FAQ: How to install Mac OS X on a new hard drive yourself. How to reinstall OS X on a new hard drive without Internet Recovery How to install iOS on a new hard drive

So there will be no excess disk space. There will always be something to fill it with.

Apple offers custom configuration options for its laptops and desktops with increased RAM/HDD/SSD capacity, but charges twice as much for the components as they cost if you buy them yourself. In addition, in Russian and Ukrainian realities, ordering a custom configuration costs a pretty penny, in addition to the increased cost of “branded” hardware. Although, it is the same branded one as purchased from any well-known company that sells computer components. Is it better tested and contains the latest version of Firmare, which is important in the case of an SSD, but more on that later.

In any case, if in the USA an HDD upgrade costs $100, then in Russia or Ukraine it will cost all of $150, or even $200 as part of ordering an individual PC configuration. The conclusion is simple - in the case of a MacBook or MacBook Pro, it is much cheaper to change the equipment yourself. Unfortunately, this does not apply to the MacBook Air. In it, the RAM is soldered into the motherboard, and an SSD of this format is difficult to find on sale for reasonable money, plus a special and rare screwdriver is required for disassembly - Pentalobe (5-petal flower). Today I would like to talk about replacing the drive in a MacBook Pro, I’ll talk a little about upgrading RAM and ways to quickly transfer personal data from an old HDD/SSD to a new one.

A clone is better than a backup

The test subject is a 15-inch MacBook Pro from 2011. “Lion”, aka OS X, has already settled on it, but I have not yet switched to using it, Snow Leopard is enough, plus this is a temporary laptop for me, provided by a good friend until the latest generation one I ordered arrives. That is, it is undesirable to somehow change the composition of the software on its HDD, so that if necessary, everything can be quickly returned to its original form. Thus, we will start upgrading the drive, one might say, from the end - with the transfer of personal data. This will save significant time.

On the Windows platform, there are third-party utilities for complete cloning of the system and other partitions, although in Windows 7 such a function was already built into the system. In Mac OS X, the standard Disk Utility was able to do this from the very first releases. Moreover, everything is implemented very simply, even a beginner will understand. The only problem may arise when connecting a built-in 2.5-inch drive to the laptop via USB. There are several options for solving it. I used the external HDD pocket shown in the photo above, and a proprietary hard drive inherited from the old MacBok Pro, and decided to work with it instead of the temporary laptop drive. An external pocket is a relatively inexpensive thing and is useful in households for storing media content on capacious hard drives, instead of optical disks. In terms of price per gigabyte, HDDs are already approaching DVDs. You can also tear up an old USB drive and use its contents. On the other hand, some devices of this kind can be easily disassembled, and you won’t have to break anything. The last method is not very convenient, but it is possible and, in principle, it will still be simpler than the standard procedure for transferring data when changing the internal drive, which we will talk about later.

A standard external USB drive of sufficient capacity is used - a clone of the system partition is made on it, then the HDD in the laptop is changed, the device is assembled and turned on with the Alt (Option) button held down, after which the choice of volume to boot will appear. Naturally, an external drive is indicated. After the system boots from it, the reverse cloning operation is performed using Disk Utility. In addition, all this can be done if you have a Mac OS X boot disk. If you boot from it, you will also be able to launch “Disk Utility” (located in the utilities section, in the top menu) and carry out all the same operations as in the environment OS X

Pay attention to the screenshot above. It clearly shows what needs to be done to completely clone the system partition. In particular, you should launch “Disk Utility”, select any drive and go to the “Recover” section. In the “Source” field, using the Drag-and-drop method, the current system partition is dragged - a clone will be made from it; in the “Destination” field, a new drive is dragged if it was connected via USB, or any external HDD, but it should be remembered that all data on it will be deleted. That is, it is worth taking care of their preservation in advance. It is imperative to check the “Clear destination” option, which involves not simply deleting data (if any), but also formatting the partition in the desired format (Mac OS Extended (Journaled)). After everything is selected, click the “Restore” button. In my case, about 100 GB of data was copied in just over an hour, although the system initially indicated that it would take all of three hours.

