Upgrading MacBook & Mini

[b2387692]

Hello all,

On my mid 2011 Mac Mini Server, I can’t seem to update to the OS beyond 10.13.6 nor Safari beyond Version 13.1.2, which appears to be affecting my streaming viewing experiences; also my late 2011 MacBook Pro died a few years ago; so I’m thinking that this may be a good time to just upgrade or invest in new models.

That said, correct me if wrong, but are newer versions of each set to come out in March, which may make the previous versions candidates for price cuts?

I appreciate your feedback!

 

[russell_314]

Hello all,

I can’t seem to update to the OS beyond 10.13 thus to the latest Safari browser on my mid 2011 Mini Server, which appears to be starting to affect my Netflix & Hulu viewing experiences; also my late 2011 MacBook Pro died a few years ago; so I’m thinking that this may be a good time to just invest in new models.

That said, correct me if wrong, but are newer versions of each set to come out in March, which may make the previous versions candidates for price cuts?

I appreciate your feedback!

Rumors have it that there will be a new MacBook Air, Mac mini (Replacing the Space Gray Intel model) and 13" MacBook Pro (I don't believe that one)

Apple won't sell the old models but perhaps you could find a better deal on the used market from people upgrading to the new ones.

 

[b2387692]

? Regrets, I have a few... ?

Well, the March Apple event didn’t announce a new MacBook or Mini; and since then my Mini Server stopped booting up.

I went through a bunch of diagnostic/recovery steps detailed here, which led to the conclusion that the main drive that I used and booted from, Macintosh HD is crippled.

I successfully ran First Aid on the device that’s listed along with Macintosh HD, BUT First Aid failed when I attempted to run it on Macintosh HD, itself.

Since no new models were introduced and I really don’t have the funds to replace one, let alone both, I concluded that since I (thought) I had a new unused 512GB SSD that I’d disassemble the Mini and replace the crippled Macintosh HD with the new unused SSD.

As it turns out, I apparently used that SSD to replace the original HDD in my MBP, which basically was rendered useless in 2018, after experiencing “video issues” no longer covered by the Repair Extension Program for Video Issues. I then put the old MBP HDD in the new SSD box, which I regretfully used to replace my crippled drive in my Mini. ?

I didn’t realize what I had done, until I started up the Mini and it booted to what was my old MBP login screen, which I was able to login to using my old MBP username & password. Then sure enough when I took the back off my MBP, there was the “new, unused” SSD that I thought I had. ?

Sooo, I removed the obviously used, but what should be perfectly good SSD from my useless MBP, and now I have my original MBP HDD in my Mini Server’s “Upper” location, replacing my crippled Macintosh HD, and my neither new, nor unused SSD, staring at me. ?‍♂️

The good news?
1) I was able to disassemble, replace a HD in the “Upper” location and reassemble my Mini. Although, it took the better part of 5-6 hours over 3 days, and the light on the front of the Mini doesn’t turn on, now.

2) I was able hook up my external WD My Passport 2TB HD and print out some documents that I hadn’t done before my Mini failed to boot up.

3) Now, I DEFINITELY know the difference between what a SSD looks like vs. a HDD.

4) I am able to get online...Well, sort of. The original MBP HDD, now in my Mini is still running Lion 10.7.5, which I apparently can’t update, so some websites won’t load, which is making the High Sierra 10.13.6 that my Mini was running before it wouldn’t boot up look real good to me right about now.

My first thoughts are to just start over; disassemble the Mini and replace the original MBP HDD with the used MBP SSD. However, I’m not sure what OS the SSD was running and if I’ll be stuck not being able to update it, just like I am now.

My second thought is that I may need to put back the crippled drive into the Mini, so I can at least get back to High Sierra 10.13.6...But not sure if that’s necessary.

What would you do?

FWIW: Here are screenshots of when I held down the Option (Alt) key on start up, from before & after I replaced the crippled Macintosh HD drive in my Mini with the original MBP HDD.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

[darngooddesign]

This is the latest relevant info:

MacRumors Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy iPhone, Mac, iPad

This page provides a product summary for each Apple model. The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles, and to provide a summary of currently available rumors for each model. This page is based on rumors and speculation and we provide no guarantee to its...

buyersguide.macrumors.com

But there are already price cuts on Amazon for the current computers.

 

[meson]

First you need to upgrade to 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Apple OSX 10.8 installer

The challenge is that I do not recall whether the drive that you run the Installer dmg from has to be bootable or not.

Once you are there, you should be able to update to High Sierra.

Then once you get to High Sierra, you can consider using Open Core Legacy Patcher (OCLP) to upgrade to Monterey. I had a 2013 21" iMac hanging around that wasn't getting much use, and used OCLP to bring it up to date. Universal Control and AirPlay have turned it into the perfect complimentary machine to my MBP.

This video was a useful tutorial, and I think mentions the challenges with 2011 machines.

