New Internal Hard Drive and Clean Install: Errors, Frustration and Hopelessness

First Off:
Macbook 13" (late 2009) ... It was running Mountain Lion 10.8.5 with 2 gigs of memory and 160gig stock hard drive.
I started this process almost a week ago and despite numerous attempts every night I have had no luck. I appologize if the details here are fuzzy, my head is spinning after reading dozens of threads and attempting multiple solutions to each error I've received and i cant remember everything I've tried so far...
I got my new memory in the mail first, upgraded to 4 gigs and everything works fine with that..
Next came my new Seagate Momentus 750 gb 7200 rpm SATA 3gb/s 16Mb Internal Hard Drive.
Using this guide: http://osxdaily.com/2012/02/17/make-bootable-os-x-10-8-mountain-lion-usb-install -drive/ (and cross checking other guides) I ended up creating a bootable external drive using my 160gb External Firewire drive for my clean install to my new hard drive. So far so good.
I then shut down the computer, removed the old internal hard drive, installed the new, restarted the computer holding option key and booted up using the External Hard Drive, and the install software started fine. Note: I have attempted to re-erase the drive so many times without luck that I cant remember if I actually successfully erased the drive originally to begin with the installation, but either way I started the OSX reinstall and it got almost all the way finished before it gave me the error message:
"Install failed. Mac OS X Lion couldn’t be installed, because the disk (volume name) is damaged and can’t be repaired. Click restart to restart your computer and try installing again."
restarting of course did nothing, it repeatedly gave me error messages and made me quit installation...
Disk Utility isnt getting me anywhere, im either getting errors like:
"POSIX reports: the operation couldnt be completed. device no configured"
it wont allow me to erase the drive or partition the drive
"Disk Erase failed with the error: File System Formatter Failed"
and everytime the drive fails to erase or partition, it disappears from the list of drives on the left of the disk utility screen and i have to restart the computer for it to reappear for a second try. Typically the volume under the drive is greyed out and says that it is unmounted.
Ive zapped the PRAM.... and Ive done other things that I cant quite remember right now because my brain is boiling from reading too many **** threads on multiple devices....
halp.
halp me plase.

So funny story...
While writing this discussion I had to come to the computer and try to erase the drive so I could see the error code for reference. The erase didnt work as usual but I wrote the error code down here.
I also could not remember the error code for partitioning the drive so I attempted that as well so I could write down the code, and this time it magically partitioned successfully! The only thing I did differently was that I didn't rename the partition because i figured it wouldn't matter anyway. Since the partition was successful, I attempted the Reinstall of ML and it magically worked!!
I dont know what the **** happened but ive been attempting this install every night for like 3 hours since Monday and this is the first time it went through... for no apparent reason?
Ghosts? Magic? Full Moon?
we may never know...
Thanks anyways guys!

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HT4718 I want to install a new internal hard drive for my Macbook (13in, Late 2009) and restore to factory settings. However, I want to keep my Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

I want to install a new internal hard drive for my Macbook (13in, Late 2009) and restore to factory settings. However, I want to keep my Mac OS X Snow Leopard., which I downloaded from the app store. How can I restore computer with the updated OS?

What I did on our two computers was partition the hard drive so that both Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion can be used on the computers. This allowed me to be able to retain/use older applications and games on the Snow Leopard partition. This will allow you to do a clean install of Mountain Lion on the newly created partition. The Mountain Lion installer has a button that allows you to select another drive so you don't install it over Snow Leopard. I cleverly name one partition Snow Leopard and the other one Mountain Lion so I wouldn't confuse the two (I never claimed to be smart).
To partition, you need to have sufficient free hard drive space (I suggest 50 GB minimum). Boot off the Snow Leopard DVD or the disks that came with the computer and use Disk Utility to partition your hard drive into two partitions. If you plan to make Mountain Lion your primary OS, then you can reduce the size of the Snow Leopard partition so most of the free hard drive space is available for Mountain Lion. While booted off the disk, you can install Snow Leopard on the partition you want it on.
Restart and download Mountain Lion, remembering to select the correct partition before installing. I would make a copy of the installer and move it out of the Applications folder because the installer self destructs.
After getting all that sorted out, I found that while booted in Mountain Lion I could access the Snow Leopard partition. That allowed me to drag files and applications from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion. Applications that won't work with Mountain Lion will be grayed out with a slash through them.

