How to transfer files onto my upgraded macbook pro internal hard drive?

March 21, 2007 3:16 PM

I'm installing a new internal hard drive in my MacBook Pro. CompUSA has offered to move everything from my existing hard drive onto the new drive, but they want to charge $100. Is this easy enough that I should just do it on my own? How would I do it?

I just ordered a new 160GB internal hard drive for my MacBook Pro (my current 80GB drive isn't big enough for my needs). I'm probably going to go into CompUSA to have them install the new drive, because I'm kind of afraid to take apart my computer (not to mention voiding my AppleCare). They'll put the new drive in for $30, which seems reasonable enough.

Here's the question: they also offered to install OS X on the new hard drive and move all my files over to the new hard drive, but they would charge another $100 for that. This price seems pretty steep, because it seems like something I *should* be able to do on my own. But I don't know how I would do it.... any suggestions?

I'm probably going to buy an external enclosure for my old drive, so I could probably connect that to my computer. If I do that, is it easy to copy EVERYTHING (including all my system files, etc) over? Also, how would I install OS X onto a brand new hard drive? Will the computer even turn on? Do I just put the install dvd in and boot from it? Will this work if there is no OS installed?

Any suggestions will be appreciated. I'm pretty good with OS X, but I've never dealt with a virgin hard drive before, so I don't really know what to do here. Also, I currently have an external 160GB drive that I use for backups... if you think I can somehow utilize this to make the transfer easier, let me know.

posted by stilly to computers & internet (16 answers total)

If you have the OS X DVD, this will be really straightforward and something you can do on your own. If you already have the 160 GB hard drive, you won't need to do anything else.

This would be the workflow:

1) Take out old hard drive.

2) Plug in new hard drive

3) Put OS X DVD in. Make sure boot order is such that it'll boot from DVD Drive (this usually involves just hitting a key when the computer is starting up. I come from a PC background, so i'm not sure which one it is).

4) OS X CD starts up. reinstall OS X.

5) OS X is installed. Transfer files you want back to new shiny hard drive.

I'd avoid having comp usa do it because you might not necessarily want everything. There's lots of crufty programs and services that can slow down a machine (at least on a pc- i.e, the random freeware programs you download just once but never use again). Transfer just the essentials. your computer will be zippier.
posted by unexpected at 3:28 PM on March 21, 2007

If you're getting an external enclosure anyway, than it is super easy to do this. Make sure you get a firewire enclosure, and then you can probably just use the built in migration assistant to move everything onto your new computer.

When you boot the first time, it will ask you if you want to move your files from another computer. Say yes. It will then tell you to boot the computer into firewire mode -- just plug in the firewire enclosure, and everything else should be automatic.

There are cloning programs like super duper that could also make this easy -- or just moving files from your home directory into the new director would be very simple too if you don't care about reinstalling applicaitons.
posted by willnot at 3:29 PM on March 21, 2007

Yes, it's very easy to do. No, I wouldn't pay them $100 to do it.

Here's how.

I - Back up all your data onto your hard drive. You want to create a backup image of your current hard drive if you can. This will give you a mirror of what you're about to perform in step (III). You can do this by creating a new 80GB (and change) partition on your backup drive and 'restoring' from your current hard drive to the partition on your backup drive. See Disk Utility in Applications -> Disk Utilities.

III - Take your 80 GB hard drive in and have it physically replaced with the 160 GB drive at CompUSA. Buy an enclosure for your 80 GB hard drive (Firewire will probably be a bit faster than USB 2.0)

On preview: willnot's advice for the win. He's right, just get a Firewire enclosure and use the migration assistant instead of Step III.

III - Use Apple's Disk Utility in Applications->Utilities to restore from your old hard drive onto your new one. Alternatively, you can also restore from the backup partition you created on your backup drive in (I).
posted by onalark at 3:33 PM on March 21, 2007

Thanks for the suggestions.

If I reinstall and then use the migration assistant, will it add a lot of junk to the system folder that wasn't there before? Or will it copy all of my preferences, settings, preference panes etc from my current computer?
posted by stilly at 3:35 PM on March 21, 2007

Do not "just copy files". OS X is picky.

