Recommended Bootable SSD for 2017 i-Mac, 4k

Question

Level 1

10 points

Recommended Bootable SSD for 2017 i-Mac, 4k

I'm looking into upgrading my 2017 21.5" i-Mac to a bootable external SSD drive. I really like the article that Jack-19 wrote but was wondering if there are now other Thunderbolt, 1TB external SSD drives that would be equivalent to the recommended LaCie 1 TB Model ($399) that was recommended (i.e. Sandisk, Western Digital SSD's).

If the LaCie is the best way to go, why? Any technical reasons other than Thunderbolt?

My mac will be 5 years old, getting slower, does it make sense cost wise to spend $400 now or just wait, suffer for 5 more years of lifespan? Or I could get a new i-Mac now about $1200??

Has anyone used these as bootable external SSD drives?

Thanks,

Bill S.

iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 12.2

Posted on Oct 1, 2022 8:08 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 2, 2022 10:28 AM in response to Jack-19

Jack,

Thank you! Yes the LaCie USB 1TB Mobile SSD looks like the way to go.

I have read your article on upgrading to an external SSD and it has been very informative for me!

Since my 2017 i-Mac is Very, very slow with too much old S/W on it (ETRE Report attached) I think I need to do a clean install. I presume the options to do that are clearly presented when I install the latest Monterey S/W on the SSD. Then I would migrate manually only the apps and, data I now need.

Here are a few concerns, questions I have:

Should I upgrade to the latest Monterey OS now before upgrading to the external bootable SSD? I'm not sure although I've heard that some SSD's have problems loading Monterey. I have plenty of storage (500gb) so I'm not too concerned about running out of space. Going to the latest Monterey before would mean my HDD disk would be updated before going to the SSD which would be good for backup ops.
Before your post I was seriously looking at the T7 Samsung 1 TB SSD but see some have had problems loading Monterey with it. It has a price advantage vs LaCie ($109 vs $150) but quality is important to me. I understand you have an excellent experience using LaCie SSD's.
Of course I have Time Machine backup's. Will they be compatible if I go to the latest Monterey?

