Replaced my iMac optical drive with ssd - now I can't create a bootcamp partition

I have a late 2009 imac 27". Recently my imac hard drive crashed so I used this opportunity to replace the broken hard drive and also replacethe iMac optical drive with a SSD drive. The idea was to use the ssd drive as my bootcamp partition and boost things up. WRONG IDEA!
I wasted already 5 hours trying to get bootcamp to install windows 7 onto the ssd using an external optical drive, a USB drive, an internal partition of my new hard drive. I used rEFIt to try and boot from these fine devices - nothing! Once the OS restarts to install Windows 7 it gets stuck either in blank screen or with a message that it requires a bootable device.
This is one of the most puzzling situation I've seen. Any help will be highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Amir

This is the same problem people have with their MacBook Pro. Some people have had success using rEFIT, but many didn't. The only solution that I found was just installing my opitcal drive back in and installing windows on what ever hardrive you need. Then taking the optical drive back out. I know that sounds like a lot of work, but once your done you will be relieved.

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Early 2008 MBP, replaced optical drive with SSD, now computer won't sleep.

So pretty much you know everything already, installed the operating system on the SSD everything works fine except the computer wont sleep.
Any help wouldbe great
thanks

I am about to do the same upgrade on MBP 13". Reading around the topic I think this problem is caused when the OS is running from the drive in the optical bay.
See extract from following link:
http://lifehacker.com/5541774/how-to-install-a-solid+state-drive-in-your-macbook
Update: It seems that connecting the SSD to the optical drive slot will give you problems waking from sleep, since the MacBook doesn't look to that SATA port for your main drive. I did not notice this before, as I don't sleep my computer. So, instead of installing your SSD in the Optibay, you'll want to disconnect your regular hard drive, install the SSD in that slot, and then install your old drive in the Optibay and continue as written.

Replacing optical drive with SSD and HD with new HD

Hi folks, recently my macbook pro unibody's (2011) hard drive started encountering some fatal errors. I've gone through all possible fixes, and it looks like the only option left is to replace the HDD. As much as this initially bummed me out, I'm a little excited about the prospect now. I think I would like to go ahead and replace the optical drive with a SSD while I have the computer open to replace the HDD. This will breathe some serious new life into my macbook pro.
My question is, which SSD's and HDD's are compatible with the macbook and which brands do you guys (the community) recommend? Should I upgrade my ram while I'm in there? How difficult of a job is this? I am mechanically inclined but I have much more experience working on tractors than electronics. Thanks for any advice or input you can offer!

Go to OWC to get the Data Doubler bracket for your model. You can also find HDDs and SSDs there. Be sure to put the SSD where the HDD is located and put the HDD in the optical drive bay. Upgrading RAM is always a good idea. I've done all these in my 2011 MBP. OWC also provides tools needed and online video tutorials.
For optimum use of this combo only install OS X on the SSD. Install everything else on the HDD. Then follow these instructions for setting it up to have the computer boot from the SSD but use your Home folder that is on the HDD:
How to use an SSD with your HDD
If you are going to use an SSD as a boot drive together with your existing HDD as the "data" drive, here's what you can do.
After installing the SSD you will need to partition and format the SSD using Disk Utility. Then, install OS X on the SSD. After OS X has been installed boot from the SSD. Use Startup Disk preferences to set the SSD as the startup volume.
Open Users & Groups preferences. Click on the lock icon and authenticate. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on your user account listing in the sidebar and select Advanced Options from the context menu. You will see a field labeled "Home dir:" At the right end you will see a Change button. Click on it. In the file dialog locate the Home folder now located on the HDD (HDD/Users/account_name/.) Select the folder, click on Open button. Restart the computer as directed.
When the computer boots up it will now be using the Home folder located on the HDD.
Another more technical method involving the Terminal and aliases is discussed in depth here: Using OS X with an SSD plus HDD setup - Matt Gemmell. This is my preferred approach because I can select which of the Home's folders I want on the HDD and which I don't want. For example, I like to keep the Documents and Library folders on the SSD because I access their content frequently.
Be sure you retain the fully bootable system on your HDD in case you ever need it.
Be sure to use Trim Enabler 3.3 to activate TRIM on the SSD.

