Format New Hard Drive Without CD

A little background on what I am doing before I get to the questions I need help with.
I am putting a 1.5TB Drive replacing my 320GB original hard drive in my MacBook Pro (Mid 2009). I am upgrading my storage space because I do not have enough for what I am doing with my computer. While I am in working on my computer I also am going to be replacing my CD drive with a data doublers and putting my 320GB hard drive in its place. I am planning on using the 1.5TB for Mavericks and the 320GB for a Windows 8. I will also be putting my SuperDrive that was previously removed and installing it into a OWC SuperSlim USB 2.0 Optical Drive enclosure so I still have the option to use a CD when I rarely need.
I don't think that I have any question about the install of the hardware because of all the many repair manuals out there. I more need help with the software end of things. I am looking to do a fresh install of just the operating software and then I'll bring all my files in and configure all my setting manually.
My questions are:
1.) When I install all the stuff as described above and reassemble my computer, If i just hit the power button will my computer start up off my original hard drive because it still had the operating software on it?
2.) If no to question 1, How do I format my new disk without having a CD to run disk utility? (My Optical drive enclosure hads not arrived yet and I also do not have any version of a operating software CD.)
Thanks for the help.

To complete Network 23, and just in case, you may save all your datas, and create a MacOS "dvd" on a flashdrive, just to be able to boot from something if you need a complete and clean install.
Anyway, even if you can boot from you original disk after having installed the new one, I'd be surprised you may transfer everything on your new drive due to system running.
What I did when changing my drive (160GB => 500GB SSHD) to install Mavericks and gain some space was :
- create a backup
- create a system flashdrive
- install macos
- import my datas from original drive (in a usb case)
and that's it!
And I had no use of my backup (but I always prefer having double security than losing years of files...)

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Format new hard drive without optical drive

Hey All,
My hard drive crashed a few months ago in my 2010 Macbook Pro. I bought and replaced the HD but didn't realize my optical drive does not work. I was running Lion on it. So now how do I format my HD without discs, without an optical drive that works? I also have an iMac and have read somewhat on how to do it from a Firewire or external USB but not having much luck.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I've tried cleaning my optical drive. I even took it out of the machine and cleaned it all out the best I could and to see if there was anything my kids had stuck in there. Put it back in and still nothing.
I was able to get it to fire up disk utility and tried to install OS Mavericks via the online route but it just tells me there's a problem that exists and to try again. Doesn't matter how many times I try again, it doesn't work. I've tried installing from a Time Machine backup but when I select which volume it doesn't show me a hard drive to restore it to. I'm assuming this is because I don't have an OS loaded on the drive yet.
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have you tried following the steps given here on the apple's knowledge base site may be they can help you
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1414
here is a video from youtube as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH_1qkHkZi0
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http://www.imore.com/how-to-setup-backup-restore-update-use-icloud

How to install a new hard drive without bootable disc/usb

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OS X: About Recovery Disk Assistant
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How do i format a new hard drive without using an external drive

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Formatting, Partitioning Erasing a Hard Disk Drive
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cornelius

HT1338 How can I format my hard drive without installation disk?

Guys I am using Mac with OS X 10.6.5. How can I format hard drive without the installation disk?
I don't have a installation disk can I buy one? where?

Call Apple Sales at 1-800-692-7753 to order 10.6.
Posts concerning 10.6 should be made in 10.6 usage forum.
You posted in the 10.3 and down forum which is very old OSX software.
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Using time machine to format new hard drive

Hi there, hope this is a relatively easy question!
Long story short, my macbook pro's harddrive recently decided to stop working. I will being installing a new one in the next few days. I've made a bootable USB drive with Mavericks on it, however my time machine save was a couple of months ago (yes I know, I know) completed just before I updated to Mavericks.
If I install Mavericks onto my new hard drive and then restore the pro using my time machine will it cause any problems? I would think it would just restore back to the previous OS and I'll just have to download Mavericks again? Or would you recommend using Migration Assistant instead - but from what I've read this doesn't actually bring any of your previous programmes/apps into your new hard drive?
I don't really have anything important on my hard drive so I'm not bothering with trying to recover data from it.
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little_lab_rat wrote:
If I install Mavericks onto my new hard drive and then restore the pro using my time machine will it cause any problems?
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little_lab_rat wrote:
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How to format new hard drive for Apple TV when you can't use old HD

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Message was edited by: Alec

Format New Hard Drive Without CD

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