10-2-22 EtreCheck Pro Report

EtreCheckPro version: 6.7.1 (67011) Report generated: 2022-10-01 14:36:20 Download EtreCheckPro from https://etrecheck.com Runtime: 9:50 Performance: Below Average Problem: No problem - just checking Major Issues: Anything that appears on this list needs immediate attention. Hard drive too slow - The hard drive in this computer is too slow. Kernel panics - This system has experienced kernel panics. This could be a sign of hardware failure. Minor Issues: These issues do not need immediate attention but they may indicate future problems or opportunities for improvement. No Time Machine backup - Time Machine backup not found. Unsigned files - There are unsigned software files installed. Apple has said that unsigned software will not run by default in a future version of the operating system. System modifications - There are a large number of system modifications running in the background. Limited drive access - More information may be available with Full Drive Access. Kernel extensions present - This computer has kernel extensions that may not work in the future. Hardware Information: iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017) iMac Model: iMac18,2 3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 (i5-7400) CPU: 4-core 8 GB RAM - Upgradeable by an Apple Authorized Service Provider BANK 0/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM 2400 BANK 1/DIMM0 - 4 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM 2400 Video Information: Radeon Pro 555 - VRAM: 2 GB iMac (built-in) 4096 x 2304 Drives: disk0 - APPLE HDD HTS541010A9E632 1.00 TB (Mechanical - 5400 RPM) Internal SATA 3 Gigabit Serial ATA disk0s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB disk0s2 [APFS Container] 1000.00 GB disk1 [APFS Virtual drive] 1000.00 GB (Shared by 6 volumes) disk1s1 - Macintosh HD - Data (APFS) [APFS Virtual drive] (Shared - 279.62 GB used) disk1s2 - Preboot (APFS) [APFS Preboot] (Shared - 390 MB used) disk1s3 - Recovery (APFS) [Recovery] (Shared - 1.10 GB used) disk1s4 - VM (APFS) [APFS VM] (Shared - 5.37 GB used) disk1s5 (APFS) [APFS Container] (Shared - 25.30 GB used) disk1s5s1 - Macintosh HD (APFS) [APFS Snapshot] (Shared - 25.30 GB used) disk1s6 - Update (APFS) (Shared - 109 MB used) disk2 - WD My Passport 260F 2.00 TB External USB 5 Gbit/s USB disk2s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB disk2s2 - M**************2 (Journaled HFS+) 2.00 TB (815.72 GB used) disk3 - WD My Passport 0839 1.00 TB External USB 5 Gbit/s USB disk3s1 - EFI (MS-DOS FAT32) [EFI] 210 MB disk3s2 - M*************B (Journaled HFS+) 999.83 GB (870.98 GB used) Mounted Volumes: disk1s1 - Macintosh HD - Data [APFS Virtual drive] 1000.00 GB (Shared - 279.62 GB used, 709.38 GB available, 687.90 GB free) APFS Mount point: /System/Volumes/Data disk1s2 - Preboot [APFS Preboot] 1000.00 GB (Shared - 390 MB used, 687.90 GB free) APFS Mount point: /System/Volumes/Preboot disk1s4 - VM [APFS VM] 1000.00 GB (Shared - 5.37 GB used, 687.90 GB free) APFS Mount point: /System/Volumes/VM disk1s5 [APFS Container] 1000.00 GB (Shared - 25.30 GB used, 687.90 GB free) APFS Mount point: /System/Volumes/Update/mnt1 Partitions: disk1s5s1 disk1s5s1 - Macintosh HD [APFS Snapshot] 1000.00 GB (Shared - 25.30 GB used, 709.38 GB available, 687.90 GB free) APFS Mount point: / Read-only: Yes disk1s6 - Update 1000.00 GB (Shared - 109 MB used, 687.90 GB free) APFS Mount point: /System/Volumes/Update disk2s2 - M**************2 2.00 TB (815.72 GB used, 1.18 TB free) Journaled HFS+ Mount point: /Volumes/M**************2 disk3s2 - M*************B 999.83 GB (870.98 GB used, 128.94 GB available, 128.85 GB free) Journaled HFS+ Mount point: /Volumes/M*************B Network: Interface en1: AirPort 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Interface en0: Ethernet Interface bridge0: Thunderbolt Bridge System Software: macOS Monterey 12.2.1 (21D62) Time since boot: About a day Security: Gatekeeper: App Store and identified developers System Integrity Protection: Enabled Antivirus software: Apple and Malwarebytes Unsigned Files: Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller.plist Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller Details: Exact match found in the legitimate list - probably OK Launchd: ~/Library/LaunchAgents/jp.co.canon.Inkjet_Extended_Survey_Agent.plist Executable: /Applications/Canon Utilities/Inkjet Extended Survey Program/Inkjet Extended Survey Program.app/Contents/Resources/Canon_Inkjet_Extended_Survey_Agent Details: Exact match found in the legitimate list - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchAgents/com.sony.WirelessAutoImportLauncher.agent.plist Executable: /Library/Application Support/WirelessAutoImport/WirelessImporterDaemon Details: Exact match found in the legitimate list - probably OK Launchd: /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.wdc.WDPrivilegedHelper.plist Executable: /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.wdc.WDPrivilegedHelper Details: Exact match found in the legitimate list - probably OK Running app: /Library/DropboxHelperTools/Dropbox_u502/dbkextd Details: Domain name invalid - possibly adware Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Easy-WebPrint EX.