Can't install OS X after SSD install

[Glennl20]

Hello and thanks for the support,

I recently replaced my HDD with an SDD doubled my RAM and replaced the battery in my 2009 MacBook pro.

Installation went fine until I wanted to reinstall os x.

1. First my trackpad will not work in utility start up window.

2. I was making due with key commands and got to the reinstall OS X window after reformatting my new ssd in disk utility to Mac extended journaled. I would reach the screen were it says select disk to install osx and it wouldn't let me start the install on the new sdd even though it showed up.

3. I kept trying and now I am getting the blinking folder with a question mark or the circle with a line through and it won't even take me to utility.

4. I have both the original osx install disk and a USB stick with osx Bootable install for maverick. I also have the old hdd in a USB 3 case to use as an external.

And help or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thank you

 

[treekram]

Hopefully, you still have OSX on the external HDD? I'm not sure if the actions you were taking were from the external HDD or the USB stick. I know that some of my USB 3 sticks get wonky if they get heavy use - they cool down and then all is well again.

If the problem is the SSD, it could be: 1) Something (cable most likely) got damaged in the SSD install. 2) Sometimes, the drive cable will work with an HDD but not a SSD. 3) You may have a non-compatible SSD. Many of the MBP's of that time had the NVidia MCP79 SATA chipset and some SSD's don't work properly with it. Usually, the SSD runs slower than it should (SATA1 vs. SATA2) but some SSD's have more of a problem. What SSD do you have? If you can boot from the external HDD, you can find out what chipset you have by pressing the Apple logo in the top left, selecting "About this Mac", pressing "System Report" or (I think) "System Info" if you have an older OS. Under the hardware section, select "SATA..." and the chipset is listed in the upper right side of the window.

If your SSD is compatible, you can try putting the HDD back in the computer (presuming OSX is still there) and seeing if that works. You can run the OSX install program from the HDD targeting the external USB case with the SSD in it (presuming you have an enclosure that supports UASP). If that all works, you can try putting the SSD back and if it doesn't work then it's likely the cable.

 

[Fishrrman]

First question:

Can you boot from the OLD HDD that is now in the external case?

Connect it, restart, and hold down the option key until the startup manager appears.

Then select the external drive with the pointer and hit return.

Does it boot up?

Answer this, and there will be more questions...

 

[Glennl20]

First question:

Can you boot from the OLD HDD that is now in the external case?

Connect it, restart, and hold down the option key until the startup manager appears.

Then select the external drive with the pointer and hit return.

Does it boot up?

Answer this, and there will be more questions...

First, thanks for the support!

So I wasn't able to boot from the old hard drive or the USB Bootable os x. What I was able to do was boot from the original 10.5.8 leopard install disk.

Now I am stuck, with leopard and unable to install any new OS Xs without snow leopard. I gave away snow leopard disk a long time ago. Ugh.

Any thoughts on how to get snow leopard again without having to buy another disk ?
[doublepost=1461628957][/doublepost]

Hopefully, you still have OSX on the external HDD? I'm not sure if the actions you were taking were from the external HDD or the USB stick. I know that some of my USB 3 sticks get wonky if they get heavy use - they cool down and then all is well again.

If the problem is the SSD, it could be: 1) Something (cable most likely) got damaged in the SSD install. 2) Sometimes, the drive cable will work with an HDD but not a SSD. 3) You may have a non-compatible SSD. Many of the MBP's of that time had the NVidia MCP79 SATA chipset and some SSD's don't work properly with it. Usually, the SSD runs slower than it should (SATA1 vs. SATA2) but some SSD's have more of a problem. What SSD do you have? If you can boot from the external HDD, you can find out what chipset you have by pressing the Apple logo in the top left, selecting "About this Mac", pressing "System Report" or (I think) "System Info" if you have an older OS. Under the hardware section, select "SATA..." and the chipset is listed in the upper right side of the window.

If your SSD is compatible, you can try putting the HDD back in the computer (presuming OSX is still there) and seeing if that works. You can run the OSX install program from the HDD targeting the external USB case with the SSD in it (presuming you have an enclosure that supports UASP). If that all works, you can try putting the SSD back and if it doesn't work then it's likely the cable.

Thank you for thinking that through...

So I wasn't able to boot from the old hard drive or the USB Bootable os x. What I was able to do was boot from the original 10.5.8 leopard install disk.

Now I am stuck, with leopard and unable to install any new OS Xs without snow leopard. I gave away snow leopard disk a long time ago. Ugh.

Any thoughts on how to get snow leopard again without having to buy another disk ?