Naturally, all these operations are carried out similarly with an SSD, if the user decides to install this type of drive instead of an HDD. By the way, the right decision - the increase in performance is huge and much more noticeable than increasing RAM from 4 to 8 GB. The only caveat is that you may have to update the SSD firmware to implement support for the TRIM command. It was originally present in Windows 7, and appeared in Mac OS X starting with the release 10.6.8. A very useful command for solid-state drives, which allows you to avoid a significant decrease in device performance when it is full and used for a long time. In general, before installing an SSD, I would like to advise you to first read thematic forums and decide on the model. Intel offers some of the best options on the market.

RAM is easy to expand

Well, the drive is ready, it's time to disassemble the laptop. I recommend placing it upside down on something soft - a microfiber cloth or a neoprene case, as in my case. To remove the cover you will need a Philips 0 screwdriver. The bolts take some effort to unscrew, as they contain a sealant (blue blots on the thread). As you remove them, it is advisable to arrange them on the table in the same pattern as they are located in the laptop, since there are several parts that differ in length.

The bottom cover may not give in the first time - it fits very tightly and precisely. You should not use brute force; just gently pull it up from the side of the display hinge. As a result, the following picture will appear:

In the 13-inch model everything is very similar, except that there is only one fan. There is access to the HDD and RAM too. Before getting into the inside of a computer, it is necessary to remove static charge from the body so as not to damage delicate electronic components. You can touch a metal part inside the laptop, such as the optical drive housing, or touch a metal faucet in the bathroom or kitchen. If you want to change the memory, just move the antennae along the edges of the slot, the RAM strips will rise on their own and will be easy to remove. Install the new ones carefully and tightly: insert the bar at an angle into the connector (the angle is the same as when removing the part), slightly press forward so that it fits into it, then lower the RAM down until it clicks. Make sure that the latches end up directly opposite the corresponding cutouts in the memory strips. I personally came across a situation where a person simply did not insert the RAM into the slot, but was able to lower it to a horizontal position. Actually put the slats on top. The result was as expected; the PC did not start without RAM. Although this was in the Mac mini, the design of the connectors and fasteners for RAM there is identical to that in a laptop.

I will add that Apple previously recommended disconnecting the battery when replacing components, although this was at a time when laptops were equipped with a removable battery (models produced before 2008 inclusive). You can disconnect the power connector now, as I did when I changed the HDD and RAM in 2009 in my new 13-inch Proshka at that time, but, as practice has shown, this is unnecessary. And there are no instructions in this regard in the official instructions. A good friend is a technical specialist at an official reseller of Apple equipment, and without disconnecting the battery, he replaced dozens of memory sticks and drives, no problems arose, the main thing is to remember to completely turn off the laptop before doing this, and not put it into sleep mode, and also remove the static charge.

With a storage device there is a little more hassle

Now let's move on to the HDD. It is not screwed tightly to the laptop, but lies in a special seat. To remove the drive, unscrew the plastic strip at the edge of the drive (on the optical drive side). A Philips 0 screwdriver is also used.

After this, you need to pull the strap and carefully remove the drive, disconnect the connector - it can be easily removed.

There are four bolts with a Torx 6 head screwed into the sides of the HDD. You should take care in advance to look for such a screwdriver or attachment, since you won’t be able to pick them out with a small flat or Phillips head, the bolts are tightly seated. We unscrew them from the old drive, screw them to the new one, everything is simple.

The plastic strap can be re-glued onto a new HDD or SSD - it can easily withstand a dozen such operations without losing its adhesive properties.

After that, we connect the connector in place, place the HDD in its mounting bed and screw on the plastic strip. Well, here you go, everything is ready:

As they say, it’s better to see it live once than to read it 100 times, so I suggest watching a video of the entire process filmed by a foreign colleague with the nickname JaymarkTech:

Pay attention to the bottom cover; dust may collect on it and should be removed.

If the system partition was cloned to the new drive in advance, then you can turn on the laptop and enjoy the update. Otherwise, you'll have to use a Mac OS X boot disk and a Time Machine backup (or the USB drive option described above). The procedure is simple, but takes longer than cloning a system partition through Disk Utility.

