Best way to replace Hard Drive?

Hi,
I am ready to replace my hard drive and get a Solid State Drive.
What is the best way to transfer the contents from the old hard drive to the new?
Except from Time Machine (I guess you can do this with time machine... not sure), does Leopard offers any other utility?
Thanks

xsi wrote:
Hi,
I am ready to replace my hard drive and get a Solid State Drive.
What is the best way to transfer the contents from the old hard drive to the new?
Except from Time Machine (I guess you can do this with time machine... not sure), does Leopard offers any other utility?
Thanks
There are at least two free utilities for cloning your HD.
CCC and SuperDuper!
Make a bootable clone of your HD and test it.
Then swap your HDs and reclone the new HD from the clone.
It's that simple, and relatively fast and, unlike TM, you can test the clone beforehand.
CCC
http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html
SuperDuper!
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html

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Best way to replace hard drive with Time Machine

Hello, I searched dozens of threads before posting but I didn't find my specific topic.
I have a G5 (single CPU) with two internal hard drives plus one external drive. The original hard drive is only 80gb and it has been quite full for several years now. I purchased a second internal drive (150gb) about 3 or 4 years ago and have been storing all my files video and data files on the second drive. This created some additional space on the primary drive, but not much. I started off with OX 10.1 back in 2003 and have purchased the upgrades all the way to OX 10.5.4. I also have about 14000 photos in iPhoto that are stored on the primary drive because I can't figure out how to move my library to the second drive (where there is more space).
About a year ago, I purchased an iomega 500gb external drive (USB 2.0) that runs Time Machine.
I have not had any issues with any of the drives except for running out of space on the main drive. I accidentally deleted some of my wife's files once and used Time Machine as advertised.
My main drive has 4.7gb free
My second drive has 87gb free
My Time Machine drive has 205gb free.
I purchased a new 500gb internal drive.
I think my G5 will only take 2 internal drives total, so the original 80gb drive needs to go. How do I accomplish this? Should I make my 150gb the main drive, since it will be the smallest and therefore maybe the fastest for running the OS? If size of the drive doesn't matter, then should I just remove the 80gb drive, install the new 500gb in it's place and then boot using the OS X10.5 disk?
I suppose I could just let Time Machine restore the system, but do I really want OS X10.1 with a bunch of upgrades? It looks like my OS X 10.5 disk is a full version (it doesn't say 'upgrade only') on the box... Wouldn't my computer run better with a fresh OS X install and if so, is there a way to let Time Machine re-install my apps and user settings? I think I am running iLife 06 (which ever one has iMovieHD...) I also have Final Cut Express HD, CorelDraw suite and NeoOffice. Everything else is how the computer came back in 2003. I've never had any issues, so I am more than a little concerned that I am going to mess something up. You know that saying...."If it ain't broke....'
Any advice?
Regards

You do indeed have only two internal drive slots in your G5. To avoid having to try restoring everything from your TM backup what you could do is to be sure you force a final TM backup of the 80 GB drive before removing it. Install the new drive. Prepare the new drive - I suggest the following:
Extended Hard Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your Leopard Installer Disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu.
2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Set the number of partitions from the dropdown menu (use 1 partition unless you wish to make more.) Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID (only required for Intel Macs) then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the volume(s) mount on the Desktop.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Upon completion of formatting quit DU and return to the installer. Now complete your installation of OS X. During this process you will be asked if you want to do a full restore from a TM backup. Skip this option. Once the installation has completed the computer will restart. After restarting you will see the Setup Assistant. When you've completed the Setup Assistant you will be given the option to migrate from a connected TM backup drive. Select this option. You can then migrate your Home folder, applications, and preferences. There is only one important caveat to this. When completing the setup you are asked to provide a username and password for the startup admin account. Do not use the same username as the Home folder you will migrate. Select a different username (short name is what it is also called.)
Once the migration has completed you can log out of the startup admin account and log into the migrated account. You can then delete the startup account unless you choose to keep it around for test purposes.
This process will not restore anything else from your backup except the Home folder, applications, and preferences. If there are items in your Home folder you would prefer not to migrate, then move them to the other hard drive.

