- #How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine how to#
- #How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine mac os x#
- #How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine plus#
- #How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine mac#
Use time machine to retrieve the file with the phone number (20 seconds). Boot from the USB disk into the snapshot partition (20 seconds). Recovery (this done e middle of the night, balancing the MBA on a luggage cart in a sea of people):
Upon arrival I realized that I did not have the phone number of hotel, and upon opening the MBA to retrieve it discovered that its harddisk had gone missing. During work I had my USB drive plugged in, and time machine did its thing. I once arrived in Mumbai at midnight after 14 hours of work done on the plane. The media distributed with later MBAs (I have 10.5.4) functions well.Īn anecdote illustrating why this is important: The DVD media distributed with the early Macbook Airs (system 10.5.2) is DEFECTIVE: The "restore from backup" crashes almost immediately. I suspect it is also a higher fidelity restoration of the original system.Ģ) Small, USB-powered disks are getting very cheap - I carry a 500 GB Store-it Drive with me when I travel, and the safety it provides is wonderful (see below). On my MBA the restoration takes about 90 minutes, whereas the install + migration takes hours. Just one thing to remember to bring when you travel (which is when disaster strikes)ġ) Restore from backup is a LOT faster than an installation followed by a migration. When given a choice about which one, pick the (most recent) one from the "Time Machine" partition, and for destination select "Boot partition."ġ) Some machines do not have DVD drives (e.g., the Macbook Air)Ģ) This way everything is in ONE place (on that one harddisk). Point the time machine to the "Time Machine" partition.Ĥ) WHEN disaster strikes (and it will), do the following variant on the hint:Ī) Boot from the "Mac OS X Install" partitionī) Then follow the hint given: On the second panel (after choosing a language) go to the utility menu and select "restore from backup". Make a system snapshot to the "snapshot partition" (using CCC or the equivalent - making it a bootable volume). Use the hard disk utility (or another block level duplication utility, e.g., Carbon Copy Cloner) to block-level copy the install dvd (disk 1 if more than one) to the "Mac OS X Install" partition. Time Machine (the remainder of the space on your backup harddisk).Į.g., my USB-powered Macbook Air recovery disk is partitioned 7.2 + 55 + 55 + 390GB (For the really experienced or disaster-prone:) A snapshot partition (The size of your backed-up harddisk)) Boot partition (The size of your backed-up harddisk) Leaving an empty partition the size of your system disk is well worth the (marginal) extra cost. So - partition it NOW, when you still have the original data if the partitioning goes bad. Once disaster strikes you DO NOT want to do anything to the harddisk that has all your precious data. The paranoid obsessive backer-upper will also want to have a (SuperDuper or Carbon Copy) clone of his drive stashed somewhere.Ī variation on the method (to make it a self-contained solution).ġ) Partition your backup harddisk right away. Note that this solution hinges on the ability to get an install disk inserted and booted, on your broken Mac.
#How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine mac#
When your Mac is healthy again, you can reinstall your system from the backup drive using either Time Machine, or Migration Assistant (from the new bootable volume you created). Time Machine will create a bootable duplicate of your system, which you can use until you replace your faulty main drive. Then, when you are prompted for a destination volume, choose the empty partition you created on your Time Machine drive. Choose the Time Machine backup that you want to restore (probably the most recent). Click Continue in the resulting dialog, then select your Time Machine volume.
In the installer, choose Utilities » Restore System from Backup.
#How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine mac os x#
Make sure your Time Machine drive is plugged in and powered on, then insert your Mac OS X Install disc and restart your Mac.
Now, when (not if!) your Mac's drive fails, do the following. Leave this partition blank, and go on with your life. If your system weighs 85Gb, then the new partition should be 100Gb or so.
#How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine plus#
The new partition must be large enough to hold the contents of your computer's drive, plus 10 or 20Gb of elbow room.
#How to install new hard drive macbook with time machine how to#
Using Disk Utility, create a partition on the drive you are using for Time Machine (see Disk Utility Help for instructions on how to do this without erasing your Time Machine backups).
It takes some preparation, however, which must be done before disaster strikes. In the event of a drive failure, Time Machine has the ability to create a bootable backup.