You should boot from the installation system disk, run Disk Utility, split the drive into partitions if you wish, or use one partition and format it in Mac OS Extended (journaled) format. After this, you can begin installing Mac OS X. Then it is advisable to install all system updates through the “Software Update” function and you can roll up a Time Machine backup. In the case of OS X Lion, loading (similarly, via holding down the Alt button) is performed from a hidden partition previously created on any flash drive. For this purpose there is a proprietary free program Lion Recovery Disk Assistant. Next, the system is installed from the Mac App Store, that is, an Internet connection is required to download about 3.5 GB of data. As a result, a planned restoration from a backup follows, as described above. But, it’s still easier to clone the disk first than to mess around with manually installing the OS and transferring data from a Time Machine backup.

That's all, actually. There is nothing complicated about this - try it, and you, dear readers, will definitely succeed.

After replacing the hard drive (if you bought a new one or the old one broke) on your old Mac, you can install the current version of OS X on it without having to use the standard system recovery function (from disk or via the Internet).

As you know, all Mac models released after 2010 include support for Internet Recovery, which includes everything you need to reinstall OS X, troubleshoot disk problems, and even restore from a Time Machine backup without using optical media.

Internet Recovery is a convenient solution, since sometimes a damaged (or clean) hard drive does not allow you to run system recovery in the usual way.

However, if your Mac was released before 2010, and even if it already has one of the latest versions of OS X installed, then it does not have Internet Recovery, which can lead to some problems when replacing the hard drive or installing software.

However, if you need to install a new HDD, you can also connect the old one to your computer and boot the system from it, and then use a cloning tool to transfer data from the old disk to the new one. However, if the HDD is damaged, this method may not work.

But the problem can still be solved, and in at least two ways. The first is to install OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard on your Mac, either from the optical disc that came with your computer or from an installation DVD purchased separately. After completing the installation of this version, you will need to update it, for which the computer will connect to the App Store, from where you can download the previously purchased version of Mountain Lion.

This procedure involves installing and updating the system. But if the task is only to install the latest version of OS X, then for this you should create an external recovery disk, which can later be used to restore the system. If you have already performed similar actions with the new OS X, then you may already have such a disk. Otherwise, you'll need a computer running OS X Mountain Lion and Recovery Disk Assistant to create a mirror of the recovery system on the new drive.

Connect the recovery disk created in this way to your Mac, and then restart the computer while holding down the Option button on the keyboard. The disk should appear in the boot menu, select it and continue the boot process until the OS X tools window appears, with which you can now format the new HDD and reinstall OS X.

Important nuance Note: If you are reinstalling this way and your computer did not come with Mountain Lion, you will need a valid Apple ID associated with your copy of Mountain Lion. You will need an Apple ID to log into the App Store and download the Mountain Lion installer from the Recovery disc.

If you want to see on our website answers to your questions about everything related to Apple technology, the Mac OS X operating system (and its launch on a PC), write to us via or.

We received the following question:

tell me how to do it yourself
install the system on a new hard drive
disk. Thank you

There is nothing fundamentally difficult about this. You only need the Mac OS X installation disk. The procedure is as follows:

• boot from the Mac OS X installation disk (insert the DVD into the drive, and when the computer starts, immediately hold down C until the apple appears)
• when the installation disk starts, select the language
• then in the top menu select the item Utilities - Disk Utility
• You should see your disk on the left, but there will be no partitions on it yet. Select the desired disk on the left, and in the right part of the window, go to the “Partition disk” tab:

• In the Volume Scheme drop-down list, select the number of partitions you need. Immediately click the “Options” button and make sure that “GUID Partition Scheme” is selected, because otherwise Mac OS X will not be able to install on this disk:

• you can resize the partitions as you wish (by default, all partitions are created equal in size). You can change partitions by moving the cursor over the border between partitions on the map shown below the “Volume Scheme” list, or by precisely setting the size of the partitions on the right side of the window.
• then give each section a clear label. Make sure that the partition on which you will install Mac OS X will be formatted as a "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" file system.
• then click “Apply” and wait until the disk is partitioned and formatted
• close Disk Utility. You will be taken back to the Mac OS X installation menu. Follow the steps of the installation wizard until you reach the drive selection screen. Of course, you will need to find the required partition there (that is why you needed to set the disk label).
• then the system installation will start, and you will no longer need to do anything. Just wait until your computer restarts.

