Time Machine/New HD

[ajchapinjr.com]

Hey all.

Got a new internal HD for my MacBook for Christmas. Can't wait to pop in 250gb and get rid of the ol' 80.

The problem: I need to transfer all of my data from one to the other.

I have an external HD, a 120GB firewire model.

Is it possible for me to run Time Machine, backup everything on to my external, switch out the internal drives, boot off of the external, and then copy the external to the 250gb?

...or what would you suggest?

Much appreciated.

 

[MacGuyver]

Time Machine wont work with Hard Drives over 100gigs.

 

[EricNau]

I wouldn't use Time Machine for that task.

You could use Carbon Copy Cloner to make an exact clone of your internal, then switch the internals, boot from the external, and then copy, just like you said.

 

[MacGuyver]

That won't work on Leopard.^

 

[byakuya]

or else you could use time machine on your 120gb then restore with your external (120) in combination with the leopard install dvd after the 250 drive is in..would be probably easier than copying everything back manually

 

[ajchapinjr.com]

NEW PROBLEM:
I used CCC to move everything from the original drive to the external. I then went to System Pref and set the bootup disc as the external.

I took out the original drive, popped in the 250. I turned on the MacBook, hit the OPTION key to bring up the bootable drives screen, selected the external...

...and now it sits at a gray screen with the Apple and the spinning disc. I tried it a few times...same result. The most recent time, I let it sit for about 10 minutes, and nothing happened. I'm sitting here at the gray screen letting it try to start up until I hear any ideas from the great MR Forum crew.

...advice?

 

[nikhsub1]

You need to format the new HD first... boot from the leopard install disk, format as HSF+ then you should be fine.

 

[Towhead]

What I would have done is put in the new drive, moved the old one to an external, installed Leopard onto the hard drive with necessary minimum options, and then performed a migrate from a different volume (the external). This way, your former drive gets to remain as a backup until you're sure your installed drive passes whatever test you have. Then you could just wipe the old drive and turn it into a time machine backup though the time between when you do this and are backed up you are vulnerable ...