Swap optical drive with SSD for 4k video editing?

I've already swapped the original HD with an SSD 500gb and replaced the optical drive with the original HD as a secondary drive. That has worked nicely for a couple years. But now that I'm doing intense 4k video editing, I want to replace the HD in the optical bay with a 1tb SSD.
My question to you: Will the SSD perform at the same speed in the optical bay as it would in the main bay as a secondary drive? Or is there a speed limitation on the optical bay periphery and as such it's not worth putting a fast drive in there?
What alternative options would you suggest for video editing? My late 2011 Macbook Pro 2.5ghz core i7 with 16gb ram stalls when editing 4k footage off a firewire g-raid. I figured an internal SSD would perform faster and as a double benefit make my files portable without need for an external drive.

I've already swapped the original HD with an SSD 500gb and replaced the optical drive with the original HD as a secondary drive. That has worked nicely for a couple years. But now that I'm doing intense 4k video editing, I want to replace the HD in the optical bay with a 1tb SSD.
My question to you: Will the SSD perform at the same speed in the optical bay as it would in the main bay as a secondary drive? Or is there a speed limitation on the optical bay periphery and as such it's not worth putting a fast drive in there?
What alternative options would you suggest for video editing? My late 2011 Macbook Pro 2.5ghz core i7 with 16gb ram stalls when editing 4k footage off a firewire g-raid. I figured an internal SSD would perform faster and as a double benefit make my files portable without need for an external drive.

Recently replaced optical drive with SSD and stripped the screw of the hinge on the optical drive. Now speaker is muffled

I still have the hinge but its not on the enclosure for the ssd. Now my speaker on the right side is muffled. Do I need a replacement bracket or is my problem unrelated?

It would be helpful if you indicated the EXACT model/year MBP that you have.
What 'hinge ' are you referring to? I am unaware of any hinges on an optical drive.
Look at the iFixit.com website for pictorial instructions that may assist you with your problem.
Ciao.

Replacing MacBook Pro 4,1's optical drive with SSD

Has anyone swapped out their optical drive and added a SSD in its place? Or alternatively removed their optical drive, put the HDD in its place, and installed a SSD in the HDD's original location? On a pre-unibody MacBook Pro 4,1. I've read many posts of people doing so with the unibody models, but am curious to hear the results of anyone who has done it with this older model.
Thanks!

I have just recently purchased an "OPTIBAY" from here:http://store.mcetech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=OBSXGB- MB15&Category_Code=STORHDOPTIBAY
And I bought this SSD:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820721107 (which was $65 on sale the other day) to hold the OS and apps. Hope this helps.

Replacing Mac Mini Hard Drive with SSD, and New ML Install

I have a mid-2011 Mac Mini, and it has been running very sluggish, even when there are multiple free GB of RAM and the processor is only at 10 to 20% of capacity. I ran TechTool Pro 6 to do a scan of the whole machine, and it didn't detect anything out of the ordinary.
At this point I am guessing that it's probably a software issue. I have tons of processes running in the background all the time, and have installed hundreds of programs over the last two years, so it could be anything number of things that are somehow messing up Mountain Lion.
So, I would like to replace the 500GB internal hard drive with a 120GB SSD Drive (Samsung 840 Series), and put a fresh install of Mountain Lion on the SSD, put the 500GB in an external enclosure, and see if that fixes the problem.
Can someone explain the best way for me to do this, in a step by step list?
I can figure out how to accomplish each step, I just need some overall guidance as to how I should approach the whole thing.
Thanks very much!
Some other notes:
I have a 3 TB hard drive that I can use to back up everything on the 500 GB hard drive, but I'm assuming that time machine isn't the best way to back everything up, since I won't be able to restore the machine on the 120GB drive that I want to boot from.
Normally, I would get the internal 500GB down to 100GB of data, and then clone it on the SSD, and make the swap, but I'm assuming that cloning the drive will potentially replicate the source of the slowness, so I'm assuming that isn't the best way to proceed.