Sooner or later the day comes when you need to reinstall the Mac OS operating system on your MacBook PC. This task is no more difficult than reinstalling Windows. This is what we will talk about.

operating system on MacBook

The reasons for reinstalling the MacOS operating system on a Mac computer are as follows:

• Damage or wear of the built-in storage device (HDD);
• selling or donating a MacBook to another person;
• “moving” to another MacBook (a newer model, but maintaining the previous version of the MacOS system);
• transferring data to Apple gadgets or to another computer.

What happens when reinstalling MacOS:

• “from scratch”, including formatting the built-in disk;
• reinstallation “on top”, preserving personal data and applications (macOS update).

For example, using the MacAppStore, you can upgrade your version of OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion to a newer version - OS X Mavericks.

Here are the steps to follow when selling or transferring your Mac to someone else. It deserves special mention.

1. Backup personal data from a MacBook to a separate media or cloud service.
2. Disabling special services and functionality that manage data copying and transfer.
3. Erase all personal information from the disk.

Attention! Before you start reinstalling MacOS on your MacBook PC, take the trouble to save all your data on an external drive! This will be discussed first.

Backing Up Data Using Time Machine

The Time Machine application is designed to backup personal files from a MacBook and restore them back to it. But it requires external USB drives (HDD, SDD drives) formatted in MacOS Extended or Xsan - FAT/NTFS file systems designed for Windows and Android are not supported. If the disk was previously formatted in FAT/NTFS formats, the MacBook will not accept it if you refuse to reformat it “for yourself.”

The Time Machine application is launched from the MacOS system preferences in the Apple menu. When you connect an external hard drive, a corresponding notification will appear.

Do you really want to destroy all data recorded on this drive in a different format?

If the external drive has already been formatted, the Time Machine application will give the go-ahead for its use. Confirm your request.

Do you really want to copy your data to this drive?

If Time Machine does not show disk selection, do the following.

Interestingly, backups in the Time Machine program are fully automated - the backup copy is “refreshed” hourly, and their storage is organized, so you won’t get lost in them. In addition, copying is also possible to an Apple server (like iCloud) and to local network storage that supports the Apple File Protocol. All this often helps, if you need to reinstall MacOS, to avoid losing precious working time.

After copying all your data, you can start reinstalling MacOS.

Reinstalling MacOS on Mac

There are several ways to reinstall the MacOS operating system on a MacBook: a “clean” installation from a flash drive, installation “over” a previous version (updating from MacAppStore) and restoring MacOS from a backup.

How to reinstall Mac OS from an installation flash drive

The preliminary steps are as follows.

1. Download the Mac OS X installation image from the Mac App Store or third-party sites.
2. Once the download is complete, right-click on the downloaded file and select “Show package contents.”
3. Go to the /Contents/SharedSupport/ folder, copy the InstallESD.dmg file to a safe location on your disk, and mount it to your MacOS desktop.

We will need the Disk Utility application included with MacOS. The next steps are as follows.

1. Launch MacOS Utilities and select Disk Utility.

   Select MacOS Disk Utility

2. Insert the USB flash drive that is intended to be installed.
3. Launch the “Our media” component (the name of the flash drive will appear in the title) - the “Partition the disk” tab will open.

   Give the drive a name that makes it easy to find

4. Select the partition layout and under the Options button, check “GUID Partition Scheme.”

   Click OK button

5. Open the "Recover" tab. Make the MacOS image the source, and the flash drive the “destination”, and click on the “Restore” button.

   Specify what and where to copy

Disk Utility will create an installation flash drive automatically, and it does this operation quite reliably. When copying is complete, Disk Utility will notify you.

Congratulations! The MacOS installation flash drive has been created! You can restart your MacBook. Preparing to install MacOS is as follows.