Best way to have hard drive temperature sensor replaced?

Hi all—
During an attempt to upgrade the hard drive in an early 2009 Mac Mini, I accidentally severed the connection between the hard drive temperature sensor and the interconnect board. I've confirmed with a friend knowledgable in this area that there is no reasonable way to solder it back on or otherwise fix it as it currently is.
From what I can tell, I can either use a software hack to override the Mac Mini's fan speed, which I would prefer not to do, or I can have it replaced by a professional [I don't feel comfortable making such an in-depth repair on my own, especially since what should have been a simple drive swap has rendered the computer unusable, unless one can tolerate it sounding like a hair dryer].
Does anyone have any recommendations on where I should take the Mini to get repaired? I've read online that Apple does not sell the interconnect board on its own--you have to buy a hard drive already attached to it. That would be fine, but is this the type of thing that a Genius will work on, or will I need to venture to an "authorized" repair facility? Any nudge in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

bvogts wrote:
Hi all—
During an attempt to upgrade the hard drive in an early 2009 Mac Mini, I accidentally severed the connection between the hard drive temperature sensor and the interconnect board. I've confirmed with a friend knowledgable in this area that there is no reasonable way to solder it back on or otherwise fix it as it currently is.
Ouch, I know exactly what you mean. One of my friends had that on her Early 2010 Mac Mini, I had to redo the connector with a new wire and then solder that to the end of the existing wire on the HDD. Difficult work when she severed in in two places
bvogts wrote:
From what I can tell, I can either use a software hack to override the Mac Mini's fan speed, which I would prefer not to do, or I can have it replaced by a professional [I don't feel comfortable making such an in-depth repair on my own, especially since what should have been a simple drive swap has rendered the computer unusable, unless one can tolerate it sounding like a hair dryer].
I would stay well clear of all hacks to Apple hardware. They always get detected and get wiped out every time you update to the latest OS X update, for example OS X 10.7.1 to OS X 10.7.1.2 when it comes out. This will mean you will have to redo your hack; it could be much more frequent than that.
bvogts wrote:
Does anyone have any recommendations on where I should take the Mini to get repaired? I've read online that Apple does not sell the interconnect board on its own--you have to buy a hard drive already attached to it. That would be fine, but is this the type of thing that a Genius will work on, or will I need to venture to an "authorized" repair facility? Any nudge in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
If you are not comfortable with doing the repair then take to to an authorized repair facility or buy the part of eBay as you can get them at a reasonable price. I have just looked for you and there are loads, in the UK, where I am and in America too. You can then take this part and they will swap it over for you, with a small cost, but it will solve your problems properly and will stop your Mac Mini sounding like a hair dryer!
I hope this helps, if not then give me some more details, I am happy to help!

Whats the best way to keep hard drive space clear

I have a macbook that is getting close to a full hard drive. I have backed up the computer using an extrenal drive but with mostly videos and pictures on the drive it is really close to full.
Can anyone help with suggestions as to how to store things externally on the drive and not on the computer itself?

Simple solution. Store stuff on the external drive not on the computer itself.
Replace the computer's drive with a larger capacity drive.
Get a bigger external drive.
These are not mutually exclusive. Do all of them.

Best way to increase hard drive space on Time Capsule?

Quick questions for those of you who've increased the storage on your Time Capsules:
1. Did you swap out the internal hard drive or did you add a USB external hard drive?
2. For those that added a USB external hard drive, what are the drawbacks? I've read some threads saying their external hard drive is flaky and they need to power cycle the TC to get their hard drive visible on their Macs.
Here's my situation: I have two Macs backing up to a 500GB TC and I only have 13GB free. I want to increase the hard drive space and am toying with these two options:
1. Swap out the internal hard drive to 1TB and have both Macs back up the new hard drive.
2. Add a 1TB external USB hard drive and have one Mac back up to that drive while the other Mac continues to back up to the internal 500GB drive.
FYI, I'm proficient with building PCs so I have no issues swapping the internal hard drive if that's the best option. It's just that adding an external hard drive is a lot easier.

