Cloning Mid-2010 Macbook HDD to a new and larger HDD

Because the mac is a little limited in size (250gb) and its currently full of "other" stuff - stuff I have no idea what it is, where it is, nor do I wish to format it away (which appears to be the only way of dealing with it) - I decided to upgrade my little HDD to something a little larger aka 750gb.

Drive brought.

USB case dragged outta my drawer.

Time for fun.

Step by step (in case anyone finds this on google, and somehow gets the same errors as most of these idiotic websites miss a step or two)

1.  Format your new HDD with disk utility.  Well, erase in Apple terms.  Disk Utility > click your new drive > click erase tab > give it a name (something distinctive) and click erase.  If its a new drive, probably no point using the security options.

2.  Supposedly you can use Disk Utility to create an image of your main drive, by using the "restore" option.  This kept throwing up errors for me, so I downloaded Superduper.  Its reasonably simple.

3.  Open Superduper - simple little box with a few options.  Put your old HDD in the COPY side, and new HDD in the TO side.  Pretty simple concept huh.   USING should be "Backup-all files".

4.  If you do not want to mess up (like me), click options and select "On successful completion set "ur new drive" as startup disk"  Well, by that, I mean I didn't click that option, and it caused an issue and highlighted an issue of my Macbook, to me.

5. Click copy now - DOUBLE CHECK YOU HAVE THE RIGHT DISKS IN THE RIGHT SPOT

That should be obvious, but needs repeating.

6.  Wait a long time for it to finish.

7.  Once successfully completed, leave the drive plugged in.  We want to double check the drive is working as expected before opening the macbook up to replace the drive.

THIS IS MY SIDE TRACK ABOUT MACBOOK FIRMWARE

8.  To boot from another disk, you hold down option key while restarting.  However, when I performed this action, the screen popped up a lock symbol, and a box for a password.  I haven't done this before, so its all new.  A quick google shows me that you can set a firmware password.

9.  This Macbook is mine (for kids mainly) but the school that it was originally sent to (Hi Ross Intermediate) required their clone image over the drive.  But, in addition (probably to stop students booting off other drives that are not under the schools control - they used to rent computers and they hadn't had many 'external' Macs going through their door at this stage).  So, I had a locked computer and no way of booting it.

10.  Being the brainiac, I thought... eh, lets just stick the new HDD in and see how it goes.  Well, it doesn't  As I didn't set it as the booting drive (I assume that it would work), then the Mac did not see that as the desired booting drive, therefore a big fat ? in the middle of the screen.  But of course, I cannot select another drive via the option key during bootup as firmware password blocks me.

11.  Not so long story short.  Google helps but not in one site.

12.  Resetting a Firmware password on a Mid-2010 Macbook A1342 is simple.  If you have a newer Macbook, especially those without removable RAM, I hope you live close to an Apple Store.

13.  Open up bottom of Macbook (follow this instruction set - it needs a 00 philips head screwdriver).  Remove one RAM module using the same instruction set.  Half-ass close up the base of the Macbook.  Roll it over and prepare to turn on.

14.  RESET THE PRAM (Parameter RAM).  If you do not do this, the stupid firmware just resets the old password back in on bootup - and this appears to be the missing step I didn't see on other sites).

15.  Start up the Macbook, holding down the keys COMMAND+OPTION+P+R

16.  COMMAND + OPTION + P + R  (clear?)

17.  Let it startup.

18.  Turn off.  Roll over, Replace HDD in computer as shown in the ifixit link.  Replace everything.

19.  Restart computer (if it doesn't find the HDD first time, click OPTION during startup and it will let you select a drive and a wireless network if required (I assume it will be fine with the selection of #4 above)

20.  Under StartupDisk (in system folder or just use finder) make sure the mac is set as the startup option.

21.  It appears to work.



Hope this helps.  My cloned drive is now working (Its what i am using).  It is showing 500gb free, so hopefully that will last, especially as most of my files are not on this, but on the server.  But keeps the wife and kids happy to have a little more space to play with.

The current top paid app is also "Disk Doctor" so I may give that a go to see what I can get working.