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SSDs and Mountain Lion
- Thread starter w3rt
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Same here
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With Trim support working fine with my Intel 320 Series
I installed ml on an OWC 250gb ssd with no problems on my 2007 mbp.
I did the normal app store install over the lion iosx that was already installed.
All adobe, Microsoft and other apps work fine.
The problem is that it's such a silly upgrade for computer users.
I would never install it on my mac pro.
It's just another gimmick iosx, and a complete waste of time for any serious computer work, just like lion. My laptop is my toy, so it's no big deal what os it runs.
Snow leopard was the last osx version for serious computer use that apple put out.
If you're a gadget user, go for it. If you want to use your computer for actual work, stick with sl.
Instead of changing "APPLE" to zeros, I changed it to "INTEL".
Works great with my Intel 120 GB 320 series SSD in ML.
Image
Also, instead of doing those 2 kextcache commands, I did "sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/".
Here's my patched IOAHCIBlockStorage file for OS X 10.8 (Build 12A269) and Intel SSDs (the Model must start with "INTEL SSD" or else trim won't be enabled, but no harm otherwise).
http://minus.com/lbg4bN7aIEJMIA
Put it in place (rename to get rid of .patched, you might want to fix its file permissions also) and do:
sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/
YOU ARE A TOTAL GENIUS!!!
Changing Apple to Intel in the file works perfectly. Only issue I had was when I used sudo touch prior to patching the new file ended up with the grey screen of death and no entry sign at reboot. Did a reinstall and patched your file and worked a treat. Haven't run sudo touch again. Do you think I need to and any idea why it broke my build before?
Cheers again for your help. Huge respect!! Have you a donation page or a favourite charity?
ATB,
Si
Unfortunately I made the mistake of going for a 256 Octane S2 and have the same boot issues. Hoping it'll get fixed soon.
I, too, thought it was a neat coincidence that both Apple and Intel are made of 5 letters.
I'm glad it worked for you too. The only reason `sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/` would cause problems is if you had a bad kext file. I think changing "APPLE" to all zeros is a dangerous thing, because from what I can tell they use series of null-terminated strings... Adding extra zeros could mess things up (it might be just by chance that it worked before). Another potential reason things might go wrong is if the file permissions are poorly set (which can happen if you replace the kext file with another version), but this is just a guess.
If you have SSD support at "Yes" now and your boot time is good, you probably don't have to do the command again.
I'm actually an indie software developer working on some experimental free tools, so I could definitely use some $ support to keep me going.
There's a PayPal Donate button at the bottom of my site. Thanks a lot.
I, too, thought it was a neat coincidence that both Apple and Intel are made of 5 letters.
I'm glad it worked for you too. The only reason `sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/` would cause problems is if you had a bad kext file. I think changing "APPLE" to all zeros is a dangerous thing, because from what I can tell they use series of null-terminated strings... Adding extra zeros could mess things up (it might be just by chance that it worked before). Another potential reason things might go wrong is if the file permissions are poorly set (which can happen if you replace the kext file with another version), but this is just a guess.
If you have SSD support at "Yes" now and your boot time is good, you probably don't have to do the command again.
I'm actually an indie software developer working on some experimental free tools, so I could definitely use some $ support to keep me going.
There's a PayPal Donate button at the bottom of my site. Thanks a lot.
Thanks Dimitri. That makes total sense. Have sent you a donation.
Best wishes,
Simon
I, too, thought it was a neat coincidence that both Apple and Intel are made of 5 letters.
I'm glad it worked for you too. The only reason `sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/` would cause problems is if you had a bad kext file. I think changing "APPLE" to all zeros is a dangerous thing, because from what I can tell they use series of null-terminated strings... Adding extra zeros could mess things up (it might be just by chance that it worked before). Another potential reason things might go wrong is if the file permissions are poorly set (which can happen if you replace the kext file with another version), but this is just a guess.
If you have SSD support at "Yes" now and your boot time is good, you probably don't have to do the command again.
I'm actually an indie software developer working on some experimental free tools, so I could definitely use some $ support to keep me going.
There's a PayPal Donate button at the bottom of my site. Thanks a lot.
Hi shurcooL,
I'm wondering...
If my ssd was " Plextor"...more than 5 letters,
What should I do ??
Need some advice,
Thanks!!
Irvine
The fact it's more than 5 letters is not an issue, as far as I can tell. Apple basically checks the first 9 characters of your SSD model identifier and matches it to "APPLE SSD". If it matches, TRIM support is enabled.
