Want to replace stock HDD with a 256GB SSD, have questions.

Hi All,
I am sure this has been asked a bunch of times, so forgive me if I ask again...
I have a late 2010 MBP (Model A1278).  Currently the machine has 4gb of memory and a 256gb hard drive on it.  The machine is starting to show its age and is slowing down considerably, so I was thinking of upgrading the memory to the max allowable 8gb, and swapping out the HDD with a nice 256gb SSD.  What I am looking to find out is if I have daily time machine backups, can I just swap out the drives, reboot the machine into recovery mode and then select a TM backup to restore to this new drive?
My main concern with all of this is that I have been reading stories of people having to first create a partition on the SSD, then transferring over the TM backup, but I am not sure how I would set a partition when the drive itself is internal... Do I need to get an enclosure?  Is there some other easy way to accomplish this?  Is it even necessary?
My ultimate goal is this:
1. Open laptop
2. Replace memory
3. Replace hard drive with SSD
4. close laptop
5. Boot Laptop into recovery mode (Command + R)
6. Restore from Time Machine Backup
7. Select backup date
8. Restore finished.
9. Reboot Laptop into normal boot mode
10. Enjoy a slightly faster laptop 
Thank all!!!

Unless you purchase your SSD from OWC your drive will have to be partitioned first. The OWC SSDs I've bought have already been partitioned and formatted for the Mac. Either way, unless you have another boot drive, you'll have to boot your computer with Internet recovery since you won't have a recovery partition until you've install the operating system. Here's how I've swapped out my hard drives for SSDs
place the SSD in an enclosure
I've always had an enclosure or bought one when I got the SSD so I could make the old internal drive into an external drive.
I typically use this new external drive as a clone backup for my computer
run Disk Utility to partition the drive
The trick is to delete the current single partition
Then click on the + symbol to make a new partition (GUID)
Format the drive
Download and install OS XThis will create the recovery partition
Swap out the SSD for the old HHD and reboot
While the computer boots put the old HHD in the external enclosure and plug it into the computer
Go thru the new owner setup and when asked if you want to setup the new computer say yes and choose the external as the sourceYou could also use the TimeMachine backup as your source but I find this is a bit slower than using the external drive
Depending on what software you have you may need to enter some serial numbers.

Similar Messages

  • Do I have all the parts to replace my HDD with a new SSD on my Macbook (late 2008)?

    Hey everyone, I am trying to figure out if have all the parts to replace my hdd with a new ssd on my macbook (late 2008 aluminum).
    I just bought a crucial mx100 SSD and plan on replacing my mac HDD. I have the appropriate screwdrivers, and a bootable OSX on a usb drive. I also purchased a sabrent usb 2.0 to sata/ide hard drive adapter.
    How do I replace and install OSX on my new SSD?
    From what I read here are the steps I'm planning on taking.
    1) Detach the old HDD
    2) Attach new SSD.
    3) Turn on computer and use the bootable usb drive to install OS X.
    Does that work, I think I read somewhere about maybe formatting the SSD before I can use the bootable usb. Any input or help would be awesome. Thanks.
    I'd prefer to do a clean install of yosemite and not carbon copy my old HDD

    Hi Bradtk24,
    On this site you will find the requirements for the physical change that you want to make.
    These pages will give you insight into the processes required for the software side of things. It might be slightly dated, but the principles remain valid.
    Have fun
    Leo