Based on the how-to articles I've read, it seems like you could remove the rubber pad without destroying it (if one is careful in removing it). That said, I think I'm going to just buy an external HDD and attach it to the TC. dchao99's comment about using an external HDD with his AEBS without issue helps alleviate some of the concerns I had with that option.
I was toying with buying a Drobo to attach to the TC but I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna get an external HDD like a Western Digital MyBook or something similar.

Best way to use hard drives to maximize speed?

What should be kept on the internal drive versus an external? I assume program files go on the internal and data for the external? What about iTunes songs? Would they clutter the internal thus making it slower?
Thanks.

Hi rolesh79
OS X is very organized and way different than that other OS, it actually runs faster when accessing data internally as long as it has free space to work in..
Unless you are running low on free space, keep it all on your Internal HD and use the External(s) for backing up your Internal HD.
Dennis

The best way to replace the internal hard drive

Hi,
I have a MacBook with a 160gb hard drive which has been partitioned into two partitions one for OSX (130gb) and the other for Windows 7(30gb) and as you can imagine 30gigs for windows is almost nothing, the OS itself is taking a big percentage of its capacity, so I would like to expand both partitions by having a bigger hard drive installed but I was wondering what would bethe best way to do this so I don’t have to reinstall OSX and Windows 7, I have heard about Super Duper for OSX I don’t know if a similar software exists for Windows, well I don't even know if this is the way to go. So my question would is...
What would be the best way to replace an internal hard drive and have everything moved including the Operating Systems (OSX Lion and Windows7)?
Can someone be so kind and tell me the procedure I should follow to accomplish this task? I’m not expecting a step by step tutorial but if you could list the tools needed and a brief procedure it would be greatly appreciated.
Oh, I’m using Boot Camp for the Windows 7 installation.
Thanks a lot.

For a hard drive try Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=380&name=Laptop-Hard-Dr ives&Order=PRICE
Or OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Here's instructions on replacingthe hard drive http://creativemac.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=45088
To transfer your current hard drive I like the free application Carbon Copy Cloner. It makes a bootable copy of everything on your hard drive http://www.bombich.com/index.html You'll need a cheap SATA external hard drive case. Put the new drive in the case then partition and format the new drive and clone your old drive to the new one. Check that it's set up right by booting up from the external drive. Then replace your old hard drive with the new one.
Here's a cheap SATA external hard drive case on eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-2-5-SATA-HDD-HARD-DRIVE-EXTERNAL-ENCLOSURE-CASE-BOX-/120 636286623?pt=PCC_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item1c167ba69f
For copying the Windows partition I like WinClone http://download.cnet.com/Winclone/3000-2242_4-172338.html
After you've installed your Mac OS with Carbon Copy Cloner (or SuperDuper) on the new drive create a new Windows partition with Boot Camp and copy your WinClone copy to it with Winclone.

What is the easiest way to tell if your time capsule has backed up your hard drive, as my mac has been recalled for a replacement hard drive

Your views would be appreciatted, my imac has recently been recalled for a replacement hard drive, would it be easier just to purchase a external hard drive to be on the safe side for backing up my photos etc?
I have a 1GB time capsule but to be honest not sure how it operates it states it oldest back up is the 11th October
201GB of 998 available or would it best to buy a external hard drive and back up using this.
thanks
Benjoe08

You are very wise.. !!
It can be awfully hard restoring the Mac from TM.. as many posters here have discovered.
IMHO.. for certainty.. get an external drive.. they are not expensive.. do a full backup to it.
I would even download superduper and make a clone of the existing drive and boot from it.. this means when the Mac is returned if all else fails.. you can use the external clone as a boot and have exact OS as you have right now.

