Simple Upgrading Question

M

mikewildregen

Registered
I am ready to install a 500 gb hard drive into my macbook but dont have the start up disk. I DO however have the startup disk for a macbook pro one year newer than mine. My book is an 07 running 10.5.1 with 2 gb of RAM and a 2ghz processor. THe question is will the SU disk for the pro install into my macbook properly?
 
A simple answer to your question - No, the installer/restore from a MacBook Pro will not install on any MacBook.
However, you CAN boot from that DVD, and transfer the older hard drive + files to your new hard drive - using the restore function in the Disk Utility. You can do that same thing without any startup DVD. Swap the hard drives. Put your old hard drive in an external case, and boot from THAT hard drive. Open your Disk Utility, click the restore tab. Drag your old hard drive into the source line, and drag your new hard drive (after you format it for MacOS Extended (Journaled)) into the Destination line - and finally, click the Restore button, and give it time to complete, which might take an hour or two.
When that is complete - set your boot drive to your new hard drive in your System Preferences. And, restart.
Then, run your Software Update until your 10.5 system is fully up-to-date.

If, OTOH, if you are replacing the hard drive because your old hard drive has failed, then you need an installer DVD that will work... You can purchase a 10.6 (Snow Leopard) installer for only $30 - and be ready for Lion (another $30 :( ) when Apple releases that sometime this month! That's assuming the you have a Core2Duo processor - and not the oldest CoreDuo, which won't take Lion.
 
Thanks. The hard drive did not fail so I have it backed up on an external drive anyway. Can I boot from THAT external hard drive without the DVD? and if yes,
your basically saying that I can pop out the old and put in the new and simply boot from the external?
 
Yes, remove the old hard drive, replace with the new one. If your back up on an external drive is bootable, then you can boot to that drive. Do a restore from your backup software, whatever it is.
note: if your backup was created with your Time Machine software, then that's not a bootable backup. In that case - you can also put your old hard drive in an external case, and boot to THAT drive. Do a restore from your Disk Utility, as I suggested. It's simple, and it works. (or, if you used Carbon Copy Cloner, or SuperDuper! (the two major backups for personal use) - then follow the directions to do a restore from your backup.)
 
first of this is the wrong section
am I the only one has noticed people posting non related server quests in the server section, the means I get no help!

any ways buy a firewire 800 cable and link bothmacs togeter and put the mac you want to install osx on in target disk mode
(hold T at startup)

then on the other mac just install osx normaly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top