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From Snow Leopard to ?

Put the SSD into the case.

Connect it to the Mac.

Open Disk Utility. Initialize it (erase it) to Mac OS Extended with journaling enabled.
Give it a name that is meaningful to you.

You now have a Mac-formatted SSD that is "empty" and ready for the OS install.

My recommendation would be to install either El Cap or Low Sierra onto the drive while it's still in the external enclosure.

If you do it this way, and something goes wrong, YOU STILL HAVE A MACBOOK THAT WILL BOOT AND RUN. Kabish?

However, I still recommend that you ALSO create a bootable USB flashdrive with the El Cap (or Low Sierra) installer on it. Installs just go better when you do it that way.
 
Thanks! Why do some partition them when they erase. Presumably I create bootable that negates all that then, Also some CCC vids show the recovery option don't they? Presumably also the old HDD will boot and run if necessary?
 
Update. If CCC is supposed to be a 'clone' why is the SSD GB total a different and lesser figure to the HDD? Is that a usual thing on CCC?
 
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Fishrrman said:
Put the SSD into the case.

Connect it to the Mac.

Open Disk Utility. Initialize it (erase it) to Mac OS Extended with journaling enabled.
Give it a name that is meaningful to you.

You now have a Mac-formatted SSD that is "empty" and ready for the OS install.

My recommendation would be to install either El Cap or Low Sierra onto the drive while it's still in the external enclosure.

If you do it this way, and something goes wrong, YOU STILL HAVE A MACBOOK THAT WILL BOOT AND RUN. Kabish?

However, I still recommend that you ALSO create a bootable USB flashdrive with the El Cap (or Low Sierra) installer on it. Installs just go better when you do it that way.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all help on here, always appreciated, I've done all this and have got El Cap on the external. It did stop and start alot, especially when it said there was 7 mins left to install and it just died on me, with the beep of doom, but seems to be up and running now.

A few comments, on initial look, after 8 years of Snow Leopard.
If any of these are different with Sierra, do tell.

I really don't like that format for MAIL, but am assuming that's basically it and if you don't like that iOS type look, tough luck? They've done the iOS type thing with Photos too.

Don't like the colour blue with folders, hurts my eyes, I know you get use to a lot of this stuff, but...bit neon.

Finder and all these sliding over screens are a new thing to me too. I know you are well up on it and probably used to it now, but what's the deal when I'm in Downloads and click a jpeg, and it brings up the jpeg but the download folder disappears. There are a few things I'm not mad on which also did something similar. Do you have to slide back to the folder to open each jpeg? Seems time consuming and wrong

The worst thing for me is for the whole time I was using El Cap, my fan that sits at 1996 on SL when not doing much, was pushing 4000 while on El Cap. Is that an external thing, or is it renowned for working hard all the time. Bear in mind it was the SSD which is supposed to do less work than the usually silent HDD?

In System Pref/Start Up, when on SSD external, the HDD that's greyed out won't let me hit that for restart. Is that usual too and just have to turn off and remove external?

I was going to ask these in the El Cap forum, but as you lot have been so helpful I thought I'd update you in here instead. Are any of these problems/observations hugely different in Sierra?
 
A little help here please...

Yesterday, this external SSD showed up in the System Pref/Start Up, so I could click it and restart to use separate drive
Today, it's not there, but does show up on the desktop, but I can't access it to boot from there. Is there a reason that's happened, fine yesterday, but not tday? The drive is blinking and the fans are at full pelt, but I'm not even using it?

I can start using option key, but takes twice as long for some reason, than just switching from Start Up. Plus, and the fan is doing my head in as well.
 
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Peter Franks said:
Would any of you recommend El Capitan over High Sierra if I'm still on an old 2011 MBP using Snow Leopard?

Or just stick with SL. It's a bit of a pain having to change all the Office/Photoshop programmes to work with later OS, but figure it's time I did something about it. Has anyone done just this and regretted it. Any help would be good. Thanks
Click to expand...
OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks? Most applications still support it...
 
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Peter Franks said:
A little help here please...

