How to move OS X from HDD to SSD?

[GrantMeThePower]

I know this thread is a few months old but I thought I might sum up some of the questions people are having by sharing my own experience. I installed an SSD in my late 2009 27" iMac (replaced the optical drive). Here's what happened.

• After I installed the SSD and put the computer back together I started it up.
• Upon startup, Mountain Lion told me the SSD was not formated.
• I opened Disk Utility and formatted the SSD (choose Erase) as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
• After about 2 seconds the drive was formatted. I then opened the App store, went to my purchased apps, and clicked 'Download' under Mountain Lion. It asked for a confirmation and I agreed.
• After it downloaded, I ran the app right from Finder.
• During installation it asked me what drive I wanted to install ML, I choose the SSD.
• After a few minutes, ML needed to reboot.
• After reboot ML continued installing. Took about 20 minutes.
• After installation was complete the computer rebooted. It automatically booted from the SSD (I never told it to).
• Migration Assistant opened up. I was able to choose which users, if I wanted to restore apps, and what folders I wanted to restore.
• I couldn't choose specific files, but next to each folder is the folder size. I choose the folders that I wanted to put on the SSD, as long as they woud fit.
• After migration was complete the computer booted into the SSD installation of ML. Everything looked exactly the same as it did before I did the install. Even my tabs in chrome opened the way I left them. All my apps seemed to be unaffected (I have not tested them all).
• I then started moving files from the folders that were too large in MA. Such as my Aperture library (referenced), desktop pics, etc.

I plan to use Symlinks for downloads, music, etc. I just haven't got that far. This process was by far easier than I expected. I didn't not expect Migration Assistant to do such a great job. There are some things to still move over, but it's totally worth the effort. And I'm loving the speed!

EDIT: I wanted add, incase you didn't catch it - this was done in Mountain Lion, not Lion. Which this thread is obviously based in. So i'm not sure how MA is different between the two version of OS X.

Just wanted to say thank you! That sounds like a great way of adding an SSD and keeping the HD.

 

[musukosan]

Just wanted to say thank you! That sounds like a great way of adding an SSD and keeping the HD.

Glad I could help!

 

[jalyst]

It's not a big deal at all, and I know that it has something to do with deleting the original (empty) movies/pictures/downloads folders that were on my SSD after the media-free migration (it made default empty folders). I had to delete the default folders so that I could put the renamed symlink ones in the user account. I renamed them from what the symlink creator called them, to their normal name (i.e. "music symlink" became "Music" in my user folder).

Weird, in my understanding of how symlinking works in *nix, there shouldn't have been any need to delete the original folders/dirs. You should've been able to keep them intact, & have them symlinked to similarly named folders/dirs on the external drive.

*EDIT*
Actually it seems I'm losing my mind...