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/NP2020Player.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/RealPlayer Plugin.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/iPhotoPhotocast.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/CANONiMAGEGATEWAYDL.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/GarminGpsControl.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/EPPEX Plugin.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Photo Center Plugin.plugin Plugin: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Mozillaplug.plugin Plugin: ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Picasa.plugin Plugin: ~/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/WebEx.plugin Preference Pane: /Library/PreferencePanes/Flip4Mac WMV.prefPane Preference Pane: /Library/PreferencePanes/APPrefPane.prefPane Apps: 5 Kernel Extensions: /Library/Extensions [Not Loaded] MaxtorPowSecDriver.kext - com.Maxtor.driver.PowSecDriver (4.3.1) [Not Loaded] com_cy_driver_USB_Device.kext - com.cy.iokit.Morpheus (1.4.0) [Not Loaded] EPSONUSBPrintClass.kext - com.epson.print.kext.USBPrintClass (EPSON, 2.0.2) [Not Loaded] hp_qc_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.hpio.hp_psa530_630_io_enabler (1.0.1) [Not Loaded] hp_Deskjet_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Deskjet.kext (3.0) [Not Loaded] hp_Inkjet_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Inkjet.kext (3.0) [Not Loaded] hp_Inkjet1_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Inkjet1.kext (2.1.2) [Not Loaded] hp_Inkjet3_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Inkjet3.kext (2.0) [Not Loaded] hp_Inkjet4_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Inkjet4.kext (2.2) [Not Loaded] hp_Inkjet5_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Inkjet5.kext (2.1) [Not Loaded] hp_Laserjet_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Laserjet.kext (1.0) [Not Loaded] hp_Officejet_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Officejet.kext (3.0) [Not Loaded] hp_Photosmart_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.Photosmart.kext (4.0) [Not Loaded] hp_PhotosmartPro_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.PhotosmartPro.kext (3.0) [Not Loaded] hp_Inkjet8_io_enabler.kext - com.hp.print.hpio.inkjet8.kext (2.1) [Not Loaded] JMicronATA.kext - com.jmicron.JMicronATA (1.0.0) [Not Loaded] Kodak_PrinterDock_Merge.kext - com.kodak.print.printerdock.merge (1.0.0) [Not Loaded] IOFireWireMxBt.kext - com.maxtor.iokit.IOFireWireMxBt (4.2.6) [Not Loaded] SONYDeviceType04.kext - com.sony.driver.dsccamDeviceInfo00 (Sony Corporation, 1.4.0.11070 - SDK 10.9) [Not Loaded] BJUSBMP.kext - jp.co.canon.bj.kext.BJUSBMP (2.5.0) [Not Loaded] BJUSBLoad.kext - jp.co.canon.bj.print.BJUSBLoad (Canon Inc., 10.75.21 - SDK 10.8) [Not Loaded] CIJUSBLoad.kext - jp.co.canon.ij.print.CIJUSBLoad (Canon Inc., 16.0.10 - SDK 10.9) Startup Items: MxBtDaemon Path: /Library/StartupItems/MxBtDaemon System Launch Agents: [Not Loaded] 16 Apple tasks [Loaded] 164 Apple tasks [Running] 171 Apple tasks [Other] One Apple task System Launch Daemons: [Not Loaded] 38 Apple tasks [Loaded] 183 Apple tasks [Running] 157 Apple tasks [Other] One Apple task Launch Agents: [Other] com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a23d420d.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2022-01-07) [Loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist (Google LLC - installed 2022-04-18) [Loaded] com.google.keystone.xpcservice.plist (Google LLC - installed 2022-04-18) [Running] com.malwarebytes.mbam.frontend.agent.plist (Malwarebytes Corporation - installed 2022-08-04) [Other] com.sony.WirelessAutoImportLauncher.agent.plist (? - installed 2018-10-28) Launch Daemons: [Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2022-01-07) [Loaded] com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (Adobe Inc. - installed 2022-01-07) [Loaded] com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (Apple - installed 2019-10-05) [Running] com.fitbit.galileod.plist (Fitbit, Inc. - installed 2018-10-28) [Loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (Google LLC - installed 2022-04-18) [Running] com.malwarebytes.mbam.rtprotection.daemon.plist (Malwarebytes Corporation - installed 2022-08-04) [Running] com.malwarebytes.mbam.settings.daemon.plist (Malwarebytes Corporation - installed 2022-08-04) [Running] com.sonos.SonosLibraryServer.plist (Sonos, Inc. - installed 2020-12-20) [Loaded] com.wdc.WDPrivilegedHelper.plist (? - installed 2021-01-27) [Loaded] jp.co.canon.MasterInstaller.plist (? - installed 2018-10-28) [Loaded] us.zoom.ZoomDaemon.plist (Zoom Video Communications, Inc. - installed 2022-09-23) User Launch Agents: [Loaded] com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent.plist (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2022-06-17) [Loaded] com.logmein.GoToMeeting.G2MAIRUploader.plist (LogMeIn, Inc. - installed 2020-04-29) [Loaded] com.logmein.GoToMeeting.G2MUpdate.plist (LogMeIn, Inc. - installed 2020-04-29) [Not Loaded] jp.co.canon.Inkjet_Extended_Survey_Agent.plist (? - installed 2014-08-26) User Login Items: [Not Loaded] DashlaneAutoStartHelper (App Store - installed 2021-08-12) Modern Login Item /Applications/Dashlane.