  • Replacing T420s HDD with a new SSD

    Hello,
    I wonderd if It is possible to replace the HDD with a new SSD, while placing the HDD in the Ultra-Bay slot.
    And if so, which SSD model should I buy, and how do I transfer the Operation System and data to the SSD?
    Will this SSD model be compatible?
    Corsair Neutron Series 120GB SSD Sata III MLC 2.5 Inch Retail
    Thank you so much,
    Guy
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Corsair Force Series 3 Notebook Update Kit 120GB SATA III(6Gb/s) SSD Details :
    WarrantyThree years
    SSD Unformatted Capacity120 GB
    Max Sequential R/W (ATTO)550 MB/s sequential read — 510 MB/s sequential write
    Max Random 4k Write (IOMeter 08)85k IOPS (4k aligned)
    InterfaceSATA 6Gb/s
    TechnologyAsynchronous NAND
    Form Factor 7mm high, 2.5 inch
    DRAM Cache Memory No
    Weight80g
    Voltage5V ±5%
    Power Consumption (active)2.0W Max
    Power Consumption (idle/standby/sleep)0.5W Max
    S.M.A.R.T. SupportYes
    Shock1500 G
    MTBF2,000,000 hours
    Neutron Series 120GB SSD :
    WarrantyFive years
    SSD Unformatted Capacity120 GB
    Max Sequential R/W (ATTO)555 MB/s sequential read — 211 MB/s sequential write
    Max Random 4k Write (IOMeter 08)85k IOPS (4k aligned)
    InterfaceSATA 6Gb/s
    TechnologyNo
    Form Factor2.5 inch
    DRAM Cache MemoryNo
    Weight.1kg
    Voltage5V ±5%
    Power Consumption (active)4.6W Max
    Power Consumption (idle/standby/sleep)0.6W Max
    S.M.A.R.T. SupportYes
    Shock1500 G
    MTBF2,000,000 hours
    T420s 4170-CTO : i5 2520M, 6GB RAM, 320GB HDD(7200rpm).
    Z60t 2513-MCU.

  • Qosmio X500-10W - Can I replace the HDD with another one?

    Hello
    I have a Qosmio X500-10W with two HDD Toshiba MK5055GSX 500GB 5400RPM 8MB ??SATA II but is one of hs so I wonder if I can be replaced by a more powerful style HDD 750GB 7200tr / min 16MB Toshiba course?
    merci

    Hey,
    Your question is a little bit hard to understand but I think you want to replace the HDD with another (faster) model, right?
    Well, thats no problem. HDDs with 7200rpm will work, they are a little bit louder but they are faster so if you need more performance no problem.
    Also 750GB or more is no problem because SATA interface is not capacity limited. Theoretically 1TB or more should also work.
    Anyway, you can buy the 750GB you mentioned it will work. :)

  • Hi ! I want to replace my hdd 750 gb  with 512GB Micron RealSSD C400 Self-Encrypting 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD

    Hi ! I want to replace my hdd 750 gb  with 512GB Micron RealSSD C400 Self-Encrypting 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD in MacBook Pro ( 15-inch Late 2011 ) .
    Change has advantages for the system? Thank you !

    And why do you want to use the Self Encrypting style? OS X has a very good encyption system built into it, Filevault.
    But anyway you can use that drive. Yes it will be much faster than the current drive installed.