Here is my opinion and steps I would perform.
Back up your system first.
Check the iFixit.com site for a guide of how to replace the drive. Review Steps 3 and 4 BEFORE you replace your drive.
If you have a USB thumb drive with the ML 10.8.3 installer, skip to step 6.
If you don't have a USB thumb drive with the ML 10.8.3 installer, download the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant and use a 1-4GB thumb drive to create a Recovery HD on the thumb drive you can boot from. Skip to step 6.
If you have neither of the above, after replacing the drive, restart into Internet Recovery by pressing/holding the Command+Option+R keys. Since you have a mid-2011, Internet Recovery will ONLY allow you to download and install Lion since that's what probably came preinstalled on your system.
After you replace your drive and you are booted into the OS X Utilities Menu from one of Steps 3-5, select Disk Utility and format your new drive as Mac OS Extended-Journaled with the GUID partition table.
Go back to the OS X Utilities Menu and select Reinstall Mac OS X.
After the download and install of OS X you can run through the setup creating your user account (same as you had on you old drive).
If you were able to install OS X ML, skip to step 11.
If you installed Lion, you will have to login to the App Store and download/install your purchase of ML.
Run Software Updates to bring your OS X up to date.
Now you can restore any data files and apps that will fit onto the new drive from Time Machine. Enter Time Machine and navigate to your last backup to view the /Applications folders and your user folders (e.g Documents, Downloads, Music, etc.).
For your email, you can open Finder then press the Option key to see your user Library folder in the list. Select it to open it then enter Time Machine again and navigate to your last backup so that your user Library folder is opened in Time Machine. Copy your Mail folder to your Desktop so you can copy it back to your current user Library.
I think that's it.

Replacing MacBook Pro's optical drive with SSD. What is the best way to migrate data?

I have a time machine backup on external drive.
I would like to:
1. clean install Lion on the new SSD (120 GB)
2. restore apps from my backup on the SSD
3. keep only data on the existing HDD
My questions:
What is the best way to make it?
Can I just keep the existing system on my non-SSD HDD, and after having Lion on SSD keep just data and delete the system libraries? Or is it better to format the whole disk and restore data from time machine backup (so it is not fragmented...).
Thanks for any tips in advance!
Antonin

OK, thanks a lot.
And after reformatting the old HDD can I - can I tell Time Machine where to recover my folders (apps --> SSD, data --> old HDD)?
I mean when Time Machine starts recovering my 450 GB of files onto 120 GB SSD will it ask me to decide what put where?

Swapped drive with SSD, now have to use option key to boot

I recently replaced my HD in my Macbook Pro with an SSD. I used SuperDuper to create an image to an external USB drive that I had. I then removed the stock HD from the Macbook Pro, replaced it with the SSD, booted with the Lion install disc and went into disk utility, created a partition (Journaled, guid) and restored my SuperDuper image to it. Now, every time I reboot my MBP, it sits at the gray screen (no apple logo) for quite a while, then finally the apple will pop up and it will boot, although quite slowly. If I hold down the option key when I reboot, the option comes up right away for the SSD, I click it and it's very fast to boot. Once in the OS, the speed is awesome and no problems. I also used Onyx to check the startup volume, repair permissions, etc and everything went off without a hitch. No errors and according to that my startup volume is OK. Also updated to the latest 10.7.2 patch and that went fine too, although I had to use the option key on reboot.
Does anyone know what I could investigate that could be causing this boot issue. I'd like it to boot directly into the OS quickly without the option key. Is there somewhere that I have to specify a new primary boot device or something?

Go into sys preferences then startup disk and check highlight the SSD and select Reboot.
You also need to enable TRIM support.

(2011 13" Macbook Pro Model 8,1) I want to replace my 320GB HDD and replace it with a 6gb/s 120GB SSD. I also want to replace the optical drive with a 7200RPM HDD 750GB.