Yesterday, this external SSD showed up in the System Pref/Start Up, so I could click it and restart to use separate drive
Today, it's not there, but does show up on the desktop, but I can't access it to boot from there. Is there a reason that's happened, fine yesterday, but not tday? The drive is blinking and the fans are at full pelt, but I'm not even using it?

I can start using option key, but takes twice as long for some reason, than just switching from Start Up. Plus, and the fan is doing my head in as well.
Click to expand...


Also plugged iPhone in, which was one of the main reasons I needed to update OS, and it completely shut down the laptop. So you see people, these are just a few of the reasons why I don't update Snow Leopard, because odd things go on when I touch technology to update anything.... But to have a fan running constantly at top whack with El Cap is painful, plus I've lost the chime on MBP when switching on now, which was fine for 8 years till I plugged external El Cap, but even when it's not plugged in to it. I've started it once with option key, and ever since then, no chime on start up?

It's now not even in the start up system pref, but blinking away and fan going mad.
It disconnected when I plugged phone in, and restarted itself with internal.

How can just plugging in this external just twice, now have lost the chime on the external HDD and make start up much longer, what's happened?
 
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Peter Franks said:
Also plugged iPhone in, which was one of the main reasons I needed to update OS, and it completely shut down the laptop. So you see people, these are just a few of the reasons why I don't update Snow Leopard, because odd things go on when I touch technology to update anything.... But to have a fan running constantly at top whack with El Cap is painful, plus I've lost the chime on MBP when switching on now, which was fine for 8 years till I plugged external El Cap, but even when it's not plugged in to it. I've started it once with option key, and ever since then, no chime on start up?

It's now not even in the start up system pref, but blinking away and fan going mad.
It disconnected when I plugged phone in, and restarted itself with internal.
Click to expand...


I'd give resetting the SMC, a shot if you haven't done it yet http://osxdaily.com/2010/03/24/when-and-how-to-reset-your-mac-system-management-controller-smc/

This tends to help with fan issues.

I would also check if spotlight is indexing your system.
 
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Thanks, You think that's relevant to start up chime disappearing? Won't chime on boot up now, and that's with no external connected to it. Booted from external once, and now it's gone?
 
Peter Franks said:
Thanks, You think that's relevant to start up chime disappearing? Won't chime on boot up now, and that's with no external connected to it. Booted from external once, and now it's gone?
Click to expand...

I can't guarantee it, but I've had similar behavior on my 2007 mp, 2009 mac mini and 2009 mb that was resolved by some combination of SMC/PRAM resets after changing boot disk.
 
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Peter Franks said:
Thanks, You think that's relevant to start up chime disappearing? Won't chime on boot up now, and that's with no external connected to it. Booted from external once, and now it's gone?
Click to expand...

It sounds like you're still running (and trying to boot from) your new SSD from the external usb... You really should put it in the machine. Your old HD can then go in the external enclosure.

Try that, boot once, then shutdown and do the PRAM reset, and just let the machine go about its thing doing the re-indexing etc. It should settle down after a day or two. Once it does, you can connect the external enclosure (with you old HDD in it), and then you can move whatever you need to the SSD.

Remember that the external is only connected at usb 2.0 speed (480Mb/s), so the machine is being made to do a lot of extra work in the re-indexing process.

By the way, did you ending CCC'ing the old to new and then upgrade, or did you do a clean ElCap install on the new SSD?
 
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Thanks. I did want to use it as external initially to see if I get on with it or just use it when I need to. But that looks like it’s not going to happen now. I just hate things I don’t understand like why it was in the startup disk menu yesterday and not today, why the chime from start up won’t happen on old internal... stuff like that. In answer to your question I CCC as was and updated OS to El Cap while it was on external. I wouldn’t have been able to suss out getting old stuff on it easily from a clean install.
 
Peter Franks said:
Am I expecting too much from a 2011 MBP?
Click to expand...

I don't think so... I'm typing this on a 2011... I'd just pop the ssd into the mac, try it for awhile... if you can't deal with it, you can just put the hdd back in it, and redo ccc and not upgrade... just remember to not do anything destructive with the hdd for now.

Just fyi, I also had a 2009 white mb that i put an ssd in, and installed HS, and it works great. I also have 2010 white mb that i put an ssd in (running yosemite) and use as a test machine... also works great.
 