Installing Leopard and new internal hard drive at same time, best plan?

Ok so basically the title explains what I need to do. I am currently travelling in Europe, and returning home to New York on Tuesday night. I have a new hitachi 250gb HD and will have Leopard waiting for me at home when I arrive, and will get right to doing this installation. I am writing on the discussion boards here because I am hoping the users here can give me their opinions on what is the best plan of action to do this whole install?
So what I was thinking was, I should remove the hard drive that's already inside, put it into an external enclosure. Then, put my new blank 250gb hard drive into the macbook pro, close up the computer, then put the Leopard OSX install disk, and do a completely fresh install of Leopard. Then, after installing (or during installing?) I should run the migration assistant program to get all my files and settings etc. transferred over to the new internal hard drive with Leopard on it, from the old hard drive that will be plugged in from an enclosure as an external drive.
Will this plan have any problems that I am not aware of? Is there a better process for doing this task? Any advice will be greatly appreciated! I am anxious to get my new hard drive into the computer because my 160gb is filling up, and dying so badly to use the new Leopard!!

You could also put the new disk in the external enclosure, partition it using disk utility. Then make a clone of your current hard disk to the new external one using the restore feature in disk utility. Boot from the external disk and Install Leopard as an upgrade keeping all your files and setting. check everything is all running how I should and swap drives over. That's another option for you.

Can I reformat and partition a new internal hard drive with the Snow Leopard disk?

I'm planning on installing a new internal hard drive in my 15'' Macbook Pro. Can I format and partition the new drive with the Snow Leopard disk or is it just an upgrade from Leopard? Thanks much.

You should be able to do that.
If you want to change the sizes of existing partitions this may help:
Enlarging a partition

There are way too many photos on my internal hard drive. I have older libraries, and newer libraires in iPhoto and Aperture 2. What is the best way to find and reduce the number of duplicate photos/libraries before upgrading to Aperture 3?

There are way too many photos on my internal hard drive. I have older libraries, and newer libraires in iPhoto and Aperture 2. What is the best way to find and reduce the number of duplicate photos/libraries before upgrading to Aperture 3?

Sharon-
Good idea.
Back up first.
I would probably wait for the merge function of the latest version before merging. Be sure to verify every merge.
Merge Libraries, then from within Aperture move images to referenced on external hard drives.
HTH
-Allen

How do I reboot my Macbook pro 2011 to a new internal hard drive?

I had to get a new internal hard drive and I can't afford to pay some one to do it for me. So I was wondering how do I install the operating system on to the hard drive?
Thanks

Since we don't know which MBP you have or what OS was initially installed on it, try this. Start up the Mac and hold down the Command and "R" keys. If you have an internet connection and if the MBP came with Lion installed, you should be able to boot into Internet Recovery. From there, you can download Lion from Apple's servers and install it. That's assuming the new HD has already been installed and formatted (you can format it yourself using the Disk Utility that's available in Internet Recovery).

Need to buy new internal hard drive ~ suggestions of where to buy online?

My 3 year old Mac Mini needs a new internal hard drive. I'm trying to find one online, but when I go to macsales.com for instance, I can't figure out the item I should be buying that will work. I'm clueless.
Is there any online place anyone would suggest in particular?
And what do I look for? Will it say 'mac mini internal hard drive' and will I know it will work in my old mini? (not intel).
Does anyone know of a good place to take to have it installed in the Seattle area?
Help! Thanks!

