1. I must use internet recovery ? The other option is not an option if i make the bootable usb tool on the macbook before chaning hdd?

2. Is there any form for cd key?

3. Does the late 2011 support internet recovery?

4. Will i get the option to format it and partition it when using internet recovery? Or do I have to do this before? If so is it under command-r somplace?

 

[Weaselboy]

Its not to late, the disk is in the macbook now and working. When you talk about backing up the drive? You mean pictures documents etc? Or did you say it with somthing other on your mind?

I am not a mac guru, i use windows, but now how to insert the hardware, so i agreed to help out, thats why I ask all this stupid questions.

1. I must use internet recovery ? The other option is not an option if i make the bootable usb tool on the macbook before chaning hdd?

2. Is there any form for cd key?

3. Does the late 2011 support internet recovery?

4. Will i get the option to format it and partition it when using internet recovery? Or do I have to do this before? If so is it under command-r somplace?

1. You can do either. Given both will require a full download of the 4.7GB OS, there really is not much advantage to messing around making the USB installer. Internet recovery is built in... just use that.

2. No. When running Internet recovery Apple's servers will see the serial number of the machine and give you the OS that came with the machine for free. In this case you should get Lion.

3. Yes.

4. Follow this...

Do a command-option-r boot to Internet recovery and select a network to join. You will see a grey screen with a spinning globe while the recovery process downloads and starts. That will get you to the below recovery screen. Launch Disk Utility and select the new SSD then click the erase tab. Name the disk Macintosh HD and select Mac OS Extended in the format type dropdown then click okay to format the disk.

Now quit Disk Utility and click reinstall OS X. This will start the 4.7GB OS download and install from Apple's servers. Just wait until it finishes and a setup assistant will run where you select a language and setup a new account.

One caveat here... has he updated to Mountain Lion since buying the Macbook? If so, Internet recovery is only going to get you Lion since that is what the machine came with. If you have Mountain Lion now and want that back you will need to redownload it from the App Store and make the USB installer mentioned earlier to install from. Then just option key boot to the USB key and follow the same process.

 

[teigas]

1. You can do either. Given both will require a full download of the 4.7GB OS, there really is not much advantage to messing around making the USB installer. Internet recovery is built in... just use that.

2. No. When running Internet recovery Apple's servers will see the serial number of the machine and give you the OS that came with the machine for free. In this case you should get Lion.

3. Yes.

4. Follow this...

Do a command-option-r boot to Internet recovery and select a network to join. You will see a grey screen with a spinning globe while the recovery process downloads and starts. That will get you to the below recovery screen. Launch Disk Utility and select the new SSD then click the erase tab. Name the disk Macintosh HD and select Mac OS Extended in the format type dropdown then click okay to format the disk.

Now quit Disk Utility and click reinstall OS X. This will start the 4.7GB OS download and install from Apple's servers. Just wait until it finishes and a setup assistant will run where you select a language and setup a new account.

One caveat here... has he updated to Mountain Lion since buying the Macbook? If so, Internet recovery is only going to get you Lion since that is what the machine came with. If you have Mountain Lion now and want that back you will need to redownload it from the App Store and make the USB installer mentioned earlier to install from. Then just option key boot to the USB key and follow the same process.

Thanks for the detailed info. I will have to check if he got mountain lion or Lion. If he got mountain lion? Can i internet recover Lion and then update to mountain lion? Or is updating to mountain lion like upgrading windows from windows 7 to windows 8 , that it basickly taking the same time as gettin lion up and running?

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks for the detailed info. I will have to check if he got mountain lion or Lion. If he got mountain lion? Can i internet recover Lion and then update to mountain lion? Or is updating to mountain lion like upgrading windows from windows 7 to windows 8 , that it basickly taking the same time as gettin lion up and running?

Yes, you could do that. Just install Lion then open the App Store app and redownload Mountain Lion and install it. The downside is you will have two, 4.7GB downloads and two installs to wait through.

If you have a fast Internet connection it may be just as fast to do Lion then ML. The time it takes to burn that USB key is almost what the install to a SSD is anyway. Kind of a toss up here really.

 

[teigas]

Yes, you could do that. Just install Lion then open the App Store app and redownload Mountain Lion and install it. The downside is you will have two, 4.7GB downloads and two installs to wait through.

