Moving OS from old hard drive to a new SSD

Hi
I have an early 2009 macpro running OS X 10.7.5 with 6GB RAM and two original hard drives (640GB and 1TB). As the system is starting to run a little slow I have just ordered an upgrade for the RAM and have also ordered a new SSD hard drive.
My question is around moving the operating system to the new SSD. I am assuming that the system will boot up and run much quicker if I do.
Whilst it is easy for me to transfer files over from one drive to another, how do I do this with all of the operating system and applications.
Thanks in advance.

CCC allows you to de-select user media sub-folders of your home user account.
SSD - 50% full is a good ballpark, even more free space if it will be used for any kind of cached scratch (adobe)
all your media and data files and libraries should not be on the boot drive even now
SSD: 250GB $139 / 500GB $249 - Samsung EVO (I would skip the 128GB $82 model with those prices)
Install TRIM Enabler no matter what make of SSD before you clone!
Use the old boot drive for backup / safety net.
Never used CCC or SD? might want to practice and try it out first just to get the feel - test and do a trial run, cloning should be a req'd backup strategy.
Yes more RAM is a good idea, 24GB or more if you do any kind of graphics.
The 4-core can be upgraded to 3.2GHz or a 6-core 3.33 - and upgrade firmwaere to a 5,1
With Mavericks or Mountain Lion you have more graphic card options too.
And there are PCIe SSD cards that while not necessary for the sytem, can make a deal of difference for scratch / graphic libraries / editing.

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Moving Data from old hard drive to new hard drive

I'm posting this question in this category , I hope it's the right place. Here's my situation and general information. I have a Toshiba L35 S2161 laptop, it's about 5 yrs old, running WinXP Service Pack 3. just got the blue screen, wouldn't boot, tried everything and I only have the factory provided "recovery" disc that will wipe my drive and lose all my data if I use it. I hadn't been doing regular backups, so I want to save as much if not all of my data as I can. I don't want to spend time here going over everything I've tried (boot disc like Knoppix, etc) which didn't work, just need to get to the bottom line and make sure I'm doing the next steps correctly.
Here's my plan:
l. Remove old hard drive from laptop
2. purchase new hard drive - I've been told any drive will work, it doesn't have to be designed for a Toshiba. I've been looking at best prices, etc. mainly Western Digital. I may purchase a larger drive to at least get more memory , although I really didn't have that much on my old drive, but had a lot of apparent memory-related problems, freezes, etc.
3. Install new blank drive into laptop, using the Toshiba factory recovery disc to reformat the disc and get it ready to receive the data.
4. Insert the recovery disc into the drive, turn on the computer and HOPE that it boots it up and installs a fresh install on the new drive. Not sure what the screen willl show at this point - I've never installed a new drive in a laptop, so will be somewhat nervous at this point to see what happens.
5. Assuming the new drive is recognized by the recovery disc and installs a clean version of WIN XP (I'm assuming that's what's on the recovery disc that came with my computer, because it had WIN XP pre-installed), I will now be ready to transfer data from the old drive.
6. This is the step I'm not sure what or how to do next. I would like to clone my entire old drive onto the new drive but I'm afraid if I do that it might load damaged files that would mess up my new install. I purchased a disc enclosure with a USB cable (haven't received it yet), and was going to use that somehow. I presume I will plug it in and it will show up as an external drive and I can access that drive and transfer my priority files or data first and then try to transfer as much more as I can....
I need further help and information about this last step...the critical data transfer method. There are cloning kits that are plug and play and would transfer my entire system as it was before the blue screen, but again, I'm concerned about transferring everything onto a clean install and finding myself with a computer that won't boot again because it transferred a bad file. Also, would it overwrite or interfere with the clean install on the new drive? I'm stuck at this point....hopefully someone out there can walk me through this final step with the best option for transfer. I'm trying to avoid purchasing pricey software like Acronis (which I looked at online and it seemed difficult to use, to figure out what to transfer).
My laptop is obviously out of warranty, being five years old, and I am not interested in taking it in to repair tech, I want to do this myself and I think I can with a few helpful tips. Thanks for any help asap...

