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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > 10.7 Lion: If 2 drives have recovery partition already, can I clone boot partition?

10.7 Lion: If 2 drives have recovery partition already, can I clone boot partition?
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Eug
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Aug 20, 2011, 11:04 AM
 
So here's my situation. I have a MacBook Pro which I just put a 64 GB SSD in. It rocks. In fact it rocks so much I'm removing it and putting it in my Windows 7 laptop and getting a bigger lower power one for the MBP.

However, I just finished installing all my software on the MacBook Pro SSD. It would be a LOT easier to replace the drive simply by cloning the boot partition over. What I'd do is this:

1. Take out the existing 64 GB SSD with all my software on it.
2. Put in the new 128 GB SSD.
3. Install Snow Leopard and then Lion on the new 128 GB SSD. That would mean it has the recovery partition, etc.
4. Clone the Lion boot partition from the 64 GB SSD to the new 128 GB SSD.

Is that safe to do? Note that my Lion install is already at 10.7.1.

The other option, if possible, is to run with no recovery partition at all.
     
exca1ibur
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Aug 20, 2011, 11:19 AM
 
GIve this a shot it should do just what you want.

Carbon Copy Cloner
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 20, 2011, 11:37 AM
 
Thanks, but my understanding is that CCC will only clone the boot partition. My question is whether or not doing that is safe onto a drive that already has a pre-existing recovery partition.

ie. If I want to maintain the recovery partition, do I need to start from scratch from Snow Leopard? Or can I simply replace the boot partition while keeping the recovery partition intact?
     
P
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Aug 20, 2011, 12:47 PM
 
CCC will clone any partition - or part of a partition. It works at the file level - just select what you want, set it off, and it will do the copy.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
gradient
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Aug 20, 2011, 01:03 PM
 
Originally Posted by P View Post
CCC will clone any partition - or part of a partition. It works at the file level - just select what you want, set it off, and it will do the copy.
According to their documentation, CCC can't clone the Recovery Partition.
     
Person Man
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Aug 20, 2011, 01:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
So here's my situation. I have a MacBook Pro which I just put a 64 GB SSD in. It rocks. In fact it rocks so much I'm removing it and putting it in my Windows 7 laptop and getting a bigger lower power one for the MBP.

However, I just finished installing all my software on the MacBook Pro SSD. It would be a LOT easier to replace the drive simply by cloning the boot partition over. What I'd do is this:

1. Take out the existing 64 GB SSD with all my software on it.
2. Put in the new 128 GB SSD.
3. Install Snow Leopard and then Lion on the new 128 GB SSD. That would mean it has the recovery partition, etc.
4. Clone the Lion boot partition from the 64 GB SSD to the new 128 GB SSD.

Is that safe to do? Note that my Lion install is already at 10.7.1.

The other option, if possible, is to run with no recovery partition at all.
You should be able to do exactly what you're describing without problems. If the 128 GB SSD already has the recovery partition on it you can clone the boot partition from the 64 GB SSD to it and all will function correctly.
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 20, 2011, 01:51 PM
 
OK thx a bunch.

However, does the recovery partition change between 10.7.0 and 10.7.1?

What I will do just to be safe is update my clean install of 10.7 on the new SSD to 10.7.1, in case there has been a slight change in the data of the recovery partition in 10.7.1. Then I will copy my current 10.7.1 install over.

--

Too bad my Windows install isn't going to be that straightforward. I have tried a few programs, and copying a 160 GB partition to a 64 partition is a major problem. I can't do a sector-by-sector copy, and the the non-sector copy software I've tried has failed. I guess I'll just have to use the recovery discs and reinstall everything.
     
Cold Warrior
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Aug 20, 2011, 02:55 PM
 
You can use Windows 7 disk management to shrink your volume. As long as your system and files don't actually occupy close to 64 GB, it'll let you shrink the C drive to a custom size.
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 20, 2011, 03:05 PM
 
Thanks but I shrank it from 250 to 160 (which was the smallest), which allowed me to move it over to my old MBP's 160 GB 5400 rpm drive. I tried shrinking again, but it wouldn't go any further. However, it turns out the Kingston V Series SSD I got (which is a retail 2.5" drive with full desktop adapter kit) came with some cloning software too. I'll give that a shot.