With a little experience, replacing the drive on a Mac mini would take a little less than an hour, so I suspect you're being quoted the standard minimum for the job by those two sources. Whether you take that up or do it yourself really depends on your level of confidence. Opening the mini is a daunting proposition since there's no clear way to do it, and the plastic creaks and clicks as it's being levered apart with the putty knives, but it's actually very simple to do. Once the top is off, it is a fairly simply process to get to the drive, remove it, fit a new one and then reassemble. The only common issue from doing this work is failing to reconnect the fan control cable (symptom of having forgotten it is that the fan runs continuously on start up).
I would suggest that if you have a flat, clear table, an hour to spare, two putty knives and a suitable screwdriver, you would likely find it a fairly easy job once you get started. Indeed, you might even think about increasing the system memory at the same time!
One thing I would suggest is that if you have a digital camera, once you have the top open, start taking pictures as you progress through the job. That will help overcome the 'where does this go?' syndrome, should it strike!
In terms of sources of drive, the reason Boece suggested OWC in the first reply is that they have already done the work of figuring out which drives are compatible and which are not. If you are in any doubt about which drive will work and which won't, it would make sense to source the drive from them, knowing it is suitable, than through another vendor where you may be less sure!

Best way to transfer data to new internal hard drive

Hi,
I just got a new internal hard drive for my macbook and I'm trying to figure out the best way to transfer all the data from my old hd to the new one. Basically, I would just like to make an exact copy of my old hd and put it on the new larger one. Thanks for the help.

Will I simply be able to do a firewire transfer on the new internal HD is installed
Yes. Use Carbon Copy Cloner with the sopurce and destination volumes reversed after installing the new drive.
Additionally do I need a bootable copy of OSX on my external HD to do the transfer?
Yes; the clone can act as this copy. If you copy everything with Carbon Copy Cloner, you will be told whether the drive will be bootable or not prior to the clone.
(33676)

Importing FROM external hard drive to new internal hard drive

How can I move my backed up Itunes library from my external hard drive to my new internal hard drive? I went through the steps listed on the support page, and imported the .xml playlist that I moved to the desktop. Now all my playlists (names only) are on Itunes, but there is no content. Help?

lksj wrote:
How can I move my backed up Itunes library from my external hard drive to my new internal hard drive? I went through the steps listed on the support page, and imported the .xml playlist that I moved to the desktop. Now all my playlists (names only) are on Itunes, but there is no content. Help?
assuming you moved the whole iTunes folder to your new internal HD, try this:
launch iTunes with the options key pressed. this window will appear
click +choose library+ and navigate to the _iTunes library file_ on your internal HD.
any luck ?

How do I transfer all data from my old internal hard drive to a new internal hard drive

How do I transfer all data from my old internal hard drive to a new internal hard drive? I have an iMac with a 320gb internal HD that is full and I am replacing it with a 2tb internal drive. I have several external drives; 1 tb, 2tb and 3 tb. The 2 tb is being used for Time Machine. Do I have to buy an enclosure? If so, where would I get an inexpensive one?
I also want to partition the new internal drive for Windows, and I'm not sure how much space to use for that. I plan to use Windows to check my work in PowerPoint created on my Mac for clients on PCs.

Do you already have Time Machine making backups onto the 2TB drive? If so, after you get the internal drive replaced, boot up into the recovery partition (hold down ⌘R) and restore the latest Time Machine backup that you have onto the new internal drive.
I recommend always having two backups. I'd use SuperDuper to make a complete clone of your internal drive onto an external drive in addition to having the Time Machine backup.
Boot Camp is what is used to make partitions for Windows. How much space to allocate depends on how much space you expect Windows to use up based on how you plan to use it.

How do I backup to time machine with a new internal hard drive?

