Installing a SSD into MacBook Pro 13inch mid 2012

Hi,

1. Does the SDD go into the space where the optical drive is/was?

No. You put it where the hard drive is now. It should come with a suitable bracket.

2. Do I leave my current 500gb drive as is?

You have a choice of putting the 500gb drive into the optical bay and removing the Superdrive, or putting it in an external enclosure and leaving the Superdrive in place. If you want to put it in the optical bay you need a caddy.

See this article. 2. http://www.macworld.com/article/2082572/advice-from-an-apple-tech-how-to-replace -the-optical-drive-in-a-unibody-macbook-…

I did the same thing -- putting the 500gb in the optical bay -- and am using it as a separate OS and as storage space. I can't remember exactly but I think I got the caddy from Amazon. You can shop around.

Good luck.

No problem. You can make a clone of the hard drive and copy it to the SSD, or (maybe) restore the SSD from a Time Machine backup. You can repartition the hard drive as GUID. That will erase it and leave it free for data.

http://macs.about.com/od/usingyourmac/qt/partition-types.htm

Here's an Amazon page about optical bay caddies. http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Unibody-MacBook-SuperDrive-Replacement/dp/B0058AH2US

Here's another very useful link. http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDAMBS0GB/

rautenbachr wrote:

Thanks Cunnla!

I want to run my apps off the SSD and use my original 500gb drive purely for data.

I would want to remove the optical drive in order to have both the hard drives installed in the machine for ease of use.

That makes total sense, and I guarantee you that your mac will seem like a new machine.

Follow the good advice you already got here:

1) your SSD should go where the HD is now.

2) A bracket is necessary to secure your HD at the location of the optical drive (the HD is much smaller than the superdrive). OWC is a great source for this bracket. See here: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DDAMBS0GB/

This operation is not very hard, but must done with care. Some tools are required, and OWC will sell you a kit including them.

There are video tutorials on how to do this, but since you are operating with sensitive electronics, it is not without risk. Do a comprehensive backup, and make sure you are up to it before you start, or pay a technician to do it for you if you aren't sure.

rautenbachr wrote:

Hi Cunnla

Ok so I received my SSD and just installed it. But I've just realized that I may have done it wrong. I took out the optical drive and installed the SSD where the optical drive was.

I've read a few posts online that this doesn't make a difference? Can I operate my SSD in the optical drive bay as my boot drive with my apps on and leave my normal HDD as is?

Yes, you can. .

It is usually advised to do it the other way around, but it works either way.

It should only make s slight difference in some macs, if the optical drive has a relatively slower connection than the HD

(Sata-II vs Sata-III).

If that is the case, then you could have better performance if the SSD uses the fastest connection.

Either way, your mac should feel like new :-)

Hi,

As Luis says, it will work in the optical bay, too, but there may be some performance issues.

If you already have it up and running, very good.

If not, you may want to check out these tips for running your startup disk from the optical bay.

http://blog.macsales.com/14982-efi-update-2-9-resolves-6gbs-drive-performance-is sues-in-13-inch-2012-macbook-pro

Hi,

If you can launch iTunes, go to the Store dropdown menu at the top and try toggling Authorize this Computer and if needed, Deauthorize this Computer then authorize it again.

Check out this link If iTunes repeatedly prompts you to authorize your computer - Apple Support

The part about remove the SC info folder may help.

You could also try a reinstall of iTunes. Back up first. Delete the iTunes app only from the Applications folder and download and reinstall iTunes. http://www.apple.com/itunes/?ref=http://itunes.com

Deleting the app may be possible by giving yourself Read & Write permissions in the Get Info window.