Hi!
The error message I received on the blue screen was "unmountable boot volume" which leads me to believe i have a corrupted MBR. This fiasco happened when I turned off my computer when it was running a program (I know, bad thing to do).
I'm waiting on a new hard drive with a 120 GB (my old drive was 80GB). I was told not to go above 120 or I'd have partition problems.
The SATA drive enclosure powers up the old drive (I can hear the disc spinning) so the disc isn't dead. If I''d have the full retail vesion of WinXP I would of course have used the recovery console, but I only had the toshiba recovery disc that came with my system. Also, I couldn't burn a CD boot disc...didn't have access to another computer nor would a tech friend do it for me as he apparently made a disc for someone and their system crashed so I had no choice but to buy a new drive and try to transfer the data via the SATA external drive/usb cable.
My big question now is: Will the Toshiba recovery disc actually reformat my new drive? Someone on another forum with a Toshiba laptop had purchased a new drive, used the recovery disc and the cd just went into a constant loop and never went into a full install. I'm thinking that maybe on a new drive there isn't enough knowledge base there for the recovery disc to install and reformat a new disc. That would be a bummer because then I'd have no choice but to purchase a retail version of WinXP which I was hoping not to have to do. Thats' getting into some $$ when added to all the other thing I've tried to get this laptop up and running . (A Knoppix live CD boot disc didn't work either).
I don't know what service pack was on the old disc...possibly SP2, but if it was only SP1, I fear it's not going to have the ability to format a new disc. The disc does have drivers, etc. but the question is, are they able to install the OS. I was running XP3 when it crashed, so I know i would have to download that again. I just want to get the darned system back up and running with my new drive and restore disc. IF I can do that, then I'll try to transfer the data from the old drive via the external drive enclosure.
I also decided against the clone....I was afraid I'd be cloning a bad disc or errors onto a new drive, and didnt' want to stress a possibly wonky drive even more than it possibly is.
So, that's where I'm at now! Thanks so much for any further insight into this....something tells me the recovery disc isn't going to format my new drive but fingers crossed...more thoughts/feedback appreciated!

How do I restore from old hard drive to a new iMac ?

The logic board in my mid 2008 iMac 24" has failed just 3 months out of AppleCare. To replace this will cost me HK$ 6500. I was going to buy a new mac anyway, just waiting for the next refresh model to come out. So a new 27" i7 with highest spec and SSD and 2TB hard drive with AppleCare will cost me HK$ 24k. No brainer to just buy a new iMac rather than spend 25% of the cost to repair a 3+ year old iMac.
The hard drive is working ok so the repair centre said they will remove the hard drive for me and suggested I buy an enclosure for it , put the old drive in the enclosure and then transfer the program's, settings and files to the new IMac.
What is the best way to do this ? I obviously cannot boot up the old drive. Can I connect this drive to the new iMac and then use setup assistant to move settings and program's to the SSD on the new iMac , then use migration assistant to move the remainder of the files ( documents folder, iPhoto etc) to the hard drive on the new iMac ?
If not then any suggestions ?

Do as the repair center suggests and place the old drive in an enclosure then connect it to the new Mac.
When you first start new Mac run Setup Assistant and tell it to restore from the external drive.
It worked for me and should work for you.
Allan

I have replaced my old hard drive with a new SSD drive. Can I restore a complete Time Machine backup

I have replaced my old hard drive on a MacBook Pro midyear 2010 with a new SSD drive. I have a complete system backup of my old drive in an external hard drive using Time Machine.
Questions that I would like to get answered.
1) Can I connect my external hard drive to the macbook pro and use that to boot up my machine by pressing and holding down the Options key? Once booted up successfully, can I use Disk Utility to format the new SSD and then restore the complete time machine backup?
2) If that is not possible, can I use my old drive which I can connect using a USB adapter and use that to boot up by following the same strategy as listed in Step#1 above?
3) If neither options are possible, do I need to use a bootable USB drive for Mavericks OS X to boot up the machine,
I have Mavericks OS X ( 10.9.6) and I do not have a DVD of the OS.
Any help is appreciated.

Let me first document the steps that did not work and then I will document the steps that worked.
1) Replaced the hard drive with SSD.
2) Connected the original hard drive using a USB adapter to the MacBook to make it behave like an external device.
3) Powered on the machine and on hearing the chime pressed Command-R to start in recovery mode.
4) Chose the Disk Utility option to erase and format the SSD. The format chosen was Mac OS Extended Journaled.
5) Once the formatting was done, then clicked on the "Restore" tab in Disk Utility
6) In the Source field, dragged my original hard drive from the left pane and placed it in the field
7) On the destination field, choose the new SSD drive. Clicked on "Restore". Gave me a warning, accepted the warning and the restore was under way.
8) I had 236 GB to restore so took 3.5 hours before it was done.
9) Disconnected the external hard drive ( my original internal HDD), shut down the machine and powered on again.
10) Heard the chime and after that it was a white screen with no Apple logo.
Was visibly upset and started thinking what my next move will be. Then tried these steps
1) Again powered off the machine.
2) Connected my internal HDD once more as an external drive
3) Powered on and on hearing the chime, pressed Command-R as before
4) Once the OS X utilities screen popped up, this time chose Install OS X
5) Erased the contents of SSD once more and reformatted it using Mac OS Extended Journaled.
6) Installed OS X by following the prompts.
7) Once the OS was installed, I was presented with an option on how to transfer data to this new Mac
8) Chose the option to move the data from my original HDD.
9) Took another 3 hours to move the data.
10) Removed the original HDD once the transfer was complete, powered down the machine and started it once more.
11) Booted successfully and all my content is now accessible on the new SSD.
Moral of the story - It is the spirit that counts.

