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.
So I need to figure out how to load with a USB or I do have an external drive that I could use to save the software on there then load it onto my Macbook.
Any other ideas? Thanks for all the feedback.

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Format new hard drive

Hello,
I have some issues with the new hard drive I am currently installing. My old hard drive crashed on my MacBook Pro (Mid 12) and I bought a new hard drive to use. The problem is that I can not erase and format the hard drive to work with the operation system in the Disk Utility. I managed to partition it on a different mac, but then only changed the external settings. Is there any way I can change the internal settings through a USB with a different MacBook?
Thank you for any suggestions!
Tobias

Do this:
Install OS X Using Internet Recovery
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.
Partition and Format the hard drive:
Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.
Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.
This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

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.
Thanks in advance for your help! Hopefully this means I can soon be reunited with my pro!

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?
Of course not. Moreover, Migration Assistant (and Setup Assistant) is designed to transfer Time Machine backups created with an older Mac OS X version, so this is not a problem.
What you can do is to restore the Time Machine backup first (hold Command and R keys while your Mac is starting up, choose the option to restore a Time Machine backup, and follow the steps), and then, download OS X Mavericks from the Mac App Store and upgrade.
Another option you have is to download the OS X Mavericks installer from the bootable USB drive and point it to install to the internal hard drive. Then, during its setup, it will ask you to transfer your files from a backup.
little_lab_rat wrote:
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?
If I were you, I would choose the second option I gave you. That option allows you to choose what files you want to restore, so you will have a cleaner OS X copy that may improve performance, and it takes less time than the first option. Also, there's no risk, because in the first option, the Mavericks upgrade may fail.

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...)

How to format new hard drive for Apple TV when you can't use old HD

I need to know how to format a new HD to install in my Apple TV where I can't use the old HD to clone or otherwise create the new structure on the new HD.
I have an Apple TV that was syncing to a Mac Mini that had a defective HD and logic board. I was unable to backup the Apple TV to the Mac Mini for some time before I had the mini repaired by AppleCare.
When the mini came back, it registered on the Apple TV as a new computer and I couldn't sync with it without losing hundreds of dollars of content.
All was okay until the other night when Apple's defective update for the ATV erased ALL my content. I updated it to 3.1 this morning, which Apple indicated might fix the problem. It didn't. The old content is all gone.
My ATV is out of warranty, so I removed the old HD and copied the files from the "Purchased" folder to my mini. That saved most 101 items that I purchased since 12/08 (but not all for some reason). I lost all content prior to 12/08 that I purchased, as well as some content since 12/08 that I purchased.
I need to keep the old HD untouched until I can purchase data recovery software. I'd like to just put a spare IDE HD in that I have into the ATV and just start over with what is in my Mac mini iTunes.
So, how does one do that? I'm not gifted with vast Unix knowledge or experience and I don't want to clone the old HD and risk losing more data if it writes to the HD for some reason.
Thanks.

Hi Atagahi,
Firstly, have you emailed Apple iTunes support indicating your issue? There have been instances in which Apple will allow re-downloading of all content you've purchased on the iTunes store.
Secondly, I highly recommend you get an external usb hard drive, attach it to your mini and use it as a Time Machine drive to keep your iTunes purchases safe. It's a fact of life that all hard disk drives will eventually fail. The Apple TV should never be used as any kind of permanent storage space; think of it as a 'temporary holding' zone. And as you've unfortunately already experienced, a glitch wiped out all content on the Apple TV.
As regards your original question, it seems like there have been folks who've done just that...taken the internal drive in the Apple TV out and attached it to a mac and copied files from the Apple TV hard drive. I have not had to do such, so I cannot offer any help here except for Linda's suggestion on googling the net for solutions.
Good luck and hope you get all your purchased content back Atagahi!
Message was edited by: Alec

Need help to partition and format new hard drive for T400

The HDD failed in my T400. I bought a new 1TB HDD and fitted it. The diagnostic software in the BIOS did a read and controller test (Passed). When I put the Windows XP disk in the CD reader, the setup started - then stalled at the "Windows setup" page. I thought the hard drive had a write problem but apparently it must be partitioned and formatted first, before Widows setup can commence. The thing is that I can't get to the option where Windows formats the drive. In old computers, there was always a partitioning option in the BIOS setup but in my T400, there doesn't appear to be any such option. The computer has 4GB RAM, the actual model is 2767-RV8.
Does anyone have any suggestions how to get this up and running?
One other question is - (assuming I can get the thing working) - Is there somewhere I can load the operating system on part of the hard drive where it can act as a fall back in case the operating system gets corrupted? - i.e. something that can't get attacked by malicious software?
Thanks in advance for any assistance.
Ian

