iMac mid 2011 upgrade to SSD

[winnie_beex]

hello to everyone
please forgive an old man with his first Mac which is iMac 27" mid 2011
I already have 32 RAM and on it's way is a SSD 1 Tera
on the "old " HDD , a spinner I have an image with Carbon Copy
one way or another , say I change the old spinner with an SSD
how do I transfer the OS from image on an empty SSD bought fromhttps://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/imac-27-inch/2011
please forgive my win doze thinking , but I thought making another image on the new SSD
how do I format the SSD ?
is this the right way to go about ?
please help , having in mind that you have to do it like for a small retarded child

an immense number of thanks

 

[TheShortTimer]

Hello and congratulations on your first Mac!

There are numerous methods to achieve what you're asking and no doubt other members will suggest them but I'd recommend that you purchase an external case for your SSD, connect it to the iMac and then use Disk Utility to format the SSD. After that you can copy the image from the HDD to the SSD and then install it within the iMac and you're away.

If you have problems understanding any of this or need further information, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[Amethyst1]

I'd recommend that you purchase an external case for your SSD,

Seconded. Since the iMac only has USB 2.0, yet FireWire 800 or Thunderbolt enclosures are considerably more expensive, using an USB 3.0 enclosure (and putting up with a slow cloning process via USB 2.0) is the cheapest solution — unless the OP have a full backup on an external drive they can restore after installing the SSD in the iMac.

 

[winnie_beex]

thank you both

but what kind of format - for want of a better word - I remember journaled but not the other ones
it has to be bootable , right ?
and you mean copy like in win doze terms copy n paste ?

the SSD comes with a frame and some cables
I think I can put the SSD in a dock
please have a look at the link in my first post

cannot thank you enough

 

[Amethyst1]

but what kind of format

"GUID Partition Table and "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" but that’s the default on macOS so you don’t have to worry about that.

UPDATE: If you're running High Sierra, "GUID Partition Table" and "APFS" is recommended for SSDs.

and you mean copy like in win doze terms copy n paste ?

You need to make a bootable clone using e.g. Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!.
(Copy-n-Paste is no good for that.)

I think I can put the SSD in a dock

That’s good. Is it a dock where you put in the SSD and it connects to the computer via USB? If so, you can put it in there, attach it to the iMac externally via USB and clone the internal hard drive to it.

 

[winnie_beex]

please accept one an a half million thanks

 

[TheShortTimer]

As usual @Amethyst1 gives solid advice. If you follow their recommendations you shouldn't have any issues.

the SSD comes with a frame and some cables
I think I can put the SSD in a dock
please have a look at the link in my first post

I've had a look at the link and the drive is a standard type so there's nothing to worry about on that front. You'll just need a 2.5 HDD/SSD to USB enclosure. They can found very cheaply and easily on eBay.

 

[winnie_beex]

thank you most kindly

 

[TheShortTimer]

thank you most kindly

You're welcome. Let us know how you get on and ask for help/info if you need it.

Enjoy your Mac.

 

[MysticCow]

thank you both

but what kind of format - for want of a better word - I remember journaled but not the other ones
it has to be bootable , right ?
and you mean copy like in win doze terms copy n paste ?

the SSD comes with a frame and some cables
I think I can put the SSD in a dock
please have a look at the link in my first post

cannot thank you enough

If it's a 2011 model, it can run High Sierra (10.13), and that means you could and maybe should format as APFS. It's supposed to take better advantage of an SSD when formatted as APFS, but your mileage may vary.

My 2011 mini runs with APFS and 10.13.

 

[Amethyst1]

If it's a 2011 model, it can run High Sierra (10.13), and that means you could and maybe should format as APFS.

Good catch!

 

[winnie_beex]

it runs now Sierra , but I've never heard of APFS
is it in the menu where all "types -for want of a better word"- of formatting ?
for the moment I have only Adobe shop and Light Room , them versions in cloud , and Capture one , which is heavy on resources
ordered a book Sierra something from Amazon and they say it's on the come for about three weeks

my intention is to format and partition the SSD 1 Tera in two
one for OS 300 Gb give or take and one for library of my pics and an image I could use to restore in case my lack of knowledge leads to disaster

most kind thanks for showing me a apparently superior set of configuration

 

[MysticCow]

is it in the menu where all "types -for want of a better word"- of formatting ?

Yes. You will have to boot from a USB installer and reformat (read: erase) the SSD using Disc Utility.

Check out The High Sierra Thread to see how to make a USB installer.

 

[winnie_beex]

thank you ki9ndly

 

[Amethyst1]

my intention is to format and partition the SSD 1 Tera in two
one for OS 300 Gb give or take and one for library of my pics and an image I could use to restore in case my lack of knowledge leads to disaster

The problem with keeping a backup image on the same drive as the original data is… if the drive fails the backup is gone too.

I’d consider purchasing an external hard drive (or empty enclosure if you want to reuse your iMac’s “old” hard drive for this purpose) and using that for backup.

As for which interface to use for the external drive…
USB: cheapest, slowest
FireWire 800: more expensive, faster
Thunderbolt 1 or 2: most expensive and hard to find, fastest

 

[winnie_beex]

silly me you're quite right & I cannot thank you enough

 

[reevescajr]

From another old guy, I recommend a dedicated external drive enclosure. Here is one, but as has been said, it might be a little slow: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-mercury-elite-pro Click on the link on that page for one that also has Firewire 800, which will be faster. According to the Apple page I pulled up, your 2011 iMac should have a FW 800 port. Thunderbolt costs a lot more.

 

[Amethyst1]

According to the Apple page I pulled up, your 2011 iMac should have a FW 800 port.

It does.

Thunderbolt costs a lot more.

And on top of that, drive enclosures with a Thunderbolt 1 or 2 port are much less common than Thunderbolt 3 ones, and attaching a TB3 device to a TB1/TB2 Mac requires an adapter and, if it isn't powered, a way to supply with it power since the adapter can't do it.

So... FireWire 800 is the way to go for pre-2012 Macs, with USB 2.0 as a fallback solution. Yes, you can add USB 3.0 to a 2011 Mac... at additonal cost.