New SSD on Early-2015 Macbook Pro 13"

[dauneek]

Hi everyone,

I just upgraded from a SSD 128GB HD to a Crucial P1 500GB SSD using a Sintech Adapter. I plugged in a bootable USB Mojave flash drive and an external hard drive with a time machine backup and in MacOS Utilities the new hard drive is found. I have tried rebooting through the USB and after the OS installs the computer restarts back in MacOS Utilities, the same happens with the time machine backup. I have reformatted the new SSD as Mac OS Extended (Journal) since in APFS the hard drive could not even be selected. Based on what I wrote can you guys help me figure out what may be the problem? I'm not a techie but my understanding is that I shouldn't be having this issue.

 

[DeltaMac]

If you restart, holding Option, the boot selector should appear. Do you see your SSD there? Click on that, to make sure it is selected, then press enter to try booting to that SSD.

 

[dauneek]

When I do that I see the usb or the external hard drive but not the new SSD.
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As a matter of fact if I try to reboot with the external hard drive alone, for time machine reboot the new SSD doesn’t show up in disk Utility at all.

 

[DeltaMac]

Then, I suspect that either you have an incorrect, or incompatible adapter (not bootable), or perhaps a correct adapter, but an SSD that is not compatible. Some SSDs may not work properly with the Sintechs.
(note: I don't have actual experience with any of the Sintechs, just offering a likely scenario)
Have you verified that your P1 has the updated firmware installed?

 

[jerryk]

Make sure you have configurations listed in this post.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/

 

[dauneek]

I’m not sure that it does but do you know I have to reinstall the old hard drive and update the firmware before installing the new one? When I tried using APFS once it did say that my firmware was not up to date. But in many videos it claims that the Mojave installer should update my drivers and firmware. So that’s what confuses me.

 

[junkw]

what was the OS on the 128 SSD?
was it High Sierra or later?

 

[dauneek]

Make sure you have configurations listed in this post.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/upgrading-2013-2014-macbook-pro-ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/

I saw that post and it lists Crucial P1 500GB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe as compatible and I got the sintech adapter NGFF M.2 nVme for macbook pro late 2013-2015 according to reviews both these items work with macbook pros early 2015.

 

[dauneek]

what was the OS on the 128 SSD?
was it High Sierra or later?

It was on Mojave and so I downloaded a Mojave USB reboot installer. I originally tried doing it with Catalina cause I couldn't find the Mojave OS in the app store but I kept looking for it and found it.
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Then, I suspect that either you have an incorrect, or incompatible adapter (not bootable), or perhaps a correct adapter, but an SSD that is not compatible. Some SSDs may not work properly with the Sintechs.
(note: I don't have actual experience with any of the Sintechs, just offering a likely scenario)
Have you verified that your P1 has the updated firmware installed?

Do you have any other SSD suggestions that you prefer other than Crucial. I keep reading about Samsung EVO line but I mostly only use the macbook for web browsing and word so I am not sure I need any faster times reading and writing times.

 

[junkw]

check your firmware with:
/usr/libexec/firmwarecheckers/eficheck/eficheck --integrity-check | grep Version
then tell me if the timestamp (last number) is bigger than or equal to 1708080033

 

[dauneek]

Another thing I would like to add is that I ran the first aid on the new SSD after my last attempt in which I tried reinstalling Mojave with the USB and under Bootable for the SSD it says NO.

Can this be causing the issue?
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check your firmware with:
/usr/libexec/firmwarecheckers/eficheck/eficheck --integrity-check | grep Version
then tell me if the timestamp (last number) is bigger than or equal to 1708080033

would I put that in the terminal? I am very novice with this and figured I could switch the hard drive on my own since it's supposed to be so easy but it has been anything but.

 

[junkw]

how did you copy the stuff to the new SSD? with Time Machine Restore?
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would I put that in the terminal?

yes Applications > Utilities > Terminal.app

then copy/paste the command I wrote
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Using the Finder, browse to your new SSD and tell what are the directories present there

 

[dauneek]

how did you copy the stuff to the new SSD? with Time Machine Restore?

I copied it with MacOS extended journal but I now realize that I tried installing the restore with APFS on the new SSD since a video somewhere mentioned that I should select APFS for the new SSD.

 

[junkw]

I copied it with

how ? with Time Machine Restore? Migration Assistant? CCC ? SUperDUper?
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yes your new SSD should be APFS, it's required anyway for recent macOS versions
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Bootable for the SSD it says NO.

that may be the problem.
this is why i want to know how you actually copied the files.
If you just dragged them to your new SSD, it will not set the bootable flag

 

[dauneek]

how ? with Time Machine Restore? Migration Assistant? CCC ? SUperDUper?
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yes your new SSD should be APFS, it's required anyway for recent macOS versions

I used the time machine backup on an external hard drive and tried to boot it in the new SSD in MacOS utilities. After the computer restarted I see that the SSD took the file and saved it but it just stays stuck in the MacOS utilities page, it never goes to the home screen.

