I have a mid 2010 macbook pro. I want to change my hard drive but...

But I purchased and downloaded Mountain Lion. Plus I have stuff installed and can't find the original install medium. (I have some product keys, but not the medium.
If I pull original drive and plug it in to a drive enclosure, can I put new drive in, boot off drive encl, somehow restore from the old drive to the new?
I don't have that much on the old drive.  so even though I am planning to go to an ssd It will be big enough to hand what I currently have on old drive with as much left over as will go on it. 
Eventual plan is to use the original drive as a second drive when I replace my defective optical drive.  (have to find a drive enclosure that lets me do that. But I heard it has been done) Already yanked the optical drive out.

Buy the new drive, temporarily put it in an external enclosure, clone your existing drive to the new external (Use CCC), boot to the clone and verify it is OK. Remove new external from its case, remove the internal drive, swap them, the old internal can go in the case and be used for extra storage, the new external goes in your Mac and becomes the new internal.

Similar Messages

  • I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro, How can I install Windows 7 without an Optical Drive?

    For clarity:  I have a mid 2010, Macbook Pro.  I recently decided to upgrade to a Crucial SSD drive, double the ram (8 gigs), and remove the optical drive in favor of using my old drive as a back up.  I am also currently running Yosemite.
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    It would seem that modffying the .plist file assumes that the option to create a bootable USB device is grayed out.  In my case, it is non existent.
    I have also read that folks have had success using rEFIt, however rEFIt has been forked to rEFIned, and the developer of rEFIned made mention on his site that Yosemite handles booting differently than previous versions of OSX.
    WIth that, I was hoping that some kind person could explain to me whats going on, what I am missing, and what I can do to make this happen just shy of tearing down my MBP and reisntalling the Optical Drive and dusting off my Win 7 disc.
    Also, my Model Number/Bootrom is MBP 6,2.
    Thanks in advance!

    Thank you for your reply, and the information.  This is what I came up with:
    I added the strings as instructed, however when I went to sign the script in terminal, I was told:
    /Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app: replacing existing signature
    /Applications/Utilities/Boot Camp Assistant.app: code object is not signed at all
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    Also, here are screen captures of the lines that I added.  Mine are the top string entries:
    Thank you for your help, thus far!

  • I have a mid 2010 macbook pro 15" and recently it started crashing so I took it to my local Apple store to have it looked into and they told me its a graphics card issue requiring the replacement of the logic board at a cost to me of $340.

    I took my laptop to my local Apple store to have the problem diagnosed and they told me the problem lies in the grpahics card which will require the replacement of the entire logic board at a cost to me of $340.
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    About two years after buying the computer, and suffering from about 3 GPU panics a day, I searched for the TS4088 article again, wondering if I had misread it, and that maybe the issues described in the article were the same issues I was experiencing. This time I could not find the TS4088 article on Apple's Website. I searched over and over again, but it was nowhere to be found. I assumed that issue had been resolved and the article removed. Now after three years of using a faulty, unreliable computer, I was feeling like a schmuck. I searched again on Apple's website to find the TS4088 article, or any new ones that outlined my very apparent GPU issues, but I had no luck. I circled Apple's website over and over and could not find that article. It was only through a link other frustrated mid-2010 Macbook Pro owners had posted on some other website that I found the link to TS4088, also learning that the forum's users were experiencing my same problems.
    Based on the language Apple used to describe the problem, I did not reason that I was suffering the same issue. Here's what happens when my computer crashes:
         • The computer seems to shut down. The display turns off, the fans stop spinning
         • The message "Your computer was restarted because of a problem . . . Press any key to restart" is displayed.
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    Excerpt from TS4088
    "Symptoms
    Apple has determined that a small number of MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2010) computers may intermittently freeze or stop displaying video on the built-in display or on an external display connected to the MacBook Pro. In this situation, you may also see a restart warning message before the video is lost or the display turns black or gray."
    My computer never displays a restart message before the video is lost or display turns black. My Macbook Pro mid 2010 loses the picture on the display, and less than a second after that is the restart warning displayed. The video would never freeze or stop playing, rather the whole computer just dumped all of its processes and displayed a warning message asking me to press any key to restart.
    My issues with this problem are the following:
    •The problems described in TS4088 do not accurately reflect what users are experiencing. TS4088 is misleading in this respect.
    •The article TS4088 was not easy to find on Apple's website. It seemed to have moved to an obscure, impossible-to-find location that could only be found thanks to the great number of other Mac users who are experiencing the same problem.
    This issue hasn't been managed dutifully. I'm annoyed to have sunk money into a developer account. I'm annoyed that I sunk money into an expensive product that does not work. I'm annoyed that the description of the issue afflicting mid 2010 Macbook Pros was inaccurately and misleadingly described and that links to the TS4088 article disappeared from Apple's website when I could have truly benefitted from them. I am especially annoyed that my life in graphic design, web development, and iOS development has stagnated for several months as my computer crashes some 15 times a day. I am, however, pleased with the speed at which a Mac can boot up.

