How can I install OS X Lion on a new HDD?
Solution 1:
If you have a copy of Lion already downloaded you can use the instructions here to create your own. The installation image is in the downloaded package and can be restore using Disk Utility.
- Add the InstallESD.dmg image to Disk Utility
- Select empty USB drive and go to restore tab
- Make the InstallESD the source
- Make the USB Drive the target
- Click Restore
Alternatively you can purchase a Lion install USB drive from your local Apple Store or online here for $ 70.00.
If you only redoing the actual OSX partition and already had Lion installed, you can use Cmd+R during boot to access the Recovery partition which will allow you to download OSX Lion or restore from Time Machine.
Mountain Lion is only available to registered developers with access to the Mac Developer Section, but the manual process above works exactly the same.
Solution 2:
Apple actually thought about this exact scenario. If your MacBook is from Mid-2010 or later and has previously had Lion installed on it, you should be able to use Lion Internet Recovery. It's similar to using the Recovery Partition, but intended for cases where that partition is not available (e.g. a new hard drive.) Hold down Cmd-R while booting, and it will download the recovery partition from Apple and then boot into the normal recovery partition.
Of course, this will only work if your computer has Internet Recovery support in its EFI. This was originally only available in computers that shipped with Lion, but has since been added to all MacBooks back to the Mid-2010 model via Software Update. So if you were previously running Lion and kept up to date on your updates, then you should be able to restore just by holding down Cmd-R while booting and connecting to the internet.
Magic.
For completeness, here's a list of computers that support Internet Recovery.