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Can I install OSX and on a ExpressCard/34 SSD
- Thread starter ipedro
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Wintec 48Gb EC SSD still working great!
Updating my previous post on page 3 of this thread:
My MBP 17" was struggling with frequent KP's and the RAM was failing Rember tests - I was worried. Eventually it just wouldn't boot so it went to the local genius bar and viola! logic board number two was put in. I returned the MBP to my maxed out spec and the OWC 6Gb RAM and Wintec were all working great!
I also cleaned the buzzy fan myself - just a little blob of grease on top of the exposed spindle did the job.
I'm using hibernate mode 0 with no issues - advice from here.
I configured CoolBook to use 8.5V from 600-800Mhz (default V) and 9V from 900-1200Mhz - on battery power. So on battery, the MBP is speed limited to 1200Mhz, but much cooler - e.g., the my temps are all between 29C (enclosure) and 53C (GPU diode) at 2000rpm so basically I can web browse and watch a movie without the fans needing to spin up madly (also keeping it slightly elevated). CoolBook is using stock settings for A/C power for now, as I keep it elevated and on the desk.
So now I just need to do the 64bit Snow Leopard OSX 10.6.2 boot hack for another 25% boost to certain processes.
Probably in another few months I'll get the chance and when I do I'll be using the diglloydTools SSD Recondition app again to prep the Wintec.
I'm wondering just how awesome the Wintec 48Gb EC SSD would be in conjunction with a single or dual HDD setup using the Seagate Momentus XT - talk about having your cake and eating it too!
Updating my previous post on page 3 of this thread:
My MBP 17" was struggling with frequent KP's and the RAM was failing Rember tests - I was worried. Eventually it just wouldn't boot so it went to the local genius bar and viola! logic board number two was put in. I returned the MBP to my maxed out spec and the OWC 6Gb RAM and Wintec were all working great!
I also cleaned the buzzy fan myself - just a little blob of grease on top of the exposed spindle did the job.
I'm using hibernate mode 0 with no issues - advice from here.
I configured CoolBook to use 8.5V from 600-800Mhz (default V) and 9V from 900-1200Mhz - on battery power. So on battery, the MBP is speed limited to 1200Mhz, but much cooler - e.g., the my temps are all between 29C (enclosure) and 53C (GPU diode) at 2000rpm so basically I can web browse and watch a movie without the fans needing to spin up madly (also keeping it slightly elevated). CoolBook is using stock settings for A/C power for now, as I keep it elevated and on the desk.
So now I just need to do the 64bit Snow Leopard OSX 10.6.2 boot hack for another 25% boost to certain processes.
Probably in another few months I'll get the chance and when I do I'll be using the diglloydTools SSD Recondition app again to prep the Wintec.
I'm wondering just how awesome the Wintec 48Gb EC SSD would be in conjunction with a single or dual HDD setup using the Seagate Momentus XT - talk about having your cake and eating it too!
Aaaaand the fun's over. Expresscard is now officially broken, probably from the heat. I won't bother sending it in, I'll eat the loss and wait for internal drives to go down in price so I can use a 256gb+ drive as my only laptop-drive and keep the rest of my files on the server.
I'd like to summarize this thread in one simple sentence: Try it if you can afford it, but don't expect it to work flawlessly or for a long time.
I'd like to summarize this thread in one simple sentence: Try it if you can afford it, but don't expect it to work flawlessly or for a long time.
96GB 120/60 MB/s
I just ordered a 96GB FileMate SolidGO ExpressCard 34 Ultra SSD (w/mini USB port)
and since I have never used the Expresscard port yet, I intend to reserve it just for this card (MBP 2008 early model, non-unibody).
As for the reliability issues I have read about, would it be advisable to either mirror it on the internal HDD (upgrading 250->500 GB as well) or keep a separate OS X on the internal HDD? I am worried about being on the road and suddenly the Expresscard would not boot, or just not work at all ...
I just ordered a 96GB FileMate SolidGO ExpressCard 34 Ultra SSD (w/mini USB port)
As for the reliability issues I have read about, would it be advisable to either mirror it on the internal HDD (upgrading 250->500 GB as well) or keep a separate OS X on the internal HDD? I am worried about being on the road and suddenly the Expresscard would not boot, or just not work at all ...
I just ordered a 96GB FileMate SolidGO ExpressCard 34 Ultra SSD (w/mini USB port)and since I have never used the Expresscard port yet, I intend to reserve it just for this card (MBP 2008 early model, non-unibody).
As for the reliability issues I have read about, would it be advisable to either mirror it on the internal HDD (upgrading 250->500 GB as well) or keep a separate OS X on the internal HDD? I am worried about being on the road and suddenly the Expresscard would not boot, or just not work at all ...
I would just set up a 96GB partition on the new 500GB you're going to get and use carbon copy cloner (free) once per week. I always set mine to run on Wed @ like 4AM, so I leave my laptop on over night. Grats on the 96GB, my 48GB is looking tiny now
And if you do it like the above, if your SSD dies, your computer will just boot from the 96GB partition
Just make sure you partition it as the intel bootable kind. It's only happened to me once, I accidently popped the SSD out slightly + had to restart and was like "why in the f is it taking so long to turn on." It took a minute instead of 20 seconds hah!
Users ...
Macbook Pro 15! early 2008 (not Unibody)
FROM: 250 GB HD
TO: SSD ExpressCard 96GB + 500 GB HD
I have managed most now, it is not that hard and Disk Utility and Migration Assistant are - AFAIK - the two main tools to use here, besides (eventually) a Torx T6 and small philips screwdriver.
