Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I've recently (a) installed a second internal SSD in my early 2011 13" MBP and (b) reinstalled High Sierra (10.13.6). Things are working fine except that the MBP doesn't try to start up from the correct drive unless I press the Option key while Powering up and then choose the drive. How can I make the right disk be the default one and have an automatically proper start-up? Thnx.
Ina 2011 model Mac, It is specified here:
System Preferences > startup disk
BUT: in a T2-controlled Mac (2018 and later) you would also need to have a discussion with privacy settings to allow your Mac to boot from another drive.
Ina 2011 model Mac, It is specified here:
System Preferences > startup disk
BUT: in a T2-controlled Mac (2018 and later) you would also need to have a discussion with privacy settings to allow your Mac to boot from another drive.
Thank you. Yes, I see "Startup Disk" in SysPref. The problem is that, even though the icon of only one disk (the one I prefer to start up from, let's call it "Base") appears there, the MBP continues to be unable to find the OS automatically when starting up (only a circle with a slash through it shows up). So I then restart with the Option key pressed and see *three* start-up options: the Base drive; "mac OS installer" (same picture of a drive); "Recovery- 10.13.6" (same picture). If there an external drive is connected that also shows up. (However, I have, of course, disconnected all externals in the recent series of attempts.) It also asks me to choose the WiFi network and enter its password. I choose the Base drive and the computer starts up fine.
Seems like the best thing would be somehow to remove the "mac OS installer" and "Recovery- 10.13.6" options. How can that be done? Thanks.
<< let's call it "Base" >>
NO. Let's NOT call it Base.
"MacOS Base System" is a name used for Installer images and Recovery system images.
If that is all you can see in startup disk, your Actual MacOS is severely damaged.
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<< (only a circle with a slash through it shows up) >>
that indicates that, although your macOS appeared to be properly bootable, on attempted startup, a major required component was found to be severely damaged or the wrong version.
You may need to re-Install MacOs to obtain relief.
Do you have a Trusted Backup on hand? if not, that should be your Top Priority.
Ok, thanks for advice about terminology! I used the word "Base" bc I didn't want to divulge the actual name of my main drive--unfortunate choice of terms, I see now. Let's just call it "#1" from here on.
#1 does appear as one of three choices when I start up with Option key pressed. So the Installer and Recovery images are *not* the only ones that appears. If I tell it to boot up from #1 it does so fine. From what you're saying though, it default (without Option key pressed on start up) tries to start from a defective OS. Additional possibly relevant background facts:
After installing the new second SSD, the older SSD was very slow and buggy. So I restored from Time Machine to the new, blank second SSD. That also didn't work out well and so I reinstalled 10.13.6 on it (the second drive). Still wouldn't boot and so I erased everything on the second drive thru Disk Utility.
Then I reinstalled 10.13.6 on the older drive, thereby creating the current "#1." When I boot from #1 (after Options + Start), everything seems to work fine. For example, the apps on #1 seem to operate across the two SSDs without problem with libraries, such as the ones for iPhotos, that I've moved to the new one.
Is it possible that the Installer and Recovery images and crossed O are detecting problems with the OS I installed and then erased from the new disk? Thanks.
P.S. I do have a recent-enough Time Machine back-up but it's the same back-up that wouldn't work when I restored it to the second disk a few days ago. The files and OS that are working now (as long as I choose #1 at start up) were the extant files on the older disk with an OS I reinstalled two days ago. The second new disk has nothing but folders and libraries I moved to it from #1.
Unfortunately, restoring that particular version (10.13 ) of macOS has some complex additional issues. If installed on an SSD drive, MacOS wants to see an Apple File System (APFS) formatted SSD. If installed on a rotating magnetic drive, it will work on a macOS extended HFS+ drive. Restoring from one to the other is unlikely to yield the correct underlying disk structure for proper operation.
You are always better off re-Installing MacOS itself from fundamental sources, then using tools like Migration Assistant to add your files back in. For 10.13, this is doubly true.
How can I set the Default Drive to Power on from?
