Challymac

Q: Mac Mini - Won't Boot SSD Drive

Late 2009 Mac Mini running latest Mavericks 10.9.  Its internal 320GB drive was cloned to a SanDisk 480GB SSD (non-SandForce controller). The SSD was partitioned correctly with a single GUID partition. Carbon Copy Cloner was the cloning software used. The Mini boots perfectly from the SSD in the external enclosure plugged in to the Mini's USB port.  ITunes, Mail, iPhoto all run perfectly as if they are running from the original internal drive. When the SSD drive is then transferred to the internal bay of the Mini, the Mini will start to boot, but then it will eventually display the "prohibited (circle with a diagonal line through it)" symbol and just sit there. If I try to use the C command or any other keyboard boot command to force the Mini to find either the original boot CD, or USB or the original hard drive now in the external enclosure, there is no response. Just boots to grey screen.  I have tried to reset the PRAM and other suggestions I have found. What I am trying to find out is why would that SSD drive cause the keyboard to not be able to call up selective booting?  I can understand the drive not working for some reason. I know there are issues with SSD in the Mac Mini. But why would it lock up the Mini so I can't keyboard control it to boot from another bootable drive.  That is the part that is frustrating me.

 

Anyone out there crack this code yet?  I don't think I am the only one having this problem. It is frustrating that the drive works perfectly in the enclosure but not in the Mini and that it locks out selective booting.

 

I upgraded Ram to 8GB while I was in there, and if I can't get the SSD thing figured out, I will install a 7200 RPM HDD instead to speed things up a bit for a few more years!

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

C

Mac mini (Late 2009), Mac OS X (10.6.8), null

Posted on Jul 27, 2016 1:30 PM

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Q: Mac Mini - Won't Boot SSD Drive

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  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Jul 27, 2016 1:39 PM in response to Challymac
    Level 10 (190,248 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jul 27, 2016 1:39 PM in response to Challymac

    What if you install the SSD internally and do a fresh install of OSX via a bootable USB installer?

     

    I had a late 2009 Mini and cloned when booted to Recovery with Disk Utility the internal drive to a cheap Oz 240 GB SSD and it worked fine when installed internally with the exception at first it would only connect with a 1.5 GB (or similar wording) instead of the SATA II speed of 3 GB.  After a while it would use a negotiated link speed of 3 3 GB.

     

    I have seen a very few posts with bootup problems with Mini's with SSDs and especially with the 2012 with the SSD in the upper bay.

     

    From your description it appears that the computer is reading something from the disk that leads to the KB problem

  • by Challymac,

    Challymac Challymac Jul 27, 2016 5:38 PM in response to lllaass
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Jul 27, 2016 5:38 PM in response to lllaass

    Thanks for the reply. What you describe sounds like it is worth a try. I might put a fresh GUID partition on the SSD. Then install it into the Mini.  Then, maybe it will allow me to do some control keys to boot the mini into the external Mavericks USB that I have. I could also try same thing but try to boot to the original drive in an external enclosure and clone it to the newly partitioned SSD drive in the Mini.

     

    One of my IT friends lent me a disk cloner unit that houses both drives and it creates an exact copy. No computer necessary. Maybe that might get the correct image onto the SSD and it will work correctly when installed in the mini.

     

    What a puzzle!  I have been working (total amateur) on computers since Atari 800XL days and this one is really stumping me.

     

    Thanks again for your suggestion.  Much appreciated.

     

    C

  • by epumer84,

    epumer84 epumer84 Sep 20, 2016 6:03 AM in response to Challymac
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 20, 2016 6:03 AM in response to Challymac

    DId you solve it? Im having the exact same issue here!

  • by den.thed,

    den.thed den.thed Sep 20, 2016 7:05 AM in response to epumer84
    Level 7 (27,733 points)
    Sep 20, 2016 7:05 AM in response to epumer84

    Same here, I tried everything CCC, Disk Utility and OS X Recovery. The SSD would boot fine externally in both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 enclosures, but absolutely refused to boot after it was installed in the Mac Mini.

     

    To over come the problem:

    I had to re-format and install OS X on the SSD while it was installed in the Mac Mini.

    (Luckily, I have an OS X Recovery Partition on an external drive)

     

    If you do not have another drive with an OS X Recovery Partition to startup from:

    (then you will need to use internet OS X Internet Recovery to re-format and install OS X)

    see > About OS X Recovery - Apple Support

     

    Likewise, the supplied OS X install disc should work for earlier per Lion Mac Mini's.

  • by epumer84,

    epumer84 epumer84 Sep 21, 2016 10:52 PM in response to den.thed
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 21, 2016 10:52 PM in response to den.thed

    Ok, I'm still working on this.

    You know, this is a 2009 mac mini, I don't have an OS X recovery partition anywere and Command + R do not work on my mac.

    I have a Leopard old installation dvd, but it doesn't boot from the dvd either.

    Do you have any other idea?

    I'm trying to clone the original HDD to the SSD again using Disk Utility, but I don't have any good expectations...

     

    Any comment would be highly appreciated!

  • by lllaass,

    lllaass lllaass Sep 22, 2016 12:40 AM in response to epumer84
    Level 10 (190,248 points)
    Apple Watch
    Sep 22, 2016 12:40 AM in response to epumer84

    Try cloning using the free SuperDuper app

  • by den.thed,

    den.thed den.thed Sep 22, 2016 5:16 AM in response to epumer84
    Level 7 (27,733 points)
    Sep 22, 2016 5:16 AM in response to epumer84

    The Late 2009 Mac Mini's originally came with 10.6 Snow Leopard pre-installed and you can not use an earlier Leopard Install DVD. In other words, the only Install Disc that will work (providing the disc drive works) is the original Install Disc #1 that came with that computer.

     

    If SuperDuper (like IIIaass suggest's) and/or CCC do not work....

     

    Then I would try,

    putting the old HDD into the external enclosure and the SSD into the Mini,

    startup from the old HDD and use that Disk Utility to re-format the internal SSD,

    then use the Disk Utilities Restore feature to copy the HDD to the SSD.

     

    note: as I recall, the above steps will only work if the OS X is 10.6 or earlier.