I have tried many times to install a SSD drive by using optical drive tray, my MBP is early 2011, intel serise 6, checked on webpage, and someone say SSD could be installed on HDD drive, I guess it could be solved by driver, anyone good idea?

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I have tried many times to install a SSD drive by using optical drive tray, my MBP is early 2011, intel serise 6, checked on webpage, and someone say SSD could be installed on HDD drive, I guess it could be solved by driver, anyone good idea?

Hi, MBP friends, any ideas for this problem? I tried hard and checked the hardware we have, and it hardly to say the problem from hardware, instead I am thinking it could be solved by driver update, or someone who is good on computer language that could help with the problem.

My computer is early 2011, with intel serise 6 and sata 3 acceptable. I dont know why the opitical drive can not support ssd drive instead.

need help, I really dont want to put my SSD driver to HDD driver, and move HDD driver to optical driver.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), early 2011 eiditon, 8 gb memory

Posted on Oct 22, 2012 6:05 AM

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Answer 1

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tom115

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Oct 22, 2012 6:42 AM in response to onlyoneword

there is no point in installing a ssd in the optical drive when that is a sata 1 connection when the hdd connection is sata 2 which is much faster and the ssd would better utilise this speed. So the easiest senario is to clone your hdd to the ssd and then use your ssd as a boot drive and then install your hdd in the optical tray using a converter and use that as extra storage

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Answer 2

dmdimon

Level 3

856 points

Oct 22, 2012 7:09 AM in response to onlyoneword

early 2011 MBPs had troubles with SATA III devices - mean modern SSDs. But there was firmware update that fixed it. Check - did you installed firmware updates ?

And what tom115 wrote as absolutely correct.

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Answer 3

onlyoneword Author

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Oct 23, 2012 12:23 AM in response to tom115

well, i have got information from website, and it says it will be harmful to hdd driver set in optical area coz there is no vibration protection function.

i have checked the system, and it says the sata speed is the same 6G and chip intel series 6. it should be the same speed, right?

I am thinking that the chip is the same and mortherboard is the same, the cable is similar as well, why it doesnt work? driver issue? OSX issue? or software issue? firmware?

or simply to say, if i am trying to setup two ssd driver into MBP, it has to be one in opitcal driver area. how could work?

thanks... still in puzzle.

right now, i have reinstall the osx into ssd by usb external, and install it back with opitcal tray, however, when i turn on the computer, the system can not be logged in from SSD, and computer can not read SSD driver, and it says it must be formatted or push out.

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Answer 4

onlyoneword Author

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Oct 23, 2012 12:26 AM in response to dmdimon

i am using Samsung 830 256GB SSD, it says good stablility.

i checked on web, and there is only windows version software for samsung ssd, no mac version. it *****...

the software named "SSD magician".

on the other hand, i could not find any update firmware for samsung 830....

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Answer 5

dmdimon

Level 3

856 points

Oct 23, 2012 1:06 AM in response to onlyoneword

there was early and late revisions of 2011 mbp. early ones (like mine) have 6g on HD tray and 3G in optibay. Late have 6/6. Even if you have later one - installing SSD in optibay adds 2 connectors and 1 cable in high-speed - that is sub-optimal. But it would work, I used it for some time.

well, i have got information from website, and it says it will be harmful to hdd driver set in optical area coz there is no vibration protection function.

Partially yes for HDD and no for SSD. There are three aspects. 1 - sudden motion sensor to prevent damage when computer shakes. But it works not for bay, but for computer as a whole. 2 - amortisation to absorb working drive vibration. But SSD is not vibrating and HDD in optibay installs in some "cage". Mine is from steel and plastic so it absorbs vibrations ok. 3 - noise. Yes, HDD in optibay gives slightly more noise than in HD bay.

As I'm using 6 Gbs M4 and have 3 Gbs optibay connection - decosion was obvios for me.

And there are no special SSD driver.

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Answer 6

dmdimon

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856 points

Oct 23, 2012 1:09 AM in response to onlyoneword

i am using Samsung 830 256GB SSD

Heard it is good. Again - no need in special software or drivers for SSD. Just enable TRIM with fresh Trim Enabler.

on the other hand, i could not find any update firmware for samsung 830....

No-no. Firmware was for MBP. Check for your model HERE

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Answer 7

onlyoneword Author

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Oct 24, 2012 1:16 AM in response to dmdimon

Even if you have later one - installing SSD in optibay adds 2 connectors and 1 cable in high-speed - that is sub-optimal. But it would work, I used it for some time.

I am not quite following this solution, could you please explain a little bit more? Mine right now is 6/6, and I used the orignal cable from optical driver to put on my SSD driver and set in Optibay. right now my MBP can read the SSD driver, but it says can not add or erase any files. i am still using HDD to log in right now. Could I still using HDD in HDbay and SSD in Optibay but boot from SSD?

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Answer 8

dmdimon

Level 3

856 points

Oct 24, 2012 2:00 AM in response to onlyoneword

I'm almost lost as english is not my native. Lets do it point by point.

1) your SSD ia partitioned GUID and formatted HFS+ Journaled?

2) you got to page I showed and checked firmware version - it is latest?

3) what extender do you use to set SSD in dvd place?

4) right now - what is on SSD and how it got there?

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