I want to use:
The SSD and enclosure to replace the optical drive with the new HDD
So basically, I want to use the SSD in the link above. I want to set this up as either preferrably a fusion drive. If not the smoothest most stable configuration. I have a Macbook Pro Early 2011 13" with 8 GB of ram, 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5, 320GB HDD.
I want to install the SSD directly to the SATA port where the 320 GB HDD is currently. I then want to install the new HDD, preferrably a name brand 750 GB 7200RPM hard drive where the optical drive is now. I want the storage to work in a way in which the OS, and my most used programs and files get stored on the SSD, and everything else gets stored on the larger hard drive. My most preferred method would be Fusion drive, or a SPAN drive.
I would like to use a Seagate Momentus XT, but I learned that there might be issues with compatability with this. I dont mind using the 3 gb/s 500GB option, but would like to know if it would even be smart to do it. I also have no problem settling for a regular 7200 RPM hard drive.
I have read a bunch of stuff online but I still am not sure if this is even possible. I want my machine to run as fluid as possible so any info would be appreciated.

bump

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.

Replacing optical drive with a hard drive in a MBP

Hello... Just ordered a new 15" MBP 2.2GHz with the 128GB SSD to replace my 13" MBP. I was thinking about just using a cheap external HD until one that can take advantage of the Thunderbolt port comes out and then I heard about the MCE OptiBay Hard Drive kit. If you haven't heard about it, the kit is basically a bracket that allows you to mount a HD where the optical drive is installed. You can then install the optical drive in an external enclosure and connect via USB on an as needed basis.
Has anyone had any experience with this? And, more importantly, does it void the Apple warranty? If it's allowable, any reco's on an internal drive?
If installing does void the warranty, any suggestions on a reliable (but inexpensive) external drive? Been trying to find one that utilizes the Firewire 800 port but not a whole lot to choose from... will FW800 make enough of a difference to justify the extra cost?
Thanks, Kevin

Hello again!
Will boot natively into Win from time to time but noticed you used Parallels and were able to access the Win 7 VM very quickly! Must say I was pretty excited to see that (as it is painfully slow on my current MBP). You're running 8GB of RAM, correct?
Plan on using Win VM often and primarily because of one program... MS OneNote. Use it often and am annoyed that it is not available in Office for the Mac!
Re Audi... Have you heard about or seen spy photos of the new RS4 Avante? Gorgeous car but it will never come to the US. You guys get all the nice cars. BTW, did Euro delivery on my 540 and can't bare to part with it as I still have less than 100k miles on it... Well and then I'd have to change my email alias. Though pkh-m5 has a nice ring to it!
Cheers, Kevin

I have a Mac book pro with regular drive, I want to replace the drive with SSD, so can I do t for Mac book pro purchased in 2012 and which SSD is recommended. I am looking for 500 to 700GB SSD.

I have a Mac book pro(13 inch non-retina, i7) with regular drive, I want to replace the drive with SSD, so can I do it for Mac book pro purchased in 2012 and which SSD is recommended.
I am looking for 500 to 700GB SSD.
Thanks

Upgrading your MacBook Pro with a Solid State Drive...
...call back with any questions.
Clinton

Replace drive with SSD

Hi All
I have a late 2008 Aluminium macbook. I was wondering about replacing the current har drive with an ssd drive. I know I should get fatser boot time etc but does anyone know what sort of extra battery life I would get by using 1.
Thanks

I haven't noticed a difference in battery life from when I upgraded from an HDD to a SSD.

Can I replace my optical drive with internal blu-Ray player?

Basically what the question says. I have a MacBook Pro mid-2009, and I'm wondering if I can replace the optical drive with an internal blu-ray drive. I would want to be able to read and write to regular CD and DVD still though, that's a must. Also, if there is an internal drive I can put in, will OSX Mavericks support playing a blu-ray movie just because my computer can read it?
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No.

Replaced my iMac optical drive with ssd - now I can't create a bootcamp partition

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