I have a SAMSUNG 980 SSD 1TB PCle 3.0x4, NVMe M.2 2280, Internal Solid State Drive that my Mac Mini (2018) cannot read. It’s installed in a Qwiizlab USB C Hub with Dual Drive Enclosure. My Mac detects it but says it is not readable. Does this mean it just won’t work with my Mac Mini or is there something I need to do to get it to work? With an older portable drive I would just format it but I don’t know if SSD drives work that way.
Mac mini, macOS 14.4
When you are in DU, select the "Samsung SSD 980 1TB Media" then click the Erase button. In the Scheme pop-up option select GUID Partition Map, then select APFS format.
See Initialize a external storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
The info you got about Macs not working with NVME drives is incorrect. As long as you have a good NVME enclosure that connects to your Mac via USB or Thunderbolt, an NVME drive will be fine.
When you are in DU, select the "Samsung SSD 980 1TB Media" then click the Erase button. In the Scheme pop-up option select GUID Partition Map, then select APFS format.
See Initialize a external storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support
The info you got about Macs not working with NVME drives is incorrect. As long as you have a good NVME enclosure that connects to your Mac via USB or Thunderbolt, an NVME drive will be fine.
Have you formatted the drive?
If you open Disk Utility, does Disk Utility see the drive? (In DU, be sure to set View > Show All Devices.) The drive should appear under "External." From there you can partition it (GUID partition) and format it (APFS).
You get an NVME drive you have to get the same module but SATA AHCI not NVME no all Mac supports NVME
Yes, DU does see it but when I boot up I get a popup message says “The disk you attached was not readable by this computer. It gives you 3 choices: Eject, Ignore or Initialize. When I choose Initialize it opens the Disk Utility. The Disk Utility does see it “Samsung SSD 980 1TB Media”. It says Partition Map: Not Supported and S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported." I don't see a way to format it. Also, Ozzie seems to be saying Mac does not support NVME. When I search on Amazon it seems all the external SSD options ae NVME.
Thanks, it's working now. I have a Qwiizlab enclosure that will hold both this SSD drive and/or a 2.5'' SATA SSD drive.
RaydeeohMan wrote:
Thanks, it's working now.
So what was the culprit to get it to work? You just followed MartinR instructions? I am asking so I get ammo if someone else asks a similar question.
External SSD Drive for Mac mini 2018
