I would like to upgrade my 2012 MM OS X 10.8.5 with an SSD sometime but, I have pretty slow internet connection. 2 GB SD movies from iTunes download anywhere from 4 (fastest) to 8 (slowest) hours. I am wondering if I can download OSX 10.8 via Internet Recovery with my early 2008 MBP OS X 10.8.5 when I go out to Washington state and use it to install on the SSD in the MM. I would prefer not to have a fusion drive but, if there is no other way then I can live with it. So, is this possible?
Download To Mbp To Install In Mac Mini
- Thread starter PBear
- Start date
DeltaMac
Tech
Yes, but Internet Recovery would just install on your MBPro - that method doesn't give you an easily saveable installer, and you are also assuming that Internet Recovery will offer Mountain Lion.
My 2012 mini shipped with Mountain Lion (it has Yosemite now), but offers a Mavericks install when I boot to Internet Recovery.
If you can get a better internet connection from your MBPro, better choice would be to just download Mountain Lion using your MBPro/App Store. You should have Mountain Lion in your Purchases tab.
Download ML, but Quit the installer. Then, you can use one of several methods to create a bootable installer from your downloaded installer. I like to use DiskmakerX for that. An 8GB USB flash drive is an ideal size for that installer. Then, you can simply boot to that flash drive on your mini.
My 2012 mini shipped with Mountain Lion (it has Yosemite now), but offers a Mavericks install when I boot to Internet Recovery.
If you can get a better internet connection from your MBPro, better choice would be to just download Mountain Lion using your MBPro/App Store. You should have Mountain Lion in your Purchases tab.
Download ML, but Quit the installer. Then, you can use one of several methods to create a bootable installer from your downloaded installer. I like to use DiskmakerX for that. An 8GB USB flash drive is an ideal size for that installer. Then, you can simply boot to that flash drive on your mini.
DeltaMac
Tech
Put your original hard drive in a USB 3.0 external case.
Plug in to your mini. The drive will mount. Browse to the folders in the drive.
If you play your music through iTunes, you can hold the Option key while you launch iTunes, and point to your external drive iTunes Library file (in the User/yourusername/Music/iTunes folder.
Other software that you use may work in a similar fashion. Or, usually you can find your movie, etc, and simply drop the movie file on the app. If you have an icon for the app in your Dock, then you would also do it the same way - just drag and drop your document or file on the app's icon. It's usually that easy...
Plug in to your mini. The drive will mount. Browse to the folders in the drive.
If you play your music through iTunes, you can hold the Option key while you launch iTunes, and point to your external drive iTunes Library file (in the User/yourusername/Music/iTunes folder.
Other software that you use may work in a similar fashion. Or, usually you can find your movie, etc, and simply drop the movie file on the app. If you have an icon for the app in your Dock, then you would also do it the same way - just drag and drop your document or file on the app's icon. It's usually that easy...
So the original hdd has to be in an external drive? I thought it would work just the same while it's still in the MM.
DeltaMac
Tech
Ah, you didn't say that you added the SSD as a second drive.
That makes it easy, just browse to your hard drive!
One situation that you MIGHT have, if you left the hard drive installed when you installed Yosemite on your new SSD - the hard drive may not be visible if the Yosemite install changed that hard drive to a Core Storage volume, which can make it appear that both your SSD, and your old hard drive, are a single volume, or maybe not so easy to access.
Run this command from your terminal, and copy/paste the results of that command back here.
That makes it easy, just browse to your hard drive!
One situation that you MIGHT have, if you left the hard drive installed when you installed Yosemite on your new SSD - the hard drive may not be visible if the Yosemite install changed that hard drive to a Core Storage volume, which can make it appear that both your SSD, and your old hard drive, are a single volume, or maybe not so easy to access.
Run this command from your terminal, and copy/paste the results of that command back here.
Code:
diskutil cs listSorry about that.
My-MacMini-Me:~ bud$ diskutil cs list
No CoreStorage logical volume groups found
Whenever I try going to Macintosh HD/Users/bud/Docs, Music etc. to open anything there is a minus sign in a red circle on each of the folders. Double clicking on the folders shows a permission error.
"The folder “Music” can’t be opened because you don’t have permission to see its contents."
DeltaMac
Tech
You should be able to ignore the ownership (permission) on that drive. Get Info on the Macintosh HD, then at the bottom of that info window, check the box "ignore ownership on this volume"
You have to click the padlock to unlock that part of the info window.
You can also see that you could add your user to the Sharing & Permission list, and give yourself Read & Write permission to your old hard drive.
On second thought - you may not want to change anything on that hard drive, other than give yourself read & write access to your "bud" user folder on that drive.
You have to click the padlock to unlock that part of the info window.
You can also see that you could add your user to the Sharing & Permission list, and give yourself Read & Write permission to your old hard drive.
On second thought - you may not want to change anything on that hard drive, other than give yourself read & write access to your "bud" user folder on that drive.