Replaced hard drive- will not reboot

Replaced hard drive on hp compaq mini cq10- 120ca because it quit working and the diagnostics said the hard drive was no good. Had a back up flash drive, but when I tried to reboot it says the bootmgr is missing. The mini did not come with any back up cd. What can I do to remedy this, and how can I verify the flash drive is bootable. When I connect the flash drive to another computer it looks like all of the backup files are there. It had windows xp home on it. Thank you.

Hi Tomilly,
The easiest way is to get a recovery image from HP, please call HP call center and request a recovery image either via USB drive or CD type depends on your configuration.
If your original HDD is still workable, please re-install this HDD back. Boot up the system and locate the HP recovery manager, there shall be an option to create recovery media which can store all your image including the OS to the media.
Best rgds,
Kick_OK
I work for HP.

Can anyone help me with advice for a replacement hard drive

Hi there,
Can anyone help me with advice for a replacement hard drive and RAM upgrade for my Mac Book Pro 5,3
Its 3 years old & running Snow Leopard 10.6.8
I do a lot of audio & movie work so performance is important.
The logic board was replaced last summer & I was advised to replace the hard drive then...oops
Anyway it has limped on until now but is giving me cause for concern...
I have found a couple of possibilities below...so if anyone does have a moment to take a look & help me out I would be most grateful
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Scorpio-7200rpm-Internal/dp/B004I9J5OG/r ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356787585&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Technology-Apple-8GB-Kit/dp/B001PS9UKW/ref=pd_s im_computers_5
Kind regards
Nick

Thanks guys that is so helpful :-)
I will follow your advice Ogelthorpe & see how I get on with the job!!! Virgin territory for me so I may well shout for help once my MBP is in bits!! Is there a guide for duffers for this job anywhere??
& yes in an ideal world I would be replacing my old MBP but I'm just not in a position to do that at the moment....let's hope things pick up in 2013
All the very best
Nick

Dv6700 broken HDD "#10009 replace hard drive"

Hi, My laptop model dv6700 and harddrive: SATA 250Gb. I have made recovery discs. Issue: hard drive gave up recently and in BIOS HDD checkup it showed "#10009 replace hard drive" Query: 1)since I need to replace the hard drive, i wish to upgrade it to 500GB.Is it possible or not?? 2)if yes, are there any constraints on size,make of HDD?? 3)Once i replace my HDD how to get my old OS(i got vista home premium along with laptop)?? 4)will there be a problem if i use my recovery discs on the new 500 Gb HDD?? 5)will there be any conflict in recognizing the new HDD of 500 Gb?? Is there any other way to solve this issue without replacement?? Thanks in advance!!
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Here are answers to your question.
1) You can upgrade to 500GB and its possbile without any problems
2) No constraints on size or make. You can use any brand or manufacturer of your own choice
3) You need to install your OS using recovery disks. There is a guide available over here
4) There will not be any problems if you using recovery disks on new HDD
5) There wont be any conflict. If you do face any issues, you can always post your query on the forums.
6) Unfortunately there is no other way. If the HDD test fails, it means its gone. Only option is to replace HDD.
//Click on Kudos and Accept as Solution if my reply was helpful and answered your question//
I am an HP employee!!

I work for a university and we have a legal apple vendor.Can we re-install macosx for a replacement hard drive for a old macbook?Just one example.

I work for a university and we have a legal apple vendor who we get to buy all our Apple products from.Can we (university) re-install macosx for a replacement hard drive once the hard drive gets replaced? How can we as the university IT department legally re-install macosx on a imac,macbook, macbookair etc. We would like to load customized macosx imaging software onto the mac machines(imac, macbook, etc ). The university has its own IT workshop and we would like our users to get their laptops back in the shortest turnaround time.

