Problem with Mac Pro 1,1 and OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G

[holmesf]

So I'm having a problem with my Mac Pro 1,1 and my recently purchased OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G 240GB drive.

I installed the drive via the NewerTech AdaptaDrive 2.5" to 3.5" Drive Converter Bracket into one of the regular SATA II hard drive bays. For the first few days the drive worked fine, then yesterday the following happened:

1. turned on machine and machine won't boot up -- doesn't get past initial gray screen.
2. I reset the PRAM and the machine boots, but it does so to my old hard drive. When the machine finished booting, the SSD was not recognized in the Finder or Disk Utility. It's as if the SSD weren't even installed.
3. Powered down machine, opened it up, removed SSD and plugged it back in. Powered machine back on. Now the SSD is mysteriously back and works fine again

This morning a similar thing happened, only this time it was when waking the computer from sleep. Upon wakeup almost nothing worked (couldn't launch applications, for example) as if the drive were absent. Upon restart I followed the same numbered steps outlined above and it is once again working fine.

So I'm assuming that I just need to return the drive and the converter bracket. But my experience is so bizarre that I wanted to see if anything similar had happened to anyone else, and if so if there were anything else I could do.

 

[derbothaus]

I have same drive. I have not ever had it "disappear" on me. I would first rule out the obvious culprit, the converter bracket. Not sure how to operate the SSD without one though seeing as you have 1,1. I'd contact OWC and see if they can send you out one of their converter brackets to test or something.

 

[Apple Corps]

Just installed that same drive last night in my MP 4,1 - no problems thus far.

What OS are you running? I am on Lion.

 

[holmesf]

Just installed that same drive last night in my MP 4,1 - no problems thus far.

What OS are you running? I am on Lion.

Congrats, incredible drive when it's working

I'm also running Lion. I've got to believe that the problem is either with my hardware, the adapter, or the drive (not the OS) because when this occurs if I boot up holding option the drive is not shown. Then when I open up the machine, unplug the drive, and plug it back in the drive is recognized again.

 

[derbothaus]

Congrats, incredible drive when it's working

I'm also running Lion. I've got to believe that the problem is either with my hardware, the adapter, or the drive (not the OS) because when this occurs if I boot up holding option the drive is not shown. Then when I open up the machine, unplug the drive, and plug it back in the drive is recognized again.

Have you swapped the bay it is in? Put it in the bay your HDD was in. You know that is a good port.
Then it's either the bracket or the SSD itself.

 

[holmesf]

Have you swapped the bay it is in? Put it in the bay your HDD was in. You know that is a good port.
Then it's either the bracket or the SSD itself.

The first time it failed it was in bay 4. The next time it failed it was in bay 3. I'm pretty sure I've used all the bays at some point in the past without issue.

So yeah, probably the SSD or bracket, as you said.