Help moving mail from old hard drive to new installaion...

I need to import all my mail from my original hard drive (in the second bay) to my new installation of Tiger on a new drive. I've got the new setup of Mail working fine. Can anyone point me to the steps required to safely import my original mail? Both systems are on Tiger but unfortunately the admin usernames are not the same. If possible, I would like to keep what mail is currently in the new installation as well. And I would like to only import one of the accounts if possible.
Hoping someone knows a good FAQ on manual replacement from an original drive or copy/past backup.
Is there a more appropriate forum for this question?

So why don't you just use the Mail import command and choose OSX mail then point the importer to where your mailboxes are to import.

Moving my iTunes library from old hard drive to new laptop

I apologize if this has been discussed before, but, just today I punched my laptop screen and shattered it (the laptop has been asking for it lately, it's been acting up and I was planning on buying a new one anyhow). I removed the hard drive and it's perfectly fine, no damage. I bought a new laptop a few hours after breaking the old one and I was wondering how, if possible, I can move my iTunes library from my old hard drive to my new laptop. I read about a hard drive case that comes with a USB cable and one of those things that plugs into my hard drive that I can then plug into my new laptop and my old hard drive will show up.
Sorry, it was a bit of a mouthful. Anything anyone can suggest is greatly appreciated.

tonybassplayer wrote:
Thank Chris I have just done that. How do I now get them in to Itunes ?
If you simply copy the iTUnes folder to /Music/ and launch iTUnes, everythign will be there. No need to import anything.
This will work the same with iPhoto.
Simply copy the Photo library to /Pictures/ folder and launch iPhoto.

Moving thunderbird contacts from old hard drive to new

Hello, I am trying to move to move just my Thunderbird contacts over from old hard drive. I cannot find the folder, and also need help with the procedure (export/import?)
Thank you.

got it, thanks. i wound up finding the abook.mab file (thanks to your link) on the old drive, copying and pasting it to the correct folder on new drive after renaming old abook. thanks for the help.

What is the exact name of the cable I need to connect my old hard drive from my macbook pro (it has been taken out of the computer) to my new macbook pro? I need to transfer files from the old hard drive to the new computer.

What is the exact name of the cable I need to connect my old hard drive from my macbook pro, which has been removed from the computer, to my new macbook pro? I need to transfere files from the old hard drive to the new computer.

No eSATA to USB. Just a SATA/IDE to USB adapter. Google SATA/IDE to USB adapter and you will get tons of links to buy them. Most likely your local computer electronics store has them, although they might be more expensive buying locally than online.
I have several. You can get either USB 2, which what I recommend, or USB 3. USB is backward compatible so a USB 3 adapter will work on a USB 2 port and a USB 2 adapter will work on a USB 3 port. Backward compatible in both directions.
I suggest a USB 2 type because there have been some problems with certain USB 3 devices, the USB 3 interface used isn't all that good in those certain devices. USB 3 is still fairly new where as USB 2 has been around for over 10 years.
synghem wrote:
Thank you LowLuster,
At the apple store they said I needed an esata to usb wire. But looking at wires on line has been confusing. Is sata the same as esata? How do I know if I need a usb 3 or usb 2?

How do I transfer applications & data from my old hard-drive to my new one?

My old hard drive started to crash, it was on it's way out and making funny noises. I have brought a new hard drive and connected it to the same leeds as the old one. I have put the opperating system on to the new hard drive and it is all up and running..... but.
I want to transfer all my old applications like garage sale and limewire without having to pay for them again and transfer all my music and photos from the old hard drive to the new.
So:
1: How do i get the old hard drive out of the position it's in it seems glued in and i can't see any screws?
2: How do i connect both hard drives and transfer everything from the old to the new? Do i need to buy another set of leeds or should they be in the computer
Your help would be most appreciated.....
power mac G4 466MHz Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Hi
You should be able to have both drives installed at the same time in the rear U shaped bracket. One needs to be mounted in the bottom of the bracket, have it's jumpers set to master and be connected to the end connector of the ribbon cable. The other needs to mounted above it, have it's jumpers set to slave and be connected to the middle connector of the ribbon cable. The computer should have the leads to do this, i.e. one ribbon cable with two connectors and two molex power connectors. With both drives installed, you can then drag your music and photos etc from the old to the new. You could try dragging the applications, although if they install additional files elsewhere they'll need to be reinstalled from the original CDs or DVDs.
The old drive may be screwed into the U shaped bracket from below. There should be a single screw which secures the bracket to the chassis at the front, although it may be hidden under the ribbon cable. If you unplug the ribbon cable and undo the single screw you can remove the bracket still containing the old drive, by sliding it forwards and lifting it up at the front. The screws securing the drive to the bracket can then be undone from beneath.