So you have to look at your SSD model identifier, and take the first 9 characters, whatever they may be, and replace the "APPLE SSD" 9 character string in IOAHCIBlockStorage file with your 9 characters. I believe this should work.
You can find your SSD model identifer in the System Information app:
For you, it'll probably be something like "Plextor SSDwhateverwhatever" and you take the first 9 chars, meaning "Plextor S".
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Ok, despite being only 7 MB, the 10.8.1 update managed to change the IOAHCIBlockStorage file and hence break the TRIM support hack.
When I went about applying it again, I've noticed they've changed the IOAHCIBlockStorage format slightly.
In 10.8, the "APPLE SSD" string was mentioned only once in the entire file:
But in 10.8.1, there is "APPLE SSD" and later on there's another "APPLE SSD TS" string, which appears to have something to do with MacBookAir5,1 and MacBookAir5,2 models (the current mid 2012 models).
I've changed just the first occurrence of "APPLE SSD" to "INTEL SSD", leaving the second "APPLE SSD TS" as it was, and it worked fine. Now I have TRIM support on my MacBookPro8,1 with an Intel SSD again (with 15 second boot time).
My guess is that the second "APPLE SSD TS" string is used for MacBookAir5,1 and MacBookAir5,2 models only, and the first "APPLE SSD" string is used for all other MacBook models. But so far this is just an educated guess, so if anyone has any info to add about it, please do.
When I went about applying it again, I've noticed they've changed the IOAHCIBlockStorage format slightly.
In 10.8, the "APPLE SSD" string was mentioned only once in the entire file:
But in 10.8.1, there is "APPLE SSD" and later on there's another "APPLE SSD TS" string, which appears to have something to do with MacBookAir5,1 and MacBookAir5,2 models (the current mid 2012 models).
I've changed just the first occurrence of "APPLE SSD" to "INTEL SSD", leaving the second "APPLE SSD TS" as it was, and it worked fine. Now I have TRIM support on my MacBookPro8,1 with an Intel SSD again (with 15 second boot time).
My guess is that the second "APPLE SSD TS" string is used for MacBookAir5,1 and MacBookAir5,2 models only, and the first "APPLE SSD" string is used for all other MacBook models. But so far this is just an educated guess, so if anyone has any info to add about it, please do.
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I, too, thought it was a neat coincidence that both Apple and Intel are made of 5 letters.
I'm glad it worked for you too. The only reason `sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/` would cause problems is if you had a bad kext file. I think changing "APPLE" to all zeros is a dangerous thing, because from what I can tell they use series of null-terminated strings... Adding extra zeros could mess things up (it might be just by chance that it worked before). Another potential reason things might go wrong is if the file permissions are poorly set (which can happen if you replace the kext file with another version), but this is just a guess.
If you have SSD support at "Yes" now and your boot time is good, you probably don't have to do the command again.
I'm actually an indie software developer working on some experimental free tools, so I could definitely use some $ support to keep me going.
There's a PayPal Donate button at the bottom of my site. Thanks a lot.
Dimitri,
May I ask how you go about editing those letters? I just purchased the Sandisk SSD, and will try to change the letters to the first 9 characters. I probably shouldn't be messing around with this, if I have to ask, but I'm curious. Thanks in advance.
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Irvine,
Did it work for you? Thanks!
I use a free OS X app called Hex Fiend, but any hex editor will do.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_editor
It's like a text editor, except lower level... Instead of editing characters, you can edit bits/bytes of the file. You should understand the concepts of bits, bytes, binary, hexadecimal, ascii...
That is very good advice, actually. I wouldn't recommend you edit a kernel file until you're pretty comfortable with what you're doing (and have a backup). It's very easy to mess things up otherwise. You can practice with editing some harmless text files, image files, etc.
Thanks again, Dimitri.
What are your thoughts on Grant Pannell's terminal method for enabling TRIM (which has been updated to work with 10.8.1)? As I'm not familiar with UNIX commands, are his suggestions similar to your manual patch? Thank you again.
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I created my method by analyzing his, so credit goes to him for that.
The only difference is that he replaces the "APPLE SSD" string with 9 zeros, which seems to work but I think there's a slightly higher chance of it causing problems, because it changes the number of null-terminated strings in that file, and hence their order (but this might be harmless - it depends on how that file is read).
Replacing "APPLE SSD" with "INTEL SSD" or whatever seems like a slightly safer thing to do in my opinion, because it keeps the file size the same, and null-terminated strings are unchanged, except the contents. That's why I opt to do it my way.
