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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

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Posted on Feb 11, 2016 10:48 AM

Replacing the RAM can be done at any time. If you have already downloaded the required firmware, it has already updated your hardware and will not be lost when you replace the hard drive. However, according to Apple, your computer can only handle 4GB. I could be missing something...

See here: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) - Technical Specifications

As far as your OS question, the best thing to do is get the software updated to match the information you are migrating back (to ensure there no issues with migration). The best way to do this, is to download the Recovery Disk Assistant and install it on an extra USB drive. This allows you to install Lion without having to install Leopard or Snow Leopard first. This will also allow you to use Disk Utility to format the new SSD correctly.

Download: OS X Recovery Disk Assistant v1.0

How to: OS X: About Recovery Disk Assistant - Apple Support

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Feb 11, 2016 10:48 AM in response to waverlong

Replacing the RAM can be done at any time. If you have already downloaded the required firmware, it has already updated your hardware and will not be lost when you replace the hard drive. However, according to Apple, your computer can only handle 4GB. I could be missing something...

See here: MacBook Pro (15-inch, Late 2008) - Technical Specifications

As far as your OS question, the best thing to do is get the software updated to match the information you are migrating back (to ensure there no issues with migration). The best way to do this, is to download the Recovery Disk Assistant and install it on an extra USB drive. This allows you to install Lion without having to install Leopard or Snow Leopard first. This will also allow you to use Disk Utility to format the new SSD correctly.

Download: OS X Recovery Disk Assistant v1.0

How to: OS X: About Recovery Disk Assistant - Apple Support

Feb 11, 2016 10:48 AM in response to waverlong

Were I you I would save that money and buy a newer model. You have an 8 year old computer for which there is no real support you can get from Apple if the product has been obsoleted. Just a thought.


I believe OWC has a Data Doubler model that fits your model so you could remove the optical drive and put the old HDD in that spot. If you plan to replace the HDD, only, then you will find excellent SSDs for your model in the OWC 3G category. Consider a 256 GB SSD at a minimum. OWC is also an excellent choice for RAM. According to my information:


Maximum Memory8.0 GB (Actual) 4.0 GB (Apple)
Memory Slots2 - 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM


You will need to clone your HDD to the SSD using Carbon Copy Cleaner after you have partitioned and formatted the SSD GUID and Mac OS Extended, Journaled. Note that CCC is also able to install a Recovery HD onto the SSD. OWC has a number of online Tutorials that should be helpful in making this switch. Also, see my Basic Steps for Upgrading OS X.


If you have a working Recovery HD on your HDD, then it's possible to clone your HDD and Recovery HD using Disk Utility's Restore feature.


Clone El Capitan using Restore Option of Disk Utility


Boot to the Recovery HD:


Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears.


1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue

button.

2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.

3. Select the Restore option in the Edit menu. A panel will drop down.

4. Select the Source volume from the drop down menu.

5. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.


Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive. Remember that a volume is an indented entry under the physical out-dented drive entry.

Feb 11, 2016 10:56 AM in response to Pmintz25

The best way to do this, is to download the Recovery Disk Assistant and install it on an extra USB drive. This allows you to install Lion without having to install Leopard or Snow Leopard first


Thanks for the information and suggestions. I have had a look at the Recovery Disk Assistant option, the Apple Support how-to is a bit vague to me. The way I read it I would connect the new SSD externally to the Mac, have RDA installed on on the thumb drive and then activate RDA to 'force' installation of Lion onto the SSD. Is that correct? If so, do I need to reboot the Mac to the SSD, will that activate RDA? (Does the RDA recognise that Lion is installed on the Mac and does it then connect to the App Store to download Lion onto the SSD?)

Feb 11, 2016 11:15 AM in response to waverlong

You've got it correct. The RDA I linked is specific for Lion and it will know you own Lion already. The RDA is the same thing as having an internal Recovery Drive, which is installed on the hard drive, except you are installing the Recovery to an external since your new SSD won't have a Recovery Drive. When you create the RDA on an external USB, make sure there is nothing on the USB since creating the RDA will wipe everything on the USB.