  • I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard and foolishly upgraded to Yosemite.  Is it possible to go back in time with Time Machine and reinstall Snow Leopard.  Then upgrade to Lion or Mavericks?  Any other ideas on how I can exit Yosemite?

    I have a mid 2010 Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard and foolishly upgraded to Yosemite. Now have numerous problems.  Is it possible to go back in time with Time Machine and reinstall Snow Leopard?  Then upgrade to Lion or Mavericks?  Any other ideas on how I can exit Yosemite?

    Once you get yourself back to Snow Leopard, if you still want to upgrade somewhat, I would suggest the following:
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    You will receive two e-mails from Apple, one containing a PDF with a redemption code, and one with the password you will need to unlock the PDF. Using the code, you will download Mountain Lion from the App Store, where it will appear among your Purchased items.
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  • I have a mid 2010 macbook pro with 4GB memory and need to purchase an additional 4 GB.  Do I need to purchase 8GB of memory to upgrade or can a 4GB upgrade be placed next to the existing memory?

    I have a mid 2010 macbook pro with 4GB memory and need to purchase an additional 4 GB to.  Do I need to purchase 8GB of memory to upgrade or can a 4GB upgrade be placed next to the existing memory?

    You need to purchase 8 GBs as two 4 GB modules. Must meet these requirments:
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  • Hi i have a macbook pro and when i changed the hard drive the screen wasn't as it was supposed to be which is it had a green colour on it's side.what can i do to fix it and what is the reason for it?

    hi i have a macbook pro and when i changed the hard drive the screen wasn't as it was supposed to be it was green on it's side and blurred.what can i do to fix it and what is the reason?

    either something got damaged when you installed the hard drive or you need to perform a pram reset (other possibilites could have occured, these are the ones I think)
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  • I have a early 2008 Macbook Pro, need to up grade the hard drive so that I can add a windows environment what is the largest drive that I can put in this computer? Is the storage size the constraint or the physical size of the drive? Or a combination?

    I have a early 2008 Macbook Pro, need to up grade the hard drive so that I can add a windows environment what is the largest drive that I can put in this computer? Is the storage size the constraint or the physical size of the drive? Or a combination?

    The largest capacity HDD that you can install is the HGST 1.5 TB HDD:
    http://eshop.macsales.com/item/HGST/0J28001/
    Any 2.5" 9.5mm thick SATA HDD will fit and operate in your MBP, regardless of capacity.
    Ciao.
    Message was edited by: OGELTHORPE

  • I have a Macbook Pro and want to take the Hard drive back to as it was the day I purchased it.