However ... I am not that experienced with Macs, and I am not sure to get around this correctly, so I need some help.
The problem is that the 250GB HD is close to full, lots of these data being in my main USERS folder. The culprits here are iPhoto and iTunes, and just a few others.
Migration Assistant will not allow me to migrate this user to the non-boot hard drive, and since the SSD card is only 96 GB total, I cannot fit the 250GB HD on it. I booted on one of the other (admin) user accounts and moved iTunes, iPhoto and a few other larger files to a folder outside the user folder, making that account small enough to fit on the SSD.
Then I used Migration Assistant to move that account onto the ExpressCard 96GB partition. It started out saying something like 1 hour left, but then it seems to run into lots of smaller files, and it went up to an estimate of 5 hours or so. I had to go to work, so I left it running. When I came back, the macbook was running, but no contact except the Caps Lock key. I tried several things, but in the end I had to kill it by holding the power switch. Before that, I noted that the ExpressCard activity light was steady on. Not sure whether it means read/write, or just that it has power on.
After reboot, the user I tried to migrate was incomplete, so I removed it. The size of that user was about 20 GB and about 80000 files or so - is it normal for it to take hours on end?
Everything in the setup is really fine, it is nice to have boot and essential apps from the SSD ExpressCard, it is lightning fast (!!!), but it seems I might have to start over with many apps.
I hope there is some suggestion here for a reasonable solution. How do I "split" an existing user on the 250 GB HD into a smaller essential section to go on the 96GB ExpressCard partition, and the rest of it to go on the 404 GB Harddisk partition?
I still have the original 250GB HD as it was, so I am using that now as ... the iPhone I use for internet is not recognized at all by the new setup, so I have no internet connection.
Btw, I did make a Disk Util block copy from the 250GB HD to the new HD (on USB at the momen) 404GB partition. I can create a user in settings, then redirect it to boot on that drive instead, which is all fine except ... many apps point to the root directory, so they cannot find files, settings and more. If there is an easy fix to this, I think this might be the way for me to go. I would prefer to keep everything running as it was, instead of having to install all of it again ...
Macbook Pro 15! early 2008 (not Unibody)
FROM: 250 GB HD
TO: SSD ExpressCard 96GB + 500 GB HD
I have managed most now, it is not that hard and Disk Utility and Migration Assistant are - AFAIK - the two main tools to use here, besides (eventually) a Torx T6 and small philips screwdriver.
However ... I am not that experienced with Macs, and I am not sure to get around this correctly, so I need some help.
The problem is that the 250GB HD is close to full, lots of these data being in my main USERS folder. The culprits here are iPhoto and iTunes, and just a few others.
Migration Assistant will not allow me to migrate this user to the non-boot hard drive, and since the SSD card is only 96 GB total, I cannot fit the 250GB HD on it. I booted on one of the other (admin) user accounts and moved iTunes, iPhoto and a few other larger files to a folder outside the user folder, making that account small enough to fit on the SSD.
Then I used Migration Assistant to move that account onto the ExpressCard 96GB partition. It started out saying something like 1 hour left, but then it seems to run into lots of smaller files, and it went up to an estimate of 5 hours or so. I had to go to work, so I left it running. When I came back, the macbook was running, but no contact except the Caps Lock key. I tried several things, but in the end I had to kill it by holding the power switch. Before that, I noted that the ExpressCard activity light was steady on. Not sure whether it means read/write, or just that it has power on.
After reboot, the user I tried to migrate was incomplete, so I removed it. The size of that user was about 20 GB and about 80000 files or so - is it normal for it to take hours on end?
Everything in the setup is really fine, it is nice to have boot and essential apps from the SSD ExpressCard, it is lightning fast (!!!), but it seems I might have to start over with many apps.
I hope there is some suggestion here for a reasonable solution. How do I "split" an existing user on the 250 GB HD into a smaller essential section to go on the 96GB ExpressCard partition, and the rest of it to go on the 404 GB Harddisk partition?
I still have the original 250GB HD as it was, so I am using that now as ... the iPhone I use for internet is not recognized at all by the new setup, so I have no internet connection.
Btw, I did make a Disk Util block copy from the 250GB HD to the new HD (on USB at the momen) 404GB partition. I can create a user in settings, then redirect it to boot on that drive instead, which is all fine except ... many apps point to the root directory, so they cannot find files, settings and more. If there is an easy fix to this, I think this might be the way for me to go. I would prefer to keep everything running as it was, instead of having to install all of it again ...
Update
My system is up and running now, though I did not check it all. A few apps would have some minor issues where it cannot find certain files, like Audacity could not find the Mpeg pluging, but I fixed that quickly.
iTunes could not see my iPhone, but I found a post suggesting simply to re-install iTunes on top of the old one. I did that, and it works fine now. Ah, most of my songs were not working, for some reason. "Show in finder", I could not even open these with other sound apps, weird? So I deleted all the bad ones and dragged them in from the old hard drive, straight off the music/itunes/library whatever the name is.
In the next post I will summarize what I did, if others wants to do the same.
My system is up and running now, though I did not check it all. A few apps would have some minor issues where it cannot find certain files, like Audacity could not find the Mpeg pluging, but I fixed that quickly.
iTunes could not see my iPhone, but I found a post suggesting simply to re-install iTunes on top of the old one. I did that, and it works fine now. Ah, most of my songs were not working, for some reason. "Show in finder", I could not even open these with other sound apps, weird? So I deleted all the bad ones and dragged them in from the old hard drive, straight off the music/itunes/library whatever the name is.