  • Lessons learned replacing ThinkPad HDD with an SSD

    Installing a Samsung SSD on my 3 year old ThinkPad W510 was easy. Getting Windows 7 set up took me days.
    Here are some lessons learned so you can do it faster.
    Backup
    Lenovo Rescue & Recovery will back up files to a USB 3.0 disk but it took 10+ hours and it put several files and folders at the top level. Can it back up multiple disks (HDD and SSD)? Probably not.
    Backup
    Windows 7 Backup & Restore doesn’t have those problems backing up data files but when trying to save a disk image to an external drive that’s > 2 TB (with 4K blocks), it runs for a while then fails. The generic error message and event log are not helpful, costing hours of debugging.
    SSD “frozen”
    Some web sites say that an SSD will perform better if you fully erase it before installing the OS, but when I tried to do this, the Samsung Magician software said the SSD was “frozen.” Apparently this is a confusing way to say it’s locked from erasure. Magician’s workaround recommendations didn’t help. Magician’s PDF guide has alternate workaround recommendations (like turning of AHCI mode in BIOS) but I didn’t find them soon enough.
    Clone the HDD or install fresh?
    Restoring Lenovo’s factory disk image onto the SSD (instead of cloning the HDD) fixed accumulated problems but it took several days of work and problem solving. (The HDD’s hidden SYSTEM_DRV partition was full. Did that cause some of the problems?)
    How to over-provision the SSD
    “Over-provisioning” boosts an SSD’s sustained write performance by allocating temporary space. The Samsung Magician program will set this up -- but not on a drive with the Lenovo_Recovery “Q:” partition. Moving and resizing C: and Q: with GParted Live didn’t solve this. Instead it made me start all over restoring the factory disk image and the Windows Updates and Lenovo Updates. The solution (thanks, Samsung’s phone tech support!) is to use GParted or Windows Disk Management to shrink the C: partition. All it needs is some unallocated space between partitions anywhere on the SSD. (Samsung recommends 10%.) You don’t have to do anything to allocate that space to the purpose.
    Partition alignment
    For speed, you want the partitions aligned on a 4096 byte boundary. GParted will align them on a MiB boundary, which is more than adequate.
    Windows restore points
    The Windows installer is supposed to make system restore points but I found it started out with a broken configuration. So open System Properties, the System Protection tab, and check the “available drives” for any drives labelled “... (Missing)”. Turn off “system protection” (restore points) for the “missing” drives, then turn it on for the real C:.
    Faster updates
    After restoring Lenovo’s factory disk image, you must iterate installing Windows Updates and Lenovo Updates over and over until there aren’t any more to install. Fortunately this is faster on an SSD than an HDD. Save more time by having only one user account and no password so Windows reboot won’t stop for login. Also watch the taskbar for license dialogs that open up behind other windows but require your clicks to proceed.
    Watch for stuck updates
    Lenovo Update quietly gets stuck updating Intel WiFi & WiMax software. The fix is to download those installers from lenovo.com, run them, get an error message that it can’t install over the existing software, uninstall the WiFi & WiMax software, then run the installers again.
    Restore from backup, or not?
    At key points, I made system disk image backups of the SSD to the old HDD and tried restoring from a backup after the failed repartitioning experiment. But Windows Backup and Restore won’t restore a system image after booting from the destination drive’s recovery partition nor from the source drive’s recovery partition. Since my backup was on the HDD in the Ultradrive bay, I couldn’t boot from the Rescue & Recovery CD. The workaround was to make a bootable System Repair disk on a 512 MB USB key. Windows Backup and Restore then failed with another meaningless error, “The parameter is incorrect. Code: 0x80070057.” Apparently you have to remove the USB key right before starting the system restore operation but that yielded the error, "No disk that can be used for recovering the system disk can be found." I’m not sure if that’s a symptom of removing the USB key or yet another problem with Windows Backup and Restore. Maybe it can’t restore to resized partitions? Windows Backup and Restore failed and burned hours of my time.
    Fix the annoying request on bootup?
    After you install Windows, all its updates, and Samsung Magician, you can use Magician to adjust system settings for SSD performance. Then you’ll find that Magician needs permission to “make changes to this computer” on every boot. Samsung tech support explained that you can then remove Magician from the startup list via msconfig.
    Optimizations
    Recomputing the “Windows Experience Index” might make the OS recognize the boot drive as an SSD and disable defrag for it. This didn’t work for me, so be sure to unschedule defrag. Also use msconfig to remove Digital Line Detect from the startup list and turn on “No GUI boot” (no Windows splash screen). Also use power plans Advanced Settings to never turn off the “hard disk.”
    ThinkPad
    Thumbs up. Easy to replace the HDD with an SSD and move the HDD into an Ultradrive caddy. Sturdy. Easy to work on. Well documented. Hardware that I didn't want to replace.
    Microsoft Windows 7
    Thumbs down. Buggy, fragile, over complicated, inadequate error messages, painstaking to install, difficult and time consuming to administer, poorly documented, accumulates gunk over time that causes problems, failed backup software, even a fresh install has scary event log errors.
    Lenovo forums & support pages
    Very helpful. Sometimes it's good to use Use Google to search them e.g. https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alenovo.com+"over+provision"
    Samsung 840 EVO SSD
    Fine hardware. Some confusions around the Magician software. Great phone tech support. Web support doesn’t work.
    References and more info
    How To Geek, Lifehacker, Lifehacker, SSD Review, Newegg, Newegg, Anandtech, Storage Review.

