New SSD install snow leopard

[mizquierdo31]

I just purchased a new SSD from OWC (120 GB, 3G). I have a 2008 black macbook. The following are what I want to get done to it and need some guidance on the procedure on how to do it:

I want to put snow leopard onto my SSD along with applications that are on my HDD. I don't know any formatting procedures or anything for this. My original plan was to just install the SSD and boot from the snow leopard disk (which I have). From reading online I heard that that doesn't really work for some reason? I dont want to erase my HDD, I just want to move over my applications from it to the SSD. I want to use my HDD as an external to store stuff on. Does anyone have any ideas on the procedure for this?

Can I use the external enclosure (with SSD), plug it into a USB port, format it, install snow leopard and drag my applications to the SSD? Then do the hard install of the SSD?

I just need some guidance on how to make what I want to happen happen. Thanks for the help!

 

[Weaselboy]

Can I use the external enclosure (with SSD), plug it into a USB port, format it, install snow leopard and drag my applications to the SSD? Then do the hard install of the SSD?

Maybe... some apps that works and others have components other than the app file itself, so this won't work.

A better and less complicated approach would be to just install the blank SSD, then put the HDD in your enclosure and option key boot to the HDD. Then use the free 30 day trial version of Carbon Copy Cloner to move everything from the HDD to the SSD. Once that is done, go to System Prefs and in the Startup Disk pane select the SSD as the boot disk, then restart. Done.

 

[mizquierdo31]

That does sound like a good idea, it crossed my mind as well. My hard drive has about 200GB worth of stuff on it while my SSD is only 120 GB so transferring everything from my HDD to the SSD wouldnt work out.

 

[tom vilsack]

My original plan was to just install the SSD and boot from the snow leopard disk (which I have). From reading online I heard that that doesn't really work for some reason?

You read wrong....

Just replace your harddrive with your new ssd drive and boot snow leopard dvd while holding down "c"...then just do a clean install.

As the other reader said,you could clone your hd to new ssd using either carbon copy or super duper (former still totally free) but your original drive used space would have to be under that of new ssd.

Personally I would go with a fresh install,and just reinstall all your programs ect...

btw: I have same 2.4GHz black macbook,and the difference with using a ssd will blow you away! It will feel like a nice new macbook pro...really!

 

[Weaselboy]

That does sound like a good idea, it crossed my mind as well. My hard drive has about 200GB worth of stuff on it while my SSD is only 120 GB so transferring everything from my HDD to the SSD wouldnt work out.

Ah... gotcha. Is the big stuff all in one folder like maybe Music or something? You can just uncheck the Music folder in the clone app so it does not move over and getting you below your 120GB threshold.