Installing new SSD, Backup, and Questions

[MusicJazz]

Alright clever folks of MacRumors, I come to you with questions!

I'm installing a secondary SSD on my MacBook Pro Mid-2012 and removing my optical drive.

My ultimate goal is to have my SSD do the heavy lifting for OS X Mavericks, my Apps and big files for the work that I do.

The current HDD that I have in this puppy I want to keep as storage.

My question is...how can I transfer OS X Mavericks, my Apps and big files onto my SSD once I install it? My SSD will probably be recognized as the secondary hard drive, but I want it to be the bootable hard drive with all that big stuff. I'm doing a backup currently with TimeMachine just in case.

Thanks in advance MacRumors peeps! Even though I'm a new poster, I've been lurking around the forums a bit and like your community

 

[hchung]

First, you do the install of both drives where you want them to be.

Then, pick an option:

1) If you have another Mac with firewire, hold down T on your macbook to enter target mode. You'll see both drives as externals on the other mac, and can use super duper or whatever you want to copy from one drive to the other.

2) If you're proficient with the terminal commands, you could boot into internet recovery, and then just do a ditto from one drive to the other.

3) You could boot into recovery or internet recovery on your macbook, install onto the SSD, and then do a migration assistant.

 

[MusicJazz]

First, you do the install of both drives where you want them to be.

Then, pick an option:

1) If you have another Mac with firewire, hold down T on your macbook to enter target mode. You'll see both drives as externals on the other mac, and can use super duper or whatever you want to copy from one drive to the other.

2) If you're proficient with the terminal commands, you could boot into internet recovery, and then just do a ditto from one drive to the other.

3) You could boot into recovery or internet recovery on your macbook, install onto the SSD, and then do a migration assistant.

Wait I'm confused. How do you boot into recovery and what would it do? Put all my files onto the SSD? I should be able to move big files im not using to the HHD yea?

 

[hchung]

Wait I'm confused. How do you boot into recovery and what would it do? Put all my files onto the SSD? I should be able to move big files im not using to the HHD yea?

Starting around OS X 10.7, recovery mode is a separate mini OS X that exists on your boot drive in order to make it easier to fix your computer.
In many of the recent MacBooks, it's possible to use "Internet Recovery" which actually downloads and boots the recovery OS from the internet if your boot drive's recovery partition is unusable.

When you're booted off the recovery OS, you'll be able to do a few things including:
1) Format a drive
2) Install OS X onto an attached drive.
3) Open the terminal to run more complex commands.

When copying an OS from one drive to another, it's highly recommended that you not be running that OS install you are trying to copy. Booting off recovery mode satisfies this requirement.

I don't remember the exact keystrokes since it's been a while since I tried it. So you'll have to look that up for your particular Mac.

Just checking, I was under the impression that your OS is on the hard drive, and you wanted to move that to the SSD?

 

[Weaselboy]

My question is...how can I transfer OS X Mavericks, my Apps and big files onto my SSD once I install it? My SSD will probably be recognized as the secondary hard drive, but I want it to be the bootable hard drive with all that big stuff. I'm doing a backup currently with TimeMachine just in case.

Backup first just to be safe.

Install the new drive then start the machine off the old drive like you normally do. Then start Disk Utility and format the new SSD to Mac OS Extended and quit Disk Utility. Then use either Disk Utility or Carbon Copy Cloner (free 30 day trial) to clone the HDD to the SSD.

Now restart and hold the option key. This will give you a boot drive selection screen. Pick the new SSD to boot from. Tinker around a bit to make sure everything looks good then go to System Prefs and in the Startup Disk panel select the SSD as the boot drive.

Now use Disk Util again to erase the HDD.

 

[satcomer]

Also please do NOT follow the steps to create a DIY fusion drive before 10.9 came out. Instead the steps in the MacRumor's post by Dark Dragoon to create a 10.9 Apple way of creating a 10.9 DIY version of a Fusion Drive.

First though get IMHO the best cloning software Carbon Copy Cloner and clone your current setup to it. Then once you create the Fusion Dive (listed in the previous paragraph) you can create a Flash drive installer (listed in the previous link) and install a Fresh copy onto the new Fusion Drive. Then in the Fresh copy use /Applications/Utilities/Migrations Assistant.app to move over your Data, Pictures, Music, etc. (just not Network connections - just make those manually again) back over from the clone you did before.

 

[benji888]

Alright clever folks of MacRumors, I come to you with questions!

I'm installing a secondary SSD on my MacBook Pro Mid-2012 and removing my optical drive.

My ultimate goal is to have my SSD do the heavy lifting for OS X Mavericks, my Apps and big files for the work that I do.

The current HDD that I have in this puppy I want to keep as storage.

My question is...how can I transfer OS X Mavericks, my Apps and big files onto my SSD once I install it? My SSD will probably be recognized as the secondary hard drive, but I want it to be the bootable hard drive with all that big stuff. I'm doing a backup currently with TimeMachine just in case.

Thanks in advance MacRumors peeps! Even though I'm a new poster, I've been lurking around the forums a bit and like your community

I just ordered an SSD & kit to put my HDD in optical bay (better to put the SSD in the original HDD spot) also, and am considering making a fusion drive out of them, found this: http://blog.macsales.com/17624-os-x...tup-option-for-non-fusion-drive-equipped-macs (if you read comments, same works for mavericks.)

Another (easier) option is to put your OS & apps and such on SSD and user files on HDD, see this: http://blog.macsales.com/13511-owc-introduces-techknowlogy-video-series

Posting both as I have not yet decided which way to do it. My SSD & "data doubler" kit for the optical bay is due to arrive Friday, will figure it out by this weekend.

I've found OWC to have some great DIY videos for upgrading macs and I just came across this stuff off their blog.