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install MacOS (mojave or catalina) on new external SSD and then boot from it

Wayne wrote:
"So, I'm taking the drive back and limping along until I can get that next iMac, or may explore having a more experienced tech install an internal SSD."

It might be the Sandisk drive itself that isn't bootable.
This could be something in the controller board, etc.

I don't think I've EVER encountered an SSD that can't boot my Macs.
But then, I always "build my own drives" by buying a "bare" SSD and a USB3 enclosure or dock, and do it that way.

I could have your Mac booting and running from an external drive (one of my own) in two minutes or less.

If you haven't yet packed up the Sandisk drive to send it back, have you tried:
1. Boot to INTERNET recovery (command-OPTION-R)
2. Use disk utility to erase the Sandisk SSD to APFS, GUID partition map
3. Use the OS installer to install a completely fresh copy of the OS onto the drive
4. Set it up with a new account and see if it boots that way?
 
Hi Fish,

Mike Bombich called the SanDisk model I was using "a glorified thumb drive." If you look at the ads for it, it's always hooked up to a laptop of extra storage for creatives who do video or photography, which wasn't our intent here, so that made sense. That's why I returned everything yesterday.

BTW, I did do a black magic drive speed test on the Sandisk drive. It was about 3 times faster (425-450 read and write speeds) than my internal drive.

I started looking online for an internal SSD plus enclosures like the Crucial 2.5 -inch SATA drive to make it an external drive. Now that I know that you do this all the time, do you have any recommendations for a 2.5-inch drive that works AOK?

Just let me know...

Thanks again for your guidance!

Wayne
 
I've used IBM, Sandisk, Crucial and cheapo 2.5" SATA SSDs.

They'll just about all give you "maximum read speeds possible" that you can get from a 2.5" USB3 enclosure that supports UASP.
The write speeds seem to vary with the drive manufacturer, model and size.
 
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