How do i upgrade macbook air harddrive while keeping the same system?

Thank you, a few questions, if you will.

1) Why format it if i will clone it? Doesn't cloning overwrite a format? Unless you mean partition?

2) Does that expand the space on its own? Do i expand it afterward? I think this and the last question are the same, but i am not clear on something.

3) Do you prefer CCC or SuperDuper. Last commenter things CCC might be better because of the recovery partition creation.

4) Why no less than 240? The current drive is 56GB and 25 of it is a VirtualBox image. They only need it for 8 to 9 more months, so even 100 GB should be far more than they need. Is there something important about the 240?

Thank you for explaining.

The formatting is not to my understanding, perhaps my information in outdated. The way i understand it is a partition is marked as bootable in the master boot record. (Thanks to Microsoft for their shortsightedness.) If the current hdd is cloned, it would clone either the entire hdd (which would include partitions) or the filesystem as a file (or image, in un*x terminology). In either case, the partition or filesystem size would be set and (whichever one) would need to be expanded to allow more space (either a wide partition, or a larger filesystem).

That's just my understanding, which is why i am confused here. I guess i am not exactly sure what is happening during a CCC clone.

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I'm looking at Disk Utility right now. It shows Apple SSID TSO64E Media with a total capacity of "60.67 GB", which becomes "59.67 GB" after formatting. In reality, that's a 56.5 GB drive with 55.5 after formatting.

I still do not understand. But i trust you do, so i am willing to follow the instructions provided. Getting it to work is important. Understanding it is of secondary nature.

>Exactly what year/model is that device?

MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2012) .It has 4GB of memory and is running OSX 10.9.5.

>what does the get info window show (totla space/available/used)

Capacity: 59.67 GB

Free Space: 541 MB

Used: 59.13 GB

What i do not understand is why format. Formatting gives a filesystem. Cloning also gives a filesystem. So if it is formatted, the cloning will simply overwrite what was just done, making it redundant.

I obviously am misunderstanding the process. So, i'll just follow the steps. 🙂

I have to review the options with my partner, and ought to move forward from there. I thank you asnd the other commenters for convincing me that CCC is the way to go.

Ah, i see. I am confused by the term cloning.

A true clone is a bit by bit re-creation of the source (disk or filesystem), and therefore it necessarily includes the filesystem. This is extremely important, for otherwise the OS will not boot, as the bootstrapper must be in the right spot on the disk for the bios to find it. What you are explaining is actually just copying all the files. This is not a true clone. A clone never gets to the file level. Hence, the disk must be both formatted and have the OS on it, and then the files are copied. This also explains why the filesystem needs no expanding, as it is created separately and not cloned.

Ideally, i want a real clone, because i want to change as little as possible. If i get a 100GB disk, for example, i can clone the 55.5GB partition onto the new drive, and then do one of two things. One, expand the partition if that is supported. Two, add a second partition for the rest of the space. The 25 GB file can then be moved to the other partition, leaving it room to grow, and freeing up 25 GB.

If cloning is not an option, copying will work as a consolation prize, perhaps. I have to ask if i can do that, since that is something different.

Will this work? (from https://itstillworks.com/ghost-mac-10052348.html)

Okay, i talked it over with the other guy. I presented both methods, that is, cloning and ghosting, and he wanted ghosting. I mentioned that everybody says to clone, and ghosting is much less mentioned, at which point he told me to do whatever works, as long as it is quick and does not affect the original disk. So, i think i will try cloning simply because its what everyone says to do. And if it fails for whatever reason, i can ghost it instead.

For the hard drive, he agreed to go with the larger, 240GB hard drive, because the cost difference to the client is inconsequential in this case.

So, to clone, CCC seems the way to go. Because the laptop is on Mavericks, it will have to be CCC 4, not 5, according to the chart on the download page. As CCC comes with a 30 day free trial, i do not think anything need be purchased. Does that sound right?

For the HDD, @Smokerz and @dwb suggested OWC. For the macbook air 5,2, 1.7GHz, the options are listed on the model's hdd page:

Otoh, @gregorytucker said he upgraded this model with the for , which comes with an upgrade kit:

So, if i went with the 240, Amazon is the way to go, unless OWC is just better, in which case, perhaps, the 480 is better?

That's my thinking, with all its questions. Please indulge me once more with some final comments or suggestions.

Sorry, i am grateful for all the help provided. It's just this warning both on a special card and in the instruction booklet say to not do what i was planning. I do not want to guess, which is why i am asking for your kind help again. Please help me. Should i start a new thread?

This isn't pre-sale. We did purchase that exact one. I have it right in front of me, and the picture i posted is from the box. I did all this based on the discussion in this thread. You guys are really knowledgeable and helpful, especially you (thank you!) so i just assumed the OWC product would work as expected.