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OWC's Aura SSDs Not Working With macOS High Sierra, Fix Coming Soon

I guess this just goes to show that High Sierra isn't quite as fully baked as it was supposed to be.
 
axp4654 said:
I don't understand what difference putting original SSD makes? You remove it anyways after. Is it maybe that you're doing fresh install after vs upgrade?
Click to expand...
It works because the problem isn't installing the OS on the drive, but rather updating the computer firmware. Something about the Aura drives prevents the Machine firmware from updating correctly. Putting the original SSD back in allows the machine firmware to be updated properly, after which you can put the Aura drive back in and install on it successfully, since the firmware update step can be skipped (since it is already up-to-date). Note that this is the *Computer* firmware that is being updated, not the hard drive firmware, thus the reason this drive shuffle works.

Of course, while the internal drive shuffle worked for me to get High Sierra installed, it also "killed" my thunderbolt RAID drive (doesn't show up in disk utility or mount anymore). But that's a different issue...

EDIT: So I just needed to update the firmware on my RAID card, and that's all good now. So a bit of a hassle shuffling the drives around, but it works.
 
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sd70mac said:
I guess this just goes to show that High Sierra isn't quite as fully baked as it was supposed to be.
Click to expand...

Well, to be fair, Apple just need to be able to support their own hardware. After all, their whole business model is based on a walled garden in which they dictate what hardware you can use with your computer. So, naturally, they don't want the likes of you or I messing about with the internals of a Macbook Air and swapping out their ultra-expensive SSD with a competitor's more reasonably priced unit.

That said, I'm amazed that a simple thing like a firmware update needs to be so hardware dependent. Other systems can have their BIOS updated much more easily, without being a major security threat at the same time. Disappointing but then again, I'm not exactly being held back here by using OS 10.12 instead.
 
dan9700 said:
That makes no sense if you swap the ssd with original then replace it back you wouldnt have the OS what a dumb fix
Click to expand...

What they are trying to tell you is:

1. Put old SSD back in MacBook
2. Let firmware update MacBook. Finish install.
3. Put OWC Aura SSD back in MacBook and run install again.
Voila.
 
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Scottzim said:
What they are trying to tell you is:

1. Put old SSD back in MacBook
Click to expand...

Which is exactly what I would've done as well, had I not been silly enough to sell off what I thought was no longer a useful component a few months after I upgraded. :/

Lesson learned.
 
Scottzim said:
What they are trying to tell you is:

1. Put old SSD back in MacBook
2. Let firmware update MacBook. Finish install.
3. Put OWC Aura SSD back in MacBook and run install again.
Voila.
Click to expand...
I wonder how installing from a USB drive would affect things.
 
wilhoitm said:
Is the OWC Aura SSD Not Working with macOS High Sierra fixed in 10.13.1? Does it auto-upgrade you to the new (APFS) filesystem?
Click to expand...

I hit the white folder of death while trying to move to High Sierra on my Mac Pro with 1TB Aura SSD installed a year ago.and was really surprised that OWC never communicated with

My opinion - the fix IS NOT coming soon if it comes at all. This may be one of those things where there is no solution - Apple isn't a fan of third party products and whether right or wrong they may not support any changes necessary for some of the Aura SSDs to work with High Sierra.

Just spoke to tech support and the only fix they recommend is to install the old SSD, upgrade and then re-install the new SSD.

This essentially trashes OWC's hard drive upgrade business. Who's going to upgrade with one of their devices when future compatibility isn't guaranteed - whether it's OWC or Apple's fault? Don't get me wrong they are a really nice company but they can't fix a major problem. Last time I purchase from OWC.....
 
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Agreed. I'd much rather they just come out and state that their product is hosed and there will be no solution, instead of keeping us hanging. At least we'd know where we stand and can make a decision on how much we value increased storage over forward compatibility.
 
skottichan said:
Weird, I have an Aura (480GB in a late 2013 15" rMBP) with High Sierra installed.

Everything went smoothly.
Click to expand...
Hi, having the same setup. How did you do it. Thx. for a hint
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Scottzim said:
What they are trying to tell you is:

1. Put old SSD back in MacBook
2. Let firmware update MacBook. Finish install.
3. Put OWC Aura SSD back in MacBook and run install again.
Voila.
Click to expand...
Did this work, and after doing so, do you have afp on the aura or not? Sry do not understand
 
ch475 said:
Has anyone tried to install High Sierra from terminal using “–converttoapfs NO” option as described in https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...-update-or-fresh-install.232855/#post-1602625
Reply
Click to expand...
I did it on a Mac Pro 2009 4,1 with the firmware update to 5,1, worked fine.
Until Disk Warrior is updated (waiting on Apple to release specs for APFS), I cannot see that using the new file system would be safe enough. Overall, High Sierra seems very stable for a "".1" release. At least on my system and hardware there are no obvious issues, and the system seems a little faster than Sierra, with the finder a tad more responsive. YMMV
 
I just updated my MacPro6,1 (Late 2013) with 2TB Aura SSD to High Sierra. I therefore first replaced the Aura SSD with an original Apple SSD (128GB PCIE) and installed High Sierra from Memory Stick, which installed Boot-ROM-Version: MP61.0120.B00, the culprit for the failing upgrade with the Aura SSD. Afterwards I reinstalled the Aura SSD in the Mac Pro and installed High Sierra again from Memory Stick. This worked fine, because the Boot-ROM was already updated... The filesystem on the Aura SSD is still HFS (without using the "-converttoapfs NO" option). OWC told me that High Sierra runs fine on the Aura SSD, it's only the Firmware-Upgrade that blocks the upgrade process. I wonder why it is so hard for Apple to create a fix...
 
