Question about HDD replacement

[Pkupman57]

So, Ive got a rookie question.

Im going to change my stock 750gb spinner drive with an SSD. I plan on using CCC to clone it prior to opening my system and swapping drives. Now, Ive got a 2012 MBP (currently running Sierra, NOT going to HS yet)... so i got a HDD caddy from OWC to replace my optical drive with a HDD and will be putting my 750gb drive in there. After doing this, when i fire up the computer, will it know to boot from the SSD, or will it boot from the spinner? Since they will both be identical. Or will it ask me which drive to boot from? Id like to not wipe and format the spinner until after its booted up on the SSD.

Thanks

 

[nebo1ss]

So, Ive got a rookie question.

Im going to change my stock 750gb spinner drive with an SSD. I plan on using CCC to clone it prior to opening my system and swapping drives. Now, Ive got a 2012 MBP (currently running Sierra, NOT going to HS yet)... so i got a HDD caddy from OWC to replace my optical drive with a HDD and will be putting my 750gb drive in there. After doing this, when i fire up the computer, will it know to boot from the SSD, or will it boot from the spinner? Since they will both be identical. Or will it ask me which drive to boot from? Id like to not wipe and format the spinner until after its booted up on the SSD.

Thanks

You tell it under system preferences which disk to boot from. Suggest, you try booting from the SSD in the Caddy before actually installing it in the computer.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"After doing this, when i fire up the computer, will it know to boot from the SSD, or will it boot from the spinner?"

As you already are planning on doing, it's best to "prep and test" the new SSD BEFORE you open the MacBook and "do the swap".

To test it, reboot and immediately hold down the option key until the startup manager appears. Then select the SSD and hit return.
When you get to the finder, go to "about this mac" to ascertain that you ARE booted from the SSD (of course, it's a clone, so it will "look the same").
Take a "good look around" and assure yourself that everything is as it should be.
If so, NOW it's time to shut down and swap the drives.

Once the drive swap is done, again boot with the option key to invoke the startup manager, and get running that way.
Once you're at the finder, go to the "Startup Disk" preference pane and set the internal drive to be the boot drive.

Of course, before you swapped out the drives, the internal already was the boot drive -- BUT -- you now have a DIFFERENT internal drive there (at least from the viewpoint of the MacBook) -- and you need to "refresh its memory", so to speak...

 

[BrianBaughn]

Give the two drives different names.