Experience with SSD & Optibay Mod

[pbkiller]

Hello All,

I have a MacBook Pro 13' with 2.26Ghz (I think it's late 2009 model). After seeing the speed & responsiveness of my GF's new MacBook Air, i just HAD to have something like that on my machine, so I went and bought an SSD.

While reading info on the SSD, I found about the MCE Optibay Mod, which (as most you know), takes out the Superdrive & replaces it with another HD. This was the perfect solution for me! I have an external HD that i hate lugging around, but it i needed it, it had my iTunes, my movies, everything.

So I went and bought the MCE Optibay enclosure. I was gonna buy a OCZ SSD 120GB, but because I was concerned about price (and the fact that I wanted the SSD to run the main OS and programs, all the data I wanted to store would be on the Optibay Drive), I went and bought the 90GB version. I also bought an WD Scorpio Blue 750GB 5400rpm to store all my data. This was the drive that was gonna go into the Optibay.

They arrived so I started the procedure. Installation was flawless. I boot up the computer, and it ran perfectly, the programs opened amazingly fast, the boot up and shut down times were almost immediate.

Then after the range up Mac updates, the computer started to freeze and lock up. Beachballs, slowness, etc. I started looking for info on the subject, and I found out something about Hibernation. So I went ahead and did the sudo command in Terminal to eliminate Hibernation (not a feature that I use a lot). So after a reboot, everything went back to normal, for a couple of seconds. Then the lockups, freezes, beach balls started appearing again. I was frustrated at this point.

So I decide to take out the Optibay drive, and leave just the SSD running to see what's up with the main drive (after all this, I thought that it was the SSD causing the problems). The computer has been running without any hiccups, lag, slowness, beachballs, ANYTHING... Rock solid and faster than my GF's Air. As soon as i open the lid BAM, screen comes to life, programs open in an instant. That was what I was looking for on the SSD.

So I decide to give it another chance. I open the Mac, install the Optibay Drive with the 750GB 5400 RPM drive in it... Not even 3 minutes and boom, lockup, lag, slowness, beach balls.

I take out the Optibay drive again, SSD only mode... it runs flawlessly.

Could it be something with the WD drive that I bought? A friend of mine suggested that the HD could be asking for too much power (I dont think that a superdrive needs a lot of power to run) and that's why it's causing the malfunctions? I havent tried the Optibay Mod with another drive, so maybe it could be my WD.

Any thoughts or experiences regarding this?

 

[0815]

Hello All,

I have a MacBook Pro 13' with 2.26Ghz (I think it's late 2009 model). After seeing the speed & responsiveness of my GF's new MacBook Air, i just HAD to have something like that on my machine, so I went and bought an SSD.

While reading info on the SSD, I found about the MCE Optibay Mod, which (as most you know), takes out the Superdrive & replaces it with another HD. This was the perfect solution for me! I have an external HD that i hate lugging around, but it i needed it, it had my iTunes, my movies, everything.

So I went and bought the MCE Optibay enclosure. I was gonna buy a OCZ SSD 120GB, but because I was concerned about price (and the fact that I wanted the SSD to run the main OS and programs, all the data I wanted to store would be on the Optibay Drive), I went and bought the 90GB version. I also bought an WD Scorpio Blue 750GB 5400rpm to store all my data. This was the drive that was gonna go into the Optibay.

They arrived so I started the procedure. Installation was flawless. I boot up the computer, and it ran perfectly, the programs opened amazingly fast, the boot up and shut down times were almost immediate.

Then after the range up Mac updates, the computer started to freeze and lock up. Beachballs, slowness, etc. I started looking for info on the subject, and I found out something about Hibernation. So I went ahead and did the sudo command in Terminal to eliminate Hibernation (not a feature that I use a lot). So after a reboot, everything went back to normal, for a couple of seconds. Then the lockups, freezes, beach balls started appearing again. I was frustrated at this point.

So I decide to take out the Optibay drive, and leave just the SSD running to see what's up with the main drive (after all this, I thought that it was the SSD causing the problems). The computer has been running without any hiccups, lag, slowness, beachballs, ANYTHING... Rock solid and faster than my GF's Air. As soon as i open the lid BAM, screen comes to life, programs open in an instant. That was what I was looking for on the SSD.

So I decide to give it another chance. I open the Mac, install the Optibay Drive with the 750GB 5400 RPM drive in it... Not even 3 minutes and boom, lockup, lag, slowness, beach balls.

I take out the Optibay drive again, SSD only mode... it runs flawlessly.

Could it be something with the WD drive that I bought? A friend of mine suggested that the HD could be asking for too much power (I dont think that a superdrive needs a lot of power to run) and that's why it's causing the malfunctions? I havent tried the Optibay Mod with another drive, so maybe it could be my WD.

Any thoughts or experiences regarding this?

Don't have any experience with the Optibay - but what you describe could be very well a bad harddrive - if you have one handy or can easily get one, I would definitely try another drive.

