Swapping hard drives in MacBook Pro.

I am planning to put a 1TB hard rive in to my MacBookPro 15". What is the easiest way to duplicate the original drive to the new one?  Could I use Time Machine after I formatted the drive and installed Mountain Lion on it?

The simplest and easiet way is to clone the new drive from the old one.
Put the new HDD in an enclosure and connect it to the MBP via USB.
Open Disk Utility.Erase and format the drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
Then use Disk Utility>Restore and select the internal HDD as the Source and the new external HDD as the Destination.  Click on Restore.  This may take time to copy the information.  (You may also use Carbon Copy Cloner for this.)
Test the new HDD via Option key startup.
If it boots, swap the drives.
Ciao.

Similar Messages

  • How to replace hard drive in macbook pro?

    How to replace hard drive in macbook pro?

    Hi S,
    If you have the newer unibody style, it's very easy. If it's one of the earlier models, it's considerably more difficult. Go to Apple Menu > About This Mac > More Info > Hardware and find your Model Identifier. Then go to ifixit.com, or powerbookmedic.com or macsales.com or youtube or others and there are illustrated, detailed directions. Good luck to you and post back if you have further questions.

  • What is the best external hard drive with MacBook Pro

    What is the best external hard drive with MacBook Pro?

    I agree with Allan, and that link is also called OWC, their hard drives are great.  Have three of their Mercury Pro Elite 2 TB quad interface drives.  They will connect eSATA, Firewire 800 & 400, USB2, so broad reange of options.  Drives seem to come Mac HFS formatted, but I always reformat and partition the drives.  Service and quarantees are top notch.
    They offer a wide range of drives/drive systems so like Allan said, spend some time seeing what the have.

  • How to view windows Xp formatted hard drive with Macbook pro without losing data

    How to view Windows Xp programed Hard drive with Macbook pro with out losing data on hardrive

    Go to the First Aid tab in Disk Utility, select the external drive partition and read the format from the lower left, at the bottom.

  • When I connect an external hard drive to macbook pro it is very slow to appear on the desktop and Finder window, sometimes 20 mins or more, even with auto backup switched off . any clues?

    when I connect an external hard drive to macbook pro it is very slow to appear on the desktop and Finder window, sometimes 20 mins or more, even with auto backup switched off . any clues?

    Hi robfromkinglake west,
    Try and isolate the issue.  Check if it's only with this drive.
    Check the drive with Disk Utility
    Using Disk Utility to verify or repair disks
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1782
    I've never seen a drive take 20 minutes to mount.
    Nubz

  • Using Carbon Copy Cloner which is quicker firewire 800 Macbook Pro to external hard drive or Macbook Pro to same via Airport Extreme?

    Using Carbon Copy Cloner which is quicker firewire 800 Macbook Pro to external hard drive or Macbook Pro to same via Airport Extreme?

    Firewire 800 is the fastest and most reliable. Also it's bootable if you hold the option key down on a wired or built in keyboard.  Not bootable via Airport obviously or if Filevault is used.
    It's only your first clone that's usually takes the longest, it's shorter when it updates as you only do the changes which you can control to keep a pure clone if you wish.
    Most commonly used backup methods

  • Is it safe to eject external hard drive while Macbook Pro is on sleep?

    Hi guys. This is the external hard drive I use for Time Machine. When in sleep mode, the external hard drive is off, but wakes up periodically when Macbook Pro Retina does its Power Sleep features including periodic back up. So...is it ok to eject external hard drive while on sleep?
    Thanks.

    Oh. Normally I leave my external hard drive connected to Macbook Pro and rarely eject it. But once in a while, I need to get that hard drive to connect to other computer for file transfer. So the question was when I need to do this (eject hard drive) while Macbook is on sleep, do I need to wake it up and log in and eject? I thought you were saying that I should always eject before the machine goes to sleep. I think I misunderstood you.
    So, I need to wake it up, log in and eject before disconnecting it?

  • Can I swap the hard drive from MacBook Pro 17 (2009) to MacBook Pro 15 (2006)?

