Macbook--installing a new hard drive--keeping my files

i was wondering if there was a way to change hard drives while keeping my settings and files the way they are on my present hard drive.
is this possible or will i have to back up all my files once again and redo all my settings. this is always a painful process so if anyone has advice for me, i'd be quite thankful.
also any advice on a 100 or 120 gb hard disk that is compatible with my macbook?

Place the new drive in an enclosure and hook it up to your machine; next, use this application to clone your current hard disk's contents to the external drive. From here, move the new drive into the MacBook, and put the old drive into the enclosure if you want.
(13513)

Similar Messages

Where can I buy a larger hard drive for my late 2008, 15" macbook pro? From reviewing questions and answers on the support community it would appear that having Apple remove the old and install the new hard drive is recommended. But how/where?

Where can I buy a larger hard drive for my late 2008, 15" macbook pro? From reviewing questions and answers on the support community it would appear that having Apple remove the old and install the new hard drive is recommended. But how/where?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You can install the new hard disk yourself if you want to. You just need a 2'5" SATA II hard drive, which is compatible with your MacBook Pro. You can buy one at OWC > http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/ You can filter hard drives by computer, so press a "Click to view all...", choose your computer in the sidebar and it will give you the compatible hard drives.
There are different brands for the MacBook Pro. The most recommended are HGST and Seagate, which have good reputation. A 7200 rpm hard drive will give you extra performance

I want to install a new hard drive on my 2008 MacBook but do not have the instillation discs that came with my computer. Can I use instillation discs from a 2009 or 2010 MacBook?

I want to install a new hard drive on my 2008 MacBook but do not have the instillation discs that came with my computer. Can I use instillation discs from a 2009 or 2010 MacBook? The hard drive I am planning to install is a WD Scorpio Black 500GB SATA 2.5'' internal hard drive.

Sometimes they do work - i've done it before. I have a late 2008 Macbook Uni and used the install dvd of my 2009 Macbook White and it worked.
Why not just clone your hard drive? It'll save you a lot of time doing a clone rather than doing a clean install.
Unless you're having issues with your old set up or your old hard drive is dead.
You can download Carbon Copy Cloner - install your new hard drive in a external usb enclosure (around $10) and clone fromt here then test it before you install it in your Macbook.
Once you've done the swap, you can install your old hard drive in the USB enclosure and use it as a backup drive.
Good luck

I see that i have a problem after installing my new hard drive on my macbook pro mid 2009 version. I put a new hard drive, with all of my information from my old drive installed on it, into the computer. but now have the blinking question mark folder

i see that i have a problem after installing my new hard drive on my macbook pro mid 2009 version. I put a new hard drive, with all of my information from my old drive installed on it, into the computer. but now have the blinking question mark folder. I see that it means that it isn't reading the new hard drive.
did i miss a step between transferring all of my information from my old hard drive to the new hard drive and installing the new hard drive into the computer. I believe that i installed properly. it was quite easy.
thanks for your help

It means there is no bootable system on the drive. If you still have access to the old drive, then I suggest you boot from it then clone it to the new internal drive. Use OPTION boot to boot from the Recovery HD on the old drive:
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
     1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue
         button.
     2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
     3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
     4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it
         to the Destination entry field.
     5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
         the Source entry field.
     6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Source means the external old drive. Destination means the new internal drive.

MacBook Pro 2010: Flashing folder w/? on not responding to startup keys & I'm trying to install a new hard drive, can anyone help?

MacBook Pro 2010: Flashing folder w/? on not responding to startup keys & I'm trying to install a new hard drive, can anyone help?

Thanks. It started up com that disk but when I went to install it had an error message (didn't get to write out what it said). So I attempted to restore from time machine but it said there was no space, even though it's a new (replacement under warranty) HGST 1TB HD, so I did what I think was right and tried to partition the disk but it now says 'Partition faild...POSIX report...cannot allocate memory'. im not sure what to do, and I'm trying to remember how the previous hd was installed and formatted for use but that was over a year ago now. Should have erased the hd first or something?

I recently installed a new hard drive in a MacBook 2007 and then 10.6.3. I'd like to be able to Sync iCal to the calendars I have created on other devices (new iCloud account and an ME account). I can't upgrade to 10.7 or 10.8 because the MacBook is 32bit

I recently installed a new hard drive in a MacBook 2007 and then 10.6.3. I'd like to be able to Sync iCal to the calendars I have created on other devices (new iCloud account and an ME account). I can't upgrade to 10.7 or 10.8 because the MacBook is 32 bit. Just looking for a workaround as this is not a primary device.