 

[Dopeyman]

When you say that you're not able to boot from the old HDD, is that with an external case or did you put it back in?

 

[treekram]

For the people trying to help you, we need the following questions answered:

1) What is on the HDD in the enclosure? Is there a working OS? If not, is there anything you need on the HDD?

2) What brand and model of SSD do you have?

3) What brand and model enclosure or docking station do you have?

4) How did you create the bootable Mavericks USB stick? (What web site instructions, etc. did you use?)

 

[Glennl20]

Update:
I got the system up and running but i had to use the reinstall disk for leopard. Now I am trying to get back up to mavericks or higher. I think I will have to buy a new snow leopard install disk. Any thoughts?

To answer your questions:
1. Everything is still on the original HDD which is now in an enclosure Orico USB 3 and it should have the operating system still working.

2. The SSD is SanDisk extreme pro 480gb which is now installed in the computer.

3. I created the Bootable mavericks USB from online instructions by downloading maverick install image from apple and then using diskmaker x to put it on the USB

Thanks

 

[treekram]

So are you running Leopard off of the external USB drive (presumably the HDD), an internal HDD or an internal SSD?

SanDisk SSD's are among those that have problems with the MCP79 SATA chipset. Now that you have Leopard running, follow the steps in post #2 - point #3 above to see what chipset you have in the MBP. I saw at least one post from a person who was only able to get SATA1 speeds in a 2009 MBP with the MCP79 and the Extreme Pro. However, it looks like there's mainly that speed issue (getting SATA1 vs. SATA2), vs. a non-functioning SSD issue.

If you have the SSD still in the computer, whether or not it's the system disk, you should be able to find out the speed (SATA1 vs. SATA2) by looking at the System Information report (again following the steps in post #2 above), looking at the bottom right portion of the window. There should be 2 "[whatever] chipset" entries at the top, select the one with the SanDisk SSD just below it. On the bottom right of the screen will be an entry that will show the "Link Speed" and the "Negotiated Link Speed". If the negotiated speed is 1.5 gigabit, you have the MCP79 problem.

If you have the MCP79 problem, you need to decide whether you want to return the Sandisk or not. If you have the problem, you're getting only half the speed you could get with a SSD that doesn't have this problem.

If you're going to return the SanDisk and have an additional HDD, you try to see if you can install Mavericks on it to see if you there's an issue with the installer or not. Installation from a USB stick tends to have more problems than from a HDD or SSD.

Also, with your Orico enclosure, do you know if you got the "upgraded version" or not?
http://www.amazon.com/ORICO-2588US3-External-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B00B0RD2RA

 

[Glennl20]

Teekram,
Thanks so much for the info.
So I am was running leopard from the SSd, (I still have mavericks on the HDD in the enclosure) but I finally just got a new install of snow leopard from eBay and went that route on the SSD. Now I'm downloading el capitan.

I was not aware of the issue with SanDisk and MBP speed issues. It seems to be working just fine for my purposes, but I will follow your instructions to check the speed.

The Orico seems to be working well now so I think it must be the updated one.

Thanks again for the support!
[doublepost=1461779771][/doublepost]Just checked the chipset and it looks like I'm at 3gigabit in negotiated link speed so I assume that means I'm all good at satay speeds. Thanks again for the info.

 

[treekram]

Just some things you should know (apologies if you already know about these)

- You can boot from the external enclosure if you have a valid bootable OS. Press the option key when you hear the chime and valid bootable options will show up. If you have a bootable Mavericks in the enclosure, you didn't need Snow Leopard to upgrade to El Capitan.

- Your SanDisk Extreme Pro is a SATA3 drive. That usually means about 500MB/sec. If you put it in a Mac before 2011 (presuming it works), you get SATA2 speeds, which will be high-200's MB/sec - I think there was someone who posted on macrumors who got over 300MB/sec. If you have the MCP79 and the only problem is the speed issue, you get somewhere in the mid-100's MB/sec. The Extreme Pro is at the higher end of SanDisk's SATA drives (maybe the highest?). There's no problem in that, but looking at what Amazon has to offer, a drive like the Crucial/Micron M500 is about $80 cheaper and will probably work as well for you considering the older MBP you have. If you have the MCP79 speed issue, then the M500 will be about twice as fast since people who have it report that the M500 works at SATA2 in the 2009 MBP.

- If the Orico doesn't have UASP support (the updated one), then it may have problems if you put the SSD in it. If you can get your system working with the OS you want and you don't have to put your SSD in there, then it won't matter.