SSD in and HDD to replace optical drive Q's...

Hi All,

Apologies if this has been asked a dozen times before, I can't seem to find the answers to my queries, any information you can offer will be gratefully received.

The Mac is;
Early MBP 13", 320gb, 4gb DDR. 2.3GHz, i5. Lion.

The plan is;
Remove the factory Optical drive and replace with the factory HDD (320gb).
Install 64Gb M4 Crucial SSD into factory HDD location.

I want the SSD to hold my applications, and the factory HDD to hold all media, docs etc.

I have purchased a drive caddy for the HDD, and also purchased the SSD.

I need to know the following;

How do I install the OS onto the SSD and what other files need to be transferred?
What is the best way to copy all of my apps onto the SSD?
Any other advice or nods in the right direction...

I appreciate there are a few q's in there, but as I say, I'd be very grateful for your time!
Mark.

Do not put the HDD in place of the optical drive. Reason: The sudden motion detector (which protects your hard drive) only works from the SATA connection for the HDD. It's best to leave the drive where it's at. Place the SSD in the optical drive bay since an SSD does not need to be protected by a sudden motion detector. (no moving parts)

Also, while you can certainly transfer all your apps and the operating system to the SSD, keep in mind that it's only 64 GB. You may run out of space in short order....

Thanks Chscag,

I hadn't realized about the shock detector. I have read that MBP's can struggle to wake from standby when the SSD is installed in the optical drive location. Have you heard anything about this?

With regard to the 64gb, Im not a big app hoarder, I currently have 16gb of applications then whatever the OS weighs in at... Hopefully that will be enough :-/

If I set up the install as you suggest, is it as straight forward as a copy and paste of all the apps etc to the SSD?

Thanks so far!

If I set up the install as you suggest, is it as straight forward as a copy and paste of all the apps etc to the SSD?

Click to expand...

Most apps can be moved that way, however, some will need to be reinstalled in order to work correctly from the new drive.

With regard to your question about the SSD not waking from sleep when placed in the optical bay, I haven't heard that it was a problem. Maybe someone else who has knowledge of that and can advise you based on their personal experience.

Update - I have installed the 64gb SATA 3 M4 SSD to the HDD location. I have also removed the superdrive as I rarely used it, and in its place i've installed the original 320gb hard drive.

I made a lion boot disk and saved it to an SD card (8gb). Then I installed this to the SSD. You simply hold down alt when it's firing up then choose the disk to boot from.

I used 'migration assistant' to move all applications to the SSD, and then deleted them from the HDD where they were located.

The hdd seems happy as larry in its new home. I've done a few medieval tests (moving files around whilst shaking it) and it seems fine. Realistically thats the most it will ever be put through.

I'm in the process of making itunes, imovie etc pull their files from the HDD by default. Itunes done, just hold alt when starting...

What about iMovie? How do I set that up so it pulls it's footage from the HDD? I haven't really gave it a go yet but the 'alt' technique isn't working...

So, speed results? It's nothing short of astonishing. I haven't had 'rainbow wheel of depression' once since the install. Every app I open is up and running in one 'bounce' of the doc icon.

It re-boots in a fraction of the time as well.

If I open my applications folder, select all, then right-click on 'open', it takes 23 seconds to open all of my apps - 53 in total. Some big some small. They close down lightening quick as well. Now I just press cmd then hold 'q' and they all shut away quicker than they open.

The total cost of the work has been £57 (crucial) for the SSD, and £9 for the drive caddy (ebay).

If you're a casual user then this is quite simply a must-do upgrade.

It took me about 2.5 hours and 3 cans of fosters and it was done.

If anyone would be interested in seeing a video of the apps opening, re-boot etc, let me know and I'll upload something simple.

Thanks chscag for giving the points to consider.

If anyone has any questions I'll be happy to try and answer. I'm a novice so nothing to crazy please...