In the next post I will summarize what I did, if others wants to do the same.
My little how to DIY guide
What I did to my MacBook recently was the following:
* Change from 2 to 4 GB ram
* Change internal HD from 250 to 500 GB (make sure it is 9.5mm not 12 or 15!)
* Add 96 GB Wintec ExpressCard SSD, read/write speed around 60/30 MB/s
(If expresscard is much less than 30 MB/s I would not bother, just install a new modern hard drive and forget the EC. Before you buy an SSD card, make sure your Mac actually HAS this slot, unibody MBPs 15" does not have it as I am aware, same with 13". 17" might have it, and the pre-unibodies like mine (March 2008)
In this guide, I assume 96 GB ExpressCard, 250GB old drive, 500GB new drive. If you choose other sizes, those are the names I am using, OK?
1) Assuming you have a backup, if not, do that first. Time machine and any external drive with enough capacity will do, if you are brave enough to trust a time capsule, do that ...
2) Your main user, which ideally is an admin user, should be slimmed down so it fits comfortably inside the 96 GB drive:
a) iTunes: Move the iTunes library OUTSIDE of your "user" folder, reconnect to it and make sure it is OK. Lots of info of how to do this online. Make sure the new folder does not have restricted rights, using "Get Info" function.
b) iPhoto: Same as above - move the folder out, unless it is not so large (mine was 50 GB!)
c) Look for other larger files, like Vmware/Parallels virtual machines and so on, do the same. Maybe also take out some huge apps if you like, but with 96GB in the new card, you will be able to fit quite a lot. Unless you opt for a smaller one or have tonnes of large apps.
3) Insert your ExpressCard in the slot, and see that it is working. You might have to format it to see it in finder, go ahead. Transfer some files to and from it if you like, when you are done just leave whatever on it, as it will be repartitioned anyway and thus deleted
4) Check the exact size of the Expresscard SSD. Insert the new 500GB HD or equivalent in a USB (or firewire) slot, and partition to TWO partitions using Disk Utility, journaled drives (default setting, I think). Make the first one the same size as the Expresscard, the second one should be the remaining space. Mine are 96 and 404 GB each, depending how you count the space on it. Do not make the names of these new drives hard to remember, you will need it later, but they should not have the same name as any existing drives.
5) Keeping your ExpressCard in the slot, and the 500GB disk on the USB, shut down the Macbook completely.
6) Insert your snow leopard DVD in the drive, holding down option as soon as the startup sound is there. Boot on the DVD, obviously.
7) When booted on the DVD, find Disk Utility in the menu (do not install Snow Leopard yet). Using the restore function, restore the 250GB drive onto the 404GB partition you just made before. Be sure you choose the right SOURCE and DESTINATION drives, I think it is worth a few seconds more to see what you are doing here, so you don't wipe your original disk! The restore will take hours, depending on how full your disk is. I think mine took about 5 hours.
8) From disk utility, you can eject the USB 96/404 drive if you like.
9) No need to reboot yet, I think. Proceed to install OS X, be sure to select the right disk, being your new ExpressCard. Do NOT call it the same name as any of your existing disks. During the installation, it will ask you if you want to migrate a previous user. Your hard drive is still in the Mac, so you can choose the option to import it from another drive. Or you can do it later, using the migrate assistant in OS X.
10) When you are done installing OS X, you can at some stage shut down the Macbook, and swap the drive in the USB with the internal drive. The guide I used is this one: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...Inch-Model-A1150-Hard-Drive-Replacement/486/1 . My Macbook was not entirely identical - some screws were torx, not Philips, and the BlueTooth device was in a different location so I did not need to worry about it. These screws are so small, make sure your philips screwdriver is absolutely small or you will damage the screw threads. You will also need a torx T6 driver, which can be bought in most hardware stores for about 1 USD. I had one already as it is the same size my old Nokia phone has.
11) When you think you are done setting up the new user, do a restore again (I suggest booting from the DVD). This time, from the 96GB Expresscard to 96GB partition on the 500GB disk. If you remove your expresscard or if it should break, you can boot from that other partition.
12) There is no step 12 yet
Some concerns:
* The USB connector in the ExpressCard ... I am not sure how to use this without ejecting the card, I would not attempt it unless the computer is OFF.
* The ExpressCard sticks just a wee bit out, but be aware that you don't eject it, as I would imagine your Mac would crash on the spot - I did not try it yet
* Security ... moving files out of your USERS folder, they would be easy to access for others
* Mirroring the two 96GB drives ... I am not fond of having to manually restore to the 96GB hard drive partition, so I hope someone can point to some kind of mirror function or app which will mirror the ExpressCard onto the hard drive, when the computer is idling. This in a way that will preserve the data even if the computer crashes, ie if it is just in the middle of writing something.
I think that was about it, any questions ?
What I did to my MacBook recently was the following:
* Change from 2 to 4 GB ram
* Change internal HD from 250 to 500 GB (make sure it is 9.5mm not 12 or 15!)
* Add 96 GB Wintec ExpressCard SSD, read/write speed around 60/30 MB/s
(If expresscard is much less than 30 MB/s I would not bother, just install a new modern hard drive and forget the EC. Before you buy an SSD card, make sure your Mac actually HAS this slot, unibody MBPs 15" does not have it as I am aware, same with 13". 17" might have it, and the pre-unibodies like mine (March 2008)
In this guide, I assume 96 GB ExpressCard, 250GB old drive, 500GB new drive. If you choose other sizes, those are the names I am using, OK?