OCLP Tutorial

 

[b2387692]

This is the latest relevant info:

MacRumors Buyer's Guide: Know When to Buy iPhone, Mac, iPad

This page provides a product summary for each Apple model. The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles, and to provide a summary of currently available rumors for each model. This page is based on rumors and speculation and we provide no guarantee to its...

buyersguide.macrumors.com

But there are already price cuts on Amazon for the current computers.

Thanks!

At this time, since funds aren’t really there, I’m going to try and get by with either starting over with the SSD replacement or live with what I can do with the HDD that I mistakenly installed; especially when both the units that I’m looking to upgrade; MBP is either “Don’t Buy” or “Neutral” and Mini is “Caution” Approaching End of Cycle.

 

[b2387692]

First you need to upgrade to 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Apple OSX 10.8 installer

The challenge is that I do not recall whether the drive that you run the Installer dmg from has to be bootable or not.

Once you are there, you should be able to update to High Sierra.

Then once you get to High Sierra, you can consider using Open Core Legacy Patcher (OCLP) to upgrade to Monterey. I had a 2013 21" iMac hanging around that wasn't getting much use, and used OCLP to bring it up to date. Universal Control and AirPlay have turned it into the perfect complimentary machine to my MBP.

This video was a useful tutorial, and I think mentions the challenges with 2011 machines.

OCLP Tutorial

Thanks!

I’m fairly confident that the SSD that I took out of my MBP is running whatever the latest OS release was in 2018, when it died. Of course, as is, unless Apple tracks that kind of thing, I have no way of being 100% with it being uninstalled.

That said, If the SSD was running the latest 2018 OSX release, what steps would I need to take to back it up, format it and make it my main booting drive on the Mini?

 

[meson]

Have you tried just booting your mini with the SSD from the MBP installed (Choose Macintosh HD after holding down the Option key if you have to)? It looks like it has 10.13.6 installed, which should be compatible with the 2011 mini.

OSX has all of the drivers, etc it needs for all Macs that meet Apple's minimum requirements. My 2013 iMac boots off of an SSD that I removed from my 2012 MBP with a dead keyboard. All I had to do was put it in an enclosure and choose it as the boot drive.

There shouldn't be a real need to wipe the drive and start from scratch, unless you really want to.

 

[b2387692]

Have you tried just booting your mini with the SSD from the MBP installed (Choose Macintosh HD after holding down the Option key if you have to)? It looks like it has 10.13.6 installed, which should be compatible with the 2011 mini.

No, I have not tried booting my mini with the SSD from the MBP installed, because I mistakenly installed the original MBP HDD, so I’d have to disassemble the Mini again to install the SSD.

To clarify, the screenshots are both from the Mini. The “BEFORE” shows 10.13.6 from before I removed the Mini’s crippled Macintosh HD. The “AFTER”, which does not show 10.13.6 is from after I mistakenly installed the original MBP HDD into the Mini.

OSX has all of the drivers, etc it needs for all Macs that meet Apple's minimum requirements. My 2013 iMac boots off of an SSD that I removed from my 2012 MBP with a dead keyboard. All I had to do was put it in an enclosure and choose it as the boot drive.

It sounds like an enclosure for the SSD may be the way to go, at least for now, to avoid having to do the whole disassemble / reassembly thing, but how do I “choose it as the boot drive”?

There shouldn't be a real need to wipe the drive and start from scratch, unless you really want to.

So, I don’t need to reformat the SSD for the Mini, to get it to be my main drive that I use and from?

 

[MBAir2010]

First you need to upgrade to 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Apple OSX 10.8 installer

wow this (Mountain Lion) is free?
about time!

 

[meson]

If you have an enclosure, it will be a nice way to test without tearing stuff apart. But there’s a but and it’s a big one. The Macs before 2012 used USB2 which means the machine will be painfully slow, even with the SDD.

However, if it does work and boot up, you will know the tear down and replacement will be worthwhile.

When you turn on the machine press the option key and hold it until you see the list of drives. Then use the arrow keys to select the appropriate drive. The internal drives will show up with an icon like you have in your screenshots. An external drive will have a different icon.

 

[b2387692]

If you have an enclosure, it will be a nice way to test without tearing stuff apart. But there’s a but and it’s a big one. The Macs before 2012 used USB2 which means the machine will be painfully slow, even with the SDD.

However, if it does work and boot up, you will know the tear down and replacement will be worthwhile.

When you turn on the machine press the option key and hold it until you see the list of drives. Then use the arrow keys to select the appropriate drive. The internal drives will show up with an icon like you have in your screenshots. An external drive will have a different icon.

Thanks!

I went ahead and bought this enclosure:

SABRENT 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool Free External Hard Drive Enclosure [Optimized for SSD, Support UASP SATA III] Black (EC-UASP)

SABRENT 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool Free External Hard Drive Enclosure [Optimized for SSD, Support UASP SATA III] Black (EC-UASP)

www.amazon.com

Followed your guidance and I was able to boot from the SSD that I took out of my MBP. It’s running High Sierra 10.13.6, so I’m right back to what my Mini was running on Macintosh HD before it wouldn’t boot.

