Sonnet Tempo SSD will not boot

[kitkats]

I’ve installed a Sonnet Tempo SSD PCIe card (not the Pro version) and 2 x Samsung 840 Pro SSD’s in the top slot 4 of my 2009 Mac Pro 4,1

The drives showed up as orange ‘external’ type drives in the OS with eject button icons next to them in the sidebar.

After formatting the drives, I cloned my OS onto one SSD using SuperDuper, and I installed a fresh OS X Mavericks onto the other SSD using the Mavericks installer.

Neither of the SSD’s shows up when I option-boot my Mac to the startup options window. But they both show up in System Preferences> Startup Disk, but when the machine restarts it doesn’t boot from them, it just reverts to my normal 7200rpm OS drive in the SATA bay.

I have downloaded and run the Tempo firmware updater ‘MarvellFlasher’.

I'm not trying to RAID the drives together, just use them as 2 volumes.

Any ideas why I cannot boot into one of the drives?

 

[hfg]

You might try a PRAM reset ... that often clears up booting issues.

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH14222

 

[h9826790]

I have almost exactly the same problem few days ago. (The difference is that I only have 1 SSD, but it shouldn't make any difference.)

The solution is simple. Upgrade you Tempo SSD's firmware!

I know that if your card have a serial number start with letter B, it should be bootable out of the box. However, it's not 100% guarantee.

I've talk to the Sonnet support, they said revision B means they flashed the card in factory, but obviously they missed out some cards.

I flashed it myself, and then everything works like a charm.

Another info for you. On some computers, the booting time will be greatly affected after installing this card (the white screen shows for a very long time before the apple logo appear). If that happen, do a full SMC and PRAM reset will fix the problem.

----------

Of topic a little bit.

I did a Mac Pro firmware upgrade today (flash my 4,1 to 5,1). It makes the boot time even faster, the white screen time is very short, just like booting from a native SATA drive.

However, the downside is that the boot options will no longer available. You mush select the the start up disk via the preferences manual, or use the hot key during boot.

Since this firmware upgrade should be revisable, if the boot option is not a must function for you, I personally recommend you upgrade to the 5,1 firmware.

 

[kitkats]

Did you flash the card with the Marvell flasher that I mentioned in my post or something else?

I've tried resetting SMC by unplugging power cable, and twice reset PRAM, but it refuses to boot. If I remove all the other drives with recovery partitions I just get the folder/question mark on the grey screen

As soon as I put the ssd into a normal Sata port it boots and runs fine. But then back in the Tempo it won't.

 

[h9826790]

Did you flash the card with the Marvell flasher that I mentioned in my post or something else?

I've tried resetting SMC by unplugging power cable, and twice reset PRAM, but it refuses to boot. If I remove all the other drives with recovery partitions I just get the folder/question mark on the grey screen

As soon as I put the ssd into a normal Sata port it boots and runs fine. But then back in the Tempo it won't.

Oh yes, I miss that part, it seems you did it already.

My story is like this.

1) I bought a SSD (Samsung 840 Evo 1T), install that in the 2nd DVD bay via SATA2.

2) Fresh install the OSX 10.9.2 onto that SSD.

3) Buy the Tempo SSD, install the SSD onto it.

4) Not bootable, all symptoms same as yours.

5) Move the card from slot 4 to slot 2, nil help.

6) Do the PRAM reset, nil help.

7) It shows up as an external drive (which is completely normal), selectable in preference as a start up disk, but once restart, the system automatically boot from the old HDD.

8) Flash the card by the software from this link http://www.sonnettech.com/support/kb/kb.php?cat=461&expand=&action=a13#a13

9) The card finally become bootable.

10) Move the card back to slot 4

If you only try that MarvellFlasherGUI software once. May be you can try to download it run it once more.


Apart from that, did you try to run only one SSD but not two? I have no idea will that make any difference, but I only use the half length card to run one SSD, may be you can try that first, make the first one bootable and then install the 2nd half.

Also, if you don't like that orange "external" icon, you can replace that by the normal HDD icon.

 

[kitkats]

Right - it's now sorted. It was the firmware.

I thought it had flashed the card but it hadn't - the second time I ran the updater a series of text lines came up on the screen during the restart and I had to press Y to flash the card etc etc. I had no idea that was meant to happen.

All working now. Slightly annoying that the second, non-boot SSD has that eject button even if I change the icon, but I can live with it.

Thanks

 

[Sam Gumgee]

Flash Twice for Double Length Cards

Right - it's now sorted. It was the firmware.

I thought it had flashed the card but it hadn't - the second time I ran the updater a series of text lines came up on the screen during the restart and I had to press Y to flash the card etc etc. I had no idea that was meant to happen.

All working now. Slightly annoying that the second, non-boot SSD has that eject button even if I change the icon, but I can live with it.

Thanks

kitkats, you just have to repeat ie. flashing the card twice for it to be all sorted. Good thing is the 'Flasher' is able to recognize any non-flashed device(s). Once it has found all the devices, it will stop prompting for the 'Y' and instead go directly to 'Press Continue' [Yeah, we know there isn't a continue button but 'Enter' aka. 'Return' will do ]

 

[boodaddyz]

I have Windows 8.1. I am using a MacPro 3.1 (Early 2008) I don't use OSX, and have a Windows Graphics card installed, so no OSX boot menu.

My mac currently boots straight into Windows with no problems. Can the Tempo Pro card do the same?

If I have to hold the option key in order to select the boot drive I am in trouble because I have a PC graphics card.

Appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

 

[hfg]

I have Windows 8.1. I am using a MacPro 3.1 (Early 2008) I don't use OSX, and have a Windows Graphics card installed, so no OSX boot menu.

My mac currently boots straight into Windows with no problems. Can the Tempo Pro card do the same?

If I have to hold the option key in order to select the boot drive I am in trouble because I have a PC graphics card.

Appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

I was never able to get my Tempo Pro SSD card to boot Windows at all ... and was told by their Technical Support that it would not do so. I don't know if the new "+" version has changed that or not.

The Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 card and the Velocity DUO x2 card can boot Windows in my Mac Pro 5.1 (I am currently hosting Windows 8 on the DUO card, and a earlier version of OS X as well).

 

[boodaddyz]

I was never able to get my Tempo Pro SSD card to boot Windows at all ... and was told by their Technical Support that it would not do so. I don't know if the new "+" version has changed that or not.

The Apricorn Velocity Solo x2 card and the Velocity DUO x2 card can boot Windows in my Mac Pro 5.1 (I am currently hosting Windows 8 on the DUO card, and a earlier version of OS X as well).

Thanks so much for you help. I just flashed my R9 280x with EFI boot screen, and am glad I don't have to use it lol...

I am going to go with the APRICORN VEL-SOLO-X2. On the website I found "The Velocity Solo x2 will function in all Mac Pro models, but will only boot in EFI64 machines which are the last 3 models known as Mac Pro 3,1 4,1 and 5,1"

I just got by with my 3.1 lol

Really appreciate your time!
Thanks so much

 

[H2SO4]

Thanks so much for you help. I just flashed my R9 280x with EFI boot screen, and am glad I don't have to use it lol...

I am going to go with the APRICORN VEL-SOLO-X2. On the website I found "The Velocity Solo x2 will function in all Mac Pro models, but will only boot in EFI64 machines which are the last 3 models known as Mac Pro 3,1 4,1 and 5,1"

I just got by with my 3.1 lol

Really appreciate your time!
Thanks so much

Hey there. As it’s been a while since you decided to go with the Apricorn, I’m wondering. How is it going with those?