What are these logos upon booting with new SSD?

[tsialex]

Ah, OK. So if this new SSD drive is my only drive, I have to install a second drive with a working OS in order to update the firmware of the new SSD?

Yes. You have to boot a drive with macOS, at least El Capitan. You can use another Mac with firewire Target Disk Mode, too.

Run the 10.13.6 Mac App Store full installer, upgrade the firmware, finally you can boot from your createinstallmedia pendrive and install High Sierra as usual.
[doublepost=1534204249][/doublepost]It's a Mac Pro 5,1 idiosyncrasy.

 

[crjackson2134]

Apple really needs to change how that works. You should be able to defer the firmware upgrade. It’s a problem if your only drive dies and you are trying to install from scratch with older firmware.

I’ll file a bug report on that too.

 

[tsialex]

Apple really needs to change how that works. You should be able to defer the firmware upgrade. It’s a problem if your only drive dies and you are trying to install from scratch with older firmware.

You need to upgrade BEFORE installing with APFS. With Mojave theres no workaround, with High Sierra we can remove the firmware folder/etc.

 

[Spudner]

Apple really needs to change how that works. You should be able to defer the firmware upgrade. It’s a problem if your only drive dies and you are trying to install from scratch with older firmware.

I’ll file a bug report on that too.

No kidding. I wonder if I could pull this off somehow using my MacBook Pro.

 

[tsialex]

No kidding. I wonder if I could pull this off somehow using my MacBook Pro.

You can. Do you have a USB drive bigger than 40~45GB? 64GB ideal.

 

[crjackson2134]

You need to upgrade BEFORE installing with APFS. With Mojave theres no workaround, with High Sierra we can remove the firmware folder/etc.

Yes, I understand, but it’s an unnecessary hassle for people who run with an older OS who finds this issue by surprise when a drive fails.

 

[Spudner]

You can. Do you have a USB drive bigger than 40~45GB? 64GB ideal.

Yes, absolutely.

It's also too bad Apple won't allow you to download the firmware through the limited-use Safari on disk utility.

 

[tsialex]

Do you have the El Capitan installer on your purchase list?

 

[Spudner]

Yes, I understand, but it’s an unnecessary hassle for people who run with an older OS who finds this issue by surprise when a drive fails.

I wonder if firmware is the reason I can't initialize a Western Digital HDD drive on my 2010 iMac. I only got into this upgrading stuff recently and mistakenly thought it would be way easier. Sigh...
[doublepost=1534204704][/doublepost]

Do you have the El Capitan installer on your purchase list?

My MacBook came with El Capitan but has since been updated to High Sierra. So, I believe, yes.

 

[tsialex]

I wonder if firmware is the reason I can't initialize a Western Digital HDD drive on my 2010 iMac. I only got into this upgrading stuff recently and mistakenly thought it would be way easier. Sigh...

If it's APFS formated, yes.

 

[crjackson2134]

I wonder if firmware is the reason I can't initialize a Western Digital HDD drive on my 2010 iMac. I only got into this upgrading stuff recently and mistakenly thought it would be way easier. Sigh...

I wouldn’t think so unless APFS

 

[tsialex]

My MacBook came with El Capitan but has since been updated to High Sierra. So, I believe, yes.

Check the past purchases list.

 

[MIKX]

spudner

Next time you get the " firmware upgrade. " message .. .

1. hold the Mac Pro's POWER button for 6 seconds = it will shut down.

2. Now hold the POWER button again continuously UNTIL you either see the POWER button LED flickering. or. you hear the HAPPY MAC chime/

3. The firmware upgrade will start - wait \til it's finished - the cMP will start with the new firmware.

 

[tsialex]

spudner

Next time you get the " firmware upgrade. " message .. .

1. hold the Mac Pro's POWER button for 6 seconds = it will shut down.

2. Now hold the POWER button again continuously UNTIL you either see the POWER button LED flickering. or. you hear the HAPPY MAC chime/

3. The firmware upgrade will start - wait \til it's finished - the cMP will start with the new firmware.

You can try that first, sometimes work sometimes not. Never got that working with my Mac Pros but some people got.

 

[Spudner]

spudner

Next time you get the " firmware upgrade. " message .. .

1. hold the Mac Pro's POWER button for 6 seconds = it will shut down.

2. Now hold the POWER button again continuously UNTIL you either see the POWER button LED flickering. or. you hear the HAPPY MAC chime/

3. The firmware upgrade will start - wait \til it's finished - the cMP will start with the new firmware.

Interesting. Trying this right now. It made a different, weird beep, then the chime. Don't think it worked though. I'm back to that same message where it doesn't let me click shut down.

 

[tsialex]

Interesting. Trying this right now. It made a different, weird beep, then the chime.

Did you see the wider progress bar?

 

[crjackson2134]

Interesting. Trying this right now. It made a different, weird beep, then the chime. Don't think it worked though. I'm back to that same message where it doesn't let me click shut down.

Sounds like it went into firmware programming mode.

 

[Spudner]

Did you see the wider progress bar?

Negative.

 

[tsialex]

Negative.

Ok, seems your Mac Pro acts like mine.

We can try to install on a USB drive from your MacBook, then do the firmware upgrade.
[doublepost=1534205842][/doublepost]You will need a drive with more than 40GB~45GB and you will need to erase it. You can try to install High Sierra, but you will need to circumvent APFS. If you have El Capitan on your past purchases it's easier to work with.

 

[Spudner]

Ok, seems your Mac Pro acts like mine.

We can try to install on a USB drive from your MacBook, then do the firmware upgrade.
[doublepost=1534205842][/doublepost]You will need a drive with more than 40GB~45GB and you will need to erase it. You can try to install High Sierra, but you will need to circumvent APFS. If you have El Capitan on your past purchases it's easier to work with.

Sounds like this might work

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/samsung-840-evo-firmware-update-issue.1980400/#post-23191699

 

[tsialex]

Sounds like this might work

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/samsung-840-evo-firmware-update-issue.1980400/#post-23191699

Nope, that's for upgrade the SSD firmware, specific to 840 EVO.

 

[Spudner]

Ok, seems your Mac Pro acts like mine.

We can try to install on a USB drive from your MacBook, then do the firmware upgrade.
[doublepost=1534205842][/doublepost]You will need a drive with more than 40GB~45GB and you will need to erase it. You can try to install High Sierra, but you will need to circumvent APFS. If you have El Capitan on your past purchases it's easier to work with.

My Sierra installer on flash drive would be different from what you're suggesting?

 

[tsialex]

My Sierra installer on flash drive would be different from what you're suggesting?

Sierra or High Sierra? If you have a Sierra createinstallmedia, it will work. High Sierra, nope.

 

[Spudner]

Sierra or High Sierra?

Oh, wait. You mean install High Sierra on the pen drive as if it were a working hard drive. Yeah, let me try that. Sorry, I confused that with the High Sierra installer I already have on the pendrive.

 

[tsialex]

Oh, wait. You mean install High Sierra on the pen drive as if it were a working hard drive. Yeah, let me try that. Sorry, I confused that with the High Sierra installer I already have on the pendrive.

Wait, you have to circumvent APFS do not start yet. Wait a minute, I'll will post what you have to do.