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Question about restoring boot partition on MBA

jamesryanbell

jamesryanbell

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Mar 17, 2009
2,171
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I recently got a Mac Mini that I'm using at home, and I'm wanting to do a clean install of OSX on my 11" MBA. I recently replaced the stock SSD with an OWC 240GB SSD. When replacing it, instead of restoring from backup, I merely used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the drive and then promptly installed it. After using it for a few weeks, I was told that it *does not* copy the invisible Lion recovery partition. I don't have a USB key with Lion on it.

What is the best way to do a clean install of Lion in this situation?

Thanks in advance for your time. :)
 
GGJstudios said:
Carbon Copy Cloner beta version 3.4.4-b1 and later will clone the Lion Recovery HD partition.
Click to expand...

That's good to know. I just updated my version of CCC. Thanks for that. Two questions though...

1) It says it creates a recovery volume as a DMG file, and then you are supposed to archive it. Sorry to sound noobish, but that's not how the factory Lion recovery partition works, right? My point is that from my understanding it still doesn't do a full, exactly-the-same-as-the-original-SSD clone of including the recovery partition, correct? It just makes it accessible via a DMG file that you're supposed to keep on a USB key or something? Just not completely understanding it.

2) That'll help in the future, but what's the best way to solve the current situation described above if I want to do a clean install on my current SSD if there's no Lion Recovery Partition on it currently?
 
jamesryanbell said:
1) It says it creates a recovery volume as a DMG file, and then you are supposed to archive it. Sorry to sound noobish, but that's not how the factory Lion recovery partition works, right? My point is that from my understanding it still doesn't do a full, exactly-the-same-as-the-original-SSD clone of including the recovery partition, correct? It just makes it accessible via a DMG file that you're supposed to keep on a USB key or something? Just not completely understanding it.
Click to expand...
Yes, it is an identical clone of the recovery partition. Even before the beta, CCC could clone the recovery partition using block copy.

jamesryanbell said:
2) That'll help in the future, but what's the best way to solve the current situation described above if I want to do a clean install on my current SSD if there's no Lion Recovery Partition on it currently?
Click to expand...
Simply run a CCC backup, including the recovery partition. Then do your clean install and restore.
 
GGJstudios said:
Simply run a CCC backup, including the recovery partition. Then do your clean install and restore.
Click to expand...

I don't have an existing recovery partition. That's the whole problem.

Wait, do you mean that CCC *creates* a recovery partition for the existing drive when it clones it, or does one have to be there to clone?
 
GGJstudios said:
No, CCC doesn't create a recovery partition. It only clones one that already exists. You can create one with the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant
Click to expand...

The Lion Recovery Assistant won't do what he wants as it needs an existing recovery partition to make the USB key.

From the linked article:

In order to create an external Lion Recovery using the Lion Recovery Assistant, the Mac must have an existing Recovery HD.
Click to expand...


jamesryanbell said:
I don't have an existing recovery partition. That's the whole problem.

Wait, do you mean that CCC *creates* a recovery partition for the existing drive when it clones it, or does one have to be there to clone?
Click to expand...

If you did a normal clone with CCC 3.4.4, you may have the recovery DMG and just not know it.

Read this over. During a normal clone this new version of CCC will make a DMG of the recovery partition at /Library/Application Support/com.bombich.ccc/Recovery HD.dmg on the backed up drive. Look there to see if you have it. If so, you can use the CCC Disk Center to access that DMG to restore the Recovery Partition.
 
Weaselboy said:
The Lion Recovery Assistant won't do what he wants as it needs an existing recovery partition to make the USB key.
Click to expand...
You're quite right. I grabbed the wrong link. Lion Internet Recovery allows recovery when no recovery partition exists:

OS X Lion: About Lion Recovery

Weaselboy said:
If you did a normal clone with CCC 3.4.4, you may have the recovery DMG and just not know it.

Read this over. During a normal clone this new version of CCC will make a DMG of the recovery partition at /Library/Application Support/com.bombich.ccc/Recovery HD.dmg on the backed up drive.
Click to expand...

Carbon Copy Cloner beta version 3.4.4-b1 and later will clone the Lion Recovery HD partition in a normal backup. Earlier versions, including 3.4.4, as indicated by your link, will not clone the recovery partition during a normal file-level backup. Only a block copy will achieve that, which the OP wouldn't normally do, as it requires that you boot from another computer.
 
Last edited:
GGJstudios said:
Carbon Copy Cloner beta version 3.4.4-b1 and later will clone the Lion Recovery HD partition in a normal backup. Earlier versions, including 3.4.4, as indicated by your link, will not clone the recovery partition during a normal file-level backup. Only a block copy will achieve that, which the OP wouldn't normally do, as it requires that you boot from another computer.
Click to expand...

The CCC documentation and forum posts are a little confusing, but I don't think it will automatically clone the recovery partition (even with the betas). It appears to make the DMG like I described in my post. It looks like if you want to clone the recovery partition you still need to go into the Disk Center area of CCC.

I was hoping the OP did just a routine clone with the beta and had the DMG to make a new recovery partition.
 
All I did was run CCC one time and did a direct copy over to the new SSD. Nothing else. Then I installed it and assumed it was bootable (which it was).
I did this with the non-beta version of CCC, which doesn't copy the recovery partition.

I need a recovery partition on the SSD (for peace of mind) and I don't know what to do to make that happen.
 
jamesryanbell said:
All I did was run CCC one time and did a direct copy over to the new SSD. Nothing else. Then I installed it and assumed it was bootable (which it was).
I did this with the non-beta version of CCC, which doesn't copy the recovery partition.

I need a recovery partition on the SSD (for peace of mind) and I don't know what to do to make that happen.
Click to expand...

Ah okay... so if you did not use the beta, CCC has no way to get back the recovery partition for you.

Best thing to do then is just reinstall Lion over top of your existing install. That will create a recovery partition and it will not overwrite your personal data.

Given your MBA is a 2011 model, you should be able to boot to the EFI recovery by doing a command-R at startup. The EFI recovery looks like the Lion HDD recovery and you can redownload and install Lion from there.
 
Weaselboy said:
Best thing to do then is just reinstall Lion over top of your existing install. That will create a recovery partition and it will not overwrite your personal data.
Click to expand...

How do I do that?

Given your MBA is a 2011 model, you should be able to boot to the EFI recovery by doing a command-R at startup. The EFI recovery looks like the Lion HDD recovery and you can redownload and install Lion from there.
Click to expand...

it's a late 2010 model (C2D Ultimate). Is it still the same procedure?
 
jamesryanbell said:
How do I do that?
Click to expand...

I'm a little confused. Are talking about your 2010 Mini here?

Where did you get Lion to install in the Mini to begin with.. the App Store? If you did just start the App Store app and hold the option key while you click purchases. That will allow you to click install next to the Lion listing and redownload the install DMG. Before you run the install DMG use it to make yourself a USB installer if you ever need it again.

Then just run the install DMG and let it install Lion. It will not overwrite your existing data and it will make a recovery partition on the drive.
 
Weaselboy said:
I'm a little confused. Are talking about your 2010 Mini here?

Where did you get Lion to install in the Mini to begin with.. the App Store? If you did just start the App Store app and hold the option key while you click purchases. That will allow you to click install next to the Lion listing and redownload the install DMG. Before you run the install DMG use it to make yourself a USB installer if you ever need it again.

Then just run the install DMG and let it install Lion. It will not overwrite your existing data and it will make a recovery partition on the drive.
Click to expand...

I have a 2011 Mini Server, but that's not what I'm talking about.

I started this thread in regards to my 2010 MBA 11".
 
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