Cannot install 10.8 on SSD

[adonis3k]

I had the M4 and couldnt get it to load up anything as above!

Had to do a recovery install of ML then TimeMachine all my data across, but my M4 only lasted 2 days and died on me, waiting for the Samsung 830 now

Also I had previously bought ML 10.8 but cannot re-download it as it says....

We could not complete your purchase. OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer.

 

[pxbr]

I had the M4 and couldnt get it to load up anything as above!

Had to do a recovery install of ML then TimeMachine all my data across, but my M4 only lasted 2 days and died on me, waiting for the Samsung 830 now

Also I had previously bought ML 10.8 but cannot re-download it as it says....

We could not complete your purchase. OS X Mountain Lion is not compatible with this computer.

cos the (current) app store version doesn't work on the latest hardware (yet)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1482641/

 

[adonis3k]

cos the (current) app store version doesn't work on the latest hardware (yet)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1482641/

ah ok thanks

 

[Poob Bubes]

They are rated at 260 MB/s write and 500 MB/s read, which are the speeds I am seeing. The write speed he reported is a little on the low side.

That is the rated speed for the 256 GB drive. I have the 128 GB which is only rated at 175 MB/s write.

That's another benefit for the Samsung 830 if you're getting a 128 GB version. The rated write on it is 320 MB/s.

 

[Poob Bubes]

Well I believe my problem is either the SATA cable from iFixit or the SATA port for the bottom slot. No matter what drive I put there I have issues installing OS X or the drive will just randomly stop appearing in Disk Utility. I was going to swap the oem drive to the bottom slot for testing but I couldn't get the SATA cable off without ripping off the black HDD covering.

This is been one of the most frustrating things I've dealt with just because every time I want to test something, it requires taking the mini completely apart and then putting it back together. I think I've done this at least eight times since the problem first occurred.

I went ahead and requested a replacement cable from iFixit and initiated a replacement from Amazon for the mini. This way I'm covering all my bases. On the plus side, I'm a pro at tearing down a mini now .

 

[Rock 'N Roll]

You can clone from one volume to another using the Disk Utility in the OS X Recovery. That is how I ended up moving from my HDD to SSD when I installed the SSD. I imagine even if you had an external HDD plugged in you could still accomplish this task.

No additional hardware or software required.

Hi Scottaboshia

I am a complete newbie to Mac. I have bought a new Mac Mini 2012 2.3ghz with 1 TB HDD and an OWC data doubler kit and a 120 GB 6G Electra SSD. The installation of the SSD went fine and i have formatted the SSD with Disk Utility.

I would like to use the SSD as the boot drive, but I am facing problems doing so. I reckon the first thing i have to do is either get a fresh installation of Mountain Lion on the SSD or clone Mountain Lion from the 1 TB HDD to the SSD and then somehow make the computer boot from the SSD.

1) What is smartest - clone or fresh install? You mentioned Cloning as an easy way to solve the issue.
2) Is there a step-by-step guide somewhere how to do it? Again, i have never used a Mac before hence i really need a very detailed guide ;-)

... and just to spice things up a bit - i have bought a Mac Keyboard, but it will take some time before it arrives. I am currently using a Windows keyboard (Logitech S510) and i can't find the 'Command' key?!?

Thanks

 

[Rock 'N Roll]

Hi Scottaboshia

I am a complete newbie to Mac. I have bought a new Mac Mini 2012 2.3ghz with 1 TB HDD and an OWC data doubler kit and a 120 GB 6G Electra SSD. The installation of the SSD went fine and i have formatted the SSD with Disk Utility.

I would like to use the SSD as the boot drive, but I am facing problems doing so. I reckon the first thing i have to do is either get a fresh installation of Mountain Lion on the SSD or clone Mountain Lion from the 1 TB HDD to the SSD and then somehow make the computer boot from the SSD.

1) What is smartest - clone or fresh install? You mentioned Cloning as an easy way to solve the issue.
2) Is there a step-by-step guide somewhere how to do it? Again, i have never used a Mac before hence i really need a very detailed guide ;-)

... and just to spice things up a bit - i have bought a Mac Keyboard, but it will take some time before it arrives. I am currently using a Windows keyboard (Logitech S510) and i can't find the 'Command' key?!?

Thanks

I found a solution that works! SuperDuper will clone your HDD to your SSD and make the SSD the start up disk - Simple and easy! So to all who are in the same situation as me do as follows:

1) Download the free version of SuperDuper - follow this link http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
2) Install the downloaded file by dragging the file into 'Applications'
3) double click on the new SuperDuper icon in Applications
4) follow this simple guide:http://mac.appstorm.net/how-to/hard...-a-bootable-hard-drive-clone-with-superduper/

Good luck

 

[dazey]

I have a crucial M4 250GB drive in my 2.3 i7 mini and it is running fine. It is on the 000F firmware and I get good speeds out of it. Black magic speed tester shows writes of 280MB/s and reads that hit 500. Clearly the problem doesn't exist with all M4 drives. I cloaned my original drive using chronosync

 

[ZaYoOoD]

I had the exact same problem, Mac mini 2012 and a new Samsung 830 SSD..
The only way to install OS X ML on it is by internet recovery (booting while holding cmd+q).. it'll download and install, but it's a bit slow..

At least for now with 10.8.2, this is the only way that works..

 

[Wedlock]

I had problems at first to install mountain lion on my new Samsung 830 SSD but i succeeded by doing the following.

First i attached the ssd as a USB external drive with my harddisk dock.
Then i booted the mini with the recovery partition and formatted the SSD and finally installed mountain lion onto the SSD.
When that was done i build the SSD into the mini and started it and boom it worked.

I would guess this way would work for every SSD but ofcourse you would need a way to connect your ssd externally

 

[stu.h]

I had the exact same problem, Mac mini 2012 and a new Samsung 830 SSD..
The only way to install OS X ML on it is by internet recovery (booting while holding cmd+q).. it'll download and install, but it's a bit slow..

At least for now with 10.8.2, this is the only way that works..

You can do an install of ML to an external disk, and when it reboots unplug it, let it boot to the normal desktop, plug back in external drive and extract the DMG, of which you can then make a bootable USB flash drive with the correct image of the 2012 mac mini.
Better solution if you have a few to do, or think you may need to do another clean install at some point.

 

[Poob Bubes]

Well, after many, many, many, many... (did I say many?) attempts, I finally have a working install on my SSD. I have tried three different SSDs, replaced my mac Mini, and got a replacement SATA cable from iFixit. None of those things fixed my issue. The key was putting the SSD on the SATA controller that the oem HDD was using. For some reason, using the bottom position resulted in instability and errors.

I actually thought about trying this earlier in my troubleshooting but I couldn't get the SATA flex cable off the HDD without pulling off the black covering. I eventually ran out of options and used a razor blade to cut the sticker holding the HDD flex cable on. It is strange that I could find no other posts referencing this issue, but I thought I would update everyone in case it affects someone else.