Installing New Drive Clean Install Q

[deeve]

I am installing a new HDD in my macbook pro to give me a little more storage room. I want to do a clean install and migrate over all my old apps and whatnot. I am running 10.8.2. What is the easiest way to do this? I wanted to do it this evening, but my USB drive is 4.0 GB and too small for a startup device. Can I Command R reboot and install OS 10.8 to the new drive then use Migration Assistant to bring my apps over or what would the correct/best way to do that?

DAVE

 

[justperry]

How do you want to migrate if you don't have a backup drive, you need an external casing at least to put the old drive inside to migrate, so if you have one put the new drive in that one first and Use Carbon Copy Cloner to copy your running system to the new drive.
Then when finished put the new drive inside and it's ready to go.

 

[deeve]

I do have an enclosure for the drive...one or the other. Would the above method be a new install? I would like to start with a fresh, clean 10.8 and just bring over the apps.

I should have been clearer...sorry. I have a new 500GB drive and want to move the docs, pics, movies and apps over to the new drive. Would like to install a fresh copy of 10.8.3 just to remove all the odds and ends that have accumulated over the past 3-4 years.
DAVE

 

[justperry]

I do have an enclosure for the drive...one or the other. Would the above method be a new install? I would like to start with a fresh, clean 10.8 and just bring over the apps.

I should have been clearer...sorry. I have a new 500GB drive and want to move the docs, pics, movies and apps over to the new drive. Would like to install a fresh copy of 10.8.3 just to remove all the odds and ends that have accumulated over the past 3-4 years.
DAVE

You should be able to startup in recovery still with the internal inside, then install OS X on the new HD installed in the external casing, when it is done move the new drive into the Mac and startup from it, you then can use Migration Assistant to import your Applications.

Be aware to choose the external new one, not the internal, otherwise you'll wipe the wrong disk.

Before copying the Applications run Software Update first to have it Up to date.

 

[deeve]

Perfect! That is what I was hoping to hear. Thank you very much.

DAVE

 

[deeve]

You should be able to startup in recovery still with the internal inside, then install OS X on the new HD installed in the external casing, when it is done move the new drive into the Mac and startup from it, you then can use Migration Assistant to import your Applications.

Be aware to choose the external new one, not the internal, otherwise you'll wipe the wrong disk.

Before copying the Applications run Software Update first to have it Up to date.

Probably a dumb question, but will the new install on the new drive recreate a recovery drive too?

 

[justperry]

Probably a dumb question, but will the new install on the new drive recreate a recovery drive too?

I am pretty sure it will, you can check afterwards by going into Disk Utilities, enable show all devices(or partitions) and look if it's there.

 

[mwhities]

Using CCC will migrate the restore partition too.

 

[Weaselboy]

Probably a dumb question, but will the new install on the new drive recreate a recovery drive too?

Yes it will. You can see it by typing "diskutil list" (without the quotes) in Terminal.