I was going to replace my HDD with a SSD - but I need to install Lion for my SSD.
Do I need to install Leopard on the SSD first, then go to the Mac App Store to update?
I was going to replace my HDD with a SSD - but I need to install Lion for my SSD.
Do I need to install Leopard on the SSD first, then go to the Mac App Store to update?
No, you can install Lion directly if you want. This will save you a lot of time, as you would otherwise have to upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard first, only to upgrade to Lion afterwards.
You can buy a bootable OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive from the Apple Store: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD256Z/A
Applications
folder.Contents/SharedSupport
and look for a file called InstallESD.dmg
.Click on the “Restore” tab, choose the InstallESD.dmg
file as the source and your flash drive as the destination. Hit the “Apply” button and it will create your bootable USB drive.
Reboot into OS X and hold the option key when you hear the startup chime. You can boot into your DVD or flash drive from there.
You cannot update from Leopard to Lion. So your options are: