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Replacing internal harddrive
- Thread starter tycheong
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Duff-Man says...yeah, well unless you are going to restore from a backup or clone then you are going to have to reinstall Leopard and anything else...unless of course you like working on a computer with no operating system - no OS sure would save you some of that drive space...oh yeah!
I'd view this as an opportunity to do a really good cleanup of the existing hard drive. However, if you're going to replace the hard drive with a one of bigger capacity, then do as Duff-Man suggests and install Leopard OS on the new drive.
Then, using a SATA-USB adaptor - no need for an enclosure unless you really want one (firewire) - transfer selected material from the old drive to the new. Then, reformat the old drive and use it as a backup or for storage.
so to reinstall the OS after replacing the harddrive would i just turn on my mbp and put in the install disk that came with it?
or before i replace it, can i just connect it with at sata-usb adapter and drag the entire disk image from my mbp to the new harddrive, and then after that replace it?
or before i replace it, can i just connect it with at sata-usb adapter and drag the entire disk image from my mbp to the new harddrive, and then after that replace it?
Partly right. If and when you buy a new hard drive, some retailers will pre-format it with HFS+. There is no install disk as such that comes with a bare hard drive. Most new drives bought from a computer store or online are formatted NTFS, so shop around a bit.
Copy-clone your old hard drive to the new drive, via the adaptor, once it's been formatted. That will ensure it has a System folder. Then swap the disks over. Then boot your MBP from its new HD.
Finally, once you're satisfied your new HD is performing properly, and using that same adaptor, reformat the now old(er) external hard drive (which is the way I'd do it). Or at least give it a good tidy-up, deleting unwanted material.
so do i need to buy a HFS+ formatted drive or a NTFS drive? or will any 'mac compatible' harddrive work?
and by install disk i meant the 15-inch macbook pro mac os x install dvd that came in the box when i got my mbp.
copy-cloning my harddrive to the new drive will save all the settings and configurations right? and then after i swap the drives everything will be ready to use, correct?
If you don't know the answers to these questions, it doesn't make you an idiot, but it makes you someone who probably shouldn't be messing around inside a brand new laptop. If you're running out of space, buy an external hard drive or delete some files. If you do need a bigger drive, please please please take it in to the shop and ask them to do it. Not only will you be assured of having the job done right (or have someone to blame if it's not), but your warranty will be intact.
Question:
If you are going to do a clone of your hard drive does the external hard drive have to be the same size as the drive you are cloning? Meaning if you have only 136 gigs worth of information and you use the disk utility to make a copy, does the external have to be the same size as the disk? Or can I use a 150gig external?
I don't know if it writes other parts of the disk that are not being used etc. Just want to make sure. I know it is weird question, but I thought I should ask before I do it.
If you are going to do a clone of your hard drive does the external hard drive have to be the same size as the drive you are cloning? Meaning if you have only 136 gigs worth of information and you use the disk utility to make a copy, does the external have to be the same size as the disk? Or can I use a 150gig external?
I don't know if it writes other parts of the disk that are not being used etc. Just want to make sure. I know it is weird question, but I thought I should ask before I do it.
No, both SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner only copy the space on your drive that is actually used, so any drive at least as large as the amount of space used on your current drive or larger will work fine.