Meanwhile, Disk Utility is happily copying Snow Leopard from my 440 GB USB backup partition to the 128 GB SSD now. Soooo... much easier.
     
amazing
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Aug 20, 2011, 03:36 PM
 
The way you're reinstalling on new bare SSD may be the only way to get the Recovery Partition--for example, Apple's USB installer won't install the Recovery Partition.

Considering that the Recovery Partition has to be present if you're intending to use Filevault, that's a bad thing.

Plus, Apple isn't going to tell us whether there are changes in the Recovery Partition from 10.7 to 10.7.1?
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 20, 2011, 04:42 PM
 
So here what it looks like booting into a clean install of 10.6.8 on the SSD.

13 second boot, with no spinning wheel
     
amazing
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Aug 20, 2011, 05:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
So here what it looks like booting into a clean install of 10.6.8 on the SSD.

13 second boot, with no spinning wheel
Congrats! Like having a new laptop!
     
Waragainstsleep
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Aug 20, 2011, 06:14 PM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
Apple's USB installer won't install the Recovery Partition.
Are you sure about that?
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
CharlesS
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Aug 20, 2011, 06:31 PM
 
Just image the recovery partition to a DVD-R or USB stick. Apple even provides a tool to do this. Lion should boot and run just fine without the partition.

Ticking sound coming from a .pkg package? Don't let the .bom go off! Inspect it first with Pacifist. Macworld - five mice!
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 21, 2011, 10:48 PM
 
Cool. I didn't actually know that:

Lion Recovery Disk Assistant

Now I have a use for my 2 GB Secure Digital card.

EDIT:

Nope SD cards are not supported. Doh!
( Last edited by Eug; Aug 22, 2011 at 01:22 AM. )
     
amazing
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Aug 22, 2011, 01:28 PM
 
Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep View Post
Are you sure about that?
Yes. Here's the Important note from the tech details about the thumb drive:

OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive - Apple Store (U.S.)

"Important Note

When you install OS X Lion using the USB thumb drive, you will not be able to reinstall OS X Lion from Lion Recovery. You will need to use the USB thumb drive to reinstall OS X Lion."

I can't find the actual Apple Support piece where I originally saw a clear statement that the thumb drive didn't even install the recovery partition. Should've bookmarked it... The discussion around the USB thumb drive indicates that since the USB thumb installation doesn't involve an Apple ID, you don't get the Recovery Partition. Don't know if that's the reason???
     
Eug  (op)
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Aug 22, 2011, 09:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by Eug View Post
Cool. I didn't actually know that:

Lion Recovery Disk Assistant

Now I have a use for my 2 GB Secure Digital card.

EDIT:

Nope SD cards are not supported. Doh!
Actually, I have found out that you can use SD cards, with a small workaround.

If you launch the Apple Recovery Disk Utility, and stick an SD card in the SD slot of my MacBook Pro, it the app won't recognize the SD card. It will recognize other USB devices and USB external drives no problem. However, if you stick the SD card into a USB SD reader and then plug that reader in, the Recovery Disk Assistant recognizes it just fine as an external disk and can make a Recovery Disk from it.

Once the Recovery Disk is made, the SD card becomes invisible to the Finder. Plug it in and it won't mount - hidden just like the Recovery Disk on the hard drive. You can see it in Disk Utility though, unlike that extra hard drive partition.

However, the good news is that you can boot off it in the SD card slot of the MacBook Pro, to launch the Recovery Disk.

---

Cliff notes: To make a Recovery Disk on an SD card:

1) Launch the Apple Recovery Disk Assistant.
2) Plug in a USB media reader, and plug the SD card into the media reader.
3) Select the SD card to make the Recovery Disk.
4) Profit!
     
   
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