You should update to the latest version of Snow Leopard, 10.6.8 - you can download it here; however it's still not compatible with iCloud and though you can connect to access your email you cannot access any other of iCloud's facilities.
However some people have been able to set up calendar syncing by using the method detailed here - this is an unsupported hack and may not be reliable, and may stop working at some future point. I've not tried it: use at your own discretion.
To access the email:
Entering iCloud email settings manually in Snow Leopard or Leopard
Are you sure you can't upgrade to Lion? It requires an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which you may well have, though it also needs 2GB RAM so you might need to add additional RAM (might not be worth it for what you want). The published specs don't mention 32 or 64 bit. You can buy Lion by ringing the Apple Store at the number at bottom left of this page.

I had to install a new hard drive on my macbook air and now I am getting unkown error whenever I try to login to itunes

I had to install a new hard drive on my macbook air and now I am getting unkown error whenever I try to login to itunes. Apple support suggested I reset my password so I did that and still the problem is occuring. Itunes and the app store are working normally on my ipad and iphone. Does anyone know what the problem is. The new disk was installed in France coz I am on holiday there. could there be something I need to change in my settings? I need help urgently as I am trying to finish an assignment and need to be able to access and download from icloud.

Hi Stacey,
Thanks for visiting Apple Support Communities.
You may find the tips in this article helpful with resolving the error you're seeing:
iTunes Store: "An unknown error occurred (-9808)"
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2753
Best,
Jeremy

I installed a new hard drive in my MacBook. Is there a way to download os 10.6 from internet to DVD for install?

I installed a new hard drive in my MacBook. Is there a way to download os 10.6 from internet to DVD for install?

Hi C.Mathew Mulligan,
If you would like you can your boot your computer into recovery mode using Command+R There you can select re-download it from the internet. You will not have any of your old data on your new computer, but that is because you replaced your hard drive. So if you would like your old data to be there on your new computer I would recommend to back up your old hard drive to Time machine then Boot it into recovery using Command+R and click on restore with Time machine. Once that has completed successfully you not only should have 10.6 But you will also have all of your data from your old computer.

The hard drive for my MacBook Pro recently crashed. I purchased and installed a new hard drive (i.e. Samsung SSD). However, when I try to re-install the Mac's operating system, I come to the part of the installation instructions where you asked to selec

The hard drive for my MacBook Pro recently crashed. I purchased and installed a new hard drive (i.e. a Samsung SSD). When I try to re-install the Mac operating system, I come to the part of the installation instructions where you are asked to choose a disk to install the software. However, there is no disk listed in the selection screen. Why is there no disk in the selection screen?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You haven't formatted the SSD, so you can't install Mac OS X.
First, close the OS X installer and open Disk Utility. Then, choose the SSD at the top of the sidebar, go to Erase tab, choose "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" as "Format", and press Erase. Finally, close Disk Utility and reinstall OS X. See > http://pondini.org/OSX/DU1.html

HT3275 Since Installing a new hard drive on my 2008 macbook and reconnecting to to time capsule through time machine, I can only get backups since the install.

Since Installing a new hard drive on my 2008 macbook and reconnecting to to time capsule through time machine, I can only get backups since the install.
I receive a message saying identity of backup dis has changed and offers me the choice of either Don't back up or Use this disc.

Time Machine treats any new drive like a new computer. It starts a completely new Time Machine backup. So you now have two backups - a new one and all your old ones.
Visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with managing your Time Machine backups.

HT201250 My macbook pro crashed and I had to install a new hard drive. I restored from Time Machine backup all the files from my old hard drive onto my new one.

Does it really back up the whole new drive or does it only back up what's been added? It seemed like it was doing the whole thing when I tried it. I stopped it. Don't want to use up all the space on my external. Is there something else I need to do or did I mess up by not doing the migrating thing? thanks!