1) Assuming you have a backup, if not, do that first. Time machine and any external drive with enough capacity will do, if you are brave enough to trust a time capsule, do that ...
2) Your main user, which ideally is an admin user, should be slimmed down so it fits comfortably inside the 96 GB drive:
a) iTunes: Move the iTunes library OUTSIDE of your "user" folder, reconnect to it and make sure it is OK. Lots of info of how to do this online. Make sure the new folder does not have restricted rights, using "Get Info" function.
b) iPhoto: Same as above - move the folder out, unless it is not so large (mine was 50 GB!)
c) Look for other larger files, like Vmware/Parallels virtual machines and so on, do the same. Maybe also take out some huge apps if you like, but with 96GB in the new card, you will be able to fit quite a lot. Unless you opt for a smaller one or have tonnes of large apps.
3) Insert your ExpressCard in the slot, and see that it is working. You might have to format it to see it in finder, go ahead. Transfer some files to and from it if you like, when you are done just leave whatever on it, as it will be repartitioned anyway and thus deleted
4) Check the exact size of the Expresscard SSD. Insert the new 500GB HD or equivalent in a USB (or firewire) slot, and partition to TWO partitions using Disk Utility, journaled drives (default setting, I think). Make the first one the same size as the Expresscard, the second one should be the remaining space. Mine are 96 and 404 GB each, depending how you count the space on it. Do not make the names of these new drives hard to remember, you will need it later, but they should not have the same name as any existing drives.
5) Keeping your ExpressCard in the slot, and the 500GB disk on the USB, shut down the Macbook completely.
6) Insert your snow leopard DVD in the drive, holding down option as soon as the startup sound is there. Boot on the DVD, obviously.
7) When booted on the DVD, find Disk Utility in the menu (do not install Snow Leopard yet). Using the restore function, restore the 250GB drive onto the 404GB partition you just made before. Be sure you choose the right SOURCE and DESTINATION drives, I think it is worth a few seconds more to see what you are doing here, so you don't wipe your original disk! The restore will take hours, depending on how full your disk is. I think mine took about 5 hours.
8) From disk utility, you can eject the USB 96/404 drive if you like.
9) No need to reboot yet, I think. Proceed to install OS X, be sure to select the right disk, being your new ExpressCard. Do NOT call it the same name as any of your existing disks. During the installation, it will ask you if you want to migrate a previous user. Your hard drive is still in the Mac, so you can choose the option to import it from another drive. Or you can do it later, using the migrate assistant in OS X.
10) When you are done installing OS X, you can at some stage shut down the Macbook, and swap the drive in the USB with the internal drive. The guide I used is this one: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/...Inch-Model-A1150-Hard-Drive-Replacement/486/1 . My Macbook was not entirely identical - some screws were torx, not Philips, and the BlueTooth device was in a different location so I did not need to worry about it. These screws are so small, make sure your philips screwdriver is absolutely small or you will damage the screw threads. You will also need a torx T6 driver, which can be bought in most hardware stores for about 1 USD. I had one already as it is the same size my old Nokia phone has.
11) When you think you are done setting up the new user, do a restore again (I suggest booting from the DVD). This time, from the 96GB Expresscard to 96GB partition on the 500GB disk. If you remove your expresscard or if it should break, you can boot from that other partition.
12) There is no step 12 yet
Some concerns:
* The USB connector in the ExpressCard ... I am not sure how to use this without ejecting the card, I would not attempt it unless the computer is OFF.
* The ExpressCard sticks just a wee bit out, but be aware that you don't eject it, as I would imagine your Mac would crash on the spot - I did not try it yet
* Security ... moving files out of your USERS folder, they would be easy to access for others
* Mirroring the two 96GB drives ... I am not fond of having to manually restore to the 96GB hard drive partition, so I hope someone can point to some kind of mirror function or app which will mirror the ExpressCard onto the hard drive, when the computer is idling. This in a way that will preserve the data even if the computer crashes, ie if it is just in the middle of writing something.
I think that was about it, any questions
?
Mine does not actually look like this, there is no label except for "ENGINEERING SAMPLE ONLY" or something like that ...
I wonder how hot the ExpressCards other users have tried, have gotten. Mine is not really that hot, though I did not really torture it that much. When I installed OS X, did a restore and so on, I lifted the macbook up a bit, to allow air to flow beneath it.
Update
I have now had the Wintec ExpressCard installed for a while, and all seems OK.
It does not get very hot at all, I would say around 40 C at the most (104 F).
It is blazing fast, boot from cold just over 20 seconds until I get to the login screen. Sleep mode: When I flip the screen up, I can start typing password right away and all is running normal speed before I can get to anything. Firefox, which used to take a while to start, now starts in a few seconds, only four bounces. The same with other apps, they start quite swiftly.
Just to be safe side, my new 500 GB internal disk (in lieu of the original 250GB) has a 96GB and 404GB partition. The 96GB is a live boot volume in case the ExpressCard should fail. I am doing a SuperDuper copy manually from ExpressCard to this one on occasions. I would really like some kind of app to run in the background, to update it while the computer is idle anyway. Kind of on the fly, is this possible?
I have now had the Wintec ExpressCard installed for a while, and all seems OK.
It does not get very hot at all, I would say around 40 C at the most (104 F).