All! MacOS installation has started. The MacOS operating system will install automatically - this will take 30-100 minutes, depending on the performance of your MacBook. After it, your PC will be immediately ready for use.

How to install the system without formatting the internal drive

Installing MacOS without erasing the disk means downloading and installing MacOS updates directly from the MacAppStore. An installation flash drive is not needed here. This is reminiscent of updating iOS on smartphones and tablets over the air. This method is good for those who once bought a MacBook - and are not going to change it, but, on the contrary, will work on it for many years, because MacBook computers, like Apple iDevice gadgets, are very high quality, reliable and convenient.

Before updating, check whether your MacBook meets the hardware requirements of the new version of MacOS - otherwise it will slow down.

Not every previous version of MacOS can be updated to the desired version. So, if your MacBook is running macOS Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and your MacBook will run macOS Sierra, first upgrade to macOS X El Capitan.

The version of MacOS Sierra is taken as an example. Other copies are searched for and “installed” in exactly the same way. Your actions are as follows.

If you have OS X El Capitan 10.11.5 (or more recent), the macOS Sierra version downloads silently. You will then be prompted to install this version.

Click on the install button

During the installation of MacOS, the PC restarts several times. If this version does not suit you (the performance of the MacBook has dropped), “roll back” to the previous one (for example, OS X El Capitan), with which the PC performance was very satisfactory.

Restoring MacOS from a backup

For example, we take a “rollback” from MacOS Sierra (10.12) back to OS X El Capitan (10.11) or OS X Yosemite (10.10). Let's say there are backups made in the Time Machine application before installing MacOS Sierra.

Important! You can only restore a MacOS system from a backup to the same MacBook. Trying to transfer your copy of MacOS with data to another PC in this way is useless. Use other methods.

1. Connect your external drive to your MacBook and save your existing files to Time Machine, naming the new copy MacOS Sierra.
2. Open your previous copy of OS X Yosemite with Time Machine on a different drive after connecting it to your MacBook.
3. Restart your MacBook while holding Command+R on your keyboard. The familiar MacOS recovery menu will open.
4. From the OS X Utilities menu, select Restore from Time Machine Backup.
5. Once in the “Recover from Time Machine” recovery window, click on “Continue”, and then specify the source - the disk with the OS X El Capitan “backup”.
6. The saved copy should be: In the case of OS X El Capitan, the MacOS version should be 10.11.x. Click the Continue button. Specify the installation disk to restore from a copy, click on “Restore”.

Ready! The OS X El Capitan version will be reinstalled.

Transferring a copy of the operating system and your data to another MacBook

Go to Programs/Utilities and open Migration Assistant. The structure of your files and folders will be preserved.

Click to continue

When running, the application requires closing all other running programs.

If both computers are working, but you still want to duplicate your version of MacOS and all data on the second computer, connect the computers to each other using a LAN cable via a Wi-Fi wireless network. Connecting directly using a Thunderbolt or FireWire cable will require running your previous Mac in backup mode, which will make the Assistant experience a little more complicated. However, both methods work clearly. You can connect an external disk with a backup copy to the new PC instead of the previous PC - in this case, the operation of the Assistant on the new PC will not change significantly.

So, the procedure is as follows. As an example, we take the normal operating mode of a previous PC with “Assistant”.

All! The copy session has started. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the amount of data and the performance of both Macs.

Problems encountered when reinstalling MacOS

Problems when updating or “rolling back” may be as follows.

