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How to clone my HDD to a new SSD

Hi Communitie,


My hardware: Apple Mac Book Pro (mid 2009), running El Capitan and an AirPort Time Capsule 3TB (with activated Time Machine).


I want to replace my HDD. It is easy to find how to replace it in your Mac Book Pro but it is a lot harder to find the best way to clone the HDD to my new SSD.


So my question is: What is the best and easiest way to clone my HDD to my new SSD.


Hope you can help me out. Most of the information I found was really old.


Thanks and best regards

Jacco

MacBook Pro (17-inch Mid 2009), OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), AirPort Time Capsule 3TB

Posted on Apr 27, 2016 11:59 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Apr 29, 2016 1:53 PM

Install the SSD in an enclosure and connect it to your MBP via USB.


Open Disk Utility>Erase and format the SSD to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).


You will need a third party cloning application. I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner:

https://bombich.com/

Run the cloning application. It will ask if you want to copy the recovery partition. Do so.

When you have finished the OSX/data transfer, boot the MBP with the OPTION key down. Select the SSD and if it boots the MBP, make the switch with the internal HDD. (You can install the HDD in the enclosure that you used for the cloning)


Ciao.

6 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 29, 2016 1:53 PM in response to Neurdenburg

Install the SSD in an enclosure and connect it to your MBP via USB.


Open Disk Utility>Erase and format the SSD to Mac OS Extended (Journaled).


You will need a third party cloning application. I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner:

https://bombich.com/

Run the cloning application. It will ask if you want to copy the recovery partition. Do so.

When you have finished the OSX/data transfer, boot the MBP with the OPTION key down. Select the SSD and if it boots the MBP, make the switch with the internal HDD. (You can install the HDD in the enclosure that you used for the cloning)


Ciao.

Apr 29, 2016 1:53 PM in response to Neurdenburg

As Oglethorpe says you’ll want an enclosure or a dock. I prefer to put the new drive into the dock/enclosure, clone, and then boot with it prior to installing it into the computer. That way if I’ve got a faulty drive I find out before I take the computer apart. CCC is not the only cloning software that exists but it does have one advantage over the others. Since 10.7 the Mac OS has had a recovery partition. Cloning software can only clone a but CCC can create the recovery partition too. I don’t know of any other cloning program that does that. If you use something other than CCC you’ll have to do the clone and then install OS X to create the recovery partition.

How to clone my HDD to a new SSD

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