It is blazing fast, boot from cold just over 20 seconds until I get to the login screen. Sleep mode: When I flip the screen up, I can start typing password right away and all is running normal speed before I can get to anything. Firefox, which used to take a while to start, now starts in a few seconds, only four bounces. The same with other apps, they start quite swiftly.
Just to be safe side, my new 500 GB internal disk (in lieu of the original 250GB) has a 96GB and 404GB partition. The 96GB is a live boot volume in case the ExpressCard should fail. I am doing a SuperDuper copy manually from ExpressCard to this one on occasions. I would really like some kind of app to run in the background, to update it while the computer is idle anyway. Kind of on the fly, is this possible?
Well, yes, but not with the SuperDuper way. Superduper copies the entire partition over, but what you need is a way to sync the SSD to the mirror on the HD. I would start with a SuperDuper backup (which you already have) and use either an rsync or unison based synchronize-tool.
Rsync and Unison are both terminal based synchronizing tools, but only rsync is included in OS X. If you want to do this the best possible way, you should read up on the tools and make a bash script that syncs the harddrive once a day when you know the computer will be on.
The tools you should use: rsync, cron, bash
Of course, there are graphical clients as well, but in my experience they're all bugged, slow and HORRIBLY hard to use. A good bash script will probably be all of 30-40 characters, and once you've written (AND TESTED!) it you can install it, and never think about it again until you reformat the drive. (Keep a backup of the script)
Rsync and Unison are both terminal based synchronizing tools, but only rsync is included in OS X. If you want to do this the best possible way, you should read up on the tools and make a bash script that syncs the harddrive once a day when you know the computer will be on.
The tools you should use: rsync, cron, bash
Of course, there are graphical clients as well, but in my experience they're all bugged, slow and HORRIBLY hard to use. A good bash script will probably be all of 30-40 characters, and once you've written (AND TESTED!) it you can install it, and never think about it again until you reformat the drive. (Keep a backup of the script)
Thank you for the hint. I am not good at these codes, also, I don't have certain times every day my computer is on. What happens if the computer is on at different times - will it run later?
Interesting idea. I cannot see why it should not be possible. I use that other brand OS so seldom, though, that it is not worth it for me.
Adapter to run 2nd Wintec EC SSD in optical bay?
Can anyone suggest an adapter that could be used to run a second Wintec EC SSD in, for example, the optical bay in a MacBook Pro? An adapter to interface the Express Card's socket to an optibay's sata connector? RAID0 would be even more awesome
Can anyone suggest an adapter that could be used to run a second Wintec EC SSD in, for example, the optical bay in a MacBook Pro? An adapter to interface the Express Card's socket to an optibay's sata connector? RAID0 would be even more awesome
So I want to confirm something some folks said on these forums about the ExpressCard SSD and it being bootable:
I ordered a MyDigitalSSD ExpressCard SSD 64GB from here:
http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000D82-1270753010
It's unbelievably cheap especially for a drive that can hold 64GB compared to a Wintec 48GB brand that is near the same price. However, I ran into some problems as far as the EC SSD goes as well as just the company so far...
1 - Plug the SSD into your MacBook Pro and it won't recognize it. I went to the products official site at mydigitalssd.com and downloaded a driver for Mac. Upon download, I get an error and the download won't complete. I call customer support and they tell me that driver is outdated for Snow Leopard and they will be getting an update soon. The driver is from 2008, so this driver you're telling me is about 2 years out of date for Snow Leopard users?! Plus it didn't help that before I bought the SSD, their customer support told me I should be able to use it with no problem. Yeah, okay...
2 - So what customer support did for me was actually email me one of their customer's response to this problem and that person used a Silicon Image driver (aka not MyDigitalSSD's driver.) I used this and followed that persons procedure and my drive became readable. Okay, no problem now I figured, but...
3 - ... from all my attempts, I could not get Snow Leopard on the SSD. I can't make it bootable. I tried everything from what I read on these forums and others, and am realizing more and more that maybe it is true that only 24 and 48GB capacity drives can be bootable because they are not read as a USB Flash Drive. So essentially, this thing I own is a glamorized Flash Drive... not a bad thing honestly because it gives me more storage capacity on my computer, but that's not what I ordered it for.
4 - Finally, when I properly eject my drive and shut it off properly through my computer, I take it out and it's fine. But when I plug it back in while my computer is on, my computer will crash and prompt me to shut down. This has happened at least three times to me in the past 3 days I owned this device.
So as far as MyDigitalSSD from MyDigitalDiscount, I got mixed feelings about this product. For anyone looking to buy one, go ahead but be warned that it will more than likely not be a good boot up drive and there aren't proper drivers for Mac SL OSX and you'll have to rely on third party support.
If you can overlook some occasional crashes (or maybe mine is just defective?), then this thing makes for good storage as a Flash Drive, but that's about it. Just thought I throw this info out for anyone who was curious to buy one of these from MyDigitalDiscount.
I only got it because of it's great cheap price for a 64GB EC SSD but I think I'll jump to a 48GB Wintex FileMate EC SSD and take my chance with that. I could use it for heavy graphic editing. RMA request coming your way MyDigitalDiscount...
I ordered a MyDigitalSSD ExpressCard SSD 64GB from here:
http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=80000D82-1270753010
It's unbelievably cheap especially for a drive that can hold 64GB compared to a Wintec 48GB brand that is near the same price. However, I ran into some problems as far as the EC SSD goes as well as just the company so far...
