# replace HD macbook pro w/out OS disks



## gabevanlelyveld (Apr 20, 2007)

Hi,

I bought a macbook pro (3rd gen) on ebay w/out the OS (10.6) disks. I have been using time machine and want to upgrade to a larger HD. Is it possible to do this without the OS disks? If so, how?

Thanks in advance, Gabe


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## JMPC (Jan 15, 2011)

If you're able to connect both the new and old disk at the same time you could use something like Acronis True Image to image the current drive to the new drive.


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

Not sure if Acronis works on Macs, but Carbon Copy Cloner is what I use to do just as you want. It's even one of their 'features'. And best yet, it's free. As for getting an OS disk, with 10.6 at only $30, it seems foolish to not buy it. When upgrading to a new disk, it is always best to start fresh. But with that said, CCC works awesome at copying everything from your old disk to the new disk. You need an external enclosure for the new hard disk, Firewire is best but USB 2 will also be fine. Put the drive in it, plug it into the MacBook, and then turn everything on. Go ahead and let the OS format the hard drive, then launch CCC and use it to make a bootable clone of your internal hard drive to the external hard drive, and when it's done, turn everything off, swap the hard drive, and turn the MacBook back on, and it should boot. Remember to open the System Preferences and go to Startup Disk and select your internal hard drive. This will help keep any boot problems in the future to a minimal.


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## gabevanlelyveld (Apr 20, 2007)

Thanks for the replies, I'll try CCC and report back.

-Gabe


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