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/DashlaneAutoStartHelper.app [Running] P72E3GC48.com.dashlane.DashlaneAgent (App Store - installed 2021-08-12) Modern Login Item /Applications/Dashlane.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/P72E3GC48.com.dashlane.DashlaneAgent.app [Running] Dropbox (Dropbox, Inc. - installed 2022-09-27) Application /Applications/Dropbox.app [Not Loaded] HotspotShieldHelper (App Store - installed 2022-07-02) Modern Login Item /Applications/Hotspot Shield.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/HotspotShieldHelper.app [Running] StartAtLoginHelper (App Store - installed 2022-07-02) Modern Login Item /Applications/Hotspot Shield.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/StartAtLoginHelper.app [Not Loaded] Houseparty Login Helper (App Store - installed 2021-06-27) Modern Login Item /Applications/Houseparty.app/Contents/Library/LoginItems/Houseparty Login Helper.app Internet Plug-ins: Easy-WebPrint EX: 1.1.0 (? - installed 2011-06-17) Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: 3.3.8.1 (? - installed 2017-12-02) NP2020Player: 4.5.2.0 (? - installed 2010-01-11) RealPlayer Plugin: (?) AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 17.012.20098 (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2021-07-16) iPhotoPhotocast: 7.0 (? - installed 2010-04-11) AdobePDFViewer: 21.005.20058 (Adobe Systems, Inc. - installed 2021-07-16) CANONiMAGEGATEWAYDL: 3.1.0.2 (? - installed 2009-09-09) GarminGpsControl: 4.0.2.6 Beta (? - installed 2012-09-10) EPPEX Plugin: 10.0 (? - installed 2015-04-10) Photo Center Plugin: Photo Center Plugin 1.1.2.0 (? - installed 2006-07-06) Mozillaplug: 1.0 (? - installed 2008-03-11) User Internet Plug-ins: Picasa: 1.0 (? - installed 2017-11-20) WebEx: 1.0 (? - installed 2017-11-20) 3rd Party Preference Panes: Flip4Mac WMV (? - installed 2017-12-02) APPrefPane (? - installed 2007-08-23) Backup: Time Machine information not available without Full Drive Access. 11 local snapshots Oldest local snapshot: 2022-09-30 14:43:44 Last local snapshot: 2022-10-01 13:52:07 Performance: System Load: 1.52 (1 min ago) 1.42 (5 min ago) 1.48 (15 min ago) Nominal I/O speed: 0.60 MB/s File system: 43.32 seconds Write speed: 38 MB/s Read speed: 45 MB/s CPU Usage Snapshot: Type Overall System: 2 % User: 4 % Idle: 94 % Top Processes Snapshot by CPU: Process (count) CPU (Source - Location) EtreCheckPro 12.86 % (Etresoft, Inc.) WindowServer 3.76 % (Apple) kernel_task 2.10 % (Apple) mdworker_shared (2) 0.80 % (Apple) Finder 0.68 % (Apple) Top Processes Snapshot by Memory: Process (count) RAM usage (Source - Location) EtreCheckPro 510 MB (Etresoft, Inc.) firefox 473 MB (Mozilla Corporation) plugin-container (8) 371 MB (Mozilla Corporation) Finder 284 MB (Apple) Mail 209 MB (Apple) Top Processes Snapshot by Network Use: Process Input / Output (Source - Location) HydraTunnelProvider 23 MB / 5 MB (App Store) mDNSResponder 11 MB / 2 MB (Apple) Dropbox 814 KB / 991 KB (Dropbox, Inc.) rapportd 21 KB / 19 KB (Apple) firefox 17 KB / 4 KB (Mozilla Corporation) Top Processes Snapshot by Energy Use: Process (count) Energy (0-100) (Source - Location) WindowServer 3 (Apple) HydraTunnelProvider 1 (App Store) P72E3GC48.com.dashlane.DashlaneAgent.app 1 (App Store) Dropbox (3) 1 (Dropbox, Inc.) Finder 0 (Apple) Virtual Memory Information: Physical RAM: 8 GB Free RAM: 35 MB Used RAM: 5.93 GB Cached files: 2.04 GB Available RAM: 2.07 GB Swap Used: 512 KB Software Installs (past 30 days): Install Date Name (Version) 2022-08-04 Malwarebytes for Mac (1.0) 2022-08-11 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (22.002.20191) (22.002.20191) 2022-08-19 XProtectPlistConfigData (2162) 2022-09-12 Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (22.002.20212) (22.002.20212) 2022-09-23 Zoom (5.11.6.9890) 2022-09-30 XProtectPayloads (75) Diagnostics Information (past 7-30 days): 2022-09-30 02:54:53 nesessionmanager - High CPU Use Executable: /usr/libexec/nesessionmanager 2022-09-27 12:12:45 WindowServer - High CPU Use Executable: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/SkyLight.framework/Versions/A/Resources/WindowServer 2022-09-24 05:10:41 Kernel Panic Details: panic(cpu 2 caller 0xffffff80107049ad): userspace watchdog timeout: no successful checkins from WindowServer since wake Panicked task 0xffffff8b6313b6d0: 4 threads: pid 109: watchdogd End of report