    Hi, I have a Macbook Pro and want to take the Hard drive back to as it was the day I purchased it, It came preloaded with Lion so no disk, how can I do this so I can sell it without any of my personal data on it.
    Thanks
    Paul

    What operating system are you using?
    OS 10.7.2
    What model/vintage/year is it?
    Macbook Pro 17" 2011
    Do you have the original OS X install DVD disc that came with the computer?
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  • MacBook Pro won't boot with new hard drive, but a different MacBook Pro will

    So here are the details. My friend and I both have 13-inch Mid 2010 MacBook Pro's. Same processor and specs since they were purchased at the same time, but originally had 250 GB hard drives. His hard drive failed and needed a new one. Put a 500 GB Seagate Momentus 5400.6 in his computer, and tried using a flash drive with "Install OS X Mavericks" on it to install Mavericks on his new hard drive. No matter what, it wouldn't install. I finally was able to install OS X 10.9.4 on it by connecting the new hard drive to my computer with a USB hard drive enclosure. I put the hard drive back inside his computer and it wouldn't boot (stuck on the gray screen with apple logo and a spinning wheel). I then attached to the hard drive to his computer externally with the USB enclosure, and then it booted and worked perfectly.
    So, it seemed like the problem was with something inside his computer, but then I switched our drives, and that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I put my original hard drive into his computer, and his new hard drive into my computer, and they both booted and worked perfectly, so I have no idea why his computer will not boot with the new hard drive internally.
    To summarize, his computer boots with: 1) new hard drive connected externally (won't work if it's internal), and 2) my hard drive internally
    but my computer boots with: 1) new hard drive connected externally AND internally, and 2) my hard drive internally.
    Both hard drives have OS X 10.9.4 installed
    If anyone has any idea what's causing this and how to make his computer work with the new hard drive internally that would be greatly appreciated.

    So after switching the internal SATA cables from each computer, now we have
    His computer, with my SATA cable:
    1) Worked with every hard drive!
    My computer, with his SATA cable:
    1) Works with 1 TB Toshiba hard drive
    2) Works with 500 GB Seagate hard drive
    3) Works with my original hard drive
    4) Flashing folder with question mark with his old hard drive
    So it turns out you were right! Definitely had something to do with the SATA cables. But it's still strange that mine was able to boot with all the hard drives except the one that was originally in his. So it seems like it was some combination of his SATA cable and something else, since when his SATA cable was in his computer only 1 hard drive (my original) worked, and when it was in my computer, 3 hard drives worked. But at least its working, and I'm just gonna keep our SATA cables switched since that seems to work out fine

  • I'm selling a MacBook Pro and want to reformat the hard drive

    Hi
    I'm selling my MacBook Pro late 2011 model and want to reformat the hard drive so that the new owner ca'nt recover any of my information.
    Whats the best way to do this and to ensure that they won't ever be able to recover my personal data ?
    Thanks in advance !
    Andrew

    First of all, see > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5189?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
    In step 4, follow all the steps for OS X Mavericks but, after going to the Erase tab, select "Security Options" and choose one of the secure erase options. Note that a more secure option will take more time. Finally, reinstall OS X and turn off your MacBook Pro.

  • I backed up my macbook pro before they intalled a new hard drive but when I reinstalled, my book says it isn't compatible with Maverick and I can't get the last year of pictures or files back.

    I backed up my macbook pro before having a new hard drive installed. They installed Maverick for me, but now My Book says its not compatible and I can't restore my files and pictures from the external hard drive. What can I do?

    Simple if you have a complete backup of your old drive erase the new one and restore from your Time Machine backup. That will put your Mac back to exactly like it was before you had the hard drive changed.
    In all honesty I have no idea why most all the Apple stores upgrade every Mac that comes through to Mavericks.
    To do the erasing and restoring you need to either boot from the original system discs that came with your Mac or if it came with either Lion or Mt Lion use the Online Internet Recovery system. To boot to that at startup hold down the Command + Option/alt + r keys and keep them held down until you see a globe on the screen. Once thje Mac OS X Utilities screen loads use Disk Utility to Repartition the drive as one partiotion to remove all data from it. Then when that is done exot disk Utility and select Restore from Time Machine Backup. Have the TM backup drive connected before you start this process.

