How to Clone my Hard Drive

I just bought a new internal hard drive for my macbook (2006)
I have an enclosure and am ready to install the new one.
I've read through the discussions on cloning my old drive, but I'm still nervous about this process. (one of the most helpful so far was this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp47AQinUM8)
I just downloaded the free Super Duper software.
But some suggest just using Disc utility?
Do I need to format my new drive?
I don't think I want to go through the trouble of re-installing OS X.
(maybe next time).
I've backed up almost all I can on another external drive.
Scary stuff.

Jack, not scary stuff at all ...really. Super Duper will do a fine job of the clone. Yes you will need to format your new drive and you should do that with disk utility. Here are the steps I would follow.
1. Install your new drive in the external enclosure and format it with DU.
2. Use Super Duper to clone your existing drive onto the new drive. Be sure to check the make bootable option in SD.
3. Remove the new drive from the enclosure and install it into your MacBook.
4. Install the old drive into the enclosure. DO NOT ERASE YET!!!
5. Start your MacBook with the new drive and use it for awhile before you erase the old drive. That way IF anything goes wrong, and I suspect that nothing will, you've always got your existing drive with all of your data and programs intact. Once your sure that everything is fine then you can erase the old drive and use it for whatever you'd like.
Post back and let us know how it goes.

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How to clone a hard drive

Hello,
I am about to install a 2nd hard drive, a hitachi 7k1000 sata II 1 terabyte, and ideally i would like it to be my start up disk. i am comfortable with the installation and formating, but would appreciate advice on how to transfer existing files across. Or is it easier to store music and photographs on the new drive and leave the existing drive as the start up?
thanks and regards

I'm a bit confused re cloning. I want to buy an external firewire HD to backup important info- either my username folder and all contents, or just individual folders like iTunes, iPhoto,etc. I tried reading about super duper and don't understand, does it copy all in a folder I choose like my user folder to external drive or what?
Also, when I look inside FINDER for ex, if I had to choose which area to copy from; when I choose a folder like HD/Users/~username and choose GET INFO, it shows the KIND as an ALIAS- so how do I know exactly where to find my REAL userfolder to copy from and not an ALIAS? Or does this matter?
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G5, 2.7 using OSX10.4.11: I want to clone the hard drive. Instead of housing the new hard drive in an external case could I put it into an idle G5 that currently has no hard drive (an elaborate external case, so to speak)? If so, how then to connect the 2

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I personally can think of two options.
1. Mount the drive in which the copy of the first hard drive will go to inside of the 2.7gHZ G5's case. There is room for two hard drives in there. See Link for Help
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/PMG5_HD_DIY.pdf
Once it is installed, simply boot off of your Mac OS Install media (CD, DVD, USB) it can be any version that supports the PowerPC platform. You need to boot holding the "C" key. Then choose Disk Utility and hit the restore tab. Drag the old partition to the "Source" field and the new hard drive to the "destination" field.
2. Put the second hard drive into the second (idle) G5. You will need a copy of the Mac OS install DVD as again you cannot clone a drive when it is in use (running the operating system). Hold down the "T" key at boot up and then a firewire logo will bounce on the monitor. then plug the cable into the 2.7 g5 and start it up
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I dropped my 17" macbook pro and the screen is broken. Can I still use it with an external monitor? When I plugged it into a monitor I had used it with before, I'm not able to see anything on the macbook screen to control it. It came on but I just got the blue screen with nothing else after typing in my password. (Didn't see the password form just assumed it was there somewhere and it did go from space to blue screen but no desktop icons, files, dock strip at top or anything else, just blank blue screen) so I can't access the system preferences.
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I'd like to promise you that everything will be fine if you just get the monitor going - but it's hard to know what the hardware damage might be. It might be the monitor, or the damage might be greater.
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How to Clone my Hard Drive

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