    I may have confused you: Lenovo provides two tools, 1) one makes DVDs that restore the original out-of-the-box factory image of the entire disk (i.e. System partition, C: + Q: partitions) and 2) Backup and Restore, which is the Lenovo user backup tool that does conventional full disk backups, i.e. with all user customizations, added programs and files. Since my system-generation-to-SSD saga hadn't created the the Q: partition correctly, my only alternative was to create a full up-t-date disk backup with the second Backup and Restore tool that include all the Windows + Lenovo updates, but didn't include extra programs and my user files. This fitted on 5 DVDs, which I will use if ever I reinstall the entire operating system.
    Once you get above 100-150 GB of backup volume (I'm at 450 GB right now), the Lenovo Backup and Restore is very slow, so I use the much quicker Windows built-in Backup and Restore program to backup incrementally a system image and all files.

  • 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

  • How do i get my apps from m phone into my itunes?when i sync my phone it wants to replace my phone with the ones in itunes already.

    how do i get my apps from m phone into my itunes?
    when i sync my phone it wants to replace my phone with the ones in itunes already.

    PaulaMS wrote:
    My iPhone software crashed ... I am unable to recover my songs that were on my phone. How am I able to get those songs back?
    Download Past Purchases  >  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
    OR Re-Sync your Content from your Computer.
    See here  >  http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1386
    From Here  >  http://www.apple.com/support/iphone/syncing/

  • I want to replace my HDD to a SSD.

    I want to replace my harddrive with an SSD.
    How do I know the SSD is compatible with my computer?
    How much space do I need for all all the basics?
    Is it possible to have two drives at the same time?
    Now I have Maverick on a Macbook Pro 13 that I bought some time ago.
    Tell me all there is to know, please!

    bump

  • A600 Replacing SATA HDD with SATA SSD

    I have reviewed the current knowledge base materials, but don't see one directly tied to my problem.  Appreciate any help received.
    My current HDD has been making a lot of noise lately, at least much more than I have heard in the past.  It's a little over 5 years old.  I bought an Intel 730 series 240G SSD, and have tried to use that drive as my primary drive, replacing the current one.  I used Intel's cloning software, which took a while, but appeared to be successful.  My problem is that the BIOS does not recognize the new drive.  Looking in the BIOS, my SATA drive 0 now shows "None", and the screen at power-up fails with "No Boot Filename received".  Is there an issue with the BIOS not recognizing newer SSD's?  I've read other inputs saying that people have been successful in powering up via new SSDs, so I thought it could be done.  Anyone have any thoughts?  Appreciate it.

    Thanks Caveman31 for your thoughts. I checked the BIOS, and this model has very limited BIOS options, which don't include any options for SATA control. There are probably 1/2 of the options in my Lenovo A600 BIOS, then in my generic PC (ASUS motherboard) I put together a couple years ago. It has a menu option for SATA control, located in the "Main" tab of the BIOS screen.
    Unless there are some other options, or a way to get more control with this BIOS, I won't be able to select between AHCI or IDE regarding the SATA control. Do you know if that's the only way for me to replace my HDD with a SSD for this computer?
    Thanks for your help!

  • I want to replace my PC with an iPad Air.  Can I sync my iPhone solely with the iPad, never needing a computer?

    I want to replace my PC with an iPad Air.  Can I sync my iPhone solely with the iPad, not using a computer?

    Dam Commander wrote:
    I want to replace my PC with an iPad Air.
    I love my iPad Air. However, you may want to give the idea of using it to replace a full-fledged PC some thought. If your primary uses are websurfing, email. writing, reading, light photo editing, it will be fine. Other things may not work so well on an iPad.