Hi irivlin,
If you are trying to clean install XP, then you have to do following setting in BIOS first:
Press F1 to BIOS, Config -> Serial ATA (SATA) -> change to "Compatibility"
You can change XP partition only if you are doing clean installation, otherwise you have to use 3rd party to do it.
For backup part, there are lots of choices in the market. You might consider using XP own backup function. Lenovo got a program called Rescue and Recovery can also do backup as well.
How to use the Backup utility to back up files and folders in Windows XP Home Edition
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/320820/en-us
Rescue and Recovery® 4.23 by Lenovo
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-76225
Fred
T61 + X201i

Can't open disk utility at startup, can't format new hard drive

My hard drive on my 2011 macbook pro recently went out, so I purchased a new one. I plugged it in internally and brought up disk utility in internet recovery, but it didn't recognize the drive. So I tried using an external hard drive reader, but now recovery mode can't be accessed at all, whether I press option or command r after startup, it still gives me the same gray folder with a question mark icon. Is my recovery mode damaged, and is that possible to fix?

You can use an external USB disk/flash drive which has Recovery (or a full OS - requires a 16GB disk space on a USB flash or a JHFS+ partition with the OSX) on it. Boot from that recovery USB drive. if Internet Recovery worked once, the MBP is already capable of repeating it. It requires an Ethernet or WiFi connection. If neither is available, or is spotty, Internet Recovery will not work. Can you try Internet recovery via Ethernet cable, if all your previous attempts have been via WiFi?
If the drive is not recognized when plugged into the internal SATA bus, either a cable is not plugged in properly (the replacement drive never showed up successfully as per the OP even once, or the drive is DoA). It should be tested externally. Pulling the drive out and putting it back is fairly easy in the 2011/2012 MBPs. The cable could have been damaged during the replacement. The non-drive end of SATA/IR Sensor cable on the main logic board could be loose or damaged.
If you have a external cable SATA-to-USB or SATA-to-FW (very unlikely), format the new drive using a different PC/MAC to make sure it is not DoA. What brand/model is this new drive? Is it an SSD? It may require a FW upgrade.
If there is a second MAC available, a Target Disk Mode boot (press T while powering up the mac with the new drive) may allow the second working mac to format the new drive via Disk Utility.

How do i format a new hard drive without using an external drive

My hard drive crashed so i bought a new hard drive and have already placed it inside the macbook pro. i tried to use my install disks but nothing happens. i realized that i never formatted the new hard drive and started researching. i can not use my old hard drive since it is damaged so is there a way to format the new drive without using the old drive or an external hard drive?

Formatting, Partitioning Erasing a Hard Disk Drive
Warning! This procedure will destroy all data on your Hard Disk Drive. Be sure you have an up-to-date, tested backup of at least your Users folder and any third party applications you do not want to re-install before attempting this procedure.
• With compute rshut down insert install disk in optical drive.
• Hit Power buttonand immediately after chime hold down the "C" key.
• Select language
• Go to the Utilities menu and launch Disk Utility.
• Select your HDD (manufacturer ID) in left side bar.
• Select Partition tab in main panel. (You are about to create asingle partition volume.)
• Click on Options button
• Select GUID Partition Table(Intel Macs)
• Click OK
• Select number of partition in pull-down menu above Volumediagram.
(Note 1: One partition is normally preferable for an internalHDD.)
• Type in name in Name field (usually Macintosh HD)
• Select Volume Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
• Click Partition button at bottom of panel.
• Select Erase tab
• Select the sub-volume (indented) under Manufacturer ID (usuallyMacintosh HD).
• Check to be sure your Volume Name and Volume Format are correct.
• Click Erase button
• Quit Disk Utility.
Open installer and begin installation process.
cornelius

I can't install Snow Leopard on a brand new hard drive with a brand new optical drive.

I need help please. I have a 2009 MacBook Pro. The hard drive crashed a while back so I bought a new one. The original Snow Leopard disc that came with it was scratched so I bought a new one of it as well. After trying/failing to install Snow Leopard on the new hard drive about a dozen times I bought a new optical drive as well. I installed the new optical drive today, tried to install Snow Leopard again and STILL got the same installation error messages. Any help that anyone might be able to provide would be greatly appreciated.
Last error message:
Install failed: The Installer could not copy the necessary support files.

Did you partition and format the new drive first?
Drive Partition and Format
1. Boot from your OS X 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. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button and wait until the process has completed.
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 Security 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.
7. Upon completion quit Disk Utility and return to the installer. Complete the Snow Leopard installation.

I have all my music on an external hard drive. I just transferred all my files to a new hard drive . How do I sync all my files with my itunes library without losing all my playlists etc and keep everything intact?

I have all my music on an external hard drive. I just transferred all my files to a new hard drive . How do I sync all my files with my itunes library without losing all my playlists etc and keep everything intact?

