Installing ML on SSD but storing files on HDD

[tot31]

Not really. That is the way I have it. I had them on different drives when I had small SSDs. Since the price has gone down I am able to keep everything on the same drive. It makes everything faster.

I have thought that too...having user account on the ssd won't give any side effect...

 

[cdd]

It is very possible.
You can go about it two ways.
If you already have user files in the SSD you can move them usign the command line (to preserve permissions since the finder copy can sometimes mess it up). The command would go something like this:
sudo cp -Rvp /Volumes/[Original hard Drive - SSD]/Users/[Username - Replace for the username] /Volumes/[New Hard drive]/Users/[Username - Replace for the username]
Once he copying completes, you need a different account with administrative privileges to modify the users home folder by opening Users and Groups on the System preferences, pressing on the lock to unlock the users properties and right clicking on the user in the System settings/Accounts menu and pointing to the new location. You should restart and everything should be up and running.

If you are setting it up from scratch, you just need to create the account and right click on it (Advanced) and point to a different location in the new hard drive.
I

I have uploaded some pics to try to explain the steps.

Good luck.

I did this and it worked perfectly. Thank you!

 

[FranktheDinosaur]

Sorry to bring this thread up again, but I am thinking of getting an SSD and putting my home folder on a HDD.
I already have 10.8 installed on a 1TB hard drive. What would be the best way to installing the OS on a SSD and transferring any data i have?
Also I was looking at the 128GB Crucial M4. Is there any issues with using this SSD in Mountain Lion? Anyone know what sort of multibeast options I need to enable if any?

Thanks!

 

[evshrug2]

Sorry to bring this thread up again, but I am thinking of getting an SSD and putting my home folder on a HDD.
I already have 10.8 installed on a 1TB hard drive. What would be the best way to installing the OS on a SSD and transferring any data i have?
Also I was looking at the 128GB Crucial M4. Is there any issues with using this SSD in Mountain Lion? Anyone know what sort of multibeast options I need to enable if any?

Thanks!

I'm no expert at this, BUT I just read in the SSD for Beginners Guide thread that the Crucial M4 is a great choice, even better over Sandforce controller models like OCZ's agility 3 models and the OWC Electra 6gb/s drive I have. I recommend reading that thread, but IIRC, if you use an M4 then you don't have to enable TRIM support in MultiBeast or any other option. My OWC drive works perfectly, however, so...

As to your first question, I think you can figure out what to do from neuroman's first post in this thread (it was quoted in the post just before yours as well). I've read the "account" method a few other places, Other World Computing has a video tutorial for transferring the system stuff, Lifehacker posted a carbon cloner method inside an article about upgrading a MBP by swapping the optical drive for an extra SSD bay, and I've also read positive experiences from the lnx2mc.blogspot.com terminal-method linked in danb35's post. Just make sure the drive with the chameleon boot loader on it is the first drive your motherboard looks to boot from.

I'm in a similar situation... I successfully installed Lion on my SSD and was having a great time playing around on it for months, but an Apple Update broke my sound, and I wanted to add a 1 tb HDD to store my licensed copy of Adobe CS5 and all my documents from my MacBook Pro. I restored sound by installing a Recon3D external soundcard (bonus: gigabyte motherboards provide power to some USB ports even with the computer turned off, so I can leave my Xbox 360 plugged into the Optical port, and get headphone surround through either at the flick of a switch on the Recon3D), but then my MBP's battery died so hard it can't even get power when plugged into the wall.

Now, I just want a clean install (to clear any glitches like the sound bug) on my 1 tb HDD, like you have, put my MBP's HDD in an external enclosure and use Migration Assistant to transfer my data and apps over to my CustoMac, [finish some pending graphic design work,] and then format my SSD fresh and transfer the system files over to that. This seems the simplest way to set up both drives, while migrating my stuff from the laptop (laptop's 250gb HDD is larger than my 60gb SSD). Probably try neuroman's method first, then danb35's posted method if I need to try again. Anyone see a problem with my plan?

 

[evshrug2]

I have thought that too...having user account on the ssd won't give any side effect...

I have a 60gb SSD, the side effect of having the users folder on my SSD and my documents folder on my HDD was that I couldn't use Apple's Migration Assistant to move all my data over from my old computer, even though there would've been plenty of space on the SSD if all the docs went to the HDD.

Other than the issue of using migration assistant (which has been great in the past for transferring Adobe licenses and iTunes libraries/accounts), and a little sound glitch I fixed by using an external sound device, my computer worked perfectly using a method basically like what Neuroman described.