installing programs on HD using SSD as system disk

This sounds as if you need to format/reformat the HD.

If you have the installation disc, before trying to install the OS, You need to use the Disk Utility app on the disk to create an HFS+ extended format journaled with a GUID system checked, decide on a parttion scheme then click OK or format disk to format it.

I am not sure if, at this point, you can just install programs or not without first installing LIon on the HD, you can try to see, at this point if the programs will load/install.

If no joy, you may need to put the install disk in, again, and, at this point, just try installing Lion.

Once Lion is installed on the HD, you should be able to install any applications you like.

Good Luck!

Oh Yeah,

I forgot, OS X Lion is a download only from the Mac App store.

My Bad.

But just try and reformat the HD first, then just install the programs.

If this does not work, you may have no choice than to just put OS X Lion onto the HD.

Without repurchasing, you should be able to use an app called Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your iMac's SSD onto the HD in your iMac.

Here,s a link to CCC

http://www.bombich.com/

The reason programs may not just install onto the HD is many applications install various components into OS X.

Without a valid OS X system on the HD, the applications you're trying to install won't be able to because it's not finding the areas it needs from the OS X system to be I able to install the program.

So, if you can't just install programs onto a blank HD with no system installed, you have no choice in the matter and will have to install another copy of OS X onto the HD before trying to install the programs.

There is no workaround for this.

Better to have an additional place to boot OS X anyhow in the event something happens to,the system on the SSD, is it not?

I am always around here at different times.

There are many other great Mac Users here that can assist you here in the event I am not available to help you at a particular time.

If you still run into problems, some other experienced Mac users here are always here to help, too!

GoodnLuck and let us know how everything turned out.

;)

I believe with all Apple software, and specifically to Logic and Final Cut, they need to install onto the same location as OS X to install. That means everything associated with those particular programs needs to be in the same location.

So, that may explain why you can't install certain extra components of Logic and Final Cut to different location or HD.

You can store your projects onto another location like the HD, but the all components of the programs need to reside in one location only.

It looks like you have all your CPU/RAM intense apps on the SSD, but do not have the room for all of their constituent parts?

How much space is needed for Logic and Final Cut?

How much space for Finale?

How much space for spectrasonic instruments?

Something is wrong If you managed to fill up a 256 GB SSD, with just a few apps.

You should have plenty of room to install everything?

I don't get it.

Why are you out of space on the SSD already?

Is the SSD formatted as an HFS+ extended format?

I am not familiar with how SSD are formatted, but you shouldn't be out of space this quickly!

256 GBs is a lot of space!

You may need to decide which apps and associated data really can stay on the SSD and which ones can go onto the HD.

For some reason,myou can't get everything you want to run onto the SSD.

You're going to need to install OS X on the HD for sure. This is the only way to get a lot of these apps to install on the HD.

I believe if you boot into OS X from your SSD, you should be able to launch the programs you installed onto the HD.

Regardless of OS X being installed onto the HD.

You needed OS X onto the HD in order for the program to install properly.

I believe that you can boot from one location and launch the app from another now that OS X has been installed in two locations.

You will need to try this.

If it doesn't work, then yes you would have to boot into the OS X on the HD volume.

I do not think you'll have to do that.

I think it's just a matter of getting additional programs into a different location where OS X is also present.

Try it and see if I am correct.

I have a setup where I have other OS X copied to other locations with different programs loaded.

I believe I can launch these from whatever OS X I am currently booted into.

I will confirm this.

Yes you can install apps on another OS X boot location and launch them from from another OS X location.

So, you shouldn't have to do any booting back and forth.

Once booted into OS X from your SSD, you should be able to launch apps installed on the OS X HD

Good Luck!