If you have a fast Internet connection it may be just as fast to do Lion then ML. The time it takes to burn that USB key is almost what the install to a SSD is anyway. Kind of a toss up here really.

Yeah, thanks for the reply. Will be a new experience to try installing a os on a mac never did that before, guess we learn as long as we live

Last question if she has Lion is it worth to pay to upgrade to mountain lion? What are the diffrences?

 

[Weaselboy]

Yeah, thanks for the reply. Will be a new experience to try installing a os on a mac never did that before, guess we learn as long as we live

Last question if she has Lion is it worth to pay to upgrade to mountain lion? What are the diffrences?

Here is a list of new features in Mountain Lion. If this had come up a couple months ago, I would have said yes it is worth the $20 to upgrade. But now with the new OS X Mavericks likely coming out in the next month or so, I would just wait and go straight to Mavericks.

 

[teigas]

Here is a list of new features in Mountain Lion. If this had come up a couple months ago, I would have said yes it is worth the $20 to upgrade. But now with the new OS X Mavericks likely coming out in the next month or so, I would just wait and go straight to Mavericks.

Okei, thanks for all the good help

 

[teigas]

Here is a list of new features in Mountain Lion. If this had come up a couple months ago, I would have said yes it is worth the $20 to upgrade. But now with the new OS X Mavericks likely coming out in the next month or so, I would just wait and go straight to Mavericks.

She had Lion, so i guess the best way will be internet recovery then? Or could i make a usb bootable disk of lion on the mac before we take out the disk? (wanna start fresh, not clone the disk)

command-option-r when do i press this? Like on a regular computer press del to enter bios? Is it a button called command + a button called option + and the letter R? Press them all at the same time like ctrl-alt-del?

And the harddrive has torx screw heads? Or am i wrong her?

 

[Weaselboy]

She had Lion, so i guess the best way will be internet recovery then? Or could i make a usb bootable disk of lion on the mac before we take out the disk? (wanna start fresh, not clone the disk)

I would just do Internet recovery. It is the same 4.7GB DL either way, so a DL direct to the new SSD through Internet recovery is faster than a DL to the other machine then making the USB installer.

command-option-r when do i press this? Like on a regular computer press del to enter bios? Is it a button called command + a button called option + and the letter R? Press them all at the same time like ctrl-alt-del?

Yes... just like ctrl-alt-del, you want to hit all three keys at the same time control-option-r right after you hear the chime at power on.

And the harddrive has torx screw heads? Or am i wrong her?

Yep... #6 Torx heads. If you want though you can just use a pair of pliers to remove those screws. They are just four little nubby things that stick out of the side of the drive and slide into the mounting slots.

 

[davidlv]

And the harddrive has torx screw heads? Or am i wrong her?

Yes, there are 4 lugs on the side of the drive with #6 Torx screw heads, which slide into the sides of the hard drive bay. After you open the back of the MBP with a good #00 philips head screwdriver, and take off the bracket holding the drive in place, you need to relocate those lugs on the side of the new SSD. Really easy, but be careful with the fragile SATA cable, and also when you remove the tiny screws on the back of the MBP. They have to go back in the same place, and they like to roll off your desk onto the rug and hide .

 

[teigas]

I would just do Internet recovery. It is the same 4.7GB DL either way, so a DL direct to the new SSD through Internet recovery is faster than a DL to the other machine then making the USB installer.



Yes... just like ctrl-alt-del, you want to hit all three keys at the same time control-option-r right after you hear the chime at power on.



Yep... #6 Torx heads. If you want though you can just use a pair of pliers to remove those screws. They are just four little nubby things that stick out of the side of the drive and slide into the mounting slots.

If the internet recovery somhow should fail? Where can i download the Lion Install and make the bootable usb pen?

Thanks for all the help!!

 

[Weaselboy]

If the internet recovery somhow should fail? Where can i download the Lion Install and make the bootable usb pen?

Thanks for all the help!!

It won't fail. Even if you say lose your connection and everything is all screwed up, you can still command-option-r again and start fresh. The software that starts that recovery process is built into the firmware on 2010+ Macs like your friend's, so even if the drive is messed up and won't boot, you can still run Internet recovery.

Since his machine came with Lion and Lion was not purchased from the App Store, the way to access a full installer to make a USB key is this convoluted process that uses the Internet recovery mechanism anyway.

