Questions about upgrading HDD

[Burning Radio]

So I've started running out of space on my 250 GB HDD and I feel like it's time for an upgrade. So I figured I'd install Snow Leopard on a new 500 GB HDD.

My Question is about the transfer of documents.

I will be buying an external enclosure for the Drive I take out. So after I replace and install Snow Leopard, will I be able to restore my documents and settings from my old internal HDD? Will I have to re-install all of my applications?

This is my first Mac so I don't know the details of these kinds of things.


BTW, any suggestions for HDD brands/models? I had in mind a Fujitsu but not sure. I was just figuring if I replaced the OEM Toshiba with another Toshiba/Fujitsu I'd eliminate compatibility problems.

Thanks for the help!

 

[GfulDedFan]

There are several reputable brands and dealers of hard drives. As long as it's a 2.5" SATA drive, it will work in your MacBook. My personal preference is a Western Digital from macsales.com.

Overview:
1) Buy a new HD and enclosure.
2) Put the new drive into the enclosure, hook up to your MacBook, and prepare it by using Disk Utility.
3) Clone your old (internal) drive to the new one in the enclosure using SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner.
4) Test the new drive by starting your MacBook with it and confirm that everything works.
5) Switch the 2 drives.
6) Install Snow Leopard.

Several details are left out but can be inquired by search or post. -GDF

 

[Burning Radio]

Ok. Awesome. I didn't think it would be too hard with it being a Mac and all.

Also, may be a stupid question, but will a 5400 save battery compared to a 7200? I like the 750 GB WD that is only 2 platters of 375 GB and still only 5400 rpm. Would that offer space and speed as well as save battery?

 

[GfulDedFan]

I've not been in the hard drive market for some time now but I've formed some opinions and gathered knowledge in my journeys.
The bad rap about 5400rpm vs. 7200rpm as related to battery life began in the early days of the 7200rpm manufacturing. Improvements have been made over the years that have reduced the margins. I feel that my battery usage with my 320GB Scorpio Black is no different than it would be with the stock 5400rpm drive. 7200rpm drives have been know to cause other issues such as excess heat and vibration although I have not experienced that with my drive.

An increase in available storage will increase performance if you are running low of space on an existing drive. Falling below 10-15% available will effect access times due to limiting room for swap. By upgrading to a larger drive, the available space becomes adequate to accommodate this needed space.

If you search this forum and the web, you will find other opinions and reviews on specific drives and drives in general. Remember that no matter what your choice is, always deal with a reputable dealer that offers a good warranty and return policy and always keep a good backup. -GDF

 

[Arrandale]

So I've started running out of space on my 250 GB HDD and I feel like it's time for an upgrade. So I figured I'd install Snow Leopard on a new 500 GB HDD.

My Question is about the transfer of documents.

I will be buying an external enclosure for the Drive I take out. So after I replace and install Snow Leopard, will I be able to restore my documents and settings from my old internal HDD? Will I have to re-install all of my applications?

This is my first Mac so I don't know the details of these kinds of things.


BTW, any suggestions for HDD brands/models? I had in mind a Fujitsu but not sure. I was just figuring if I replaced the OEM Toshiba with another Toshiba/Fujitsu I'd eliminate compatibility problems.

Thanks for the help!

most os x apps don't really need much 'installation'
because of the bundle structure they can just be dragged onto another hdd and launched from there

it depends from app to app... some old apps or database-heavy apps may need reinstallation

in any case, you'll need to install the os freshly

 

[Burning Radio]

most os x apps don't really need much 'installation'
because of the bundle structure they can just be dragged onto another hdd and launched from there

it depends from app to app... some old apps or database-heavy apps may need reinstallation

in any case, you'll need to install the os freshly

So If I just drag my Applications folder over to the new HDD with newly installed Snow Leopard, All of my applications will work fine (If they're Snow Leopard compatible)?

Would I have to reinstall Office and Photoshop?

 

[GfulDedFan]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

If you follow the instructions that I posted, you will end up with your MacBook exactly as it is now in a bigger drive and then you upgrade to Snow Leopard in the last step.... Done!

 

[Burning Radio]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7E18 Safari/528.16)

If you follow the instructions that I posted, you will end up with your MacBook exactly as it is now in a bigger drive and then you upgrade to Snow Leopard in the last step.... Done!

Have the problems been fixed that arise when upgrading to Snow Leopard by Archive and Install? I've read a lot of stories of how some people's internet doesn't work since upgrading to 10.6 but after wiping the drive and installing fresh, everything works.

If everything should work with Archive and Install, then I'll do it that way.

Thanks Again for the help!