MacBook Harddrive upgrade - Without the Restore

[HarryBizzle]

Hi,

Basically I would like to swap my current 120GB HDD with a 320GB model.

The only thing is when I read about what to do online, it seems the procedure is as follows:

1. Create a back up using SuperDuper or TM.
2. Boot from this back up.
3. Use Disk Utility to format your new drive to GUID and then Restore.


However what I would like to do is as follows:

1. Buy a 320GB 2.5" HDD and enclosure. Install the 320GB in the enclosure.
2. Format it as GUID and use either SuperDuper or Carboncopy (preferable, as it's free) to create a copy of my MacBook HDD.
3. Remove the 320GB from the enclosure and swap it with my current MacBook HDD.
4. Switch it on and be up and running as normal, except with an extra 200GB.


This seems far simpler, and as I don't currently have an external HDD, but I haven't seen this method anywhere on the internet and therefore I'm slightly doubtful as to whether it will work.

Any help in this matter would be much appreciated.




-Harry.

 

[tbayrgs]

Hi,

Basically I would like to swap my current 120GB HDD with a 320GB model.

The only thing is when I read about what to do online, it seems the procedure is as follows:

1. Create a back up using SuperDuper or TM.
2. Boot from this back up.
3. Use Disk Utility to format your new drive to GUID and then Restore.


However what I would like to do is as follows:

1. Buy a 320GB 2.5" HDD and enclosure. Install the 320GB in the enclosure.
2. Format it as GUID and use either SuperDuper or Carboncopy (preferable, as it's free) to create a copy of my MacBook HDD.
3. Remove the 320GB from the enclosure and swap it with my current MacBook HDD.
4. Switch it on and be up and running as normal, except with an extra 200GB.


This seems far simpler, and as I don't currently have an external HDD, but I haven't seen this method anywhere on the internet and therefore I'm slightly doubtful as to whether it will work.

Any help in this matter would be much appreciated.




-Harry.

I did EXACTLY what you would like to do and it was a breeze. I picked up this enclosure from Newegg when I bought my HDDs (upgraded my mini HDD and set up an external RAID as well) and used it for both computers.

Only step I would add is after you have used CCC to clone your HDD, go to System Preferences and designate your new HDD as the start up and reboot to test that it works before removing it from the enclosure and installing it.

Good Luck.

 

[HarryBizzle]

Thanks a lot, that's very reassuring to hear.

 

[diamond.g]

Thanks a lot, that's very reassuring to hear.

I did just that yesterday. The only downside is my time Machine backup seemed to be the whole drive. Upgraded to a 500GB drive from a 250GB.

 

[chrono1081]

Here is exactly what I did:

1. Take a new harddrive and connect it to an external enclosure, plug the drive into the computer.

2. Use Carbon Copy Cloner and clone my mac drive to the new drive that I just plugged in.

3. Put the new drive in the computer and take the old one out.

4. Finished! Start up your computer.

SUPER easy. Not to mention I had programs and things open and running while cloning.

 

[phineas]

But What if you

Want to put the new drive in the MBP or Macbook, and format and load a fresh install of the OS, and than bring your applications over from the old drive which maybe connected via an external enclosure.

Purpose being is a totally FRESH install of the OS

Thanks