Thanks Again,

Bill

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Answer 2

Jack-19

Level 8

46,104 points

Oct 4, 2022 8:45 PM in response to Bsaw67

Hi Bill,

I'm not sure what happens to the e-mail "Saved on my i-Mac" with a clean install. Do I obtain those e-mails by migrating my Mail app with Migration Assistant after the clean install?

I would temporarily move those to a mailbox that syncs with your online mail provider, such as the "Inbox" or one you've created. That way, they upload to your mail provider, and once you sign back in to Mail on your clean-install, will redownload.

Jack

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Answer 3

Jack-19

Level 8

46,104 points

Oct 1, 2022 12:53 PM in response to Bsaw67

Hi Bill!

I'm Jack 😀! I almost always recommend the cheaper USB SSD LaCie drive (LaCie 1TB Mobile SSD Secure USB-C Drive - Gray - Apple) over the Thunderbolt model. The LaCie USB SSD is plenty and a huge upgrade over any internal hard disk. The Thunderbolt is really overkill for almost everyone. Most people probably won't even notice a difference.

Jack

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Answer 4

Jack-19

Level 8

46,104 points

Oct 2, 2022 12:50 PM in response to Bsaw67

Hi Bill,

Since my 2017 i-Mac is Very, very slow with too much old S/W on it (ETRE Report attached) I think I need to do a clean install. I presume the options to do that are clearly presented when I install the latest Monterey S/W on the SSD. Then I would migrate manually only the apps and, data I now need.