It's actually fairly easy, I've made a short video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_wx5p0YkHs
It's also possible to change Grant Pannell's command-line method to replace "APPLE SSD" with something other than 9 zeros...
I appreciate you spending the extra time making that instructional video. It was very helpful, so thank you a million times!
Please let me know if this step-by-step tutorial is correct.
1) patch IOAHCIBlockStorage file, changing only APPLE SSD with the first 9 characters in your SSD model. (REMEMBERING TO BACKUP THE ORIGINAL) (anyone with the 2012 macbook air should carefully re-read this thread)
2) replace the original file in (simply dragging and dropping?): /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorage
with the newly patched file
3) run this in the terminal: sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/
4) reboot
Am I missing any details?
Also, is it true that I will have to do this after every 10.8.x update?
Overall your steps are good, but you are missing one important detail. You have to consider the file permissions. If you do this command:
Code:
ls -la /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorageYou will see something like this:
Code:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel 180168 23 Aug 13:29 /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorageIt's best to keep those permissions, especially the file owner (root) and group (wheel, in my case) as they are. It might be harmless to change them, but it's better not to take the risk. The less things you change, the better. But as they are, the file is not writable, so you have to change that temporarily in order to patch it.
I've made some amendments to your steps:
1) REMEMBER TO BACKUP THE ORIGINAL *first*...
Code:
sudo cp /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorage ~/Desktop/IOAHCIBlockStorage.backupand only then...
2a) enable write permission on the IOAHCIBlockStorage file, so that you can modify it directly (this is the easiest way to keep the original file owner, group)
Code:
sudo chmod o+w /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorage2b) patch IOAHCIBlockStorage file, changing APPLE SSD (AND ONLY those 9 characters) with the first 9 characters in your SSD model. (anyone with the 2012 macbook air is probably not going to be reading this thread, because he/she will already have a built-in APPLE SSD and TRIM will enabled by default, but yes, in theory these directions wouldn't work for them)
Here's a YouTube video that shows how to do it using the free Hex Fiend.app:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_wx5p0YkHs
2c) remove write permission:
Code:
sudo chmod o-w /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorage3) run this in the terminal (to force your changed file to be used by the system):
Code:
sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/you shouldn't see any output. If you do see some warning message saying about the IOAHCIBlockStorage file being corrupted or something, you have to ABORT! Replace the modified file with the backup of the original, and re-do this step. If you go on to restart, you'll most likely end up with a non-booting system (it will still be possible to recover, but it's more trouble - see bottom of this post)
4) reboot
This depends on whether a given update changes the IOAHCIBlockStorage file. If not, you won't have to do it again. If it does, you will. So far, in the last couple of OS X updates, the pattern has been like... 60% of the time you have to redo the patch.
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If something goes wrong and you can't boot (probably you messed up the IOAHCIBlockStorage file or its permissions), then boot into ML recovery mode, open the terminal and do:
5a) restore IOAHCIBlockStorage from your backup
Code:
sudo cp ~/Desktop/IOAHCIBlockStorage.backup /System/Library/Extensions/IOAHCIFamily.kext/Contents/PlugIns/IOAHCIBlockStorage.kext/Contents/MacOS/IOAHCIBlockStorage5b) (optional) restore its file permissions, perhaps you'll need to change group via chgrp command...
5c) run this so your changes will be applied:
Code:
sudo touch /System/Library/Extensions/
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Agility 3 480GB drive installed, fresh install of 10.8.1 via USB, no issues at all. Loving it, compared to the stock 500GB drive that was originally in my late 2011 MacBook Pro. TRIM not enabled due to the information provided by OCZ and OWC about the use of Sandforce. Disabled the motion sensor though.
You're welcome, and thanks for confirming my theory that this 9-character technique works for non-Intel SSDs too.
THANK YOU!! shurcooL,
Replace "APPLE SSD" to "PLEXTOR P"
Enabled the Trim perfectly ...
Really appreciated.
By the way,I'm using plextor m5 pro@Mountain Lion 10.8.1
THANKS!
With Intel's 180GB SATA6 drive out for $200, I'll take the splurge and not bother with third party hacks...
I'll have to reinstall SL from scratch, but it'll be worth it...
Especially as I've three VMs (70GB total) and 80GB worth of apps... I've a optical bay drive kit to put in another HDD if needed... well, SL or ML; the battery life reports I'd read are depressing, even if I like many of ML's new features... 
Anyone has a 830 with trim enabled? I'm getting 2 Sammies tomorrow and I'd like to know if I should enable the trim or not on ML
thank you
thank you