Move full SSD / Drive from busted Macbook Pro 2010 to older model

[ksdiamo]

Hi,
I have a 13" Macbook Pro 2010 model whose logic board has failed. I want to take the SSD (installed with Snow Leopard and full of files and folder structures I want to keep) out of this busted computer and move it over to a Late 2007 Macbook Pro model I have lying around to get access to the drive again. I know in theory, I can install a SSD into this model, but can I install an SSD that is already formatted by my newer model? Are there things I need to consider?

And if the answer is yes, BUT it can be slightly unstable, can I go about mirroring the drive onto an external hardrive once it is in the 2007 model, wiping the SSD, reinstalling the SSD with a fresh boot and then transferring file structure from mirrored drive back onto the freshly installed SSD in my 2007 model? Does that sound like a good process?

Thanks.

 

[paul-n]

Just buy a external SATA2USB adapter. Then you can just copy needed data to another drive and then format the SSD, mount it and start fresh.

 

[newdeal]

I would install the OS fresh on the old laptop and connect the SSD with a SATA to USB adaptor to use migration assistant to transfer your files over. Then clone the hdd onto your ssd using carbon copy cloner and install it into your computer. It will take awhile due to the slow speeds of USB but it will get the job done.

 

[scbond]

If the older machine supports the OS on the hard drive then it should work just fine. My friend has done this a number of times...his current install of SL must've been in two pre-unibody MacBooks and an early unibody MBP.

 

[Weaselboy]

OP>> Since both machines support Snow Leopard, this will work just fine. There is no need to reinstall or mess around copying things. Just swap the disks and it will work fine.

After you do the swap, start the machine and go into System Prefs Startup Disk pane and set the new disk as the boot drive.