 

[teigas]

Yes, there are 4 lugs on the side of the drive with #6 Torx screw heads, which slide into the sides of the hard drive bay. After you open the back of the MBP with a good #00 philips head screwdriver, and take off the bracket holding the drive in place, you need to relocate those lugs on the side of the new SSD. Really easy, but be careful with the fragile SATA cable, and also when you remove the tiny screws on the back of the MBP. They have to go back in the same place, and they like to roll off your desk onto the rug and hide .

Thanks do I need to disconect the power to the motherboard before I replace the ram / memory and also the harddrive?

----------

It won't fail. Even if you say lose your connection and everything is all screwed up, you can still command-option-r again and start fresh. The software that starts that recovery process is built into the firmware on 2010+ Macs like your friend's, so even if the drive is messed up and won't boot, you can still run Internet recovery.

Since his machine came with Lion and Lion was not purchased from the App Store, the way to access a full installer to make a USB key is this convoluted process that uses the Internet recovery mechanism anyway.

Thanks again Good to come prepared when trying it out tomorrow for the first time. You perhaps know the answear to my last question aswell? Do I have to unplugg the power to the motherboard before I change the memory and ssd disk?

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks again Good to come prepared when trying it out tomorrow for the first time. You perhaps know the answear to my last question aswell? Do I have to unplugg the power to the motherboard before I change the memory and ssd disk?

There is no need to. Let us know how it goes.

 

[teigas]

There is no need to. Let us know how it goes.

If all goes well my friend will have hopefully have a much faster late 2011 macbook pro. We are going to put a Crucial DDR3 16GB 1333MHz SODIMM for Mac CL9 2x8GB 204pin 1.35/1.5V .. Hope theese will work , everyone tells us they will.

And we also ordered the Samsung SSD 840 PROSeries 256GB 2.5" OEM
Basic Kit, MDX controller, 540/520MB/s read/write, could perhaps gone with the evo, but then again there was not that big a price difference.

The last last question. Regarding the format process of the new disk, you wrote Mac OS Extended partiton type, and another guy wrore HFS+ , are they the same? Like windows ntfs file system? or fat32.

 

[Weaselboy]

The last last question. Regarding the format process of the new disk, you wrote Mac OS Extended partiton type, and another guy wrore HFS+ , are they the same? Like windows ntfs file system? or fat32.

They are the same. Mac OS Extended is HFS+ in OS X. When you run Disk Utility to do the initial format there is a dropdown box where you pick format type and the one you want is "Mac OS Extended". You won't see HFS+ in that list, even though that is what it is.

 

[teigas]

They are the same. Mac OS Extended is HFS+ in OS X. When you run Disk Utility to do the initial format there is a dropdown box where you pick format type and the one you want is "Mac OS Extended". You won't see HFS+ in that list, even though that is what it is.

Thanks You agree that the ram / memory will fit it also?

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks You agree that the ram / memory will fit it also?

Yep... that matches the specs for your model.

 

[teigas]

Thanks for all the good help It was no problem upgrading after all your good info.

The few small problems I had was getting the right size screw driver for the first bolts on the casing, so i did not round the heds on the bolts.

The next was that I did not now that i had to hold te tree keys in all the time to get the internet recovery startet, i only pushed them once and then again and again, and then got a question mark. When i hold all the tree down just after the sound, it all started perfectly.

 

[Weaselboy]

Thanks for all the good help It was no problem upgrading after all your good info.

Glad you got it fixed up. That few seconds waiting for it to start the first time is a looong wait isn't it?

 

[teigas]

Glad you got it fixed up. That few seconds waiting for it to start the first time is a looong wait isn't it?

That was not the badest moment, because I am used to building my one workstations from scratch. It was more since it`s not my computer I hope it starts Was more worried before i googled that you had to hold the tree keys in a long time, and not tapping them.. And i only got the question mark

A last question its a samsung 840 in ssd in there, do i need to install any samsung software in lion? Or should it be fine?

 

[Weaselboy]

A last question its a samsung 840 in ssd in there, do i need to install any samsung software in lion? Or should it be fine?

Nope... don't need to install anything.

 

[Starfyre]

Best to just start fresh with ML. If you can download ML, get the image and save it somewhere on a USB drive, that is the best. Then you wont have to worry about any zombie Snow Leopard files on your Mountain Lion mac.

Internet recovery to get SL then upgrade ML by appstore works, but if you really want to start off perfect, start with ML at the very beginning.