    My MacBook Pro 17 (2009) died. Pushing the power button gets no response. I had had problems with it for some time turning it on, it usually taking many many tries. Plus when I'd try to do a restart after updating software, instead of doing so it'd shut off super quick with a *pop* sound. There was never any of the typical hard drive going bad sounds I've read about and seen in videos. Since it has refused to turn on I've gone through every suggestion I can find to get it to turn back on. Unhook the battery and try starting from just the power cord; the shorting the power pads move; some thing undoing the battery, counting to 10, and then the next steps now escape my memory, but doing more counting to 10 inbetween; unplugging the battery and leaving it sit for 2 days with no power cord plugged in either, then hook it to a power cord and turn it back on; and so many more.
    Also the symptoms just before this fiasco were as follows: I had a CD in the internal drive and was browsing through the images on it via the handy previewer using the space bar. Then I decided to quite, tried ejecting the CD by dragging the icon to the trash, and nothing. I tried again. The same. Then I pushed on the eject key, with the ejct icon popping up on the screen momentarily, but still nothing. Then it appreared as though some things worked and other things were not working. In my frustration I went to the Apple menu and clicked restart with a wince knowing it was going to take forever to turn back on. It did the usual quickly off with a *pop* and made super short lame attempts to turn back on when using the power button. Of course the CD kept trying to spin for a split second and then the little indicator light on the front would go out, then no noise at all.
    Since I do not believe it is the hard drive (of course I could be wrong not being a Mac nerd at all), I was wondering if I can switch the hard drive to my Macbook Pro 15 (2006)?
    I tried this, but it would not read the hard drive. Just a blank grey screen. If it is possible to do this swap, what are the exact steps to do? Please answer like I'm completely illiterate on this, because I really am. I'm super scared of losing everything on the dead MacBook's hard drive. Yeah yeah, I know: then why have I not been backing things up? I had the week prior. Believe me I WILL be doing it daily from now on if I get this mess straightened out!
    Here are the specs for each MacBook Pro:
    Name: MacBook Pro 17 (info gained from the serial on the bottom and then looked up online)
    Model: A1297
    Model Code: mbp_17_early_09
    CPU Type: Intel Core 2 Duo
    CPU Speed: 2.8GHz
    RAM Type: DDR3 PC8500 SODIMM 1066MHz
    RAM Slots: 2
    Max RAM by Slot: 2 x 4GB
    Maximum RAM: 8GB
    RAM Pairing: Modules may be installed individually
    Hard Drive Connection: SATA 300
    Hard Drive Platter Size: 2.5"
    Device Connectivity: USB 2.0, FireWire 800
    Video Output (base graphics option): Mini DisplayPort
    Expansion Slots: ExpressCard/34
    Max Operating System Version: 10.6.8 (I believe that is what was last on the computer)
    Name:    MacBook Pro 15" (retrieved from the System Profiler on this Mac)
      Model Identifier:    MacBookPro2,2
      Processor Name:    Intel Core 2 Duo
      Processor Speed:    2.33 GHz
      Number Of Processors:    1
      Total Number Of Cores:    2
      L2 Cache:    4 MB
      Memory:    3 GB
      Bus Speed:    667 MHz
      Boot ROM Version:    MBP22.00A5.B07
      SMC Version (system):    1.12f5

    OGELTHORPE really sorry to keep bugging you, but it's obvious you know what you are talking about and I'm stuck on thin ice here getting this fixed, because there are no authorized Apple reps here. I would rather shoot myself for messing up, then to trust someone who "says" they can fix my Mac down here.
    I checked out a company owned by ebay that is the same down here, called MercadoLibre. There are quite a few adapters listed there. I'd like to give you links for some and was wondering if you minded taking a look to tell me if any seem to fit the bill. Some have specs in English, others don't. (Google translater is my friend!)
    #1.  http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-415826915-adaptador-usb-a-ide-y-sata-con -cables-y-fuente-envio-gratis-_JM
    #2. http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-416270876-usb-20-to-ide-sata-25-35-hard- drive-_JM#D[S:HOME,L:HISTORY,V:1]
    #3.  http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-416384859-adaptador-usb-20-a-sataide-_JM
    #4.  http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-415596152-adaptador-usb-20-para-sata-e-i de-manhattan-_JM
    #5.  http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-416061182-adaptador-de-usb-a-sata-o-ide- 3525-con-fuente-externa-_JM
    #6. http://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-416061069-convertidor-usb-20-a-sata-hdd- 25-soporta-hasta-1tb-_JM
    These are all cost effective enough that I don't care the price - cheap, expensive - whichever will work the BEST!
    I've also looked for the 7200 rpm HDD, and although I found some, I'll be danged if they are not 3.0, instead of the 2.5 that I have. Grrrr! I was willing to spend the $90 for 1tb... or being the non-techie that I am, can this 3.0 go into my 2006 MBP??
    Just so you can see what all is listed right now:
    http://listado.mercadolibre.com.uy/7200-rpm-hdd-2.5-macbook-pro
    Another newbie question: How do I check what the amount if RAM is presently installed in it? (I might be a greenhorn, but I take pride in not being a dumbie and I learn when taught)
    Right now, I'm willing to spend almost anything. I want a few files that are on the HDD at the moment that I was stupid and did not backup on my external. One file I worked on all day due to the dimensions I had to design it at and each effect took a long time to render. I really don't want to do that one again!.. I'm also willing to spend anything that won't cost me the price of a new iMac. Figure that should be the next one I buy that is affordable, but won't be overworked like the MBP was.
    Once again, thanks much for all of your help!