1. No recent backups. You once disabled backup yourself. Copy your files now to avoid losing them by starting the process manually. Enable backup.
2. An error occurred during the next backup or when restoring personal data from a previous copy. The external drive that was previously recorded is unsuitable for further use. Contact an Apple service center or certified computer repair shop to restore your data. This procedure is not free.
3. Error during the next MacOS update. Your Mac PC may no longer be supported. This happens once every few years. You will continue to use the current version of MacOS until you replace your Apple PC.
4. The computer began to work noticeably slower than before the update. The minimum system requirements of the next new version are equal to or exceed the technical specifications of your PC. “Roll back” to any previous version of MacOS. Typically, Apple tries to prevent this from happening - it simply stops supporting older computers, just as it is no longer possible to install iOS 10.x on iPhone 4x devices.
5. After several active years, your PC suddenly began to freeze despite the fact that you did not update MacOS. Maybe it's time to replace the internal HDD/SSD drive? Try to back up your important data before replacing the internal drive - while something is still being read from it.
6. It is impossible to “roll back” to one of the previously installed versions of MacOS. The “rollback” must be done gradually. If there are no previous backups, download a new “image” and “roll back” to this version first, and then repeat the “roll back” to an even earlier version of MacOS.

Video on the topic

Reinstalling MacOS - “on top” or “from scratch” - is not difficult. It is only important to secure your data. This is a real way to extend the life of your beloved MacBook for another number of years. You will succeed!

With its own pre-installed operating system Mac OS. Like all the company's products, it claims to be of exclusive quality and the use of advanced technologies. The following varieties are currently on sale:

• MacBook;
• MacBook Air;
• MacBook Pro.

Find out how to update your Mac's OS in the article below.

MacBook Pro is available in 13-inch and 15-inch sizes and in different specifications. All Mac models are equipped with Intel processors, the battery life without recharging is up to 10 or up to 12 hours.

The newest operating system currently used on Mac computers is Mac OS Sierra. Older versions of the OS can be updated for free via the Internet. The company's main advantage of the system is that it was created specifically for Mac equipment. Unlike Windows, which is installed on computers from a variety of manufacturers. By the way, now MacBook Pro and other models support the ability to install Windows.

MacBook Pro and others are sold with the system already installed. However, in some cases, you may need to install or reinstall Mac OS on your MacBook. It is necessary to distinguish between the terms:

• The installation is otherwise called a “clean” installation, which is performed on a blank (formatted) hard drive or on a new one.
• Reinstallation is when a new system is installed on top of the old one without full formatting and preserving user data.

The need to install and reinstall the Mac OS arises when there are serious problems with its operation or an unsuccessful update. Like Windows, it still leaves behind garbage, which over time leads to slowdowns, freezes and other troubles. We will consider these processes using the example of the latest operating system, namely Mac OS Sierra. For previous versions, such as Mac OS X, there will be essentially no differences, but it is still recommended to update to the latest version if your device supports it.

Operating system installation

A clean installation may be necessary if you decide to sell your laptop and need to permanently remove all data and Apple ID from it, or if there is a serious system problem. The installation algorithm on a MakBook Pro looks like this:

1. Data backup.
2. Creating a bootable USB flash drive.
3. System installation.

To back up your data, use an external drive and the Time Machine program, which automatically launches when you connect a removable drive. The utility will ask whether to use an external drive for backup, click “Use.” as a backup drive."

After the backup is complete, you need to make a bootable USB flash drive using disk utility:

The MacBook Pro itself will find the desired image on the flash drive and begin installing the Mac operating system. You just need to follow the instructions on the screen.

Reinstalling the operating system

You can reinstall the system from the OS recovery menu on Mac OS, which is called up by a key combination during boot:

• Command+R - reinstalls the latest version of the OS installed on the Mac, without updating to the latest.
• Option+Command+R - update to the latest compatible Mac OS.
• Shift+Option+Command+R - if macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or a newer version is already installed on your Mac, then pressing the combination will allow you to reinstall the OS that came with your Mac laptop.

After pressing these key combinations, a menu will appear in which you need to select “Reinstall Mac OS”. Next, do the following:

1. When the name Mac OS Sierra is displayed, click Next.
2. Select the drive on which the system will be installed (usually called Macintosh HD).
3. The system reinstallation will begin, after which the Mac laptop will boot as usual.

All data, including passwords and Apple ID, will be saved, as well as user data. But still create a backup copy before reinstalling, just in case. Reinstallation is also sometimes called recovery, as it often helps solve performance and performance problems. If the problems have not been corrected, then you can already try installing a system with formatting the boot disk on your MacBook, not forgetting to copy all the data to an external drive, because after this procedure they will all be deleted.