If you're looking at a clean-install, follow the steps in the SSD User Tip for "Erasing the external SSD and Installing macOS", but stop at "Moving your content to the external SSD". From there, continue to setup your Mac as new, without migrating any information from a backup, as doing at this step will restore all the old apps and software issues.

Next, after your Mac is setup, Restore items backed up with Time Machine on Mac - Apple Support to the right locations. Additionally, you can then re-install the important apps you use from their original sources (such as the developer's website).

Should I upgrade to the latest Monterey OS now before upgrading to the external bootable SSD? I'm not sure although I've heard that some SSD's have problems loading Monterey. I have plenty of storage (500gb) so I'm not too concerned about running out of space. Going to the latest Monterey before would mean my HDD disk would be updated before going to the SSD which would be good for backup ops.

Yes, I would. Go to System Preferences > Software Update to perform the update.

Using the macOS Monterey installer later to install macOS to the external SSD will install the latest version to it.

Before your post I was seriously looking at the T7 Samsung 1 TB SSD but see some have had problems loading Monterey with it. It has a price advantage vs LaCie ($109 vs $150) but quality is important to me. I understand you have an excellent experience using LaCie SSD's.

Yes, Samsung SSDs do have attractive prices. However, like you suggested, there's been a history of issues with Samsung external SSDs being used as startup disks for Mac computers. LaCie does cost more, but the quality seems to be there, plus Apple sells it.

Another manufacturer I've had good luck with is Other World Computing (OWC). I've purchased Memory/RAM from them before. They have a new Envoy Pro Elektron SSD that may be another to consider. I haven't tried the Elektron SSD personally, however I am in need of a new external SSD, and I'm tempted to try the new OWC solution.

I currently have a LaCie Rugged 2TB SSD and I don't have any issues.

Of course I have Time Machine backup's. Will they be compatible if I go to the latest Monterey?

Yes.

If you have any more questions, please ask!

Cheers,

Jack

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

212,145 points

Oct 2, 2022 3:31 PM in response to Bsaw67

I have an alternative option if price is a consideration. I have 3 bootable OWC SSDs connected via USB 3 and USB C ➙ SATA adaptors that I use with my 2017 iMac:

It's not as aesthetically attractive as an SSD in its own case but is more economical and can be swapped out quite easily if you get additional bare SSDs.

I also have 4 SSDs in OWC SATA docks.

Just some additional food for thought.

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Answer 6

Oct 1, 2022 10:26 AM in response to Bsaw67

this is just an opinion. and you know what they say about those... :)

I personally have two separate external Samsung T7 SSDs. each runs its own independent macOS. they run at ~750 Mb/s Write and ~850 Mb/s Read when connected with the included USB-C cable. that is close to twice the T5 model's speed. I feel they give excellent performance at a great price point.

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Answer 7

steve626

Level 6

12,303 points

Oct 1, 2022 11:10 AM in response to Bsaw67

Another option could be what I did to my wife's late 2015 iMac. I obtained a 1 TB internal SSD (Samsung) and had an Apple Authorized Service Provider replace the internal drive (an old very slow HDD) with the new internal SSD. This now runs Monterey and seems to be very fast performance wise, despite having just 8 GB memory.

The cost for all this was about $200. One has to pay for the labor for the internal drive replacement but the internal SSD is notably less expensive than the external SSD.

One advantage of the internal drive approach is that people do report some difficulties in updating the MacOS on external boot drives. Also less clutter around the computer. An advantage of the external drive method is that you can simply do this yourself without having anyone touch the iMac. Cost-wise the internal drive might be a bit cheaper (even including the labor) but probably a wash there. Speed wise, if you get a good external or internal SSD, either method will be very fast (as Jeffrey indicated).

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Answer 8

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 4, 2022 11:18 AM in response to Jack-19

Jack,

Thanks for the advise.

