Upgrade SSD to larger size

[Jackietools]

Need some guidance. I currently have a 500 GB in my MacBook Pro Mid 2013. My daughter needs it for school and I don’t need any data on it. I want to a clean install of a 1 TB SSD and have it registered to her. How and what order of steps should I proceed to do? Thanks

 

[geofelt]

The really easy way is to buy a Samsung 1tb drive that will fit in the mac.
Also buy a usb to sata adapter cable, about $15.
Use the Samsung ssd migration tool to copy your C drive to the 1tb drive.
When done, replace the 500gb ssd with the 1tb ssd.
You would then probably want to delete anything that should not be there.
Google should find a video of the mechanical process.
One problem I found with laptops is in finding all of the drivers that are necessary and compatible.
Apple is a bit strange to me so I do not know how easy it will be for you.

If you go the clean reinstall route you should have no reactivation issues since any license will be tied to the laptop motherboard.

 

[Jackietools]

The really easy way is to buy a Samsung 1tb drive that will fit in the mac.
Also buy a usb to sata adapter cable, about $15.
Use the Samsung ssd migration tool to copy your C drive to the 1tb drive.
When done, replace the 500gb ssd with the 1tb ssd.
You would then probably want to delete anything that should not be there.
Google should find a video of the mechanical process.
One problem I found with laptops is in finding all of the drivers that are necessary and compatible.
Apple is a bit strange to me so I do not know how easy it will be for you.

If you go the clean reinstall route you should have no reactivation issues since any license will be tied to the laptop motherboard.

I have everything I need but I do not want to clone the 500 go to the 1 tb SSD. I want a clean install on the new 1 TB drive. So I can just remove the 500 go ssd then install the new 1 TB drive and download and activate it? I read something about having to make a bootable USB for that.

 

[geofelt]

Assuming this is windows 10, go to Microsoft and download to a usb stick the current version of windows 10.

Replace the 500gb with the 1tb drive.
Boot from the usb stick and install windows.
You will get generic windows drivers.
Go to the mac support site and find the appropriate drivers for your particular laptop.
Windows should automatically recognize this as a simple reinstall and activate.
If necessary, the activation code should be on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop or sometimes in a removeable battery compartment.

 

[velocityg4]

I have everything I need but I do not want to clone the 500 go to the 1 tb SSD. I want a clean install on the new 1 TB drive. So I can just remove the 500 go ssd then install the new 1 TB drive and download and activate it? I read something about having to make a bootable USB for that.

Just boot into recovery mode, wipe the SSD with Disk Utility and reinstall OS X to the new drive. Once done you can restore via Migration Assistant. It's really quite simple.

https/support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

You can put the SSD in and boot into internet recovery or leave it attached to the USB and use the recovery partition from the old drive to do the install. It doesn't really matter. If you want to boot off the recovery partition. Hold down the option key by itself when booting and select "Recovery HD". Rather than one of the options in the article. Everything else is the same.

 

[Jackietools]

Assuming this is windows 10, go to Microsoft and download to a usb stick the current version of windows 10.

Replace the 500gb with the 1tb drive.
Boot from the usb stick and install windows.
You will get generic windows drivers.
Go to the mac support site and find the appropriate drivers for your particular laptop.
Windows should automatically recognize this as a simple reinstall and activate.
If necessary, the activation code should be on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop or sometimes in a removeable battery compartment.

Don’t think you have a clue. This is a Mac. Who mentioned Windows.

 

[Jackietools]

I have everything I need but I do not want to clone the 500 go to the 1 tb SSD. I want a clean install on the new 1 TB drive. So I can just remove the 500 go ssd then install the new 1 TB drive and download and activate it? I read something about having to make a bootable USB for that.

Just boot into recovery mode, wipe the SSD with Disk Utility and reinstall OS X to the new drive. Once done you can restore via Migration Assistant. It's really quite simple.

https/support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

You can put the SSD in and boot into internet recovery or leave it attached to the USB and use the recovery partition from the old drive to do the install. It doesn't really matter. If you want to boot off the recovery partition. Hold down the option key by itself when booting and select "Recovery HD". Rather than one of the options in the article. Everything else is the same.

You are telling me I can remove the 500 go, install the 1 TB and just reinstall High Sierra? Wouldn’t I need the USB bootable thumb drive to do this?

 

[Jackietools]

Assuming this is windows 10, go to Microsoft and download to a usb stick the current version of windows 10.

Replace the 500gb with the 1tb drive.
Boot from the usb stick and install windows.
You will get generic windows drivers.
Go to the mac support site and find the appropriate drivers for your particular laptop.
Windows should automatically recognize this as a simple reinstall and activate.
If necessary, the activation code should be on a sticker on the bottom of the laptop or sometimes in a removeable battery compartment.

Nevermind figured out. First you have to create a USB bootable drive so obviously, you have to use the drive that is presently installed. Once you do that swap to the new drive and with the USB plugged in you reinstall Mac OS to the new drive.

 

[velocityg4]

You are telling me I can remove the 500 go, install the 1 TB and just reinstall High Sierra? Wouldn’t I need the USB bootable thumb drive to do this?

Macs use internet recovery. According to Apple. If you've ever installed 10.12.4 or later. If you boot a Mac using Option-Command-R it will load the installer for the latest compatible version of macOS for that Mac from the internet. I've done internet recovery several times on client computers and it's worked fine. Although it's been for purposes of a repair install in my uses.

Your current Mac also has a recovery partition. Don't let the name fool you. This contains a full vanilla installer of the macOS you have installed. So, you don't even need the Internet. Just hold the "option" key when you boot and select "Recovery HD". This will load you into the macOS recovery partition. From there you can wipe the new SSD if it is plugged into a USB or Thunderbolt enclosure using Disk Utility. Then quit Disk Utility and select Reinstall to install macOS. As long as you select the new SSD it will perform a clean install of macOS exactly the same as if you used internet recovery, DVD or USB flash drives.

In some ways macOS is not as finicky about installs as Windows. It doesn't matter if you set it up first as a USB drive. Just unplug it and install it internally. It will boot just the same. You could even install it on another Mac of a completely different model and generation, unplug it and plug it into another Mac and boot. The OS is pretty portable.

I haven't tested the scenario of removing a drive and installing the latest via recovery though. As I keep an installer USB Flash drive partitioned with all the major Intel versions of OS X with model cut offs. Since it is faster than internet recovery and they may have a slow connection.