Do I need to point Apps on external SSD to media on the HDD?

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Level 1

8 points

Do I need to point Apps on external SSD to media on the HDD?

Community, I would like some advice please from folks who are using external SSD's on iMacs to increase performance or folks who aren't but know more than I do.

I'm a low-medium user who's comfortable following instructions. I have a late 2013 iMac 21.5" running latest version of Yosemite and am ready to install an external SSD on USB 3.0 to boot. My research here and elsewhere suggests putting applications on the external will improve speed opening those apps.

My question is: do I have to do anything to "point" the apps to the user files they talk to? I am thinking specifically of iTunes and Photos (ick) that on my system have very large media libraries (each between 35 - 100+ GB). I *assume* that the first time I open Photos from the new boot disk, it will ask me where the library is, and I will then just go back to the HDD inside the iMac and its contents. Am I missing something? I'm also on iCloud, so my guess is that things like Mail, Calendar, etc. will just automatically get their info from there.

I'm wondering if set-up is as simple as putting the apps folder and a full install of Yosemite and then changing the startup disk in System Prefs?

Thanks. Feedback is very welcome on whether I should also be moving media onto the SSD. I would like not to, so I can use the full HDD for that storage, but if you have experience that says otherwise, please tell me.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

R

Posted on May 29, 2015 1:06 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Oct 18, 2015 6:41 AM in response to brdaykin

Treat an external SSD to be used as a startup volume exactly the same as you would treat it were it an internal SSD. Install OS X on it and any third-party software you normally use. Then be sure all of that is properly working. Open Startup Disk preferences and set the SSD as the startup disk. Click on the Restart button. If it boots from the SSD then all is well.

My recommendation is to use Thunderbolt rather than USB since it is faster than USB. Now beyond this see the following:

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.

The above was written with an internal SSD startup drive in mind, but it applies just as well for you except that the SSD is external and the HDD is internal. Choose the method that makes sense for your system and usage.

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Answer 2

brdaykin Author

Level 1

8 points

May 29, 2015 1:35 PM in response to Kappy

Kappy, thank you. I've been researching this set-up for a while and hadn't seen the Gemmell article. It looks doable for someone at my level.

Would you recommend feeling safe with a TC backup, or would copying media originals on another disk be not a bad idea?

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Answer 3

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

May 29, 2015 1:42 PM in response to brdaykin

Personally, I do not use Time Machine. I use third-party software. In particular I use Carbon Copy Cloner 4.1.3 for all my backup needs. I prefer backups that I can directly access like any other drive. For all its intended ease of use Time Machine is an extremely complex program in which too many things can go bad.

As for setting up the new SSD I would re-install my third-party software from scratch in order to start as cleanly as possible. Then the only stuff I would use from my HDD would be my own data and files. Less chance of problems.

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