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Did Mavericks drop support for express card SSDs?

I've been using a Wintec Filemate 128G SSD expresscard/34 as my OS disk (with a filevaulted homedir on the HDD) on my 17" (Mid 2010) Macbook Pro for awhile now. When I tried to upgrade to Mavericks it failed to boot showing the universal NO symbol, verbose boot showed it stuck waiting for root device.


Luckily I had another spare drive (I'd replaced my superdrive with another HDD to store most of my itunes libarary when I travelled last summer) and I was able to clone the SSD to the HDD just fine using target mode and my iMac. I can still attempt to boot off the SSD but when booting mavericks off the HDD, the SSD isn't even seen in disk utility.


I did a bunch of searching and didn't see any confirmation online that drivers for these expresscard ssds were removed, but it sure seems like it.


Is anyone else using one of these and not seeing this with Mavericks/10.9?

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9), Mid-2010 17"

Posted on Oct 22, 2013 11:42 PM

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91 replies

Oct 24, 2013 8:35 AM in response to mmarionsd1

I think it may be Driver issues I use a Transcend express card to insert SC cards from my Camera (a Nikon D3200) Model a TS-RDF-1


IT caused a Kernel Panic. And I had to reinstall Maverick. If you insert the card Locks up the computer. I also have one fron SanDisk which don't like as well because it doesn't lock the card in place. I've inserted it and no issues.


I'll have to get intouch with Transcend to have them up date Driver. I would advise all to contact the various vendors giving trouble and tell them their driver files don't work with Mavericks.

Oct 24, 2013 11:17 AM in response to Gareth Bourne

I got the exact same word-for-word response. I'd be curious how many inquiries they're getting. I looked for the "as evidenced in the apple communitiy" and this thread is the primary 'evidence'. I'm surprised it isn't generating more discussion than it is.


In the past I've always held out for the 10.x.1 release, guess I should have this time too.

Oct 24, 2013 6:21 PM in response to thigmophilic

It's an Apple bug. I initially thought it was a driver issue, but I've contacted every third party PCI card maker I use and got some new drivers from the GH release of Mavericks they tested w/ and the same results prevail. No PCI card. Nada.


This will be true for Sonnet, Caldigit, SilconImaging, Wintec and I'd imagine many many more.

Oct 24, 2013 8:11 PM in response to mokugin

My Mac Pro is dead! since i upgraded.

Cant get past panic during boot.

t is a Apple BUG my PCI express, sonnet, MOtu, UAD Audio are all dead if i remove all the cards, it boots! but then what do i use the computer for Keynotes? I contacted the companys too they say it is Apple they said not to upgrade until apple fixes the pci buss bugs, and drivers compatibility issues.


How do i get to downgrade from time machine if it uses ESATA on a sonnet card? Recovery mode shows nothing, safe node cant even identify cards?


Clowns these beta testers. Apple needs to start using people like us that actually use their computers to make money and use external items like printers. Also Epson printers have problems my 20k printer will not even show up. Epson tech support stated to not upgrade.


Now i am SOL because of Apple again. Clowns at apple say do a clean install, but then you cant use any of your Raid farms, or audio or Film editing hardware or software or restore anything.


You NAILD it on the PCI express buss issue. Apple needs to fix it asap! See they wrote the OS for there new computers comming in November.

Oct 25, 2013 6:50 PM in response to benjnau

just before installing Mavericks used SuperDuper to make a Bootable Clone of Mountain Lion (OSX.8.x) and as soon as the Cloning was over before I had to do anything else, I upgraded to Mavericks. Of course I received the kernel Panic. But shut down and started in recovery mode and just out curosity I unpluged my Transcend Express Card Then went to install OSX after Repairing premissions. t downloaded and installed again. And worked this time.


I did have to Run Font book and get rids of 72 Duplicate fonts.

Oct 26, 2013 1:33 PM in response to mmarionsd1

Same here, with an Intel 80GB SSD in the main bay of my mid 2011 MacBook Pro (750GB standard drive in the optical bay). Disk utility finds no problem with the drive. I have attempted to find updated drivers for the SSD with no luck. Re-installed Lion from my backup and it's working fine again. Not sure if I should attempt another Mavericks installation, keep looking for a magic cure, wait for an update that will (maybe) solve this, or...?

Oct 26, 2013 2:11 PM in response to KSC_Straker

Like KSC_Straker, I got mine to work (same card). I did not redownload the driver though, just reinstalled it again after the Mavericks upgrade (which entailed setting my security preferences BACK to allowing installs of software from "unknown" developers). After the install and a reboot, my sonnet card again allows my esata drive to mount.


So it seems like in some cases, Mavericks is deactivating drivers in some way and a resinstall fixes things.

Did Mavericks drop support for express card SSDs?

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