  • Swapping hard drive between MacBook and MacBook Pro ?

    Hi
    I'm about to receive a new MBP and would like to spend as little time as possible making the transition from my current MacBook (non-Pro). The MacBook is slightly old (mid-2006) but running the latest Leopard.
    Would swapping the hard drives allow the MBP to boot properly?
    Could it potentially cause any side effects?
    How could I reduce or eliminate these?
    I'm reluctant to use Time Machine restoration since I've already been traumatized once by the incompleteness of the TM backup, causing me to lose many hours to manual, tedious restoration.
    Thanks for any info!

    Hi Guychi;
    As I said earlier, since the hardware is different I would not use the operating system from the old hardware on the new hardware.
    Are you doing the work or have someone else do it?
    If you are taking it in to have it do, I would suggest that you ask them to move the operating system for you.
    If you are doing it yourself get an external enclosure and clone the operating system over then install the larger drive with the new operating system.
    Allan

  • Swap Hard Drives Between Mac Pro's

    I have a MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (Unibody - Late 2008) that has been upgraded from the standard 320 GB SATA hard drive, to a Seagate 750 GB SATA 16 MB cache 7200 rpm hard drive.
    I have recently upgraded to a MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.66 15" (SD - Mid 2009) that has the standard 320 GB SATA hard drive.
    Both are running Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8.
    I will be selling my older (2.53GHz) Mac Pro but would like to keep my larger hard drive.
    Question
    Can I simply swap the hard drive out of my older (2.53GHz) Mac Pro and install it into the newer (2.66GHz) Mac Pro, without having to reinstall the Mac OS X software?
    I no longer have any of my OS X install disks.
    Will the 750 GB hard drive still perform the same in the newer Mac Pro, given that they are running the same OS?
    Thanks in advance!

    From what I understand the USB/PCIe interfaces are (somewhat) device specific. But it depends on the particular vendor in question.
    According to barefeats.com, regarding USB devices:
    "...Our only concern was that it {the CalDigit adapter} only worked with CalDigit USB 3.0 enclosures like the AV Drive. They since updated the driver to "unlock it." In fact, all the USB 3.0 results posted above for non-Cadigit enclosures were done with the CalDigit PCIe USB 3.0 host adapter...."
    So, for example, the Lacie PCIe adapters are "specific". Only works with their stuff. Originally the CalDigit PCIe adapter was the same: limited to use with their devices only. But they've altered that so that it is more generic. In fact, it was used to test the other USB 3.0 devices in the barefeats tests.
    So the CalDigit card, at least, is a more flexible choice.

  • Swappng hard drives form Macbook Pro to Macbook

    Hi guys. its my first post and been searching for posts that could answer my question but couldn't find any. here goes :
    I've got a 17in Macbook pro with 160gb hard disk and am going to get a macbook with the same size hard drive. both are running on Leopard OSX.
    Would i be able to straight swap the hard drives? This being i intend to use the macbook and my other half uses the macbook pro.
    Thanks for any help.

    i wouldn't do it, there are likely to be os/config differences between the two systems
    the simpler way...
    use the migration assistant on the new macbook to move your account to it from the mbp
    add a new user account to the mbp for your wife, delete your old account from the mbp (or you could just re-install osx on the mbp from the original osx disk that it was supplied with)

  • Need help moving music collection from external hard drive to Macbook Pro

         I just bought a Macbook Pro today after my Windows desktop was bricked a few weeks ago. Luckily, I didn't lose the most important files on my pc, my music, because it was all on my Zune, as well. So, I borrowed an external hard drive, copied all of the music from my zune onto a friend's pc, and then copied it again from their pc to the external. Finally, I just plugged the external into my new mac, copied the folder within it holding my music, and hit "paste item" in the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder. Initially, everything seemed to work perfectly, however, after transferring a little over 7 of my 54gb of music, an error message appeared saying that the operation was ending because it could not transfer all files.
         I then tried playing a file off of the hard drive, a wma, and received a prompt that the file was incompatible with Quicktime player, the default for no apparent reason. I tried then opening it with iTunes, and nothing happened, as far as I could see. Naturally, my next step was to google how one would transfer wma files to a mac, and, to make matters even more confusing, all of the results seemed to tell me that iTunes should automatically convert wma files to mp3, which does not seem to be happening in my case.
         I'm still not sure why this isn't working, as I'm sure more than 7gb of my music collection is non-wma, so that doesn't even seem to be the sole issue. Any help with importing my collection would be hugely appreciated, as I'm enjoying my mac so far, but will have to return it if I can't get music on here.
         Thanks.

