So, I think I'm gonna buy a Mac Mini base model and put an SSD in it. Here's my noob question.... Once I've upgraded the drive...how do I go about reinstalling OSX Lion on it?
You could clone the old HDD to the new SDD, either in an external USB 2.0 enclosure (10 ) or when you inserted the SSD as second drive.
Use CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to make a 1:1 copy.
You could clone the old HDD to the new SDD, either in an external USB 2.0 enclosure (10 ) or when you inserted the SSD as second drive.
Use CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper to make a 1:1 copy.
Use Lion Internet Recovery by using Command+Option+R on boot. This will boot you directly from Apple's servers and give you a full recovery toolset, including the ability to redownload the latest version of Lion and install it.
The question has already been answered for you. You put the SSD drive in a USB enclosure, set it up as bootable and clone the original drive to the SSD.
You then take the SSD out of the external enclosure and replace the internal drive with the SSD and it will boot from it.
Use Lion Internet Recovery by using Command+Option+R on boot. This will boot you directly from Apple's servers and give you a full recovery toolset, including the ability to redownload the latest version of Lion and install it.
When you boot into Lion after reinstalling you'll notice iLife missing (iMovie, iPhoto, and GarageBand). Open the App Store and you'll notice that you have them available for download too, free of charge. For these, if memory serves, you'll have to register with your apple ID to allow reinstall action.