1 - Plug the SSD into your MacBook Pro and it won't recognize it. I went to the products official site at mydigitalssd.com and downloaded a driver for Mac. Upon download, I get an error and the download won't complete. I call customer support and they tell me that driver is outdated for Snow Leopard and they will be getting an update soon. The driver is from 2008, so this driver you're telling me is about 2 years out of date for Snow Leopard users?! Plus it didn't help that before I bought the SSD, their customer support told me I should be able to use it with no problem. Yeah, okay...
2 - So what customer support did for me was actually email me one of their customer's response to this problem and that person used a Silicon Image driver (aka not MyDigitalSSD's driver.) I used this and followed that persons procedure and my drive became readable. Okay, no problem now I figured, but...
3 - ... from all my attempts, I could not get Snow Leopard on the SSD. I can't make it bootable. I tried everything from what I read on these forums and others, and am realizing more and more that maybe it is true that only 24 and 48GB capacity drives can be bootable because they are not read as a USB Flash Drive. So essentially, this thing I own is a glamorized Flash Drive... not a bad thing honestly because it gives me more storage capacity on my computer, but that's not what I ordered it for.
4 - Finally, when I properly eject my drive and shut it off properly through my computer, I take it out and it's fine. But when I plug it back in while my computer is on, my computer will crash and prompt me to shut down. This has happened at least three times to me in the past 3 days I owned this device.
So as far as MyDigitalSSD from MyDigitalDiscount, I got mixed feelings about this product. For anyone looking to buy one, go ahead but be warned that it will more than likely not be a good boot up drive and there aren't proper drivers for Mac SL OSX and you'll have to rely on third party support.
If you can overlook some occasional crashes (or maybe mine is just defective?), then this thing makes for good storage as a Flash Drive, but that's about it. Just thought I throw this info out for anyone who was curious to buy one of these from MyDigitalDiscount.
I only got it because of it's great cheap price for a 64GB EC SSD but I think I'll jump to a 48GB Wintex FileMate EC SSD and take my chance with that. I could use it for heavy graphic editing. RMA request coming your way MyDigitalDiscount...
Reconditioning the Wintec 48GB?
Still loving the Wintec 48GB!
Although my setup (see previous posts) is optimized to reduce random writes (swap, scratch, home folder etc on HDD) I'm assuming I'll eventually need to refresh it.
Has anyone successfully used an SSD recondition tool on their Wintec 48GB EC SSD?
I'm I have such a tool but I'm concerned I'll overheat or break it.
Or should I just clone a backup, reformat/erase?
Any tips or experiences welcome!
Still loving the Wintec 48GB!
Although my setup (see previous posts) is optimized to reduce random writes (swap, scratch, home folder etc on HDD) I'm assuming I'll eventually need to refresh it.
Has anyone successfully used an SSD recondition tool on their Wintec 48GB EC SSD?
I'm I have such a tool but I'm concerned I'll overheat or break it.
Or should I just clone a backup, reformat/erase?
Any tips or experiences welcome!
Sooooo here's an update on my situation with the aforementioned MyDigitalSSD 64GB ExpressCard SSD two posts up...
Firstly, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF MYDIGITALDISCOUNT.COM SUCKS! Yes, they suck so bad that I had to capitalize my statement. Okay, maybe they don't suck as bad as some Hong Kong scammer on eBay selling "authentic" Apple accessories, but MyDigitalDiscount was a huge disappointment for me being a first time customer.
They took forever responding to my emails about getting a RMA on the product mentioned above. Hell, they didn't even respond to my email. It was until I went to my eBay account where I initially ordered the item and asked again for a RMA. They didn't even respond through there until like 4 days later! WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A EMAIL SERVICE ON YOUR OFFICIAL SITE IF YOU DON'T ANSWER IT?!
So there I was playing message tag with these people at the company through eBay, sometimes getting immediate responses and 3-4 days late responses. After constant messaging and them seemingly refusing to give me a full refund on a misleadingly advertised ExpressCard SSD, I got a message today from them saying I will get a full refund because apparently their manufacturer is DISCONTINUING those MyDigitalSSD's. Interesting to know, especially being they seem quite new (since 2008ish) but I suppose they even realize the drive sucks. It's funny because I bought this through eBay like 3 weeks ago and that week later, they stopped making these drives.
So in short (if you didn't want to be bored by a rant above):
- these 64GB EC SSD's are being discontinued... thank goodness.
- MyDigitalDiscount.com doesn't like to respond in a timely manner to messages and apparently don't respond to customer service emails through their website (?!?!?!?!)
- if you own this same device and aren't happy with it's performance for your Mac, definitely request a RMA especially if you're running Snow Leopard because this thing doesn't have a official driver for it, and they won't be making any driver because the SSD's are discontinued from the manufacturer.
There's a reason companies like these don't have as great search engine results as Newegg or OWC have... it's foreshadowing some half-quality customer service and products.
On the bright side, not to totally knock MyDigitalDiscount.com, their customer service rep that I mostly dealt with was a nice gentleman. But I wish they would be more clearer about their products and respond to emails/messages quicker.
Definitely get a better ExpressCard SSD if you're in the market for a economical one... I haven't tried the Wintec 48GB Ultra drive yet but am willing to take the chance being most people seem to work with it well here. That 96GB drive B74A is using sounds tempting too but I would like to hear more from that user about it's use for these months.
Firstly, THE CUSTOMER SERVICE OF MYDIGITALDISCOUNT.COM SUCKS! Yes, they suck so bad that I had to capitalize my statement. Okay, maybe they don't suck as bad as some Hong Kong scammer on eBay selling "authentic" Apple accessories, but MyDigitalDiscount was a huge disappointment for me being a first time customer.
