10.7.2 upgrade question for MacBook Pro 5,1?

Question

i am currently running 10.6.8 on a MacBook Pro 5,1. i'm gonna upgrade it to Lion.
will this process install a recovery partition on my MacBook Pro hard drive? If so, how big?
after i upgrade, will I still need my install discs readily available, or can i finally store them away?
i am just trying to understand how life works after going to Lion on a MacBook Pro 5,1?
it seems that i will only need my original discs for the Apple Hardware Test. Everything else can be done via the recovery partition?
any tips? has anyone done this to a 5,1 yet?
THANK YOU!

Answer 1

Hello and welcome to Apple Support Communities...
Erica M31 wrote:
i am currently running 10.6.8 on a MacBook Pro 5,1. i'm gonna upgrade it to Lion.
will this process install a recovery partition on my MacBook Pro hard drive? If so, how big?
Yes, the OSX Lion installer will create a Recovery HD Partition in your HDD. It's about 650mb in space.
Erica M31 wrote:
after i upgrade, will I still need my install discs readily available, or can i finally store them away?
Although you won't need your install discs after installing OSX Lion, I always advise to keep them in a reachable area should you want to "downgrade" back to Snow Leopard or install your MacBook's Windows drivers on a Bootcamp partition. I have my Snow Leopard Discs in my MacBook Pro box for the "just in case" scenario.
Erica M31 wrote:
it seems that i will only need my original discs for the Apple Hardware Test. Everything else can be done via the recovery partition?
As stated in the last statement, I recommend that you keep your original MacBook Pro discs store in a place where you can easily reach them for the "just in case" scenarios. I will just tell you to keep your original OSX Installation & Apple Hardware Test discs that came with your computer and the SL upgrade disc (if your computer came with Snow Leopard).
Although you can reinstall Lion via the Recovery HD, I always suggest upgrading users to create a back-up USB or DVD with the full installer. You see, the Recovery HD is stored in your HDD and it can become unbootable if your HDD dies in the future, therefore making it useless. Having a back-up DVD or USB installer, offers you a way to boot your Mac in case the HDD fails. The advantages of the USB or DVD installer is that you can install OSX Lion without the need of an internet connection; use it to install Lion on your other Macs; and have all the features of the Recovery HD partition.
To create a back-up USB or DVD installer follow the instructions in these articles:
For a DVD Installer:
http://eggfreckles.com/notes/burning-a-lion-boot-disc/
For a USB Install Key:
http://www.eggfreckles.net/notes/installing-lion-clean/
I own a MacBook Pro mid-2010 model and it runs OSX Lion fine, however I should warn that this OS has still some annoying bugs that need to be fixed. I would recommed you to hold buying OSX Lion until Apple releases the 10.7.3 update. After this release occurs it will release a OSX Lion installer that has that version bundled into it. This will install OSX Lion with the latest updates and create the appropiate caches for it, therefore eliminating the chances of corrupted caches.
Hope this helps and write back if you have any questions!
Happy Computing!
EDIT:
Forgot to mention that once you download the OSX Lion intaller it will launch automatically and guide you through the process. If you want to make a DVD or USB installer just close the installer and follow the instructions in the post. Under normal circumstances, the OSX Lion installer will delete itself one once the update is finished.
Message was edited by: vea1083