Data transfer SATA 2.5", Samsung SSD 250g to MacBook

[Onetay]

Hi there,

I'm trying to change my hard drive to solid state. I purchased a Samsung 250g SSD and a 2.5" SATA External Case with USB 2.0. I connected the SSD to the SATA external case and then connected to my MacBook (Model identifier: 3,1) with a USB. I can't see the SSD in my Disk Utilities, so cannot format it to begin the carbon copy transfer.

Can anyone suggest a solution?

Once I've used Carbon Copy to transfer the contents of my existing HDD to SSD I'll put the SSD into my MacBook permanently. I just need to be able to see it and format it first!!!

Any help would be great!

Thanks!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Does the enclosure show up in System Profiler > Hardware > USB?

Tried the other port yet?

 

[Onetay]

Hi,

Thanks for the tip, unfortunately it doesn't show up in the System Profiler. I've attached a screen shot for you.

I've got the SSD connected to both USB ports which then go to one USB socket at the port of the SSD through the external case.

Does that make sense? I've tested my other external hard drives, and they're working fine.

I think I'm going grey!

Cheers!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

It seems you have one of those USB Y cables, one end with the small connector for the enclosure, and two ends with the big USB plugs. Those Y cables are only needed for power hungry HDDs, thus maybe try the one end which is not bended in one of your USB ports.

And can you link to the enclosure?

 

[Onetay]

Hey,

Here's the link to the enclosure:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002UZO07C/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've just tried running from one port only, rather than the two - still no change at the moment.

Thanks for your continued help here!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hey,

Here's the link to the enclosure:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002UZO07C/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've just tried running from one port only, rather than the two - still no change at the moment.

Thanks for your continued help here!

It could be the USB controller inside that enclosure not properly working with your Mac, or it is a DOA model.

If you have any Currys (or equivalent of it) near you, maybe get another one and try that.

PS: Do you have access to any Windows based computers you could try the enclosure on?

 

[Onetay]

Thanks for the advise, I'm going to work tonight so I'll take the enclosure there and test it on their PC.

So do you think that the problem here is the enclosure rather than the SSD?

I'll let you know how I get on with it on a windows computer!

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Also, could I ask what a 'DOA model' is? Sorry... very newbie question...

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Thanks for the advise, I'm going to work tonight so I'll take the enclosure there and test it on their PC.

So do you think that the problem here is the enclosure rather than the SSD?

I'll let you know how I get on with it on a windows computer!

----------

Also, could I ask what a 'DOA model' is? Sorry... very newbie question...

DOA - Dead On Arrival

As for the enclosure and SSD, yes, it can be possible, that the SSD is kaputt instead of the enclosure.

If you have the time, you could always remove the HDD from the MacBook and put it in the enclosure and see, if you can boot from it via pressing the OPTION key right after pressing the power button and the startup chime sounds.

 

[Onetay]

Ah crumbs.

Thanks for the definition!

I'll take it to work now and see if I have any joy there. Then tonight I'll try fitting my HDD from my laptop into the enclosure to see if it gets recognised in there. Thank you!

Should I try the other way round - mounting the SSD into my laptop, or is there no point?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Onetay]

DOA - Dead On Arrival

As for the enclosure and SSD, yes, it can be possible, that the SSD is kaputt instead of the enclosure.

If you have the time, you could always remove the HDD from the MacBook and put it in the enclosure and see, if you can boot from it via pressing the OPTION key right after pressing the power button and the startup chime sounds.

Hi,

Thanks for you help so far! I tried loading the SSD onto a PC with the enclosure and had no results, nothing showed up in the devises panel and the computer didn't show any signs of recognising it as new hardware.

I've taken my HDD out of my mac and loaded it from the enclosure... it works just fine! So annoyingly, it's the SSD that's DOA. Not the cheap £5 accessory!

Thanks for al your help, I'm now going to write an email to amazon...

Good night!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hi,

Thanks for you help so far! I tried loading the SSD onto a PC with the enclosure and had no results, nothing showed up in the devises panel and the computer didn't show any signs of recognising it as new hardware.

I've taken my HDD out of my mac and loaded it from the enclosure... it works just fine! So annoyingly, it's the SSD that's DOA. Not the cheap £5 accessory!

Thanks for al your help, I'm now going to write an email to amazon...

Good night!

At least you finally figured it out.

May I know, what SSD model you have got?

 

[Onetay]

At least you finally figured it out.

May I know, what SSD model you have got?

Absolutely, it's the Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive. I'm sending it back, aiming for a full refund and then purchasing a Crucial CT240M500SSD1 2.5-inch 240GB M500 SATA 6Gb/s. Slightly more expensive but I'm willing to take the chance and they seem to have good reviews.

I'm sure I've just been really unlucky with the Samsung, I wasn't expecting any problems at all.

Have a great day!

 

[Giuly]

Absolutely, it's the Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive. I'm sending it back, aiming for a full refund and then purchasing a Crucial CT240M500SSD1 2.5-inch 240GB M500 SATA 6Gb/s. Slightly more expensive but I'm willing to take the chance and they seem to have good reviews.

I'm sure I've just been really unlucky with the Samsung, I wasn't expecting any problems at all.

Have a great day!

The 480GB and 960GB models have good reviews, the 120GB and 240GB are not that great. Either get the Crucial M500, or the SanDisk Ultra Plus, which is the best budget drive for SATA-II devices.

 

[Onetay]

The 480GB and 960GB models have good reviews, the 120GB and 240GB are not that great. Either get the Crucial m4, or the SanDisk Ultra Plus, which is the best budget drive for SATA-II devices.

Hey, thank you for the advise, it's really appreciated! What's the difference between the M4 and M5 that makes the 4 a more solid reason than the 5? Apologies if this is a bit of a huge question asked simply.

Thanks!

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http://ssdboss.com/ssds/Crucial-m4-vs-Crucial-M500#conclusion

 

[Giuly]

The M500 uses half the amount of NAND chips than the m4, but they can store twice as much data each. The more NAND chips you have, the more data the controller can fetch from the chips at once, and if you fetch more data in the same time, well, "it's faster".
The 256GB and 512GB m4 are the fastest drives in the m4 series, the 480GB and 960GB in the M500 series. While the M500 is a bit faster than the m4, it doesn't hold true if you compare the 240/256GB models to each other.

 

[Onetay]

Hey, thank you! That's really good to know! I'm so very easily swayed by smart looking reviews and statistics!

Cheers!