My Macbook Pro's hard drive got corrupted about a year ago so I had to get the hard drive completely replaced. However, I wanted to start backing up my data to time machine so if the same situation were to reoccur, I would be better prepared. For some reason Time Machine does not recognize the new internal hard drive of the computer as it is supposed to. Could someone please help? thank you in advanced
Current OS: OS X 10.8.4

That error message is saying that it is attempting to setup a Time Capsule for Time Machine to backup your data on.
Do you have a Time Capsule?
Do you have an external Disk Drive?
You can do a backup to the internal disk drive. It is worthless to do that.
Allan

New internal hard drives, seems slow with Logic 8, how can i test

Hi,
I just bought a new internal hard drive, but it seems subtley too slow!,
On a Logic 8 song i'm working on the tracks timing seems slightly off, it's kind of driving me crazy because at times it is subtle, and other times obvious.
and 2 other things, one is an iTunes playback stalled twice, and that's never happened before,
also, when working on a Word doc, the screen was not re-drawing properly. i had to repeatedly reisze the doc window to get it re-draw itself. this has never happened before either.
is there a way to test this new hard drive?,
thanks

There are though all the ones I've used, TechTool Pro, Disk Utility, Intech Speedtools, none were 'perfect' or as good as the vendor's own utility which runs on Windows.
But you might do something for us - include the drive make/model version, and, do a look up with Google and see if you get any helpful hits.
How you have your system setup, number of drives and organization of files, can also have an impact.
Off hand, WD Caviar 640GB is cheap and fast, or there are some 1TB drives that look good, too.
Drives do break in over a period of days or first week, and it can help to break in and torture, zero the entire drive, run media scan, use a benchmark utility to graph I/O over the full drive.
Check out Barefeats, they do a bit of drive testing benchnmarks and see what they use and results. Or Tom's Hardware.

How big a internal hard drive can I install in a G5 Powermac

Model Name:          Power Mac G5
Model Identifier:          PowerMac11,2
Processor Name:          PowerPC G5 (1.0)
Processor Speed:          2 GHz
Number Of CPUs:          2
L2 Cache (per CPU):          1 MB
Memory:          4.5 GB
Bus Speed:          1 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          5.2.7f1
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2.1 TB for certain & some 3 TB drives work if Partitioned to less than 2.1 TB but then it must be GUID instead of APM, most important is if it is SATA I 1.5Gb/sec compatible.

Questioning about Partitioning a new Internal Hard Drive

I just bought a new Internal Hard Drive, Western Digital Caviar, 500 GB. I am trying to Partition the Drive but, there is a pull down menu which I am not sure what to select.
On "Volume Scheme, I selected 1 Partition from the menu, BUT, what do I select on "Format"?
It gives me these options:
1. Mac OS Extended (journaled)
2. Mac OS Extended
3. Mac OS Extended (case sensitive, Journaled)
4. Mac OS Extended (case sensitive)
5. Mac OS Extended
Free-Space
I am not sure what to choose here, IF I have to chose anything. All I need is another HD where I will have music samples on it.
Any help would be appreciate it.

For normal purposes, use Mac OS Extended (journaled)

I am performing a clean install of OS X vs. 10.8.5 on a new internal hard drive. At the end of the installation process the progress bar stalls with a minute to go - error message "Can't download the additional components needed to install OS X" appears

At the end of the installation process (Clean install, new 500GB internal hard drive, formatted and partitioned, MacBook 13" Aluminum, late 2008) the progress bar stalls and eventually a drop down error message appears "Can't download the additional components needed to install OS X". I am using a USB 8 GB bootable flash drive. Any ideas?

At the end of the installation process (Clean install, new 500GB internal hard drive, formatted and partitioned, MacBook 13" Aluminum, late 2008) the progress bar stalls and eventually a drop down error message appears "Can't download the additional components needed to install OS X". I am using a USB 8 GB bootable flash drive. Any ideas?

New Internal Hard Drive and Clean Install: Errors, Frustration and Hopelessness

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