They took forever responding to my emails about getting a RMA on the product mentioned above. Hell, they didn't even respond to my email. It was until I went to my eBay account where I initially ordered the item and asked again for a RMA. They didn't even respond through there until like 4 days later! WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A EMAIL SERVICE ON YOUR OFFICIAL SITE IF YOU DON'T ANSWER IT?!
So there I was playing message tag with these people at the company through eBay, sometimes getting immediate responses and 3-4 days late responses. After constant messaging and them seemingly refusing to give me a full refund on a misleadingly advertised ExpressCard SSD, I got a message today from them saying I will get a full refund because apparently their manufacturer is DISCONTINUING those MyDigitalSSD's. Interesting to know, especially being they seem quite new (since 2008ish) but I suppose they even realize the drive sucks. It's funny because I bought this through eBay like 3 weeks ago and that week later, they stopped making these drives.
So in short (if you didn't want to be bored by a rant above):
- these 64GB EC SSD's are being discontinued... thank goodness.
- MyDigitalDiscount.com doesn't like to respond in a timely manner to messages and apparently don't respond to customer service emails through their website (?!?!?!?!)
- if you own this same device and aren't happy with it's performance for your Mac, definitely request a RMA especially if you're running Snow Leopard because this thing doesn't have a official driver for it, and they won't be making any driver because the SSD's are discontinued from the manufacturer.
There's a reason companies like these don't have as great search engine results as Newegg or OWC have... it's foreshadowing some half-quality customer service and products.
On the bright side, not to totally knock MyDigitalDiscount.com, their customer service rep that I mostly dealt with was a nice gentleman. But I wish they would be more clearer about their products and respond to emails/messages quicker.
Definitely get a better ExpressCard SSD if you're in the market for a economical one... I haven't tried the Wintec 48GB Ultra drive yet but am willing to take the chance being most people seem to work with it well here. That 96GB drive B74A is using sounds tempting too but I would like to hear more from that user about it's use for these months.
Does the Wintec EC SSD boot in 64bit mode?
I finally worked out how to apply the 64bit boot hack (netkas.org/?p=189 etc) to my MBP17 3,1, using a clone on an external HDD for safety, but after cloning back, the Wintec EC SSD did not boot. Will the Wintec EC SSD boot in 64bit mode?
I finally worked out how to apply the 64bit boot hack (netkas.org/?p=189 etc) to my MBP17 3,1, using a clone on an external HDD for safety, but after cloning back, the Wintec EC SSD did not boot. Will the Wintec EC SSD boot in 64bit mode?
Update
I have had the Wintec 96GB filemate for a while now. It is so incredibly fast that when I used another MBP recently, I thought something was wrong with it, so I looked for apps hanging. Until I realized it is because I am used to the fast speed of the Wintec.
Besides the 96GB wintec I use to boot, I have a 500GB internal drive now. That drive is partitioned to mirror the 96GB flash card, but I have failed to update that partition for a long time now. The rest is a 404GB parition I use for various larger files I don't use often.
But to save space on the 96GB Wintec, I want to move certain apps to the 404GB HDD partition. Can I simply move them over, or do I need some special app or use a special procedure to move them? Large apps I don't need often should not reside on the Wintec.
Thank you for your advice.
I have had the Wintec 96GB filemate for a while now. It is so incredibly fast that when I used another MBP recently, I thought something was wrong with it, so I looked for apps hanging. Until I realized it is because I am used to the fast speed of the Wintec.
Besides the 96GB wintec I use to boot, I have a 500GB internal drive now. That drive is partitioned to mirror the 96GB flash card, but I have failed to update that partition for a long time now. The rest is a 404GB parition I use for various larger files I don't use often.
But to save space on the 96GB Wintec, I want to move certain apps to the 404GB HDD partition. Can I simply move them over, or do I need some special app or use a special procedure to move them? Large apps I don't need often should not reside on the Wintec.
Thank you for your advice.
Backup the Wintec/Apps on other drives
@B74A: I use Carbon Copy Cloner to keep a live backup on the last partition of my 500GB internal. CCC has a scheduler - mine is set up to clone 1am on Monday, and yes it will defer until the MBP is booted or woken from sleep.
Quote: "But to save space on the 96GB Wintec, I want to move certain apps to the 404GB HDD partition. Can I simply move them over, or do I need some special app or use a special procedure to move them? Large apps I don't need often should not reside on the Wintec."
@B74A: I'm sure this is possible using symlinking and/or another clone of your OS drive.
Here's some examples:
http://hintsforums.macworld.com/archive/index.php/t-17407.html
http://macosx.com/forums/mac-os-x-system-mac-software/15714-how-do-i-move-applications-folder.html
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20090408073633559
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20061201041424401&query=create+symbolic
You begin the experiment by symlinking to an application in your clone partition, taking note of its behavior.
If it works to your needs you could, in theory, delete the original app - and see if the cloned app still works (where it accesses prefs and cache etc may be an issue). If it's a fail, you can clone it all back to the SSD from the backup.
If the application does work, you could set CCC to NOT "delete items that dont exist on the source partition" during it's routine backup to preserve the moved application on the clone.
The issue being that your clone partition will possibly become larger than the EC SSD partition, preventing a simple rescue operation. You could cheat that by making a bootable clone on an external HDD, reducing the size where neccessary and cloning back to the EC SSD.
