Q: MacBook Pro Late 2008 hard drive replacement question
Hello
My MBP HD is heading for the exit so I'm going to take the plunge and get a replacement SSD to install. Not being too tech-savvie I'm trying to cover all bases before I start the replacement so I think I'm OK on how to get the old one out and the new one in.
I've read that a clean install of OS X is advisable. The plan is to install the new SSD and connect the old HD to the MBP from an enclosure for migration of files once the SSD has been formatted and OS installed. One of my questions is which OS I can/should install in the first place on the new SSD. I have the Leopard install disc that came with the MBP, I also have a Snow Leopard install disc that I purchased (it's the version 10.6.3). Can I start with the Snow Leopard disc or do I need to install Leopard first? I would like to get the new SSD OS up to the version I am currently on (10.7.5).
My other question is around RAM. As part of the upgrade I'm planning to replace and max the RAM, which I've seen is now 8GB between the two slots. I read that the maximum capacity increased to 8 as part of a firmware update. So the question is: should I do all the OS updates first before installing the RAM? Would the MBP have trouble dealing with 8GB if the firmware update isn't installed through the various Software Updates that will be necessary once the OS is installed on the SSD?
Any tips/suggestions much appreciated.
Cheers
J
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2008), Mac OS X (10.7.5), 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM
Posted on Feb 10, 2016 12:24 PM
You are on the right track...
If you have completed step 6, there is no OS installed on the new hard drive. And there is no need to redownload Lion since Time Machine installs it when you restore your backup.
You can only use Migration Assistant if there is an OS installed, so this option is out of the question. Luckily, restoring from TM restores the OS as well!
Once you have formatted the new SSD, quit Disk Utility and there should be an option to restore from a Time Machine backup. This is what you want to do; it uses your backup to install the OS and then restore all of your files exactly the same way they were when you backed them up. Time Machine is designed to keep ALL of your files and settings intact, that way if you have an issue and need to restore, you haven't lost anything except time.
Best of luck! Let me know how it goes.
EDIT: You will need to plug in the external drive with your backup if it is not already plugged in. You'll want to keep the RDA usb connected as well.
Posted on Feb 29, 2016 12:50 PM