Use willnot's method.

Or- before you have the swap done, install SuperDuper on the original drive. Put original drive in external firewire enclosure, attach it, and boot up, holding the option key. You'll get a menu of devices to boot from, one being your original drive in the FW enclosure. Choose it and go.

Once booted, shut down mail, browsers, ect, and run SuperDuper. Clone from external source to internal, use Startup Disk control panel to set internal as the boot, and enjoy.

Migration Asst. is very smart. I've used it dozens of times, and will continue to use it. It just works.
posted by Steve3 at 3:36 PM on March 21, 2007 [1 favorite]

Do you have an Apple store near you? You might want to consider engaging their services instead, especially if you have warranty concerns.
posted by ZakDaddy at 3:44 PM on March 21, 2007

As someone who has done this exact thing, it is a pain in the ass. You need both a size 0 phillips screw driver and a size 6 torq screw driver (the one with the star formation head). You have to remove all the casing screws to get to the inside of the laptop. At one point you'll have to separate tabs between the bottom case and the top case. Be careful not to break any of the tabs. Once you get the top case off, you just have to extract the drive.

Remember that the drives in the MBP are SATA drives so buy a SATA firewire enclosure.

It's doable if you're careful and take things slowly.
posted by inviolable at 4:00 PM on March 21, 2007

Steve3, your solution using SuperDuper sounds like what I'm looking for.

If I do this, booting from the FW enclosure, do I need to install OSX on the new internal first? Or will that automatically be copied over when I clone from the external?
posted by stilly at 4:14 PM on March 21, 2007

In case you decide to do your own hd install, step by step, in words and pictures.
posted by jamaro at 4:44 PM on March 21, 2007

stilly, you should be able to boot from OS X on your old hard drive using the option key even if it's externally connected.

If you can do the OS X Migration Assistant thing, though, you're much better off that way.
posted by onalark at 5:01 PM on March 21, 2007

Steve3 is right: SuperDuper is what you want. I've done this many many times.
posted by rbs at 6:36 PM on March 21, 2007

Also, just to elaborate. If you do the SuperDuper method, you do NOT need to install OS X on the internal drive (and, therefore, do not need to run migration assistant). You will have to use Disk Utility (after booting from the external drive) to partition/format the internal drive.

My email's in my profile. If you get stuck, email me and I can give you my phone number/AIM for a walkthrough.
posted by rbs at 6:38 PM on March 21, 2007

No need to install anything on the new internal. SuperDuper will clone every last drop of it over.

BTW, I did leave out the "format new internal with Disk Utility" step.
posted by Steve3 at 8:16 PM on March 21, 2007

I used Carbon Copy Cloner, which is free of charge (well, donationware).

I also used an external 3.5in drive caddy, even though I was cloning using 2.5in drives. Because MacBooks use SATA drives, the attachments are the same (2.5 and 3.5in SATA connections are identical).

(After the disc cloning, I was then able to use the caddy to hold a cheaper larger 3.5in drive that I used for general backup purposes.)

Note that I was unable to find an enclosure hospitable to SATA that offered Firewire. I ended-up with a USB2 enclosure, which works just as well but takes slightly longer. But I'm in the UK and other countries might have more advanced technologies...
posted by humblepigeon at 7:47 AM on March 22, 2007

Seems like everyone else has covered the how to copy files area, so I'll chime in with an external enclosure recommendation.

Other World Computing has some excellent external firewire enclosures. Some of theirs even have USB2/Firewire/Firewire800/SATA connections, and they're pretty reasonably priced too. I bought a Mercury Elite Pro Classic years ago, and I still use it today.
posted by jeffxl at 9:19 AM on March 22, 2007

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions! Just an update, in case any one else wants to attempt a similar upgrade, I followed the suggestions of Steve3 and rbs and used SuperDuper to clone my old hard drive. It was incredibly easy... definitely the way to go.
posted by stilly at 4:56 PM on March 24, 2007