If you installed a new hard drive, it has nothing on it and yes TimeMachine is going to take forever to restore everything back.
I guess you'll have to erase and start over again now.
Too bad, you should have made bootable clones in addition to TimeMachine, they can restore in a hour or two depending upon content, they are also option key bootable.
TimeMachine has to go through and calculate all the files it needs to bring forward, the files are strewn all over the drive. The read heads are moving all over the platters all the time from fast sectors to slow ones, not matching what's occuring on the internal drive.
With a clone the files are defragmented and optimized, the drive reads one file, moves the heads a tiny bit and reads the next all the while transferring exactly to the internal drive, they are more in step with one another, thus it's much faster restoring from a clone than TM.
Most commonly used backup methods

When installing a new hard drive?

I'm considering buying a SDD hard drive for my Macbook Pro. But I'm not sure what to do after inserting the drive, or before for that matter. I know how to physically put it in, but beyond that I'm not sure.
I have Mavericks, and I don't have a disc with Mavericks, but I'm told I can make a boot disc with DiskMaker X. So, that's what I'm planning to do.
I also have a lot on my drive and I don't want to lose it. If I use TimeMachine take copy of the complete hard drive, can I simply just install Mavericks from the boot disc I made and then drag the content from my TimeMachine drive to my new SDD and I have the exact same content on my new SDD which was on my old drive?
I have plugins for Elements, FCPX and Logic Pro I don't want to lose. Do I have to install all these plugins once more after installing a new hard drive.
How about Office? With the version I have, I'm only allowed to register one Office. Will my product key be removed when installing a new HDD so I'm able to register it once more?

Neguah wrote:
I also have a lot on my drive and I don't want to lose it. If I use TimeMachine take copy of the complete hard drive, can I simply just install Mavericks from the boot disc I made and then drag the content from my TimeMachine drive to my new SDD and I have the exact same content on my new SDD which was on my old drive?
One does not simply drag content from Time Machine to a new drive. Unlike a cloning utility, Time Machine doesn't store files exactly like they are on the desktop, partly because it tracks multiple versions of each file. While you could restore your system to the SSD from your Time Machine backup, you will need to start up off the OS X boot disc and there will be a utility command on it that will let you Restore from Time Machine. Choose that command and select the new, blank SSD as the target and select your last Time Machine backup date as the source, and run it. It will take a while (possibly a couple hours) for Time Machine to reassemble the last backup from the pile of file versions in Time Machine.
If you wanted to do a straight copy from a backup to the new blank SSD, that is why you will get advice to use a cloning utility instead. If you clone your system to another drive, not only can it be bootable from that disk, you can clone it back to any other drive (like a new one), and it works right away because it really is an exact copy of your files and folders (no waiting to reassemble the system like Time Machine).
Whether you do it with Time Machine or a cloning utility, one way you can never do this is to restore an entire system disk simply by dragging files over. There are too many hidden files, too many files with special permissions and attributes that will not be preserved if you just drag them.
Also, it may not be necessary to have an external enclosure to make a clone. You can also use a drive dock or universal drive cable. But you'll probably want an enclosure anyway, as a place to keep the old drive.
Neguah wrote:
I have plugins for Elements, FCPX and Logic Pro I don't want to lose. Do I have to install all these plugins once more after installing a new hard drive.
How about Office? With the version I have, I'm only allowed to register one Office. Will my product key be removed when installing a new HDD so I'm able to register it once more?
There is no clear answer on the plug-ins. It depends on the mechanism each plugin company uses to register/authorize their plugin. If a company uses hidden files buried in the system to verify a license, that hidden file might not be present in the new system. Or they might invalidate a license if new hardware is detected. You can just bring the plugins to the new system and see, and if they work the don't worry about it, but there is a possibility that at least some may need to be restored.
I have heard of stories that Microsoft Office may be a problem, but maybe they've improved it. When the current version of Office came out apparently some people had trouble getting it authorized on a new machine or disk due to the way activation limits were implemented. There is a possibility that you may have to get on the phone with Microsoft and sort it out.

I had to install a new hard drive because my old hard drives boot files became corrupted, and i want to get all of my music files off the old hard drive and regain all my play counts/ratings/playlists

Greetings everyone
as the title says, ive had to install a new hard drive and i want to transfer my old itunes library onto the new drive, maintaining all playlists/play counts/ratings etc, album artwork if possible. The old hard drive is installed as a slave drive and is completely acessible, but due to the boot files being corrupted i cannot use it as the main drive and therefore operate my old itunes. Also, my ipod no longer contains my music library as itunes synced without my permission and wiped it.
The only thing i have tried is copying all of my old music files from the old drive by selecting 'add folder to library' and then the old drive, then replacing the new itunes library.itl file with the one from my old itunes. This restores all my playlists and playcounts but when i try to play any of the songs it says that the files could not be found, and i dont fancy locating 8500 music files individually!
Thankyou for taking the time to read my post, any help will be greatly appreciated.

