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