Looks like it's (*NO LONGER*) the end of the road... YES!!!

[Mike Boreham]

SUCCESS here too:

M1 MBA on 11.1

What worked:
Booted from a 11.1 USB Installer.
Installed on an empty APFS volume on a USB Samsung T5
Migrated at end of install from CCC clone (CCC recommended option)
Booted from new volume on T5

What didn't work:
Booted from a 11.1 USB installer
Tried to install onto a CCC data-only clone on a USB Samsung T5 to make it bootable (CCC recommended option)
Install started but gave "error occurred while extending ownership of this volume"

I am now pretty certain that my previous bad experiences were down to two things:
1. I didn't wait long enough while installing from Recovery.
2. When I thought it had 'hung' I shut down the machine with the power button. I suspect this is why I couldn't boot from the internal afterwards even though the install was being done to the external. Not beyond the bounds that it would have an adverse effect on the internal.

So I have validated the CCC restore using migration method, but not the install direct onto a data-only clone method. I have reported this to Mike Bombich maker of CCC.

 

[mwidjaya]

USB-A ports on the M1 Mac Mini.

Thank goodness the USB-A port is USB 3.0 aka 5 Gb/s.

 

[Luposian]

UPDATE! I have just unplugged the USB-A adapter from the USB-C cable and plugged the My Passport drive directly into the Thunderbolt 3 port... and it works! So, you only need to create the bootable drive connected to USB-A and then, once you're up and running, you can put the USB-C->USB-A adapter away and go back to USB-C.

I'm going to run a few boot speed tests and post them here. Internal SSD vs. external USB-C drive.

External WD My Passport 500Gb SSD, connected via USB-C = 18 sec. from power button press to password prompt screen. My Asus ROG Zephyrus G laptop could only WISH it were that fast at booting Windows 10 up!

I suspect the Internal SSD will be about 10-12 seconds, but let's test that guess out, shall we?

And, lo and behold, I was WRONG! It's not ANY faster than the external, I kid you not. 18 sec.! I'm truly surprised by this! I figured, surely, close-knit (soldered to the motherboard) SSD storage would be at least several seconds faster, but it wasn't. And the fact it's USB-C and not Thunderbolt 3...

 

[Mike Boreham]

UPDATE! I have just unplugged the USB-A adapter from the USB-C cable and plugged the My Passport drive directly into the Thunderbolt 3 port... and it works! So, you only need to create the bootable drive connected to USB-A and then, once you're up and running, you can put the USB-C->USB-A adapter away and go back to USB-C.

I'm going to run a few boot speed tests and post them here. Internal SSD vs. external USB-C drive.

I suspect the USB-A thing is not relevant. You and I have been on a parallel journey on this issue and both of succeeded in the last two days after previously failing. I am using an M1 MBA which has no USB-A ports.
For me the crucial step was installinto onto the external while booting the M1 from a USB installer (not trying to install from Recovery. You used an Install Assistant which avoided the need to install from Recovery.
Installing from Recovery should work and has for others. My problem might have been simply not giving it long enough.

 

[Luposian]

I suspect the USB-A thing is not relevant. You and I have been on a parallel journey on this issue and both of succeeded in the last two days after previously failing. I am using an M1 MBA which has no USB-A ports.
For me the crucial step was installinto onto the external while booting the M1 from a USB installer (not trying to install from Recovery. You used an Install Assistant which avoided the need to install from Recovery.
Installing from Recovery should work and has for others. My problem might have been simply not giving it long enough.

I can only report what worked for me. That doesn't mean other possibilities don't exist. And, as I do not have 11.1 installed to my 32Gb thumb drive (I have 11.0.1 on it), I cannot test that theory out. And I'm not about to lose what I have right now (a working bootable drive) to try it out, either. ?

 

[Mike Boreham]

I can only report what worked for me. That doesn't mean other possibilities don't exist. And, as I do not have 11.1 installed to my 32Gb thumb drive (I have 11.0.1 on it), I cannot test that theory out. And I'm not about to lose what I have right now (a working bootable drive) to try it out, either. ?

Yes indeed, we are all feeling our way! I am sure it will all get clearer and more reliable.

My confidence took a big boost yesterday after successfully doing full disk test restores onto an external T5 using first a CCC data-only clone and then a Time Machine backup....and booting from them.

All done with an 11.1 bootable USB installer. I would recommend making an 11.1 bootable USB installer. At this stage important changes are likely to get incorporated in updates.

 

[Yebubbleman]

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

That article seems to insist that the ability to do this on an Apple Silicon Mac (so long as you're using Big Sur or newer for obvious reasons) is the rule rather than the exception.

 

[Mike Boreham]

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

That article seems to insist that the ability to do this on an Apple Silicon Mac (so long as you're using Big Sur or newer for obvious reasons) is the rule rather than the exception.

There is no problem doing the first part of the article, creating the USB installer. The problems start with using the installer to install onto and boot from an external. The document doesn't actually mention external drives in the section about using the USB installer. The inference might be that it is used to reinstall on the internal.

In fact the subtitle of the article "You can use an external drive or secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system" doesn't mention booting from an external except for installing". I find that sentence a bit unclear.

From my own testing and other threads, it currently looks as though installing onto and booting from an external which is a true TB3 device connected by TB3 will always work. I have tried this with two TB3 externals a few times without failure. USB devices work for some people some of the time. I have had successes and failures with a Samsung T5.

 

[Yebubbleman]

There is no problem doing the first part of the article, creating the USB installer. The problems start with using the installer to install onto and boot from an external. The document doesn't actually mention external drives in the section about using the USB installer. The inference might be that it is used to reinstall on the internal.

In fact the subtitle of the article "You can use an external drive or secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system" doesn't mention booting from an external except for installing". I find that sentence a bit unclear.

From my own testing and other threads, it currently looks as though installing onto and booting from an external which is a true TB3 device connected by TB3 will always work. I have tried this with two TB3 externals a few times without failure. USB devices work for some people some of the time. I have had successes and failures with a Samsung T5.

In that case, it would seem to be an issue with the current M1 Mac firmware(s) as it seems like Apple is trying to have this element of Mac ownership to be no different than before (aside from the fact that one is not holding down "Option", but rather holding down the Power/TouchID and using the new all-in-one menu).

 

[curlyimac]

Ok, please explain the brand/model of Thunderbolt 3 SSD you're using. Explain steps of how you formatted the drive and installed 11.0.1 to it. Show pictures. The whole kit 'n' kaboodle. With enough irrefutable consensus, from enough Thunderbolt 3 SSD users, I will feel a bit safer investing into a Thunderbolt 3 SSD, though as to why a USB-C drive isn't acceptable, I don't undertand.

I wonder will this work with a thunderbolt enclosure and hdd??
I don't have an M1 yet but doing my research as we are thinking of upgrading soon.

 

[winna]

I installed 11.2.1 on my external Thunderbolt 3 M.2 disk but when I choose it it always starts up on the internal disk.