Ah, my reply was based on the assumption that you had a default installation of iTunes.
i.e you had all your music in the iTunes media folder inside your iTunes folder.
If your iTunes folder is so small compared to the amount of music you have, you must have a different arrangement.
This complicates you situation considerably.
iTunes can cope with moving around as long as all the music is in the iTunes media folder, not not if it isn't.
Your first step should be to get iTunes working on the old drive. This will involve editing the xml library file so that the drive letter is correct and then rebuilding the library from the xml file.
Then you will need to consolidate your library which moves everything into the iTunes media fodler. After that you will be able to use my first suggestion.
Step 1
Find the iTunes folder on the old drive and copy the two library files somewhere else so you can find them again. That's iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml.
Now open the copy of iTunes Library.xml with WordPad.
Look for lines starting:
Location
These contain the paths to tracks.
You will need to use a find/replace to change the drive letter so that it is correct.
Make sure that you include enough in the "find" so that you only change the right thing.
Maybe /c:/ and replace with /d:/ or whatever.
After that, tell iTunes to use the library on the old drive with a shift key start.
Hold down the shift key and start iTunes, keep holding the shift key until you are prompted to choose a library. Navigate to the iTunes folder on the old drive and choose iTunes Library.itl.
Then use the method in the following article to rebuild your library;
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
Unfortunately the date added will be today for all tracks.
If iTunes works correctly after this, consolidate your library
File>>Library>>Organize>>consolidate
This copies all tracks into to iTunes media folder and could create a problem if you do not have disk space so don't do it if you are unsure about free disk space.
Check that iTunes works OK and then use the first method.
Message was edited by: polydorus

How do i install a new hard drive using time machine

Hi there
I have purchased a new 1TB hard drive for my Mac book pro (late 2008) model. I have time machine installaed on a seperate hard drive connected with an airport base station. I do not have the orginal snow leapoard/mountain lion OS CD or DVD. Can someone please tell me the exact steps to install the new hard drive .
Thanks

You haven't inserted your new hard drive yet?.
There's two ways
1. install yourself
2. or pay someone to install it for you.
If you want to do it yourself go to google and type in "install new hard drive for macbook pro". sometimes it makes a difference what model your macbook which is why i won't provide you a link just in case its the wrong one.
Its very easy.
1. remove all screws and the lid.
2. remove screws from the black bracket which is holding your hard drive in place.
3. unplug your hard drive.
4. VERY IMPORTANT (A MISTAKE I MADE). make sure that you remove the external screws from your original hard drive as these screws are the one thing that hold and stabilise your hard drive and stop movement from happening.
5. insert these external screws to your new hard drive (there are four screws)
6. insert and plug your new hard drive.
7. screw the black bracket in firmly
8. attach lid and insert all screws firmly.

What do I need to do after installing a new hard drive?

I had a 13" Non-retina MacBook Pro from mid-2012 and I bought it standard, but I upgraded my RAM from 4GB to 8GB, but also while on this website that I bought the RAM modules from, I noticed they sell Solid State Drives and I would have gotten one, but I wanted to upgrade it later on as I didn't have $500 for the 512GB flash drive for it. I need something with storage and 500GB is plenty, but I found a 960GB SSD for $500 on this website. Its a very good website for upgrades for all computers. So my question is, when I install this new hard drive, can I just hold Command+ R to install Mac OS X or do I need to go through a special process to get OS X on the new hard drive? I have an Apple Time Capsule so I have my data backed up and I'll just restore it from a backup. If I need a special cable to boot OS X to the new drive, then so be it.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5210788?tstart=0
At startup hold down the Command+Option/Alt+r keys until you see a globe on the screen. Then use disk utility to partition and format the drive HSF+ and then select Reinstall Mac OS X. whatever version of OS X that originally came on your system will be installed and then you can upgrade back to Mavericks.

Macbook--installing a new hard drive--keeping my files

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for