Cannot Boot from External SSD 1/M1

[panjandrum]

Could you please list the exact make/model of the adapter so that we can add it to the list?

Sure:

I had success installing to a partition (an actual partition) on a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD hooked up with:

Sabrent USB 3.0 to SSD / 2.5-Inch SATA I/II/IIIHard Drive Adapter (EC-SSHD)

And this tiny little cheap USB adaptor. In pink of course. Color matters.

When I attempted to duplicate the *exact same process* with the same adaptors on the same laptop with an old Seagate HDD it failed - I can get to the point where the drive will boot part way but the "Boot Drive Cannot Be Verified." In this case I am not presented with a WiFi connection option, no idea why, so I'm unable to connect to the internet and verify the boot drive. Possibly I can get around this by turning off some of the security options but I haven't tried yet.

 

[panjandrum]

BTW, I am working on rolling out 22 of these in an educational K-8 environment where I frequently have to figure out ways to, um, 'bypass' much of Apple's current and continued idiocy: For example I have to create pre-configured user accounts on every machine with many micro-managed settings NOT covered by MDMs. In other words, I MUST either image machines in-whole or migrate these accounts to machines prior to binding to the MDM (Mosyle in our case) because otherwise I would have to manually setup each machine. Hence my continued attempts to get all of this to work.

What I've taken to doing on these new M1s, right out of the box, is intercepting the initial boot by snagging that power button the second I open it and entering immediately into the boot options; then updating the OS before I boot the system even a single time. This gets them up to 11.1(?). This definitely makes them somewhat more reliable when it comes to migration, external booting, etc. Still very, very flakey, but *less* flakey.

On the other hand, WOW, what great, fast, inexpensive, cool-running machines with long battery life. These are going to be wonderful little machines for our students, once setup properly.

 

[Mike Boreham]

I have tried a WD SN750 NVMe blade in a OWC Envoy Express TB3 enclosure and it installs and boots fine.

The picture is building that externals which fully support TB3 and connected by TB3 have no problems. I have not seen a single report of a TB3 failure to boot.

Externals connected by USB boot for some people some of the time. I have had successes and failures booting a Samsung T5.

I just tried to boot from my Envoy Express TB3 external (mentioned above) and got a message that macOS needed to be reinstalled.

I ignored this and shut down and tried again and it worked normally. (This has happened once before, booting to my internal.)

Take away lesson, don't accept these messages at face value....try a repeat.

 

[mpf541-]

any news if here existing os in external success ?

I have just finished testing booting from external drives and it is possible. But it has to be a thunderbolt 3 drive. I have just tested using a patriot evlvr SSD. I installed this drive using a m1 mini and after it was all set up I tried to boot a MacBookPro M1 and it also booted up on it. Not sure how useful this is but I was just testing. Also OS version is 11.1

 

[Mike Boreham]

I have just finished testing booting from external drives and it is possible. But it has to be a thunderbolt 3 drive.

No it doesn't have to be Thunderbolt. I can install on and boot my M1 MBA from a Samsung T5, direct connected by USB, (but not via a dock), as earlier in this thread.

Things have been changing since M1 release and early successful attempts did seem to be all Thunderbolt, with USB not working, but now at least some USB drives work.

 

[blackest]

I bought a WD My Passport 500GB SSD for my M1 Mac Mini. Update internal SSD to Big Sur 11.1. Connect USB-A adapter to USB-C cable for My Passport drive. Plug into USB-A port. Format as untitled, APFS (plain), GUID partition map. Copy/paste Big Sur 11.1 installer from Applications folder to Desktop. Drag/drop only creates an alias. Run installer. At end, it will reboot. Be patient or ignore it for awhile. It will come up at language request screen. You’re ready to go!

That worked for me with a Samsung T7 drive , had to setup a user account on there, wouldn't let me migrate my account from the internal SSD but yes it's good

 

[RvXtm]

Segate FireCuda Gaming, usb 3.2 drive connected via usbC. Big Sur install and booting normal, just like the internal ssd.

