Crucial X9 Pro External SSD Compatibility Problem with MacBook Pro M2 Max 2023 Sequoia 15.7.1

Si007usa wrote:

Dear VikingOSX thanks for your input. My X9 Pro was formatted for APFS before storing any data on it. It was likely damaged, before I tried to mount on a Windows OS as suggested by Crucial directly and other online Forums.

I'm concerned what you did with Windows here since Windows does not support APFS volumes without the use of paid third party drivers (I would be wary of any third party drivers claiming write supports for APFS volumes).

It is one thing to confirm the SSD can be physically seen by a Windows system just as long as you did not try to erase it since erasing the SSD would destroy all data on the SSD....seems you wanted to recover data.

I can also see connecting the SSD to a Windows system so you can use the Crucial Windows software to update the firmware on that external SSD. With firmware upgrades, there is always a risk of data loss even if the manufacturer says the data is safe.

Crucial seems to have challenges with Apple compatibility, as evident from the fact that they only make Windows compatible software for their SSD management.

Definitely disappointing that Crucial does not provide the software for macOS, but I vote with my wallet if I need that functionality of enabling the SSD's built-in hardware encryption. That SSD should be perfectly functional with macOS as long as the SSD's built-in hardware encryption has not been enabled on a Windows or Linux system.

My consistent error message is; The disk "X9 Pro1" can't be. unlocked. A problem was detected with the disk that prevents it from being unlocked. This seems to be not so much a hardware failure issue but a software compatibility issue.

It is only a software compatibility issue if you had used the Crucial software to enable the SSD's built-in hardware encryption.....you would need that software to unlock the drive to be able to access the data. Since Crucial doesn't provide macOS software for this feature, then you would need to use a Windows system to disable the built-in hardware encryption so you can access the contents of the SSD on macOS.

Otherwise this SSD should work fine with macOS. It means you either have an issue with third party installed software interfering with the normal operation of macOS, or you have a hardware issue of some sort (laptop, cables, SSD, or a compatibility issue with some other connected external device).

While Crucial can troubleshoot hardware issues with their devices, they cannot troubleshoot possible issues with third party software you may have installed on the system which may be interfering with the normal operation of macOS. This makes it very difficult to truly confirm a hardware or software issue remotely.

Si007usa wrote:

SOS!! After first use and successfully storing "critical/crucial data" on it, the Crucial X9 Pro 2TB SSD is not mounting. I have tried everything(using different cables, different Mac, different Mac OS, Windows OS, leaving the SSD connected for 10 hours) as suggested by Crucial Support and Apple Forums on the problem, but nothing seems to be working. I can't erase/reformat it either.

Sounds like the Crucial X9 has failed.

If it is under warranty, contact Crucial for a replacement.

If it is not under warranty, replace it with another external SSD.

Si007usa wrote:

SOS!! After first use and successfully storing "critical/crucial data" on it, the Crucial X9 Pro 2TB SSD is not mounting.

I can't erase/reformat it either. Error messages are as follows:

The disk X9 Pro1 can't be unlocked.

Erase process has failed.

This is very concerning. It sounds like you need to access this data, but you also attempted to erase the drive. You do realize that erasing an SSD destroys all data on it with no hope of recovering it?

The other very concerning aspect is it sounds like you don't have any other copies of this very critical/crucial data. If the data is that important, then why don't you have at least one....or better yet two backups of this drive? The more important the data....the more copies of that data you need to have.

There are several possibilities here.

1. Unable to unlock the encrypted APFS volume
2. APFS volume can be unlocked, but is unable to be mounted as read+write due to file system corruption
3. SSD issue or outright hardware failure

Unfortunately macOS & Disk Utility do not provide clear error messages to distinguish between #1 & #2. I have discovered that in most cases the volume will be unlocked, but the APFS file system is unable to be mounted as read+write. I cannot go into the steps needed to determine this at the moment, including how to attempt to mount the unlocked APFS volume as read-only without any file system checks. Way too much writing and back & forth communication is needed. I'll try to remember to get back to this thread with some details when I have a bit more time. It will involve using the command line.

In the mean time you can check the health of the Crucial SSD by running the third party app DriveDx (free trial period) and posting the complete text report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper on the forum editing toolbar. You will need to install a special USB driver in order to check the health of the external USB SSD. I'll review this report to see if the SSD is showing any types of errors that could be causing this problem, plus it will remind me to provide some instructions for narrowing down the source of the problem & attempt to mount the unlocked volume as Read-Only.

FYI, be prepared for the fact that the data on this SSD may not be recoverable even if there is nothing wrong with the SSD itself.

Si007usa wrote:

Crucial seems to have challenges with Apple compatibility, as evident from the fact that they only make Windows compatible software for their SSD management.

Along the same lines, I have a couple of Crucial X9 Pros that I use for extra storage and for making non-bootable clone backups. No problems with them yet.

However, they are "PC" versions that came formatted using NTFS, and that I reformatted to APFS. I believe I read somewhere that some Crucial X9 Pros may need a firmware update before you can use them successfully as Mac startup disks. Yet the firmware updater only runs on Windows …

The advice was to buy "for Mac" versions if you needed one of these to serve as an external startup drive.

The X9 Pro is formatted as exFAT right out of the box and its cable is specific to its capability (USB-C 3.2 Gen 2). That cable is sufficient.

I have two 2TB X9 Pro in continuous and flawless operation as Time Machine backup drives on Sequoia and Tahoe. I do not use Time Machine encryption and the drives were formatted as APFS (case insensitive) though Time Machine will mount them as APFS (case sensitive).

APFS is not compatible with Windows whether encrypted or not, so that may have potentially damaged the drive.

If that "critical/crucial" data still exists that you put on that X9, and if you can still mount that drive on any macOS that understands APFS, you may be able to start over and reformat it as exFAT. Then mount it on Sequoia. Click once on that mounted drive and then press option+cmd+i to open a Get Info panel in front of you instead of shoving it to the upper left corner of your screen. Click the gold lock icon at the bottom and check the drive permissions and potentially check that box at the bottom: ignore ownership on this volume.

Once you are satisifed with that, close the info panel, launch Disk Utility and reformat the drive as APFS. If you really do not need encryption, skip that option and format it as APFS which will be inherently case-insensitive.

Now, copy the critical data onto the X9 Pro again.

Si007usa wrote:

Thanks, it is indeed under warranty.

You're welcome.

I am in contact with Micron for replacement, however this kind of early failure and going through replacement process is a nuisance. Perhaps this sort of inherent flaw is why Micron has just announced the end of line for X9 Pro.

Yeah' it's a real pain, but they need to know and you need a reliable drive.

Personally I dislike those little factory sealed units.

I have several different M2 DIY enclosures and a greater number of M2 SSD's.

That way if one M2 SSD give me a problem (which is rare), I can swap enclosures and troubleshoot.