 

[pbkiller]

Hey all, I thought that the problem I was having was with the WD Scorpio Blue only, but apparently is with all the HD's I'm trying. I changed the WD for the stock Apple HD (that comes with the MBP). I'm still getting erratic behavior, randome freezes, long bootup times, beachballs, etc. Now as soon as I leave only the ssd in, all the problems go away.

What could it be?

 

[bwrairen]

Have you tried installing the ssd in the optibay and putting the hard drive back in its original spot? I have an OWC SSD in the optical bay and my MBP has no problems whatsoever. Also, the hard drive is also not protected by the SMS if it is in the optibay.

 

[Jasoco]

Have you tried installing the ssd in the optibay and putting the hard drive back in its original spot? I have an OWC SSD in the optical bay and my MBP has no problems whatsoever. Also, the hard drive is also not protected by the SMS if it is in the optibay.

That's what I would suggest. Especially if you ever decide to upgrade to a larger HDD which is 12mm instead of 9mm, then you'll be able to fit it. If it's in the OptiBay, it won't fit. (I believe the OptiBay holder only allows 9mm drives. The SSD will fit, a larger, sat 1TB drive, will not.

 

[WelshBluebird]

Have you tried installing the ssd in the optibay and putting the hard drive back in its original spot? I have an OWC SSD in the optical bay and my MBP has no problems whatsoever. Also, the hard drive is also not protected by the SMS if it is in the optibay.

Does booting from the SSD work fine in that config then? (I've read it can cause problems).
Cheers.

 

[newdeal]

...

the dvd sata connector I have heard lacks the sudden motion sensor support so perhaps that is why the hdd isnt working well there

 

[pbkiller]

the dvd sata connector I have heard lacks the sudden motion sensor support so perhaps that is why the hdd isnt working well there

Hmm, haven't tried that, I've read as well that having the SSD in the optibay caused problems. i guess it will do no harm to try. If this doesn't work, then I would be returning the Optibay and just keeping the 750GB HD as an external (bummer but oh well). I like how the computer responds with the SSD.

When doing the switch in the Optibay, I must change the startup disk right?

 

[millerb7]

I have a SSD in the normal spot and the HDD in the MCE optibay... no issues at all.

I did have some random HDD spin up/downs and some clicking, adjusting the hdapm fixed that up real quick though, no more issues at all.

I have the OWC SSD and the WD 640GB blue...

 

[newdeal]

Hmm, haven't tried that, I've read as well that having the SSD in the optibay caused problems. i guess it will do no harm to try. If this doesn't work, then I would be returning the Optibay and just keeping the 750GB HD as an external (bummer but oh well). I like how the computer responds with the SSD.

When doing the switch in the Optibay, I must change the startup disk right?

yes you need to change the startup disk...you don't really NEED to but if you want it to boot quickly then thats the way to get there...if you don't do it it may have the spinning wheel at bootup for a longer time

 

[pbkiller]

I have a SSD in the normal spot and the HDD in the MCE optibay... no issues at all.

I did have some random HDD spin up/downs and some clicking, adjusting the hdapm fixed that up real quick though, no more issues at all.

I have the OWC SSD and the WD 640GB blue...

Ok, so what does this HDAPM thing do? I read it has to do something with the HD spin ups/down? Might try this as well.

How do I install/do this?

Oh and, if I reformat the HD, when I select the drive to install the OS to, isn't that specifying the machine which HD to boot from?

 

[tjb1]

Ok, so what does this HDAPM thing do? I read it has to do something with the HD spin ups/down? Might try this as well.

How do I install/do this?

Oh and, if I reformat the HD, when I select the drive to install the OS to, isn't that specifying the machine which HD to boot from?

http://mckinlay.net.nz/hdapm/

Once you move the files you go into terminal and type

diskutil list

find the name of the HDD then

hdapm diskX min,max,default or a number

you can also turn sms off with

sudo pmset -a sms 0

 

[bwrairen]

Mine is running perfect with the sms on...I am not really sure why anyone would want to turn it off. After you install OSX on the SSD, you then change the startup disk (under system preferences) to the SSD. I then migrated "settings only" over from the HD, then I changed the location of my home folder to the HD, and I was done. My desktop and computer looked the same as before the upgrade, but much snappier.

 

[tjb1]

Mine is running perfect with the sms on...I am not really sure why anyone would want to turn it off. After you install OSX on the SSD, you then change the startup disk (under system preferences) to the SSD. I then migrated "settings only" over from the HD, then I changed the location of my home folder to the HD, and I was done. My desktop and computer looked the same as before the upgrade, but much snappier.

sms doesnt work on the hdd in optibay and its useless on ssd and has been know to cause problems on the ssd.

 

[pbkiller]

Ok, so should I put the WD 750GB into the original HD spot in the MBP, then put my SSD in the OptiBay and do the HDAPM spin down trick (for the WD HD)? Or is the HDAPM thing optional? (The WD drive was making clicking noises while on the OptiBay)

Should I also leave the Sudden Motion Sensor on? I currently have the Hibernation feature turned off.

Thanks for the help guys, Im really frustrated with this...

 

[tjb1]

No ssd in normal hdd spot.

 

[bwrairen]

sms doesnt work on the hdd in optibay and its useless on ssd and has been know to cause problems on the ssd.