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Good advice thanks. I just wondered if all was well after plugging in the phone and it shut everything down? Obviously I can’t back up with it running externally. I will put SSD in and see what occurs
 
"I really don't like that format for MAIL, but am assuming that's basically it and if you don't like that iOS type look, tough luck?"

Go to:
Mail -> Preferences -> Viewing
Put a checkmark in "use classic layout"
Re-arrange as necessary.

"In System Pref/Start Up, when on SSD external, the HDD that's greyed out won't let me hit that for restart. Is that usual too and just have to turn off and remove external?"

Did you first click the lock icon in the lower left, and enter your administrative password?
 
Fishrrman said:
"I really don't like that format for MAIL, but am assuming that's basically it and if you don't like that iOS type look, tough luck?"

Go to:
Mail -> Preferences -> Viewing
Put a checkmark in "use classic layout"
Re-arrange as necessary.

"In System Pref/Start Up, when on SSD external, the HDD that's greyed out won't let me hit that for restart. Is that usual too and just have to turn off and remove external?"

Did you first click the lock icon in the lower left, and enter your administrative password?
Click to expand...

Thanks, yes I did try that, lock and unlock.
Doesn't want to know.
What's the deal with zoom in downloads, docs etc.. They got rid of the zoom feature for the blue files and images or whatever icons are in the folders?
 
TC_GoldRush said:
OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks? Most applications still support it...
Click to expand...
Yep. Final Cut Studio 3 (FCP 7, etc) all still run on that, along with most other important apps. Things start to break with Yosemite and then there's that stupid "iOS" Photos app as well. Then again, partition the drive and leave important apps in the SL partition. It is a bit of a pain if Safari and the other internet apps don't work in the same OS you're working in though, hence the 10.9.5 suggestion.
[doublepost=1531982372][/doublepost]
Peter Franks said:
Am I expecting too much from a 2011 MBP?
Click to expand...
I don't understand why you're having so much trouble. I installed an SSD in the optical bay on my late 2011, along with 16GB ram. It was a dog before, but now it flies like a new machine. It's running 10.9.5 on the main partition, but I've run experimental installs on other partitions (I have 2 drives) with 10.10, etc to see what they break, but they're all too annoying for me with no benefits other than security updates. I used migration assistant to copy over everything from the old drive and was ready to go (after many hours). I could have booted from an external drive and copied back a CCC backup otherwise, or even booted into a CCC backup to do the same. I'm sure it's been suggested, but there are a few firmware updates that might be required or help for your particular model.
I originally got the 2011 MBP after the 2012 WWDC where they intoduced the new form factor MBPs with soldered ram (and no more 17"), etc and installed SL on it (with some difficulty as it needed a late version).
 
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What are you saying, 10.9.5 is not as far gone as El Cap, and is more comparable to SL?
Still have the pinch and zoom in files and folders?
 
Peter Franks said:
What are you saying, 10.9.5 is not as far gone as El Cap, and is more comparable to SL?
Still have the pinch and zoom in files and folders?
Click to expand...

Pinch and zoom was eliminated as of Lion. If you're updating, you might as well adapt to the new UI and go to 10.13. Mavericks no longer receives security updates and IIRC is not supported by any modern browser version.
 
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FNH15 said:
Pinch and zoom was eliminated as of Lion. If you're updating, you might as well adapt to the new UI and go to 10.13. Mavericks no longer receives security updates and IIRC is not supported by any modern browser version.
Click to expand...
I've run them all since Lion and IMO the latest HS is as good as any of them. The only hardware issue worth considering would be upgrading to 8GB RAM which shouldn't be too expensive or difficult to do but 4GB should still work... It wouldn't be too different than running ElCap with 4GB.
 
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FNH15 said:
Pinch and zoom was eliminated as of Lion. If you're updating, you might as well adapt to the new UI and go to 10.13. Mavericks no longer receives security updates and IIRC is not supported by any modern browser version.
Click to expand...
A bunch of legacy apps that worked on Sierra don’t work properly on High Sierra, so it depends on what you are running.
 
Was surprised to see that Word and Photoshop Elements from 7 years ago appears to work on Sierra, according to Roaring, but not in several OS prior to it.
 
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