  • Can I replace my HDD with a 'Ext. 250gb - Smartdisk Crossfire' HDD?

    cause I think the ext. AC power is shot, only the green light is blinking rapid very faint. So, I was wondering if its was possible and wise to replace my powerbooks 80gb HDD with the 250gb HDD in the external? could it hurt to see if it works or.... nah... waste of time? anyone have a 'smartdisk crossover' ?cheers heaps

    Why would you want to replace your internal hard drive with one that's broken?
    The only way to find out whether the drive unit inside your external enclosure is suitable for use in your Powerbook is to open the enclosure. That will enable you to see whether the enclosure contains a SATA drive (which you can't use in any Powerbook) or a PATA drive (which you can, if it's a 2.5" drive with a maximum height of 12.5mm).

  • Replace existing HDD with SSD on a T530 - noob question

    Hi all,
    I have a T530 with conventional hard disk. I want to replace it with an SSD (probably Samsung 840 Pro). When I look at the replacement instructions on the website, they refer to the use of spacers when installing an SSD (as opposed to the rubber rails which apparently bracket my current HDD).
    Do I need these spacers in order to install an SSD? If so, do I have to buy them from Lenovo?
    Many thanks
    Jason
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    If its the same outside dimensions you transfer the rubber rails onto the replacement drive. They add shock protection to the drive although an SSD is pretty shock proof. It must not float around though!! If you don't use the rails you'd lose them and probably never find them again when needed.
    T520 Model 4239 Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2860QM CPU @ 2.50GHz
    Intel Sandy Bridge & Nvidia NVS 4200M graphics Intel N 6300 Wi-Fi adapter
    Windows 7 Home Prem - 64bit w/8GB DDR3

  • I have an ipad, and want into replace my laptop with it. Is there a way of running iTunes from my ipad to allow me to put music onto my old ipad classic without the need for a computer.

    Please help me on this issue. I have the latest full size ipad with retina display and want to replace my old hp laptop with it. I currently run an iPod classic and nano from the iTunes on it, but i want to run them off my ipad. Is this possible.

    The iPad is not a computer, it cannot replace one, and it cannot sync music or media to other devices.
    You need to keep a computer around if you want  to sync ther Classic and Nano. It may also be useful if you ever need to backup the iPad in case a restore is necessarry.

  • Just want to replace some video with photos, but LEAVE AUDIO THERE. No way?

    Is there no simple way to just replace some video with other video or photos, but not affect audio? I have an interview, and they're talking about places, and I want to put in photos of the places. Pretty basic stuff.
    Thanks for whatever help...

    OK, yeah, CUTAWAY. But, I have the audio "purpled". Should it be? And my photo is sitting ABOVE the place where I want it. How do I get it to go down where it's supposed to? I really need a step-by-step here. I see how to manage the duration of the cutaway, but I don't see how to actually get it INTO the track, and how to "un-purple" the audio track.
    Thank you!

Maybe you are looking for

  • PL/SQL

    Hi All, Database Version: 11.2.0.3.0 We have requirement below: From the java application one of our database procedure will be called, and one of the input parameter for the procedure is part_number and it can contain multiple values, so the java se

  • NullPointerException while running the page from jdeveloper

    Hi , I am getting following Exception while Running the OAF page in Jdeveloper after downloading from the server which is working correctly (in the instance). Can you please help to resolve this exception. Error Page Exception Details. oracle.apps.fn

  • I don´t see the iPhoto library in imovie, how can a i use the videos of iPhoto? Thank you

    I don´t see the iphoto library in imovie, how can i use the videos of iphoto, how can i get de library in imovie? Thank you

  • Light bar at the bottom

    My thunderbolt display has barely noticeable light bar at the bottom of the screen. Height of the bar about 2 cm. This part of the screen stands out if the entire background is a uniform gray image. The bar is also visible when the operating system i

  • Java interface as method arg question.

    Hello, Imagine that I have the following two interfaces and their associated classes: AI, AC, FooI, FooC where AC and FooC implements the interfaces AI and AC respectively. Assume than that FooI has contains only the following method: public void doI