With the blank SSD installed, and the RDA USB plugged in, you can hold Command-R while booting and the computer will automatically boot to the RDA since there is no other Recovery Drive on the blank SSD. You can then use the tools in RDA just like you would on a normal Recovery Drive/Install DVD.


Use Disk Utility to format the SSD to Mac OS Extended, and then when you quit Disk Utility, you can use the tools to restore from Time Machine. I'm sorry, I never even asked if you have a backup with Time Machine. If you don't then you may want to follow Kappy's method. Either way, I would suggest making a backup just to be safe, and use a separate drive for the backup and the RDA.


Best of luck


(Side note: I have used RDA successfully on a number of machines as I work in a school that uses Macs.)

Feb 29, 2016 12:13 PM in response to Pmintz25

Hello, I've now got the new SSD and a USB for installing Recovery Disk Assistant. I just want to check that I have got my ducks lined up in the right order, as it were:-


  1. Back up existing hard drive to Time Machine and secondary back-up drive.
  2. Download Recovery Disk Assistant to laptop and install RDA on external USB including partition as per https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202294.
  3. Remove old hard drive.
  4. Install new SSD.
  5. Boot MBP with Command-R to activate RDA.
  6. Use Disk Utility to format SSD to Mac OS Extended.


The next part I'm not so sure on. Having got to 6 above I assume that the SSD is formatted but has no OS. Does RDA allow you to then download and install Lion from the App Store, or is the process that the RDA is a tool to allow the migration of all the files (including the OS) from Time Machine to create a clone of the old hard drive? Previously I had read about using Migration Assistant and connecting my old drive to the MBP using a USB to SATA cable to migrate user files, applications etc. Is that an option for me here or would that only be available once Lion was installed on the SSD? Or is it just as effective (and simpler) to use Time Machine to replicate the old drive on the SSD? What I'm hoping for, if possible, is for everything to look and work exactly the same after I've transferred all the necesssary files (by Time Machine / Migration Assistant) onto the SSD and rebooted.


Apologies for the length of the post and the number of questions. As you can tell I've not done this before and I don't want to mess up!!

Feb 29, 2016 12:50 PM in response to waverlong

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.

Mar 7, 2016 1:44 PM in response to Pmintz25

Just thought I'd let you know that I installed the new SSD tonight. Everything went to plan - recovery disc assistant on usb drive, formatting SSD, then using my Time Machine backup to get everything up and running. Took approximately two hours. Everything is working as before, except a whole lot faster!! Many many thanks for your help, much appreciated.

Oct 20, 2016 12:33 PM in response to Pmintz25

A follow on question...


I successfully reinstalled Lion on my MBP following your advice. Following IOS 10 I can't sync my iPhone to iTunes because I need iTunes 12.5 which is only accessible on Mavericks or later. So I'm considering the OS upgrade, probably to El Capitan which is the latest version my MBP will work on. I can only get hold of this version through a 3rd party USB bizarrely but that's Apple I suppose...


Before upgrading I wanted to make sure I still had a bootable Lion Recovery Disk Assistant just in case the El Capitan upgrade goes wrong, so I've tried to create one as I did before when replacing the hard drive, however I now get an error message:


"Lion Recovery could not be created. The recovery HD on this computer is damaged or not present. Recovery Disk Assistant requires a functioning Lion Recovery HD to create an external Lion Recovery."


Could this be related to the fact that I booted my new HD from a recovery disk in the first place and that in doing so it has effectively 'lost' the Recovery HD?

Oct 31, 2016 1:02 PM in response to waverlong

You are correct.


RDA requires a Recovery HD to be present in order to install on an external drive. Since you have a new SSD, it does not have the Recovery HD as the preinstalled HDs do. RDA can't find a Recovery HD to use during it's installation because the new SSD simply doesn't have one.


If you still have the Recovery installed on your external drive, you should be able to use that. It doesn't need to be "updated" or created again in order to work. The one you used originally should still work unless you wiped the external USB. If you wiped the drive already, you may be out of luck. I would restart the computer and hold Command+R and see what happens. If it loads the Recovery tools then you don't need to do anything. I am unsure how to create an internal Recovery HD. If there is a way to do this, an Apple representative may know how.

MacBook Pro Late 2008 hard drive replacement question

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