MBP - new HD and restoring data

[user237428934]

I desperately need a new HD in my Mac Book Pro. Prices for HD + installation for new 500 GB drives are ok. But then I have a MBP with an empty HD.
My current system is 10.6.8 and I bought it with 10.5.x so I only have the old install disks. I have a current backup done with time machine.
What is the way to get my machine back to the current 10.6.8 state with all the data? Is it possible to install 10.5. from the disks on the empty machine and then just restore from the time machine backup?

My Mac Store is not a big help because they say it can only be done correctly when I update to lion before getting the new drive 😕

Thanks for you help
Tom

 

[johannielscom]

I desperately need a new HD in my Mac Book Pro. Prices for HD + installation for new 500 GB drives are ok. But then I have a MBP with an empty HD.
My current system is 10.6.8 and I bought it with 10.5.x so I only have the old install disks. I have a current backup done with time machine.
What is the way to get my machine back to the current 10.6.8 state with all the data? Is it possible to install 10.5. from the disks on the empty machine and then just restore from the time machine backup?

My Mac Store is not a big help because they say it can only be done correctly when I update to lion before getting the new drive 😕

Thanks for you help
Tom

That is a load of smelly dirt. What you are aiming to do has always been possible before Lion was released, so it's a bogus selling scheme, and a bad one too.

Installing 10.5.x and then running Time Machine should do it, including getting the current OSX back, I'd say. AFAIK, Time Machine back up any file that's changed, including OSX system files.

Am I right, guys?

 

[Pherdinand]

here's what i did with my non-pro MacBook (the cheapy white stuff from 4 years ago) with tiger on it:

0. Ask google about mac os x system transfer new harddisk. Free. 30 minutes.

1. Download SuperDuper and duplicate the whole hard disk onto an external Firewire connected disc. (I had a 60G disk originally in it). Free. 1-2 hours.

2. Buy a Seagate Scorpion 500G laptop HD in a nearby shop (70 euro). 10 minutes.

3. Remove battery and disk hiding metal plate from Macbgook, remove original 60G disk, replace it with new n empty 500G disk, replace cover and battery. Free. 10 minutes.

4. Boot from Firewire external disk by pressing Option (or something else? dont remember) on startup. Free. 2 minutes.

5. Format new HD to the right style (see point 0 to find out which one that is). Free. 5 minutes.

6. Duplicate Firewire disk onto new internal HD. Free. 1-2 hours.

Total cost: About 70 euros and a saturday afternoon.

If you do it in the Pro version, battery is not user removable (at least in theory, though i am sure it is doable). If you want to let a Genius(?!) do the screwing, you can still do all steps except number 3 yourself.

 

[nobbylon]

make sure back up on time machine is current and working
install the new drive and format using disk utility from your original start up disk
hook up time machine and restore your new drive with it

 

[Perfect Imposter]

I recently replaced the hard drives in two MBPs. Easiest way is to get an external enclosure. I popped the new drive in the external enclosure. Then I booted the mac from the install disks. From there I ran disk utility and did a restore to copy everything from the internal to the external. Then you swap the drives and you're away. No need to do installs or updates.

You should be able to get an enclosure for about $20 cdn. Then you can use your old drive as another backup or transfer drive in the enclosure.

 

[user237428934]

Thanks all. So I don't have to install the OS from disk to do a restore. That's good news. Just even found the correct disks that came with this MBP (1.6) and checked if I'm able to boot with them. Looks good.

Tomorrow I hope that I will have everything running and I can import the data again, that I had to outsource to external HDs. Life is so complicated when I don't have everything with me.

@Perfect Imposter: As I already have a disk with a Time Machine Backup I hope that I don't need the old disk and the enclosure. Will keep the old disk just in case there goes something wrong with the Time Machine Backup