Launch iTunes with the Option key held down, click on Choose Library, and specify it. If the external drive doesn't contain the iTunes database files, create a new library there and import that music.
If the library contains any rented movies, they won't play on a different computer.
(109334)

How can i backup my iPod Touch 4g and save my apps onto a new hard drive without having to save onto the current hard drive first?

How can i backup my iPod Touch 4g and save my apps onto a new hard drive without having to save onto the current hard drive first?
My current hard drive is filled up and i'm going to buy a new, bigger hard drive. How can i change the save and backup destination for iTunes so i can backup and transfer my purchases(apps) onto the new hard drive? Without having to backup and save my apps onto the current hard drive because there's no space left on it. Thanks!

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
also this tutorial
http://www.imore.com/how-to-setup-backup-restore-update-use-icloud

New Hard Drive- How to upload from iPod Photo without access to old drive

Needed to purchase/install a new hard drive after Windows corruption on my old pc. My iPod Photo is completely backed up with my entire library/playlists, etc. Old music files were copied to my new hard drive but the iTunes application needs to be reloaded. I am hoping there is a way to sync my iPod with the new version of iTunes on my new hard drive and have the iPod used as a backup drive. Everything I read about this suggests I need access to my old hard drive to change settings on the iPod before I will be able to upload to the new software from the iPod. Does anyone know if what I want to do is possible so that I can retain all of my playlists, etc the way they are? Thanks so much.

Connect your iPod to your computer. If it is set to update automatically you'll get a message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod. Your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list from where you can change the update setting to manual and use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Also when using a lot of the utilities your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button: Managing content manually on iPod
Once you are safely connected there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. If you have any iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there is a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs back to iTunes on Windows. The procedure is a bit involved and was written long before iTunes 7 and Vista so it requires a little adaptation, also it won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
If you prefer something more automated then there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. This is just a selection, you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, they are generally quite straightforward. You can also read reviews of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
iGadget Windows Only
iPod Access Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
TuneJack Windows Only
CopyPod Windows Only
Whichever of these retrieval methods you choose, keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync.

Formatting a new hard drive for mac

Hi,
In a previous post I asked about running Snow Leopard on my mac after a hard drive fail. I'm having issues with formatting a new hard drie in my mac. I have a 2007 black macbook and I'm trying to run a 160gb SATA seagate hard drive.
After replacing this hard drive, I booted my mac up from cd, ran through setup fine until I got to the 'select a devide to install to' - the point where my hard drive should be visible. Nothing there at all. Nothing to click on in the box....
My question is, is there a process I need to undertake to format the hard drive or is this an indicator of a much bigger problem?
Thanks
HC

Drive Preparation
1. Boot from your OS X 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. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
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 Security 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.
You can install OS X once formatting is complete by quitting DU and returning to the installer.

I am having sporadic issues after new hard drive install and recovery using Time Machine. The same sluggish response, start up screen pixelating...If I reinstall Lion will it wipe out other applications? My HD was formatted and partitioned correctly, I ha

I am having sporadic issues after new hard drive install and recovery using Time Machine. The same sluggish response, start up screen pixelating...If I reinstall Lion will it wipe out other applications? My HD was formatted and partitioned correctly, I have a late 2009 iMac.

Use the trackpad to scroll, thats what it was designed for. The scroll bars automatically disappear when not being used and will appear if you scroll up or down using the trackpad.
This is a user-to-user forum and most people will post on here if they have problems. You very rarely get people posting to say there update went smooth. The fact is the vast majority of Mountain Lion users will not be experiencing any major problems with the OS, or maybe with apps which are not compatible, but thats hardly Apple's fault if developers don't update their apps.

I have a Macbook Pro 13 inch Mid 2010 and I am going to be installing a new hard drive soon what do i need to do to format the drive once i install it

I know how to physically install it i just need help with the software part. and my current hard drive is backed up on my time machine. The MBP is running mountain lion

How to replace or upgrade a drive in a laptop
Step One: Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X 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 Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Step Two: Remove the old drive and install the new drive. Place the old drive in an external USB enclosure. You can buy one at OWC who is also a good vendor for drives.
Step Three: Boot from the external drive. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the external drive then click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Step Four: New Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your new 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. Otherwise, click on the
      Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from
      the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended
      (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to
      GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and
      wait until the process has completed.
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.
Step Five: Clone the old drive to the new drive
1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the
      Destination entry field.
6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the
      Source entry field.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the new internal drive. Source means the old external drive.
Step Six: Open the Startup Disk preferences and select the new internal volume. Click on the Restart button. You should boot from the new drive. Eject the external drive and disconnect it from the computer.

Format new hard drive without optical drive

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