I'm not sure what happens to the e-mail "Saved on my i-Mac" with a clean install. Do I obtain those e-mails by migrating my Mail app with Migration Assistant after the clean install?

I was able to upgrade to Monterey 12.6 last night with no problems. Will finalize disk selection next week, check prices during Prime day.

The La Cie's 1 TB, SSD's I have found at Best Buy, Amazon are a slightly different model (USB 3.2/Gen 3.2) than the one in the Apple Store and a bit cheaper ($139 vs $219). I gather from the user reviews they will work just as well. The Envo Pro Elektro looks attractive too.

Will keep you updated on progress,

Thanks Again,

Bill

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Answer 9

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 6, 2022 7:13 AM in response to Jack-19

Thanks Jack!

Yes that is the solution in case those e-mails are not installed when I do a clean install. I checked that approach out by dragging a few "On My Mac" e-mail folders to a folder I set up for "Mobile access" within my i-Cloud Mac Mail. It worked fine. After I do the clean install I can move them back to the "On My Mac" folder within the Mail app.

FYI I looked around my Time Machine files and could not find any location where those e-mails might be backed up, no "Mail" app found in any folder's. I wonder how/where they are really stored?????

Thanks ----> Bill

P.S. Next step next week: Purchase LaCie SSD (1TB External USB-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSD with Rescue Data Recovery Services) and install as bootable SSD. I do need to review its specs/reviews with the one in your article just to make sure it will do the job. I aslo need a new TM second BU, would another LaCie be overkill. I have been using WD HDD My Passport 1TB drives for 5 years with no problems. One is about to run out of space.

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Answer 10

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 13, 2022 8:01 AM in response to Jack-19

I received the LaCie USB 1TB Mobile SSD in the mail yesterday. I had hoped the USB 3.2/gen 2 USB cable provided would connect to my mid 2017 i-Mac but it is not compatible to either the Thunderebolt port or the USB ports. I see Best Buy has a Belkin - 3' USB 3.1 Type A-to-USB Type C Cable, 3 feet long. Would that be suffiecient for connecting to my USB ports.????

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Answer 11

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 13, 2022 9:49 AM in response to Bsaw67

Disregard my last reply Jack. I am connected ok now. I was not forceful enough on the mate to Thunderbolt. incidently I found the same La Cie 1 TB SSD drive that Apple sells for $219. On Amazon for $149. Am proceeding with installation now.

Bill

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Answer 12

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 16, 2022 9:38 AM in response to Bsaw67

Hi Jack, Everyone,

SUCCESS !!! I was able to install Monterey 12.6 on the bootable external hard drive (La Cie 1TB, Mobile) ok as a clean install. I logged in with my Apple ID, PW and saw all the Apple Apps in Montrey came up ok with past data (Mail, Calendar, Contacts Messages, etc)

Jack- Your recommendation to on how to move "On My Mac files" worked great as they were present in the Mail app in my "Mail Mobile files". There were no files as we anticipated from the original "on My Mac" files so that was a great decision..

I did the clean istall by stopping after Monterey was installed and did not proceed with the "Migration Assistant". There was no way to back out so I called Apple and they had me shut down the computer and restart with Option key held down so I could restart on the External drive. From that point on I have been mainly dragging and dropping files from TM external disks to the new Monterey install on the new External drive.

I have not setup TM on the new external drive yet, will wait until everything is moved over. I did try to set it up but it could not let me do it. Maybe because it was still set up on he internal disk.... need to deactivate the 2 external drives running.

Anyway thanks to Everyone for helping me. It is an extended process and takes some time to get things set up again.

Bill S.

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Answer 13

Bsaw67 Author

Level 1

10 points

Oct 1, 2022 11:16 AM in response to jeffreythefrog

Thank You!

Your response answers another question about the cable/connector needed.

I see that the cable provided will work with my 2017 i-Mac with Thunderbolt 2 ports

Bill S.

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Answer 14

Oct 1, 2022 11:17 AM in response to Bsaw67

you're welcome. :)

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