Upgrading to the Transcend JetDrive SSD TS240GJDM850 TS480GJDM850 TS960GJDM850 Macbook 2014 A1398

Hi, I have a Mid 2104 MacBook Pro A1398 and would like to share my experience of upgrading the SSD to a Transcend JetDrive with everyone.

Before I started I did a fresh backup using Time Machine.

Firstly the installation of the new SSD was physically painless using the provided instructions and remembering to arrange the screws in order - the two at below the mid screen are shorter than the rest).

However when I restarted my Mac into the Recovery console (cmd + R when restarting) the headache began - I spent £400 UK / $510 US and it doesn't work!! As my Mac is a 2014 and the new SSD didn't have anything on it, the computer booted using the internet to the original recovery console when the Mac was purchased back in 2014, the drivers were not installed for the SSD's which require High Sierra or above. I ended up refitting the original SSD so I could boot to OS Majove, then download an installation of OS Majove to a USB drive as outlined here: http://osxdaily.com/2018/09/26/make-macos-mojave-boot-usb-installer/ .

I reinstalled the new SSD and used the USB to boot (hold alt whilst powering on). The newer Recovery Console from the USB discovered the new SSD fine. I thought my headache was over but when I tried to Restore From Time Machine Backup the installation failed.

I found I had to set the SSD as a GUID Partition Map by going to Disk Utility, selecting View (at the top left of the open window) and selecting Show All Devices, selecting TS***GJDM850 (***=size in GB) and clicking erase. Under format Mac OS Extended (Journaled), scheme GUID Partition Map, Click Erase and acknowledging the warnings. Then it should be possible to install the OS using the Time Machine backup.

Hope this helps anyone else in the same situation and hope you have more hair left than me!!