Right....that is why I toid the OP to put the ssd in the optibay.

 

[ssn637]

SSD not ejected properly error message

Right....that is why I toid the OP to put the ssd in the optibay.

I have a similar configuration on my 13" MacBook Pro, with a Corsair 256GB SSD installed in the OptiBay, where Windows 7 x64 has been installed. The 750 GB WD HDD has Snow Leopard installed as well as all my multimedia and other data.

If I close the lid while running in Mac OS X mode and then resume from sleep mode, I often lose the SSD with an error message that it wasn't ejected properly. I've tried to unmount the drive before closing the lid but still cannot recover the partitions after a resume. This never happens in reverse when I resume from sleep mode in the Windows partition. Has anyone experienced this problem and found a solution?

 

[tjb1]

I have a similar configuration on my 13" MacBook Pro, with a Corsair 256GB SSD installed in the OptiBay, where Windows 7 x64 has been installed. The 750 GB WD HDD has Snow Leopard installed as well as all my multimedia and other data.

If I close the lid while running in Mac OS X mode and then resume from sleep mode, I often lose the SSD with an error message that it wasn't ejected properly. I've tried to unmount the drive before closing the lid but still cannot recover the partitions after a resume. This never happens in reverse when I resume from sleep mode in the Windows partition. Has anyone experienced this problem and found a solution?

Yes...put the boot drive in the spot Apple intended as I have been saying in the course of this thread. There are problems booting from the OPTIBAY, if the SSD is your boot drive it NEEDS to be in the correct spot which is NOT the optibay. With that being said, SMS does not work on an SSD or the OPTIBAY so you can turn it off to avoid any conflicts with the SSD by typing in terminal "sudo pmset -a sms 0".

Im not sure if your saying you have the SSD in the OPTIBAY and only have Windows 7 on it and have problems booting from the HDD with OS X or not...not sure why you would spend that kind of money on an SSD to boot Windows only so when you clarify I will adjust my answer.

 

[ssn637]

Yes...put the boot drive in the spot Apple intended as I have been saying in the course of this thread. There are problems booting from the OPTIBAY, if the SSD is your boot drive it NEEDS to be in the correct spot which is NOT the optibay. With that being said, SMS does not work on an SSD or the OPTIBAY so you can turn it off to avoid any conflicts with the SSD by typing in terminal "sudo pmset -a sms 0".

Im not sure if your saying you have the SSD in the OPTIBAY and only have Windows 7 on it and have problems booting from the HDD with OS X or not...not sure why you would spend that kind of money on an SSD to boot Windows only so when you clarify I will adjust my answer.

I did indeed have the SSD drive set as the startup disk. Changing the default startup disk to Mac OS X allows me to explore the Windows disk in Finder following a resume from sleep mode. Thanks for the help!

 

[tjb1]

I did indeed have the SSD drive set as the startup disk. Changing the default startup disk to Mac OS X allows me to explore the Windows disk in Finder following a resume from sleep mode. Thanks for the help!

No no no your not understanding...Startup Disk should have no effect on that, where is Mac installed and where is Windows installed and where are you booting from with each one?

 

[ssn637]

No no no your not understanding...Startup Disk should have no effect on that, where is Mac installed and where is Windows installed and where are you booting from with each one?

Mac OS X 10.6.6 is installed on the WD 750 GB HDD located in the standard HDD bay. Windows 7 x64 Ultimate is installed on the Corsair 256 GB SSD located in the OptiBay. When booting I use ALT to select which operating system to use. Windows is needed for office work but I prefer to use the Snow Leopard operating system when possible due to the better battery endurance. Is this what you're asking for?

You were right: even after switching start up disks I've still lost the SSD on resuming from sleep mode, although not as frequently as before.

 

[bwrairen]

I personally know that OSX can boot and run from a SSD in the optibay with no sleep or resume disconnect issues at all. I have had this setup for 8 weeks without a single problem.

I would advise partitioning the SSD and putting both your operating systems on it. If you have OSX on the platter drive, then you are getting no performance increases when using it. If you put both OS's on the SSD and then use the platter for storage, you will be optimizing both OS installs.

 

[peapody]

Personally, I have an SSD in the optibay and my media drive in the original hdd slot simply because of the SMS protection for the media drive.

My experiences:
On first boot up it takes a while for the computer to find where the OS. Then after specifying the start up disk location, I have no problems. FAST and speed performance with no beachballing or hiccups. That is how it should be.

 

[tjb1]

Mac OS X 10.6.6 is installed on the WD 750 GB HDD located in the standard HDD bay. Windows 7 x64 Ultimate is installed on the Corsair 256 GB SSD located in the OptiBay. When booting I use ALT to select which operating system to use. Windows is needed for office work but I prefer to use the Snow Leopard operating system when possible due to the better battery endurance. Is this what you're asking for?

You were right: even after switching start up disks I've still lost the SSD on resuming from sleep mode, although not as frequently as before.

Why do you have a 250gb SSD for Windows may I ask? As said put both operating system on one and if your that die hard for space on the SSD move the home folder to the HDD.