I'd look into having another partition eventually for "Large apps I don't need often" - this could be the symlinked clone with all of the unnecessary items removed - just the apps and their related library etc files. That partition cluld be shrunk with e.g. iPartition.
Otherwise just fill the EC SSD - performance is not affected as the SSD fills - just make sure you have the required space (10-20GB?) for any temp files (cache, swap, sleepimage) OR even better - move your home folder to the HDD and make a fast (shortstoked) first HDD partition for those swap, cache, sleepimage and scratch files. Doing this will free up plenty of space on the EC SSD for those little used apps.
MacRumors Members: please correct me if I'm wrong on any points!
@B74A: I use Carbon Copy Cloner to keep a live backup on the last partition of my 500GB internal. CCC has a scheduler - mine is set up to clone 1am on Monday, and yes it will defer until the MBP is booted or woken from sleep.
Quote: "But to save space on the 96GB Wintec, I want to move certain apps to the 404GB HDD partition. Can I simply move them over, or do I need some special app or use a special procedure to move them? Large apps I don't need often should not reside on the Wintec."
@B74A: I'm sure this is possible using symlinking and/or another clone of your OS drive.
Here's some examples:
http://hintsforums.macworld.com/archive/index.php/t-17407.html
http://macosx.com/forums/mac-os-x-system-mac-software/15714-how-do-i-move-applications-folder.html
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20090408073633559
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20061201041424401&query=create+symbolic
You begin the experiment by symlinking to an application in your clone partition, taking note of its behavior.
If it works to your needs you could, in theory, delete the original app - and see if the cloned app still works (where it accesses prefs and cache etc may be an issue). If it's a fail, you can clone it all back to the SSD from the backup.
If the application does work, you could set CCC to NOT "delete items that dont exist on the source partition" during it's routine backup to preserve the moved application on the clone.
The issue being that your clone partition will possibly become larger than the EC SSD partition, preventing a simple rescue operation. You could cheat that by making a bootable clone on an external HDD, reducing the size where neccessary and cloning back to the EC SSD.
I'd look into having another partition eventually for "Large apps I don't need often" - this could be the symlinked clone with all of the unnecessary items removed - just the apps and their related library etc files. That partition cluld be shrunk with e.g. iPartition.
Otherwise just fill the EC SSD - performance is not affected as the SSD fills - just make sure you have the required space (10-20GB?) for any temp files (cache, swap, sleepimage) OR even better - move your home folder to the HDD and make a fast (shortstoked) first HDD partition for those swap, cache, sleepimage and scratch files. Doing this will free up plenty of space on the EC SSD for those little used apps.
MacRumors Members: please correct me if I'm wrong on any points!
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Hi BBB and thank you for your reply,
I am so satisfied with my Wintec 96GB filemate now so I don't intend to keep a shadow 96GB on the HDD any more. What I want instead is to keep the 96GB uncluttered from those files which take too much space, and are not used too often.
Unfortunately, it seems some apps can only be installed on the boot drive, like the whole Xcode/Cocoa/SDK package from Apple. And this is in the order of 10GB or maybe more.
Other apps like iWork, MS Office, Adobe etc, would be better off on the HDD, not on the 96GB, as I HATE running low on HDD/EC space - having to sit and find apps or other files which can be deleted or moved.
My iTunes and iPhoto files are already on the HDD, fortunately.
So now I want to merge the 404 and 96GB HDD into one 500GB, but the 96GB is before the 404GB, and although I succeeded to delete it, I cannot merge it into the 404, without making a clone/restore it seems.
Thank you for your help.
I am so satisfied with my Wintec 96GB filemate now so I don't intend to keep a shadow 96GB on the HDD any more. What I want instead is to keep the 96GB uncluttered from those files which take too much space, and are not used too often.
Unfortunately, it seems some apps can only be installed on the boot drive, like the whole Xcode/Cocoa/SDK package from Apple. And this is in the order of 10GB or maybe more.
Other apps like iWork, MS Office, Adobe etc, would be better off on the HDD, not on the 96GB, as I HATE running low on HDD/EC space - having to sit and find apps or other files which can be deleted or moved.
My iTunes and iPhoto files are already on the HDD, fortunately.
So now I want to merge the 404 and 96GB HDD into one 500GB, but the 96GB is before the 404GB, and although I succeeded to delete it, I cannot merge it into the 404, without making a clone/restore it seems.
Thank you for your help.
Sure - I'd also take a peek here:
chris.pirillo.com/how-to-move-the-home-folder-in-os-x-and-why/
I'd try iPartition to sort out your 500GB - you'll need to back it up first anyhow.
If the Wintecs have increased reliability now - sure - a local clone is less neccessary - but still very handy!
If you are stuck with the current setup - you might be a candidate for a 200GB+sata ssd and a 1TB sata HDD in an optibay!
chris.pirillo.com/how-to-move-the-home-folder-in-os-x-and-why/
I'd try iPartition to sort out your 500GB - you'll need to back it up first anyhow.
If the Wintecs have increased reliability now - sure - a local clone is less neccessary - but still very handy!
If you are stuck with the current setup - you might be a candidate for a 200GB+sata ssd and a 1TB sata HDD in an optibay!
Oh, you can get 1TB in the optibay? I just had the drive replaced on my extended 3 year warranty ...
I think I am OK with the space I have, as long as I reorganize it properly.
And I don't think I want to move the entire home folder. The idea is to keep the computer fast enough, running on the ExpressCard SSD, with only the less used (and mainly more space consuming) data on the HDD.