 

[Screensaver]

Here is a list if what has been verified (so far) that we know works:

Apple M1 Verified External Boot Equipment:

NVMe M.2 SSD:
Inland Professional PCIe NVMe 2280 M.2
Inland Premium PCIe NVMe 2280 M.2
WD PCIe NVMe M.2 SN750
Plugable TBT3-NVME 1TB Thunderbolt 3
Sabrent XTRM Q 1TB

USB Hard Drives:
Sandisk Ultra 3D SATA
Samsung T5 V-NAND USB 3.1 External

NVMe Enclosures:
Trebleet Thunderbolt 3 NVMe PCIe M.2 (B07N67P39W)

USB Enclosures:
Startech USB 3.0 251BMU313

Adapters:
Apple USB-C to USB (MJ1M2AM/A)

Cables:
Apple Thunderbolt (0.8) (MQ4H2AM/A)
Apple Thunderbolt 3 Pro (2m) (MWP32AM/A)
Leirui Thunderbolt 3 (3 Feet) (B08561NV9H)
Trebleet Thunderbolt 3 100W (0.5) (B07XG2XXFH)

Supported macOS:
11.01 - No
11.1 - Yes
11.2 - Not tested

Hello there! I am having no luck with booting to any of three unique SATA SSD brands via thunderbolt. I stumbled upon this excellent thread and wanted to know if you have made any more discoveries since the time of this exchange. Do you have a more comprehensive compatibility list since the time you originally posted this, or do you know of one? I have tried three different M1’s with no success. I have posted my sob story here:

After three months, and three M1 Mac Mini’s, I still cannot boot from an external thunderbolt SSD. Is there a list of functional SSD and enclosures?

Long story short, I bought an M1 Mini with the 16 GB upgrade, and couldn’t get it to boot from any of the following: - A new OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini (thunderbolt 3) using any of the following 2.5” SATA SSD brands: - Sk Hynix Gold S31 SSD - SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD (SDSSDH3) - an ADATA...

forums.macrumors.com

I am desperate to learn of a SATA brand of SSD that might work. Thank you for reading! I hope you have found stability during this major Mac transition!

 

[blackest]

Hello there! I am having no luck with booting to any of three unique SATA SSD brands via thunderbolt. I stumbled upon this excellent thread and wanted to know if you have made any more discoveries since the time of this exchange. Do you have a more comprehensive compatibility list since the time you originally posted this, or do you know of one? I have tried three different M1’s with no success. I have posted my sob story here:

After three months, and three M1 Mac Mini’s, I still cannot boot from an external thunderbolt SSD. Is there a list of functional SSD and enclosures?

Long story short, I bought an M1 Mini with the 16 GB upgrade, and couldn’t get it to boot from any of the following: - A new OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini (thunderbolt 3) using any of the following 2.5” SATA SSD brands: - Sk Hynix Gold S31 SSD - SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD (SDSSDH3) - an ADATA...

forums.macrumors.com

I am desperate to learn of a SATA brand of SSD that might work. Thank you for reading! I hope you have found stability during this major Mac transition!

The drive needs to be partitioned for Apple file system, it also seems to need to be connected to a usb A port for the install. Moving the installer to the desktop does seem to make a difference and that last step that says abour 4 minutes remaining it's the best part of an hour or more. It's good to open the log and show everything. It helps convince you progress is being made. I probably spent 17 hours total before getting success but at least half that time was trying to install to a HDD and not a SSD.

 

[jdb8167]

Hello there! I am having no luck with booting to any of three unique SATA SSD brands via thunderbolt. I stumbled upon this excellent thread and wanted to know if you have made any more discoveries since the time of this exchange. Do you have a more comprehensive compatibility list since the time you originally posted this, or do you know of one? I have tried three different M1’s with no success. I have posted my sob story here:

After three months, and three M1 Mac Mini’s, I still cannot boot from an external thunderbolt SSD. Is there a list of functional SSD and enclosures?

Long story short, I bought an M1 Mini with the 16 GB upgrade, and couldn’t get it to boot from any of the following: - A new OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini (thunderbolt 3) using any of the following 2.5” SATA SSD brands: - Sk Hynix Gold S31 SSD - SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD (SDSSDH3) - an ADATA...

forums.macrumors.com

I am desperate to learn of a SATA brand of SSD that might work. Thank you for reading! I hope you have found stability during this major Mac transition!

Get yourself a Thunderbolt 3 SSD and it reportedly works pretty reliably. Anything else is hit or miss. For every report of success there is an opposite report of failure using the same steps. I’ve tried dozens of time with a USB SSD using every successful strategy reported here and it hasn’t ever worked.

 

[Mac... nificent]

Hello there! I am having no luck with booting to any of three unique SATA SSD brands via thunderbolt.