Answer from OWC Support:

For an Air6,1 we do have a resolution:

Relevant Part Numbers:
OWCSSDAB2MB02
OWCSSDAB2MB05
OWCSSDAB2MB10

Affected Model IDs:
MacBookAir6,1
MacBookAir6,2

The update resolves the following issues:

  • 10.13 EFI host update requirement - Previously the host computer required the 10.13 upgrade be installed via the Apple SSD as a first step. This firmware update allows the host and the Aura SSD to receive their respective 10.13 updates at the same time (i.e. a single installation).
  • Hibernation Issues
  • Cold boot issue on MacBookAir 6,1 and MacBookAir 6,2

As a first step, please download both of the installer files:
Firmware Utility: http://download.macsales.com/kb/msu.dmg
Firmware Update: http://download.macsales.com/kb/OWCAuraFirmwareUpdate.bin

Once you have downloaded both files, please open the 'msu.dmg' file and follow the installation instructions.

Once finished, proceed to these steps:

1. Launch the Firmware Utility. At the login screen, please type the login credentials for your Mac's administrator account.
2. From the default screen, select the 'Adapter 0' item in the sidebar. Your screen should look similar to the one below.
3. From the 'Operation' menu, select the 'Update' command.
4. An update screen will appear, displaying the current firmware as version 2.3.0.1065.
5. Now click the 'Choose File' button at the top of the dialog. From the Mac dialog that appears, select the OWCAuraFirmwareUpdate.bin file that you downloaded earlier. Note: it may be in your 'Downloads' folder by default.
6. The update screen will show that the file has been chosen and is ready. Click the 'Update' button.
7. Once the update is finished the screen will display a message that it the update was successful and the host should be restarted. Close this window then restart your Mac.
8. Once the computer has restarted, open the Firmware Utility again to check the firmware version by selecting 'Adapter 0' again. Make sure the version is 2.3.15.1067. If so, this completes the update process and you can quit the updater app. If not, please start over at step one and try again or contact our tech support team.
 

I have a Macbook Air 13" Early 2015, 7,1 or 7,2?

I'm currently running MAC OS 10.11.6 El Capitan

I desperately need to upgrade my drive ASAP but I don't want to deal with quicker battery drain or overheat issues.

I'm worried that this OWC drive will be a problem & Transcend does make a Jetdrive 820 that's comparable though there's hardly any reviews about those.

Should I just go external?
 
Jody Hewell said:
Same here. No problems.
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Same here, used them for over 4 years now. No problem at all. Anyway, if apple wouldnt charge their redicilous prices for their SSD no one would buy them somewhere else. And is it a coincidence that hardware gives problem AFTER a update from Apple?
 
Have an OWC Aura 1TB SSD in my MacBook Pro Retina mid-2015. Expected to be able to upgrade to High Sierra without drama, as nothing in the product description indicated otherwise. No indication in the product description that the Aura 1TB is a 2x 512GB chip + a Raid 0 controller, which breaks during the upgrade to HS. Apparently the Aura Pro X has a different architecture and doesn't fail the upgrade. If I had known of the architecture difference, I'd have spent the extra $ for the Aura Pro X.

I think this is on OWC to make right. Their blog keeps showing variations of "real soon now", but it's more and more obvious that this won't be fixed.

OWC offered me their standard trade-in of $300 on my Aura SSD. As they didn't disclose the difference in architecture between the two products at the time I purchased, I think they should offer a trade to the Aura Pro X for the difference in price + shipping each way.

I've done business with OWC for a very long time, and this is the first time I feel burned. If you're thinking about buying one of the Aura SSD products, I recommend you contact OWC customer support and ask if they guarantee transparent operation with future Apple OS versions so long as your target machine is supported by Apple. If they say yes, archive that email. Otherwise, I recommend you pass on the purchase.
 
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cmozuelos said:
+1, Does anyone know if the aura firmware updates solves the HS upgrade problem? If yes could comment please about the resulting file system, HFS or APFS?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Forgot to get an update here. So I tried that firmware update and successfully upgrade my 2013 Macbook air to HS. Not sure about APFS, I'll check tonight.
 
CalvinMc said:
Forgot to get an update here. So I tried that firmware update and successfully upgrade my 2013 Macbook air to HS. Not sure about APFS, I'll check tonight.
Click to expand...
SO guys I had a check, my owc is running in APFS, all works, that solve the problem.
 
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