I migrated info from a hard drive to a new mac under time machine. It says I have shared files, but I don't see the old info on the new machine. Where do I look for it ? How do I make the old backup the base for my new macbook ?

I migrated info from a hard drive to a new mac under time machine. It says I have shared files, but I don't see the old info on the new machine. Where do I look for it ? How do I make the old backup the basis for my new macbook ?
The old OS was Mac X 10.5.8. I think the new one is 10.7.2 Lion.

Have a read here How do I set up a new Mac from an old one, its backups, or a PC?
Stefan

My old computer has broken and I had not backed up my Itunes. I now have the hard drive from my old computer but cannot transfer the music. How can I transfer the music from my old hard drive to the new laptop?

My old computer has broken and I had not backed up my Itunes. I now have the hard drive from my old computer (windows 7) but cannot transfer the music. How can I transfer the music from my old hard drive to the new laptop (windows 8)?

Copy the entire iTunes folder from \Users\<User>\Music on the old drive into your music folder on the new computer.
Or see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

I have upgraded to a new computer. I have installed iTunes from the internet and copied my music from the old hard drive to my new one. What do I need to do to get my new computer to recognize my old playlist?

I have upgraded to a new computer. I have installed iTunes from the internet and copied my music from the old hard drive to my new one. What do I need to do to get my new computer to recognize my old playlist?

See https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Backing%20up%20and%20restoring%20bookmarks
and
https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Backing%20up%20your%20information?s=new+computer&r=4&as=s#os=win&browser=fx8

How do I transfer data from old hard drive to new mac exactly the same as it was on my old one?

Unfortunately my 2009 iMac has been written off due to a faulty motherboard. Thankfully the company we got the mac from are providing me with a brand new one at no cost as I am under warranty. My old hard drive had many important documents and applications on it and we have requested for the old hard drive back. What I would like to know is how to I go about transferring all the stuff of my old hard drive to my new iMac? I would like everything to be set out exactly the same as it was on my old mac so basically I would like it cloned identical on my new mac from my old hard drive.
Thanks Nathan

In general, most people will recommend Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! You can find either one easily enough with a web search.
However, in your case, I imagine you are going to have a hard disk returned to you all by itself, and you will need to install it in an enclosure. Don't let that bother you as this is easy to do and the enclosures are not expensive ($40 or so).
Once that is done, I would recommend you set up your brand new Mac by answering all the questions during initial setup as usual. Be sure to use your correct Apple ID - probably the same one you used to log into this support forum. When you reach the point in which it asks you if you would like to transfer your old documents and settings, connect the old hard disk and select it as the source. It will take some time as it copies all its contents to your new Mac. All your familiar items will be exactly as they were on the failed Mac.
After that, you can use the old hard disk as a Time Machine backup. When you are satisfied everything on your new Mac is running as it should, go ahead and erase the old disk. Then, tell Time Machine to designate it as a backup, and the rest is automatic.

Macbook screen cracked. How to transfer files from old hard drive to new computer?

I had a 13" white macbook, but the screen cracked, and the computer wouldn't work anymore. I took it to be fixed, but they weren't able to fix it, so they gave me a macbook pro. I asked them to try and transfer the files from my old macbook to the old one, but they said that they couldn't, and gave my the hard drive and said I could have someone else try to fix it for me. How do I connect the old hard drive to my new macbook to see if I can get the files off of it? I don't have the old computer anymore, just the hard drive itself. Thanks!

Sorry, I don't understand all of this stuff. Do I have to buy a certain one for Mac? Or will any enclosure work? Would this one do what I need? http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/startech-startech-external-hard-drive-enclos ure-with-integrated-usb-cable-sat2510scb-sat2510scb/10192449.aspx?path=9e9804b6f 287edbfe4f83d36c2a6aa71en02

Changed hard drive... How do I transfer from old hard drive to new hard drive

hanged hard drive... How do I transfer from old hard drive to new hard drive.
I have installed the new hardrive on my macbook and reinstalled the software... how do I transfer the information form the old drive to
the new one.
?can I put the old drive in another macbook and connect via firewire???
Thanks

Put the old hardrive in an external hardrive case....like this...
eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go
.....this is just an example their are less expensive models....

Moving OS from old hard drive to a new SSD

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