We're not "Apple Inc." here, just users like you.
So whatever we say is not an official statement, nor does it in any way, shape, or form represent the official or unofficial policies or opinions of Apple, Inc.
But I'll offer my quick opinion, having worked in information-systems and technology support in a wide variety of environments over many years.
Question #1. "NO!"
No tech support nor repair facility, even if "Apple-authorized", is automatically empowered to install or upgrade OS X on a replacement hard drive just because it is more convenient or time-efficient. When the repair is complete, the student should be expected to (re)install the operating system themself*!
Nurturing students (and occasionally dragging them, screaming and kicking!) as budding computer-, tablet-, smartphone-users to become digitally self-sufficient is a worthy goal that any institution of higher education must pursue.
Making students totally dependent upon "Mother Support" for every little thing about their personal digital devices is a grave disservice to both the students and the people who provide the support. Support-mothered students do become life-long digital dependents, instead of taking the required time to learn enough about the care and feeding of their digital "pets" to sustain them. Entreprenurial students may choose to become 'experts' and actually help each other with their devices, and even make money doing it. Some students may even be inspired/coerced to pursue a career in tech support!!!
*By all means, if the student requests additional help (re-installing the OS), then the University should charge the student a fair price for the service, provided that the user provides the OS on original or upgrade media, or in the case of the 'digital download' upgrades (for OS X 10.7 and 10.8) provides proof of purchase for the OS upgrade, or the original purchase receipt or other recognized documentation for the purchase of the computer showing the version of OS installed when purchased. Students need to learn about personal responsibility, economics ("What is MY time really worth"?), and proper record-keeping too!
Question #2. Regarding the customized imaging software, provide it on media or a link for students to download and install it. Make it their responsibility!
Message was edited by: kostby

How to replace hard drive in mini 110-3131dx

Trying to replace hard drive in the mini 110-3131DX..... I have a replacement ... How do I open the case. I see a orange slider bar in battery compartment, but no screws to take out or covers to remove. It has a solid no opening base except where the battery is removed.
Thk
This question was solved.
View Solution.

You're welcome, Tim.
What operating system are you installing on the machine?
The specs state it shipped with W7 Basic. That OS should load without issues.
If you are trying to install XP, it will not install unless you load the SATA ACHI drivers either at the F6 prompt or you need to slipstream them into a copy of your XP installation.
If you are attempting to install XP, please read this link below and that should solve that issue.
Your notebook has the Intel NM10 Express Chipset.
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-and/SATA-drivers-for-XP-solution-on-0x000000...
Best Regards,
Paul

Best way to Replace OLD Time Capsule with a new one

What is the best way to replace an old Time capsule with a new Time Capsule in an existing wireless network?

IMHO..
Start over..
Put the new TC in place and configure .. completely differently to the old one. That means you have to go around and reset everything to connect if you use wireless.. and you should forget all the old configuration beforehand.
You can of course try and slip it in using identical names and identical settings.. but the computers are not fooled.. the BSSID is different. And other issues tend to arise.
Use naming that is short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
See Pondini post C9 here.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
It may take more time to start with.. depending on how many devices you have.. but in the end, you can get much less problems out the other side.. which are extraordinarily hard to diagnose and fix..
But that is IMHO.. others are welcome to dispute that and may find a full swap using old settings copied to a file and copied back to the new TC work fine.
There are any number of posts around about doing just that.
I will post one if I see it..
I do confess to being a bit of a purist when it comes to this stuff.. but then I used to do computer support and trying to fix the messes people got themselves into .. inevitably they tried to cut corners.. instead of doing the setup from scratch.

IPod 4th Gen Click Wheel replaced hard drive; problems

Ok, So I replaced the 20gb hard drive with a new EXACT replacement hard drive, no other problems with iPod. But iTunes will not recognize it because the hard drive is not formatted. I tried formating it with Disk Utility but keep getting error messages. Im not sure what format to use. When the 4th gen came out Intel processors werent here so Im sure I need to simply format as Mac OS Extended. There is no HFS= format in Disk Utility. Im lost as to what to do. Please help??!

hmm - curiouser and curiouser
I've now managed to get it to manually update (after iTunes took 100% of system resources and I had to force quit it...) but that still doesn't really help me with the auto-sync feature which still won't work
aaaaaaggggggghhhhh

Best way to replace Hard Drive?

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