Advice required fo new SSD/HDD setup and OS/App re-install

Question

Hi,
Over the last few weeks my HDD has been failing verification (4 times in the last fortnight ). I have used both Disk Utility and DiskWarrior to repair the drive and each time the outcome has been successful, only to have Verify Disk report errors a few days later.
I therefore decided to get a new drive. I've gone for a Crucial M-4 256GB SSD. However, as I do a lot of database work (MySQL mainly), I don't want to hammer the SSD with lots of writes. So I have also bought a WD 500GB hard disk (5,400rpm) together with a caddy for installing it into the DVD space. The caddy comes with an external enclosure so that i can slot my DVD drive into there instead and continue to use it via USB.
System details: MacBook Pro 6,2 mid-2010, i5 2.53 Ghz, 4GB DDR3, both internal and additional gfx card, matt hi-res screen, OS X 10.6.8, Time Machine on Iomega external firewire drive
In my mind, I will be allocating the following to each drive:
SSD - primary drive:
OS X 10.6.8
All my Apps and Utilities, documents etc
HDD - secondary drive:
MySQL data files
OS X swap file
Windows 7 partition
Questions:
1. Does this sound like a valid setup - ie is it doable?
2. Will the SDD automatically be picked up as the primary drive when OS X boots?
3. How best to install OS X? Should I do a system restore from Time Machine or take this opportunity to reinstall from scratch? Time spent on this is not a major issue as I have a backup latop to work on in the meantime
3. Can I actually install Win7 on a secondary drive with Bootcamp or would it need to be on the primary SSD?
4. If I can install Win7 onto the HDD, will that Win7 partition be bootable from Parallels 7? I've heard some people have difficulty with this using VMWare
5. Is it worth having the swap file on the secondary drive or should I leave it on the SSD?
6. If I upgrade to Lion/Mountain Lion, will the full disk encryption work with an SSD?
7. I know that I need to go into the DVD app to edit the path to the DVD drive form 'internal' to 'external'. However, does anytone know if games that require the drive to be inserted also work with external drives? Not a big deal if not as I only have 1 of these left.
Any additional advice most welcome
Thank you.

Answer 1

Sparrowhawk wrote:
Over the last few weeks my HDD has been failing verification (4 times in the last fortnight ). I have used both Disk Utility and DiskWarrior to repair the drive and each time the outcome has been successful, only to have Verify Disk report errors a few days later.
Use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the present boot drive to a blank external drive, you can hold the option key and boot off this drive.
Option key or c key boot off the 10.6 install disk and use Disk Utility to Repair the internal drive, preferablly to Erase with Security Option Zero all Data, this will assist in mapping off bad sectors on the drive likely responsibel for your problems.
Reinstall 10.6 fresh and use the same log in name as before, Software update fully and install programs from original sources and lastly files from the clone.
Your drive should be fine after this, if it's still having problems then it's very likely a mechanical issue and needs to be replaced.
The caddy comes with an external enclosure so that i can slot my DVD drive into there instead and continue to use it via USB.
You can't boot or install OS X/Windows from a external optical drive is what I understand, so you will have to plan around that issue with bootable clones, Winclone etc.
Clones can be booted from and reversed cloned onto new internal drives, in a lot shorter time and safer than TimeMachine restores.
note: intalling a drive in the  optical slot is a violation and disqualification of warranty/AppleCare
Time Machine on Iomega external firewire drive
TimeMachineo only restores, it's not a bootable clone drive.
Most commonly used backup methods
In my mind, I will be allocating the following to each drive:
SSD - primary drive:
OS X 10.6.8
All my Apps and Utilities, documents etc
HDD - secondary drive:
MySQL data files
OS X swap file
Windows 7 partition
Questions:
1. Does this sound like a valid setup - ie is it doable?
No, Windows BootCamp will have to go on the same boot drive as OS X.
The swap file of OS X should be on the SSD for speed, yes it will wear it out, but it employs wear leveling and likely by the time the SSD wears out your going to be buying a new machine anyway.
So on the SSD, OS X, Windows, Programs, basic user folders. This way if the hard drive has issues your up on the SSD.
On the hard drive place new folders with data there, like a storage drive.
2. Will the SDD automatically be picked up as the primary drive when OS X boots?
You set either Windows or OS X as the Startup Disk in System Preferences, and it is the only boot drive.
With OS X/Windows which you select which partition to boot from using the option key at boot.
You could also go with virtual machine software if your hardware demands with Windows isn't great or you can do both.
Windows in BootCamp or Virtual Machine?
3. How best to install OS X? Should I do a system restore from Time Machine or take this opportunity to reinstall from scratch? Time spent on this is not a major issue as I have a backup latop to work on in the meantime
Scratch and only return files manually, no restores or migrations. This way your free of corrupted data.
How to erase and install Snow Leopard 10.6
3. Can I actually install Win7 on a secondary drive with Bootcamp or would it need to be on the primary SSD?
SSD primary.
4. If I can install Win7 onto the HDD, will that Win7 partition be bootable from Parallels 7? I've heard some people have difficulty with this using VMWare
VM software of Parrallels and VMFusion can copy the BootCamp Windows and uses it as a file in OS X, which one can save snapshots of that virtual machine file, especially useful for malware and only updating pristine copies of Windows so your not pwned.
5. Is it worth having the swap file on the secondary drive or should I leave it on the SSD?
SSD for speed, it's extra space for memory and the faster it is the better for your computer,
If your in the box, might as  well max the RAM, that's even faster.
6. If I upgrade to Lion/Mountain Lion, will the full disk encryption work with an SSD?
Yes, but Filevault has serious drawbacks, first it does slow down your CPU as it has to encrypt and decrypt everything on the fly.
If you have trouble with your machine, you can't easily access the Filevaulted drive to recover files.
If you have some sensitive data, you should be using a Iron Key self encrypting USB or a similar external drive (has it own keypad or key), because johhny law, customs and Apple will need the password to search or fix your machine.
With the sensitive data on a external source, then you can use it with any machine.
If you want to keep your speed up, not have to buy all new versions of software and some third party hardware as there are no drivers, I suggest you stick with 10.6 on that machine, it will be around for quite some time.
http://roaringapps.com/apps:table
10.8 on new hardware is coming, decide then or when 10.9 rolls out, don't torture yourself with 10.7 on older hardware in my opinion.
does anytone know if games that require the drive to be inserted also work with external drives? Not a big deal if not as I only have 1 of these left.
Most games I know install and have their own copy protection not requiring a disk being inserted as it wears out that way also won't work with machines that don't have optical drives.
However I suspect if it has that sort of content protection that it won't work on external optical drives.
Likely a game that old won't work on 10.7 nor 10.8 anymore anyway, so you will have to give it up.
Be warned that 10.7 can cost you more money in upgraded software, PPC based programs of old will no longer work. Also drivers for older third party hardware, so beware before you upgrade.
CS5 doesn't work too well on 10.7 neither, so you'll have to go to CS6 for instance.