Trouble upgrading to SSD using El Capitan

[UchihaObito]

I'm having problems installing el capitan onto my ssd. I've tried using the partition method as well as using diskmaker X5 but I keep running into errors when I tried booting it up.

For both methods, I used an external drive in order to have a bootable OSX. But both methods comes out with log errors once the blue install bar hits around a quarter to half way.

My SSD is 850 EVO and my mac is mid 2012 pro. Am I missing to input something in disk utilities beforehand? I've looked and done exactly what a lot of youtube people did but I can't figure out why it won't install on my ssd?

 

[randomgeeza]

I'm having problems installing el capitan onto my ssd. I've tried using the partition method as well as using diskmaker X5 but I keep running into errors when I tried booting it up.

For both methods, I used an external drive in order to have a bootable OSX. But both methods comes out with log errors once the blue install bar hits around a quarter to half way.

My SSD is 850 EVO and my mac is mid 2012 pro. Am I missing to input something in disk utilities beforehand? I've looked and done exactly what a lot of youtube people did but I can't figure out why it won't install on my ssd?

I'm concerned that you describe the 'blue bar' ... There shouldn't be a blue bar when installing El Cap. It should either be black on white or white on grey, setup dictating.

Are you formatting the partition with GUID? And ensuring it is HFS Journaled. If you are running a DMG of the installer then that will not work. You will need to create a bootable USB installer, from the DMG, which should then complete without issue.

You need to specify a few more things before help can be offered.

 

[UchihaObito]

I'm concerned that you describe the 'blue bar' ... There shouldn't be a blue bar when installing El Cap. It should either be black on white or white on grey, setup dictating.

Are you formatting the partition with GUID? And ensuring it is HFS Journaled. If you are running a DMG of the installer then that will not work. You will need to create a bootable USB installer, from the DMG, which should then complete without issue.

You need to specify a few more things before help can be offered.

The blue bar is from when you first try to boot up El Capitan on your SSD (when installing) - that is where the error logs pop up. It is usually the final step in all youtube videos. (check the file I have attached)

I've formatted the partition with GUID and ensured it is HFS Journaled. That is the method I used without the use of diskmaker x5.

I created my bootable usb by first downloading el capitan from the app store, then using disk utility to format the disk etc as stated above. Then I used the terminal to type in the "code" - waited till it finished.

I can try to be more specific if needed.

 

[NoBoMac]

The partition you are installing to, is it the first/only partition on the drive? I recently ran into something similar where I was trying to create a bootable partition for cloning that would also have FileVault enabled. Was having issues/errors when trying to repurpose a partition on my drive for this purpose, but it was the second partition on the drive: install could not create the Recovery and EFI partitions due to this other partition where install wants to create the hidden partitions.

I copied the other partition to a different disk, reformatted to one partition, reinstalled, Disk Utility to shrink the install partition enough to fit the other partition, recopied back to the drive. Was able to successfully install and boot.

 

[UchihaObito]

The partition you are installing to, is it the first/only partition on the drive? I recently ran into something similar where I was trying to create a bootable partition for cloning that would also have FileVault enabled. Was having issues/errors when trying to repurpose a partition on my drive for this purpose, but it was the second partition on the drive: install could not create the Recovery and EFI partitions due to this other partition where install wants to create the hidden partitions.

I copied the other partition to a different disk, reformatted to one partition, reinstalled, Disk Utility to shrink the install partition enough to fit the other partition, recopied back to the drive. Was able to successfully install and boot.

Please excuse my noobiness, but are you trying to say that once you tried to erase and create a new partition on a USB/external drive, the drive can longer go through this process again? Because I've tried to reformat my 1tb external drive over 10 times.

So are you saying I would need to buy a new USB drive to reformat for the "first time" in order for it to work?

 

[NoBoMac]

No. No new anything needed.

Nutshell: reformat the drive to one partition. GUID, HFS, journaled. If you have any other partitions in place, will most likely have difficulties.

Not sure what you need Diskmaker X for. If for creating bootable media, seen too many threads on this board where people have issues with that. The Apple approved command line method has not failed me yet:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

But also, since you have a Mac, really should just need to format the external drive with Disk Utility, download the installer, run installer and target the external drive.

Or, boot into Recovery and install from there to the external.

Or if looking to replace the HDD with an SSD in the Mac, might look into Carbon Copy Cloner to build the SSD from the HDD image. Boot the SSD to make sure it's working before swapping.

 

[UchihaObito]

No. No new anything needed.

Nutshell: reformat the drive to one partition. GUID, HFS, journaled. If you have any other partitions in place, will most likely have difficulties.

Not sure what you need Diskmaker X for. If for creating bootable media, seen too many threads on this board where people have issues with that. The Apple approved command line method has not failed me yet:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

But also, since you have a Mac, really should just need to format the external drive with Disk Utility, download the installer, run installer and target the external drive.

Or, boot into Recovery and install from there to the external.

Or if looking to replace the HDD with an SSD in the Mac, might look into Carbon Copy Cloner to build the SSD from the HDD image. Boot the SSD to make sure it's working before swapping.

Does having a very near fried harddrive have to do with anything? Because I just did the carbon copy cloner method and it stopped copying files to the old hdd onto my ssd because of an input/output error. I guess maybe that is why I am having so much trouble with all the methods.

 

[simonsi]

Does having a very near fried harddrive have to do with anything? Because I just did the carbon copy cloner method and it stopped copying files to the old hdd onto my ssd because of an input/output error. I guess maybe that is why I am having so much trouble with all the methods.

I/O error could be caused by a cable. Can't work out if you have a Mac Pro or a Macbook Pro - MBP's are somewhat prone to drive cables failing in the 3-5yr area

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Does having a very near fried harddrive have to do with anything? Because I just did the carbon copy cloner method and it stopped copying files to the old hdd onto my ssd because of an input/output error. I guess maybe that is why I am having so much trouble with all the methods."

Sounds like you have discovered the source of your problems.

Do you have -a different drive- onto which you could try the installation?
Any drive at all?