    One problem is that iTunes for Mac can't handle WMA files, iTunes for Windows will convert them, but not iTunes for Mac. When you add unprotected WMA files to your iTunes library (Windows only), iTunes converts them to new files that iTunes can play, based on your import settings. See if you can use your friend's PC to do this.  If the borrowed PC has iTunes, create an alternate iTunes library so you don't mess up your friend's library.  This explains how:  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1589
    This support document might be helpful:  iTunes: About the Add to Library, Import, and Convert functions, http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1347

  • What is the best external hard drives for macbook pro?

    I am looking to buy an external hard drive for my macbook pro urgently.
    I was intending to purchase a time capsule but am really concerned with the reliability concerns of the time capsules where they stop working after 6 months to 18 months as posted on various forums.
    I was considering purchasing a western digital external hard drive but they also receive a lot of negative feedback.
    I have never used firewire previously but am interested in getting feedback as to how useful forum readers find this feature.
    In terms of size am looking for 1TB approx.
    Thanks in advance for your assistance as i need to purchase one immediately and i do not have time to research fully. Make, model number and approximate cost would be very helpful as well as where i could purchase hard drive in london. I am more concerned with quality rather than cost.

    Welcome To  Discussions CJMCJM!
    I have requested that a Host relocate your Topic to a more appropriate Forum.
    As it will be transferred it is not necessary for you to repost elsewhere at this time.
    But for future reference, please review the first entry How To Post A New Topic, on Feedback About Discussions.
    That is the Forum where you erroneously posted your issue.
    Enjoy Your Stay In  Discussions!
    ali b

  • PLEASE HELP me select new internal hard drive for Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina)

    Good afternoon.
    I just bought a Macbook Pro 2012 (non-retina) 15 inch from a friend.  I think it is running Mountain Lion (has not been upgraded to Mavericks yet), and has iLife on it.  It came with the stock 500 gb 5400 rpm internal hard drive.  At home, I only have the Snow Leopard OS installation Cds and a copy of iLife 2011 installation Cds.  I am going to buy 16 gb of RAM from Other World Computing to install.
    I want to replace the hard drive with a 1 tb hard drive, preferably something that is $100 or less.
    I talked to Other World Computing (OWC) and looked at the Data Doubler Option to replace the optical drive with a Solid State drive, but decided that for now I want to keep the optical drive inside the computer for portability issues.
    I know that Solid State drives are better, but they are still too small, and I want the ease and portability of a 1 tb size INSIDE my computer.
    Initially I was going to order this from Other World Computing: 1.0TB 2.5" HGST Travelstar 7K1000 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 9.5mm Notebook Drive 32MB Cache. *'New' Factory Replacement with 2+ Year HGST Warranty*    As of April 4, 2014 it's on sale for $79
    But then I started reading some of the discussions online and thought maybe I should get a hybrid solid state drive?
    I saw on Amazon the Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive SATA 6Gbps 64MB Cache 2.5-Inch ST1000LM014  It's on sale for $94.
    But according to some reviews, this Seagate has a platter that is only 5400rpm, unlike the previous Seagate Momentum that has a platter speed of 7200rpm.
    How reliable are the Seagate, versus a Toshiba or Western Digital or Hitachi or something else?
    Here are my questions about replacing the hard drive:
    1.  Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
    2.  Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
    3.  Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
    4.  Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer.  Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
    5.  If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
    6.  If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
    I would love to get some recommendations about the smartest option to upgrade my hard drive with something that will be fast (I edit lots of photos) and large (1 tb) that isn't going to cost too much.  I don't know much about the different brands or options (and there are so many listed in tons of online reviews), that I got really overwhelmed and confused by the info out there.
    I would really appreciate any help and advice.  I've never switched out a hard drive before.
    PLEASE HELP !!!  Thanks!
    Here is the "About this Mac" Info:
    Macbook Pro 15-in Mid 2012
    Model Identifier: MacBookPro9,1
    Processor: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7
    Memory: 4 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
    Software: OS x 10.8.5
    Storage (Hard drive): APPLE HDD ST500LM012 Media, Rotational, SATA, GPT (GUID Partition Table)

