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User profile for user: _Raye_
_Raye_ Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

APFS formatting inssue on new SSD for windows/bootcamp / Unable to Install a new OSX on SSD in APFS format

Hello!


I was wanting to Install a new OS X on my new Samsung QVO 860 2TB SSD. However I run into an issue, when I boot into recovery mode (either with the disk previously formatted in Mac os extended (journaled) It is seen and mounted by my computer but that is not the format I am looking for. (I then format the disk to APFS, run recovery mode) ((yes, I keep going back and forth on my original HD backup to format it in disk utility)) but the APFS formatted SSD is not seen or mounted and I cannot mount it. (mounting does nothing and has no response.) What I am wanting to do is put a fresh OSX install on the SSD in APFS format to then be happy ever after with a little bit of windows on the side.


The reason for all this silliness is I am also wanting to run boot camp and have windows to play classic games on for nostalgic sake. In the past I have installed Windows 7, upgraded to 8.1, then got 10 running just fine. (now that I changed to the SSD I lost my windows side in the process of tranfering the copy of my HD.) Now on the new SSD my boot camp offers the 10 option but boot camp needs the APFS format first in order for it to partition and work. it has been literal weeks... any help is much appreciated in figuring out whats happening!


I have:

Macbook Pro 15inch, mid 2012

  • mac OS Mojave v10.14.6


My history in trying to get this to work from the beginning is as follows:

  • Gets new SSD
  • Buys a Copying program (superDuper!) to copy everything from original HDD to SSD
  • Copies everything, then sees that Windows is not visible or able to boot up any more (everything else is fine) (SSD is inside my physical macbook at this point)
  • I then erase windows thinking that I can just re-install it all through boot camp
  • Boot camp doesn't bring up the option to install after dowloading everything (the 3rd box option is greyed out and un-selectable to do anything further which greatly confuses me)
  • A week or two later I see that I can bypass the boot camp stuff and attempt to install windows on my SSD but it wipes it to make it all Windows... so that is not what I am wanting. cool, but no.
  • I re-reinstall my back up on my SSD (its still OS Extended (journel from the HD copying process) but for some reason I bring up boot camp to see if it does anything again, and it notifiys me that I need a APFS formatted drive for it to do anything.
  • A few more weeks of doing all this in-between work and sleep and spare time... and I am at the issue I typed above.
  • I can't format the SSD in recovery mode, it's unmountable in disk utility for it to install OS X on it, and I feel that I made no progress on anything.

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14

Posted on Jan 8, 2020 11:36 AM

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User profile for user: _Raye_
_Raye_ Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Posted on Jan 14, 2020 9:55 PM

I found out what was up!


So, here are the steps I took from the steps offered above.


Because my computer disliked formatting or having a SSD inside my laptop, I took it out and formatted it externally.

I then went on to erase it and get a new OS installed. It was very easy from on there.


I got the SSD in APFS format and the encrypted it cause why not. AND finally after all that Bootcamps 3rd box option came available. I got it paritioned, have a USB handy, and started the install. The only weird thing I found during the install was that It did not like my Bootcamp setup and I couldn't install further. So I backed out and selected the windows startup disk. and then that worked. (maybe it didnt like the EFI boot that it automatically sets up.?)


Anywhoos. It has been running windows 10 well and smoothly.


Thank you again for the help!


Looking back I should have done an external wipe and format (but I had no idea about the format favourite in bootcamp at the time) and then do the data migration to do any file copying. Apparently my clone copy of my HD was fine but the SSD being inside my internal sata was unreadable / my computer could not format it properly / or couldn't do bootcamps properly either.


It has been a blast playing PC games again. :)

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User profile for user: _Raye_
_Raye_ Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Jan 14, 2020 9:55 PM in response to HWTech

I found out what was up!


So, here are the steps I took from the steps offered above.


Because my computer disliked formatting or having a SSD inside my laptop, I took it out and formatted it externally.

I then went on to erase it and get a new OS installed. It was very easy from on there.


I got the SSD in APFS format and the encrypted it cause why not. AND finally after all that Bootcamps 3rd box option came available. I got it paritioned, have a USB handy, and started the install. The only weird thing I found during the install was that It did not like my Bootcamp setup and I couldn't install further. So I backed out and selected the windows startup disk. and then that worked. (maybe it didnt like the EFI boot that it automatically sets up.?)


Anywhoos. It has been running windows 10 well and smoothly.


Thank you again for the help!


Looking back I should have done an external wipe and format (but I had no idea about the format favourite in bootcamp at the time) and then do the data migration to do any file copying. Apparently my clone copy of my HD was fine but the SSD being inside my internal sata was unreadable / my computer could not format it properly / or couldn't do bootcamps properly either.


It has been a blast playing PC games again. :)

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User profile for user: BreeZee_17
BreeZee_17
User level: Community Specialist

Jan 11, 2020 11:25 AM in response to _Raye_

Hello _Raye_!


Based on your post it sounds like you're having trouble mounting an external drive, formatted with the Apple File System. I'm a gamer as well, so I completely understand being able to run those classic games for the sake of nostalgia.


Have you tried running repairs on the external drive to see if there are any errors populating?


Take a look: Repair a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac


Also, have you been able to try and format the drive using another Mac, or try formatting another external drive using the Apple File System? Doing so can help you isolate the issue to the external drive itself.


Let me know.


Regards.


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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,398 points

Jan 11, 2020 11:29 PM in response to _Raye_

Boot into Recovery Mode and within Disk Utility click on "View" and select "Show All Devices" so that the physical drive shows up in the left pane of Disk Utility. Select the physical drive and erase it as GUID partition and APFS (top option). Quit Disk Utility and select "Reinstall macOS" making sure to select your freshly erased external drive.


If you have trouble with Mojave's Recovery Mode, then you may want to try creating a bootable macOS Mojave installer.


Note that after the installer finishes copying the files to the external drive the installer will reboot. When it reboots you will need to hold down the Option key so that you can select the external drive from the Apple boot picker menu.


If for some reason does not work, then please provide details on what happened.

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APFS formatting inssue on new SSD for windows/bootcamp / Unable to Install a new OSX on SSD in APFS format

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