New SSD will not boot internally, only from USB.

I'm trying to install a 480gb Crucial m500 SSD in my late 2011 13 inch macbook pro (i5 2.4 ghz). I can connect the ssd via usb and format/partition/erase/clone it however I want. Once it is cloned from my current HD, I can boot from the ssd while it is still connected via the USB port. If I replace the internal HD with the ssd and attempt to power on the mac, I receive a white screen with a flashing question mark inside of a folder icon.


I am running Mavericks and I have erased and cloned the ssd using both super duper and carbon copy cloner. The ssd is formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). I am seeing this problem on the Crucial forums where users update the firmware, replace the drive, etc, but the issue persists. Crucial is stating "I would also recommend contacting Apple about this issue as I personally don't think it's a fault with the SSD." Here is a link, http://forums.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/MBP-Mid-2010-doesn-t-see-M50 0-960GB-when-installed-in-the/td-p/138529/highlight/false/page/2.


PLEASE HELP!

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2011), OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Dec 13, 2013 8:07 AM

Reply
131 replies

Feb 21, 2014 5:26 AM in response to julienvs

Just chiming in. I have to agree with Clinton. I've helped several people on here with this same issue when upgrading to an SSD, and the SATA cable has been the culprit. I've been running a Crucial flawlessly for 2 years on a 2010 model. As for the optical bay, a Superdrive is MUCH slower with data transfer, so it may not show the problem.

Mar 24, 2014 7:11 AM in response to julienvs

I have the same problem as the initator of this thread.

- 2012 Macbook Pro intel i5

- Recently upgraded to OS X Mavericks

- Crucial SSD drive runs fine externally, but once plugged in interally I receive the folder/question mark icon


After posting multiple times on the crucial site and receiving arguably the worst customer support ever, I've decided I will never again buy a crucial product.


I don't have a solution but I know why so many people are running into problems. Apparently the m500 drive (or its firmware) isn't compatible with apple's new OS update. This is the reason for the "no disk" icon when installing the newly cloned crucial drive internally.


Yes, I can transfer all of my files/applications to the SSD if i run a fresh OS install on the SSD, but I don't want to do that.... I'm very picky about my itunes library, and specifically the "Date Added" sort category. I certainly want to retain these id3 tags, but p2p transfering causes the file to lose this information. This is why I want to use (and have been using) carbon copy cloner.


The probelm will be solved if either a) Crucial addresses the problem and rereleases a new firmware or b) Apple updates Mavericks so it is compatible with Crucial's drives

Mar 24, 2014 1:06 PM in response to Grinchpaws

I had the same problem, but I swapped the drives before cloning using Disk Utility on my second try. My original HDD was plugged in through USB with the new SSD installed internally. That worked like a charm. You will probably need to hold down the Option key on the first startup following the cloning though and select the SSD. After that, it boots automatically to the SSD. I hope this helps everyone else.

Mar 24, 2014 7:25 PM in response to ccm1192

Because the SSD is a lot more demanding on the cable than an HD. It's carrying a lot more data than the HD, so a marginal cable is going to cause problems. Search these forums, this happens all the time and a new cable resolves the problem. It makes no sense that it would be a Crucial problem. You've already proven the drive works.

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New SSD will not boot internally, only from USB.

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