    1.  Is a hybrid solid state drive going to need some kind of special formatting after I put it into the macbook so that I can put the operating system on it?
    The boot drive, regardless of what it is, needs to be formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).  This is standard with OS X.
    2.  Is a "normal" platter hard drive more reliable than a hybrid solid state drive?
    There are arguments pro and con.  Bottom line, SSD's and hybrid drives are still quite expensive per GB than standard hard drives.  If you have the bucks and are a speed demon, go ahead.   I have better use for my money.   Standard hard drives are mechanical and may wear out over time.  But even though SSDs are not mechancial, they can still go bad and ultimately they even have a limit to their write capacity.  The jury is still out on this debate.
    3.  Is there any additional driver or special software that I have to install for a hybrid solid state drive?
    No
    4.  Currently there is no personal data stored on the computer.  Can I just put the new hard drive in, and then insert the snow leopard install cd?
    You can physically put the hard drive in but probably not install Snow Leopard on this MBP.
    The mid-2012 MacBookPro9,1 models came with Lion 10.7.3 (11D2097) preinstalled.   It is very unlikely you would be able to install Snow Leopard on it.  Historically you cannot install a version of OS X that is earlier than the version that came with your Mac (even if you replace the hard drive).
    5.  If I install snow leopard, can I just go to the App store and get the free upgrade to Mavericks?
    Not via Snow Leopard on this MBP.  See my response to #4.
    6.  If I want to do the "Data Doubler" option in the future and add a normal Solid State drive into my computer, will it have trouble interacting with the 1 tb hybrid solid state drive?
    No.  They are completely independent of each other; they are just independent storage units (drives) and their RAM does not interact.

  • Which Hard Drive for MacBook Pro 5,5?

    Hi everybody!
    I bought a brand new MacBook Pro 5,5 (13,3", 2.53GHz C2D, 4GB RAM, 250GB HD) from an iStore on December 2009. It was a Xmas present from me to myself. I use it mainly for music-video recording and editing with Logic Express, Final Cut X and Ampeg SVX; also have music and movies and other stuff, so I need the space AND memory. I'm not much of a gamer, but I do play some Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Tales from Monkey Island occasionally. I like developing apps for iPod/iPhone with Xcode, but I do that very seldom.
    I want do upgrade RAM and HD.
    RAM:
    I'm going all the way for 8GB (2x4GB). I've read that the fastest that my Mac can handle is DDR3 1066GHz, so there is no point in getting DDR3 1333GHz right?
    I'm going for these modules ---> http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/8566DDR3S8GP/
    Hard Drive:
    I've filled up the factory 250GB drive. BTW, I have a 1TB Western Digital My Book Studio that I use for Time Machine and make a clone of my drive before any important upgrade just in case. I want to get a 500GB 7200RPM hard drive. So the question is which one of these three?:
    Seagate Momentus XT ---> http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Seagate/YST9500562AS/
    Seagate Momentus ---> http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Seagate/YST9500420AS/
    Western Digital Scorpio Black ---> http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Western%20Digital/YWD5000BEKT/
    I've heard that Western Digital makes the best hard drives out there and comparing the Scorpio Black with the Momentus the $20 extra and the 3 additional years in warranty sound like a good deal to me, since they are both equivalent (500GB 16MB 7200RPM). Now, talking about the Hydrid one, 32MB is noticeable? and 4GB of NAND memory will act like more RAM or super cache memory, I guess... I've read that is good for three things:
    1. Booting up: That'll be great, but since I rarely boot up more than once a day, is it necessary?
    2. Load frequently used apps: Also great, but I load everything I need and keep it in another desktop while not in use. Again, necessary?
    3. Better performance?: Now, that's grrreat! If that is true, then the 8GB RAM + 4GB NAND will make my Mac noticeably faster, right? Then I'll go for it.
    The thing is, with non-hybrid drives I've read that all you have to do is install the OS, copy you stuff and you're good to go. On the other hand, I've read a lot of bad things about this hybrid XT drive, stuff like it's unstable, you have to install a Firmware (how do you do that before installing the drive?), and even some guy using a jumper wire (what is that) to limit the drive's speed from 3Gb/s to 1,5Gb/s!!! (how the **** do I do that? is it really necessary?) And also good things as well, that the booting time is a LOT faster and also it's very fast at loading apps.
    Well, I hope you can help me!
    Thank you for reading
    Cheers.
    Walter
    MacBook Pro 5,5 (13,3") Mid 2009; 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor; 4GB (2x2GB) RAM; Factory 250GB 54000RPM HD; OS X Lion 1.7.2
    iPod Touch 3rd Generation 32GB; iOS 5

    Did you ever get this solved? I am having a very similar problem. I haven't tried replacing the hard drive yet. When I boot into the Recovery HD, disk utility works fine and says the HD is fine.

Maybe you are looking for