  • Hey guys I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro and I am attempting to replace the Hard drive with an SSD and have run into an issue

    So after installing the SSD, I tried rebooting into recovery mode and erasing it and was successful, I think at least. Now I am trying to reinstall Yosemite and everytime I go to do it, it says an error has occurred. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong or is there just a step that I am missing? Thanks

    https://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/index.cfm?page=HDDppcintelformat/HDDppcin telformat.html
    Start up the macbook and hold down CMD+R. Then choose disk utility from the drop down menu.  Partition the harddrive as you would normally using "MacOS Extended Journaled"  GUID partition table. 1 partition or more (not current.)

  • I have a mid 2010 macbook pro laptop can i play a region 2 NTSC format dvd on it without problems?

    as said in the titel any help would be very helpful thanks

    It would have been useful to know what region you are in!
    DVD Player: About DVD-Video Regions
    Region encoding is the mechanism that enables motion picture studios to control the worldwide release of their movies. It is required by the DVD Forum (http://www.dvdforum.org/forum.shtml) in all commercial hardware DVD players. Every DVD-Video disc contains one byte of data representing a region code, which limits where the disc can be played.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2397
    Once you have set he region in DVD Player five times it cannot be changed.
    Instead, use VLC to view videos from different regions:
    http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

  • Mid-2010 MacBook Pro stuck in clamshell mode?

    I asked a similar question to this earlier, but now the problem has been more consistent. I have a mid-2010 MacBook Pro that I often use with an external display, plugged in via mini-DVI to HDMI adapter. The problem is, after I've unplugged my macbook to "go mobile" and am away from my display, if I ever have to restart my computer or boot into Windows 7, my computer will think it's still in clamshell mode. The screen will stay dark, and if the lid is closed, the white light will stay on steadily, not pulsing. However, if I plug into my external display when this is happening, the external display works fine and I have a display again. When I look up my displays while connected to an external display while this is happening, my internal display isn't even listed in the system report; it's like it doesn't exist! And this is especially a problem now as I am away on a 3 week school related trip.
    I have not been able to consistently reproduce this problem. Sometimes it restarts normally, sometimes I restart it and get the gray + apple logo screen that then goes dark, and sometimes the internal display just never turns on. The problem doesn't seem to be related to an OS, as it happens when booting into Windows 7 OR mountain lion 10.8.5. I've tried resetting PRAM mutliple times as well as performing an SMC reset multiple times, and neither has helped. This even happened when I was booting into a mountain lion install USB, as I thought maybe a fresh install would help. I've seen many other forums discussing a similar issue, but none described quite like mine.
    What gives?? How can I get my macbook to restart normally? I really don't want to have to make a repair, even though it's looking like a hardware problem. My computer is one month after Apple Care has expired, and I can't afford a pricey repair as I'm a very in debt student who only has a MacBook because his school gave it to him in the first place. I would be very appreciative for any suggestions and/or help! Thanks!

    Hello thedoctor8706
    Reset your NVRAM and test to see if that resolves your issues. Typically that will resolve video, volume, startup disk selection, and kernel panic issues.
    About NVRAM and PRAM
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1379
    Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
    Regards,
    -Norm G.

  • How to connect my Mid 2010 Macbook Pro to my HDTV?

    I have a mid 2010 macbook pro with a mini display port. I want to display it on my hdtv. I tried a mini display port to hdmi adapter first but that wouldn't work so then I tried a mini display port to dvi adapter connected to a dvi to hdmi adapter but still no success. Any ideas?

    I have your same model and I'm using a mini display port to hdmi when I want to connect right to a TV.  Is it not detecting, or is it a blank screen etc? What TV are you trying to connect to?

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