Problems installing Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-inch SSD

Not all USB to SATA Adapters are compatible with all SSDs or even with Macs. Try using another brand of USB to SATA Adapter, dock, or enclosure.

A lot of times the internal hard drive SATA cable on the MBPro needs to be replaced especially on a 13" mid-2012 model.

I find it extremely odd that there are multiple defective SSDs.

In addition to what @Grant mentions regarding macOS, the same thing holds true for Windows. You need to use Disk Management in Windows to see the physical drive in order to partition & format it. Windows Explorer won't see the drive until it is properly partitioned & formatted.

Are these brand new SSDs or have they been used previously? It is possible these SSDs have either the hardware ATA Security enabled or they may have OPAL hardware encryption enabled from using Bitlocker. The easiest way to determine if this is the case is to use Linux to check the SSDs. The Linux logs are also a good source to see if the SSDs are working correctly or if they are reporting errors. I can provide some instructions if you are interested. Eliminate the other issues first.

RJAO wrote:

While checking using Linux sounds interesting, I suspect it may be well above my capability level.

Here are the instructions for creating a Linux boot disk and gathering the health information from the SSD:

To check the health of the hard drive you can create a bootable Knoppix Linux USB drive using Etcher (Mac/Windows/Linux). Use Knoppix version 8.2 since I've had some display issues with version 8.6 (although it will likely work as well). Option Boot the Knoppix USB drive and select the orange icon labeled "EFI". Give Knoppix time to boot as it can seem like the computer is frozen on the Apple boot picker menu (it is some odd Apple issue).

Once Knoppix boots to the desktop, click on the "Start" menu in the lower left of the Taskbar and navigate to "System Tools --> GSmartControl". Within the GSmartControl app double-click on the icon for the internal hard drive which should open up the health report for the hard drive. Post the complete report here so I can examine it. There should also be an option to run the drive's internal self diagnostics.

RJAO wrote:

I would simply think this is a bad SSD but our company's IT guy has two more of these drives that have the same problem with both Macs and PCs. .... Or know of a work around?

Exchange it for one that works.

<<the drive is not recognized internally or externally>>

Do you mean, Does Not show up in Disk Utility?

If it does not show up in Disk Utility, it is not useable, repairable, or installable. If it has POWER and is cabled correctly, it has died.