As for Macs before 2012 using USB2 which means the machine will be painfully slow, even with the SDD...

I’m actually pleasantly surprised at fast it’s running. So much so, that I may just keep it like this, for the time being, before or possibly instead of attempting the tear down again to install the SSD in my Mini, unless there’s some downside I’m not aware of...?

 

[meson]

Great! Glad I could help. There is no real downside to booting from the external drive other than the speed difference.

If you get around to installing the SSD internally, the speed difference will make it feel like a brand new machine.

 

[b2387692]

Great! Glad I could help. There is no real downside to booting from the external drive other than the speed difference.

If you get around to installing the SSD internally, the speed difference will make it feel like a brand new machine.

Thanks!

Just wondering, what can I do, if anything, if I want to keep booting from the SSD in the external drive, but want avoid having to hold down the alt key and selecting it each time?

Also, if possible, how can I backup what’s on the crippled Macintosh HD that I removed from my Mini to a different external HD (WD My Passport Ultra 2TB) that I use as my main backup HD?

 

[Boyd01]

You should be able to simply go to System Preferences > Startup Disk, click the padlock and choose whatever drive you want. Or doesn't that work for some reason?

 

[b2387692]

You should be able to simply go to System Preferences > Startup Disk, click the padlock and choose whatever drive you want. Or doesn't that work for some reason?

Thanks!

I went to System Preferences > Startup Disk, clicked the padlock and chose the SSD in the external drive, now it says “Click to restart this computer in target disk mode...”.

Is that what I want to do, to keep booting from it without holding down the alt key upon startup?

 

[Boyd01]

Maybe I don't understand what you are trying to do? Do you want this computer to boot from the disk you have selected in the screenshot? From this point on, it will boot from the selected disk everytime you start it up.

Target disk mode is something completely different, as described on that screen.

 

[b2387692]

Maybe I don't understand what you are trying to do? Do you want this computer to boot from the disk you have selected in the screenshot? From this point on, it will boot from the selected disk everytime you start it up.

Target disk mode is something completely different, as described on that screen.

Thanks!

Yes, I want this computer to boot from the disk I have selected in the screenshot.

Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t understand. Is selecting it all that I have to do, without clicking the restart button?

 

[Boyd01]

See this:

Change your Mac startup disk

You can change the startup disk of your Mac using Startup Disk preferences.

support.apple.com

 

[meson]

Yes, you should be good to go after you select the disk in System Preferences.

That said, at some point Apple changed something in the boot sequence (I want to think it was in High Sierra) that seems to favor the internal drive. For a while, I had to hold option to boot from an external even with it checked in System Preferences. The behavior went back to normal for a couple OS updates, and then reverted to needing the option key held down. It seems to be pure luck as to whether the selection of an external Boot Drive works or not.

I've accepted it as a mild inconvenience at this point. I only reboot the machine during software updates or when really needed.

Another inconvenience that comes with this mode of operation comes when it is time for OS updates. When MacOS installer does firmware updates or reboots itself during the installation process, the machine reboots to the internal drive. You need to reboot with the option key and choose MacOS Installer (replaces the name of your boot drive) and let it do its thing. After the last required reboot, your boot drive name will return and things will be good to go.

 

[b2387692]

See this:

Change your Mac startup disk

You can change the startup disk of your Mac using Startup Disk preferences.

support.apple.com

Yes, you should be good to go after you select the disk in System Preferences.

That said, at some point Apple changed something in the boot sequence (I want to think it was in High Sierra) that seems to favor the internal drive. For a while, I had to hold option to boot from an external even with it checked in System Preferences. The behavior went back to normal for a couple OS updates, and then reverted to needing the option key held down. It seems to be pure luck as to whether the selection of an external Boot Drive works or not.

I've accepted it as a mild inconvenience at this point. I only reboot the machine during software updates or when really needed.

Another inconvenience that comes with this mode of operation comes when it is time for OS updates. When MacOS installer does firmware updates or reboots itself during the installation process, the machine reboots to the internal drive. You need to reboot with the option key and choose MacOS Installer (replaces the name of your boot drive) and let it do its thing. After the last required reboot, your boot drive name will return and things will be good to go.

Thanks!

All I did was click the icon of the disk I want to use for every startup, but even though Boyd's link says to "then click Restart," I did not; but rather I exited Startup Disk, then the next time that I shut down and restarted, it booted from the SSD in the external enclosure that I selected, and has done so on each startup since.

At this point, since I'm not considering using Open Core Legacy Patcher (OCLP) to upgrade to Monterey, I don't believe there are any OS updates available to me. If that's the case, meson's "another inconvenience" should not affect me, correct?