 

[junkw]

I used the time machine backup on an external hard drive and tried to boot it in the new SSD in MacOS utilities. After the computer restarted I see that the SSD took the file and saved it but it just stays stuck in the MacOS utilities page, it never goes to the home screen.

not sure I understand well

 

[dauneek]

not sure I understand well

Sorry let me try and clarify. So I made a copy of the old hard drive via TimeMachine into an external hard drive. when I boot the computer with the new SSD I go through the recovery process using that external hard drive. The computer turns off, restarts and then I am right back into the MacOS utilities screen as if nothing happened.
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not sure I understand well

I have also tried to do a clean Mojave install by using the usb installer and same thing happens. The computer starts downloading the new macOS and when it completes it restarts but restarts back in the macOS Utilites page instead of booting with the OS that was supposed to be installed.

 

[junkw]

I'd try to boot from your bootable USB Mojave flash.
Once booted, do a clean install of macOS to the nvme drive (this would hopefully set the bootable flag on the nvme drive)
Then restore from the Time Machine to the NVME

EDIT: we posted at the same time, I see that you tried that and it did not work
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Ok then we may try that:
- boot from the bootable USB Mojave flash
- once booted, download Carbon Copy Cloner and install it
- clone the bootable USB mojave flash to the NVME using CCC (this will set the bootable flag)
- unplug the bootable USB flash drive
- reboot on the NVME
- restore/migrate from Time Machine to NVME
- update the Mojave on the NVME drive to the last version using the System Preferences/update

 

[dauneek]

I'd try to boot from your bootable USB Mojave flash.
Once booted, do a clean install of macOS to the nvme drive (this would hopefully set the bootable flag on the nvme drive)
Then restore from the Time Machine to the NVME

EDIT: we posted at the same time, I see that you tried that and it did not work

Yeah I just don’t get it. I don’t see any examples of this issue anywhere. I think I may need to update the crucial P1 firmware as was mentioned by DeltaMac but I don’t know how to do that. I looked at the instructions from Crucial on how to do it but I don’t understand most of it.

 

[junkw]

try the CCC way ^^ and let see if it works first

 

[dauneek]

I'd try to boot from your bootable USB Mojave flash.
Once booted, do a clean install of macOS to the nvme drive (this would hopefully set the bootable flag on the nvme drive)
Then restore from the Time Machine to the NVME

EDIT: we posted at the same time, I see that you tried that and it did not work
[automerge]1574801250[/automerge]
Ok then we may try that:
- boot from the bootable USB Mojave flash
- once booted, download Carbon Copy Cloner and install it
- clone the bootable USB mojave flash to the NVME using CCC (this will set the bootable flag)
- reboot on the NVME
- restore/migrate from Time Machine to NVME
- update the Mojave on the NVME drive to the last version using the System Preferences/update

ok I just saw your other set of instructions. Lol
Now I assume that I would download the carbon copy cloner on another USB flash drive or the same one that has the bootable Mojave?

 

[junkw]

on the same one

 

[dauneek]

I'd try to boot from your bootable USB Mojave flash.
Once booted, do a clean install of macOS to the nvme drive (this would hopefully set the bootable flag on the nvme drive)
Then restore from the Time Machine to the NVME

EDIT: we posted at the same time, I see that you tried that and it did not work
[automerge]1574801250[/automerge]
Ok then we may try that:
- boot from the bootable USB Mojave flash
- once booted, download Carbon Copy Cloner and install it
- clone the bootable USB mojave flash to the NVME using CCC (this will set the bootable flag)
- unplug the bootable USB flash drive
- reboot on the NVME
- restore/migrate from Time Machine to NVME
- update the Mojave on the NVME drive to the last version using the System Preferences/update

First and foremost thanks junkw for your time and your help. Now in order to see if I am understanding you correctly let me know what you think of my following concerns..
-I boot from the bootable USB mojave flash
but when I do this the computer restarts and goes right back to the macOS utilities since this is the case should I download carbon copy cloner from another computer?
I say this because the macOS utilities does not let me do anything else making the computer unusable.

 

[dauneek]

on the same one

Could this be a possible workaround... would it be possible to clone the old hard drive, using CCC, to the new SSD via a nvme usb adapter. and once cloned install the new SSD into the laptop? Just trying to see what my options are.

 

[junkw]

Could this be a possible workaround... would it be possible to clone the old hard drive, using CCC, to the new SSD via a nvme usb adapter. and once cloned install the new SSD into the laptop? Just trying to see what my options are.

yup that's what I usually do.
Just remember to buy a M-KEY NVME enclosure and not a B-KEY enclosure