Thunderbolt 2, or Thunderbolt 3?

Do you have a more comprehensive compatibility list since the time you originally posted this, or do you know of one?

I wrote up an article on how to successfully make a M1 boot drive here;

Making an M1 External Boot SSD in 20 Minutes...

Preface: I designed this process for making an external bootable Big Sur SSD. For installing Big Sur on a internal SSD I recommend using the Configurator 2 app along with a USB-C charging cable (standard USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 cables are not supported). Lately I’ve had so many problems trying...

forums.macrumors.com

If you are trying to install macOS on a internal drive, I record using the Configurator 2 app (in the App Store).

When I get a chance I'll check out your thread and try to post there.

 

[Screensaver]

The drive needs to be partitioned for Apple file system, it also seems to need to be connected to a usb A port for the install. Moving the installer to the desktop does seem to make a difference and that last step that says abour 4 minutes remaining it's the best part of an hour or more. It's good to open the log and show everything. It helps convince you progress is being made. I probably spent 17 hours total before getting success but at least half that time was trying to install to a HDD and not a SSD.

Thanks for the response! It has to be partitioned? Meaning, I can’t just install on an empty APFS disk image? I have to split the drive into two and install Big Sur on just one of the partitions? I have installed to my APFS from the App Store downloaded Big Sur installer and it doesn’t take too ridiculous an amount of time, tho I sometimes walk away from the computer.

 

[Screensaver]

Get yourself a Thunderbolt 3 SSD and it reportedly works pretty reliably. Anything else is hit or miss. For every report of success there is an opposite report of failure using the same steps. I’ve tried dozens of time with a USB SSD using every successful strategy reported here and it hasn’t ever worked.

So, I’ve been attempting with an OWC ThunderBolt 3 enclosure for 2.5” SATA SSD. Shouldn’t that work? I mean, I know the answer is yes, but it doesn’t! Haha

 

[Screensaver]

Thunderbolt 2, or Thunderbolt 3?


I wrote up an article on how to successfully make a M1 boot drive here;

Making an M1 External Boot SSD in 20 Minutes...

Preface: I designed this process for making an external bootable Big Sur SSD. For installing Big Sur on a internal SSD I recommend using the Configurator 2 app along with a USB-C charging cable (standard USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 cables are not supported). Lately I’ve had so many problems trying...

forums.macrumors.com

If you are trying to install macOS on a internal drive, I record using the Configurator 2 app (in the App Store).

When I get a chance I'll check out your thread and try to post there.

Thanks for the repairs! I didn’t even notice you had responded here until 10 mins ago! So, I have been trying to boot from an external 2.5” SATA SSD via the OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini (ThunderBolt 3 version).
I just read your article (I appreciate you putting this together so I don’t feel so insane about my experience this far). Oddly enough, I’ve never had a problem or interruption when I stalling Big Sur to one my my SSD inside the ThunderBay (I installed and attempted to boot from an Hk Hynix, a SanDisk and an ADATA SATA SSD’s). I always completed the install, whether from the App Store installer download, or through the Recovery Mode internet install (both always starting with an erased SSD, formatted with an unencrypted APFS format). And of course, I completed all this setup and the installs from my M1 Mac.
Oh wow, so I finished your guide. Did you ever get the “SDErrorDomain 104” when you attempted to boot from your external ThunderBolt drive? This is the error I receive every time for each of my SSD’s inside my ThunderBolt 3 OWC enclosure. I have had zero issues with completing the install of the latest public version of Big Sur. With that in mind, would your understanding be for me? Did your guide stop you from getting the “SDErrorDomain 104” error message? Or did it mainly just allow you to complete your Big Sur download, and then your external drive booted no problem?

Thanks again for the helpful and encouraging response! And thanks for joining in on the conversation on my thread!

 

[Mac... nificent]

It has to be partitioned? Meaning, I can’t just install on an empty APFS disk image? I have to split the drive into two and install Big Sur on just one of the partitions?

It doesn't have to be partitioned, but it MUST be formatted from the M1.

If the hard drive was partitioned from a intel Mac, then it will not work no matter what you do.

I just took a quick look at your OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini. For some reason, I thought it was USB. Seeing how it's Thunderbolt 3 you should be having no issues unless something is wrong with your TB3 cable (do not use USB-C cable) or the chipset in the OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini is incompatible with the M1. I did not see the M1 mentioned anywhere on their website for this product (other products they mention the M1) so double-check with them.

