Did you install anything on the SSD? You can't boot from a blank drive.So I replaced my HD on the 2012mini with an Intel 530 series SSD. I booted up and instead of the Apple logo on the white screen, I get a blinking folder icon with a question mark on it.
How do I boot from the SSD?
Did I kill it?
Here's a simple approach:I've read about needing to format the new ssd before you can boot from it, but it appears that my Mac won't recognize the new drive. It will only give me the apple logo when I have the external HD plugged in at boot. I have the option of restoring from time machine (a partition on the External HD) but it will only restore to the external HD, erasing it in the process....
I can see the partition that I backed up OS X to prior to installing the SSD, but it won't let me restore that.
I've read about needing to format the new ssd before you can boot from it, but it appears that my Mac won't recognize the new drive. It will only give me the apple logo when I have the external HD plugged in at boot. I have the option of restoring from time machine (a partition on the External HD) but it will only restore to the external HD, erasing it in the process....
I can see the partition that I backed up OS X to prior to installing the SSD, but it won't let me restore that.
I don't know about the mini, but I do know that you can do an internet restore on the Macbooks. After I installed my momentus XT I just pressed and held the option key after I booted it up and it let me download the recovery stuff I needed to restore Mountain Lion. I also had the question mark folder and I thought I killed my laptop.
if you install to an external you will kill the info on the drive. it will be fresh.
Did you do it from an external? I'm thinking of booting with a new OSX from the external, then do a time machine restore from another partition on the external....will this work instead of the enclosure option? I ask only because Best Buy doesn't have enclosures in stock and I'd rather not wait for shipping if I don't have to....
Also, if I do install to the external, will it erase the external?
I think you're making this a lot more complicated than it needs to be. The SSD is in the mini right? Boot it while holding down control R.
http://www.cultofmac.com/106669/for...recovery-on-your-2011-or-later-mac-os-x-tips/
I'm not really sure of macs booting from external drives. I know Windows can do it.
Your making everything way more complicated then needs be.
-boot from external harddrive (one with osx on it)
-download superduper,install it
-in superduper pick clone drive...from external drive to internal drive note: if wont allow,open disk utility and first format internal drive
-once clone is done,reboot holding down "alt" and pick internal boot drive
-done.
I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner instead of SuperDuper!, since CCC will also clone the recovery partition. SuperDuper! won't.-download superduper,install it
Doesn't cntrl+R just boot from the recovery partition? If it's a clean SSD then there will be no recovery partition. I just did this recently, adding another drive to the Mini. But if you are replacing the drive, the SSD is in and the old drive is out, then you would just have to put the external in an exclosure and plug it in. Then at boot hold shift down and it should let you select what to boot (external drive). Once booted go to disk utility and format the SSD to Mac journaled. I used Carbon Copy Cloner because I heard it's better for created a recovery partition. So you would load up CCC then select the external as the source and the SSD as the destination. When you click next it should pop a warning that there is no recovery drive. In the lower left theres a button called something like "disk tool" or "disk management" or something. If you click that it will give you the option to create a recovery partition, mirroring the one off the source/external. After that just go back to the main CCC window and hit the clone button again and it should allow you to continue to clone. Once done shutdown, disconnect the external and restart. This should allow the SSD to boot up with all your old stuff.
Okay so I booted from the fresh OSX on my external, went into disk utility, and the SSD is not in the list, just the external.
Nope.