Moving to SSD HD

[Raidersmojo]

I want to move to an SSD HD, but how do you move OS X over and use your main harddrive for audio, videos, etc? I have never used terminal and would not like to go that route. Whats the best way to do it if you're not very good at that kind of stuff?

I assume it would not be to hard to do, but what are some suggestions of threads or whatever to look into?

I have a 60 GB OWC SSD in my 1,1 mac pro.

 

[gglockner]

There are two options:

Option 1: Keep your home folder on the hard drive:
Step 1. Create a new admin account and login to that account
Step 2. Using Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper, clone everything but the home folder from your main account to the SSD
Step 3. In Users & Groups, right-click on your regular account, and set the Home directory to the hard drive

Option 2: Keep your home folder on the SSD and keep the large files (photos, movies, music, etc.) on the hard drive
Step 1: Using Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper, clone everything but the folders you want to keep on the hard drive
Step 2: Setup iTunes, iPhoto etc. to find the libraries on the hard drive.

 

[VanneDC]

3rd option, if your looking at a new install (i did it this way)

reinstall the OS on the SSD

setup the HD as 1 partition, osx journald.

Copy your home folder across to the new HD.

go to prefrences/accounts

unlock the padlock.

right click on your user account (advance options)

choose your new home directory (browse there) and then after a reboot it will change into your little house icon..

done.

 

[odinsride]

For even better performance you could keep the User Library folder on the SSD and make a symlink to it in the home folder on your HD

 

[Raidersmojo]

For even better performance you could keep the User Library folder on the SSD and make a symlink to it in the home folder on your HD

How complicated is doing that? I don't know my way around terminal to well (it'd be my first time opening it). I can just see myself screwing something up. haha.

 

[odinsride]

How complicated is doing that? I don't know my way around terminal to well (it'd be my first time opening it). I can just see myself screwing something up. haha.

I'll try to write up the instructions for you, it's not that complicated:

1. Move your user folder to storage drive, keeping your Library folder on your SSD. It's easier to just move one folder at a time (Documents, Downloads, Pictures, etc).

2. Open a terminal and do the following:

cd /Volumes/Storage/New/User/Folder/Location
ln -s ~/Library Library

You may need to use sudo in front of the ln command, I can't remember.

3. In User Accounts from Sys Prefs, update the path to your user folder to point to the new location

 

[octomac]

I used a 128GB ssd and 2TB HDD ... followed the instructions on the link below:

http://macintoshhowto.com/hardware/how-to-speed-up-your-mac-with-a-ssd-drive.html

Seems to work well. Using a 3TB external to back everything up.