 

[Screensaver]

It doesn't have to be partitioned, but it MUST be formatted from the M1.

If the hard drive was partitioned from a intel Mac, then it will not work no matter what you do.

I just took a quick look at your OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini. For some reason, I thought it was USB. Seeing how it's Thunderbolt 3 you should be having no issues unless something is wrong with your TB3 cable (do not use USB-C cable) or the chipset in the OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini is incompatible with the M1. I did not see the M1 mentioned anywhere on their website for this product (other products they mention the M1) so double-check with them.

Oh, gotcha. Yeah, I starting over with M1. No trace of anything formatted from Intel. I wanted to start fresh to prevent the kinds of issues I am having, haha, so yes, every step was performed new on my M1.

Well, I am tried to boot using the Thunderbolt 3 cable that came with the ThunderBolt 3 ThunderBay Mini, but then I also popped one of the M1-formatted and M1 Big Sur installed SSD’s into my first-generation ThunderBolt ThunderBay Mini’s (I used the first-gen ThunderBay for my old Intel Mac and recently bought the ThunderBay w/ ThunderBolt 3 for use with my new M1 Mini) using the first-gen ThunderBolt cable that came with the first-gen one with no luck. So, two different OWC ThunderBay Mini’s, of the first and third generation of ThunderBolt, with no luck.

I spoke with OWC on the phone today and they didn’t understand why it didn’t work. A tech support fella ultimately just kept saying their their product works and that it was Apple who had problems. I countered back with the following statement from their own website:

““OWC Thunderbolt (USB-C) solutions are 100% compatible and ready for the new Apple M1 Macs,” said Larry O’Connor, CEO and Founder of OWC. “From our flagship 14-Port Thunderbolt Dock, Flex 8, and our amazingly fast and portable Envoy Pro EX, to workhorses like the ThunderBay 4 and 8, and digital centerpiece OWC Elite Pro Dock, you can enjoy the full performance and benefit of our entire Thunderbolt lineup on these new Macs—and every Mac with Thunderbolt—via USB-C.”

OWC tech support said, “well the ThunderBay 4 Mini drives mount, don’t they? You can copy files to them, right?” To which I replied, “what part of ‘100% compatible with M1 Macs’ do you not understand?”

ugh. Icecubed, on the thread I started mentioned something about OWC’s softraid finally becoming compatible with Big Sur in 11.3, which is in beta. Now, I never use the raid software for my ThunderBolt ThunderBay, but he suggested that maybe this hardware is configured in some way to this or some alternate tech that maybe mirrors softraid? If that’s the case, hopefully 11.3 enables the whole line of ThunderBay Mini’s to work. I think I might try to figure out how to sign up for the 11.3 beta to see if it works in that state.

 

[Mac... nificent]

recently bought the ThunderBay w/ ThunderBolt 3 for use with my new M1 Mini) using the first-gen ThunderBolt cable that came with the first-gen one with no luck.

First-gen and second-gen Thunderbolt is not supported. Needs to be Thunderbolt 3.

Apple makes a gen 2 to gen 3 adapter that you could try, but U thought that the ThunderBay was native TB3.

 

[Screensaver]

First-gen and second-gen Thunderbolt is not supported. Needs to be Thunderbolt 3.

Apple makes a gen 2 to gen 3 adapter that you could try, but U thought that the ThunderBay was native TB3.

I’m sorry, I should have proofread my stream of consciousness. First and foremost, I have been trying with a native Thunderbolt 3 OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini with the ThunderBolt 3 cable that came with it.

Thinking that maybe I had a bum unit, I then attempted to boot from the macOS 11.2.3 SanDisk, but this time, with that SSD inside of a first-generation ThunderBay Mini 4. In order to accomplish this, I used the Apple ThunderBolt-2-to-ThunderBolt-3 adaptor. Connected to that adaptor, I used the first-generation ThunderBolt cable that originally came with the first-generation ThunderBay in order to also rule out a bum third-generation ThunderBolt cable too. All of the ‘thunder’ makes it annoying to track haha.

By attempting to boot my M1 Mini from two different ThunderBolt enclosures (fist generation w/ Apple adaptor and the native third-generation) , I thought I was rule out that I had a bum ThunderBolt 3 unit in the first place, but neither setups allowed the boot and both resulted in the same SDErrorDomain 104 error.