Problems booting with hard drive in optical bay

[fleafly]

I have a SSD in the main bay and have my stock Toshiba 500GB 5400RPM installed in the optical bay with a hard drive caddy. When I boot up I get stuck at the White Apple screen with the spinning dotted wheel or it boots up to the desktop and my mouse and keyboard freezes. Has anyone else experienced this problem or have a resolution? I tried two separate hard drive caddies and two separate hard drive thinking these might be the problem with no luck. Please help I'm getting really frustrated with this problem and would love to start using the hard drive in the optical bay. Thanks in advance!

MBP Early 2011 2.0 i7

 

[shootist]

No I did the same thing but first I cloned the original drive/OS to the SSD while it was connected by USB. Then I made the switch and it booted right off the SSD first time. I could also use the option key and boot off the original drive in the Optibay. But then I did use a real Optibay from MecTech.

 

[fleafly]

No I did the same thing but first I cloned the original drive/OS to the SSD while it was connected by USB. Then I made the switch and it booted right off the SSD first time. I could also use the option key and boot off the original drive in the Optibay. But then I did use a real Optibay from MecTech.

I'm having no issues what so ever with the SSD, It works like a champ! My problems are when I remove the superdrive and install the hard drive in its place.

 

[shootist]

Try going into Startup Disk and make sure the SSD is selected as the start up disk.

Have you wiped the original drive? Just a thought.

What OS are you running? Lion or Snow Leopard?

What brand optibay are you using?

 

[fleafly]

Try going into Startup Disk and make sure the SSD is selected as the start up disk.

Have you wiped the original drive? Just a thought.

What OS are you running? Lion or Snow Leopard?

What brand optibay are you using?

Yeah, I have already tried wiping the original hard drive, I'm running Lion on a 15" i7 MBP. I've tried two different amazon optibay brands. SSD is selected as startup disk as well. It's weird as soon as I take the optibay out, it works.

 

[shootist]

Yeah I'm on a late 2011 15" and never had any problems. But then I did go with the most expensive Optibay option figuring MECTech had it figured out and they give a DVD drive case and cable with the purchase.

I just removed my SSD and installed a Seagate XT drive in the many bay as I need more space on the main drive. I have 4 OS X versions installed on the main drive. 2 Lion versions, Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion developer. All run fine and all can see and use the drive in the optical bay.

I guess your only option is to try the MEC OptiBay.

 

[fleafly]

Yeah I'm on a late 2011 15" and never had any problems. But then I did go with the most expensive Optibay option figuring MECTech had it figured out and they give a DVD drive case and cable with the purchase.

I just removed my SSD and installed a Seagate XT drive in the many bay as I need more space on the main drive. I have 4 OS X versions installed on the main drive. 2 Lion versions, Snow Leopard and Mountain Lion developer. All run fine and all can see and use the drive in the optical bay.

I guess your only option is to try the MEC OptiBay.

You know I originally thought that, but why would TONS of other people have success using the same two caddies as I am. I refuse to believe that my only option would be to spend more money on a more expensive caddy. I do appreciate what info you have chimed in on though.

 

[jekyoo]

> System Preferences > Startup Disk > Select the SSD > Restart

 

[fleafly]

> System Preferences > Startup Disk > Select the SSD > Restart

I have made sure that the SSD is the startup disk, thanks

 

[fleafly]

Does anyone else have any ideas why I might be experiencing this problem?

 

[devindied]

Does anyone else have any ideas why I might be experiencing this problem?

Here is where I'm at. I have my SSD and HDD. I used my SSD till it got full. Then i cloned my bootcamp partion from my SSD to my HDD and then TIME MACHINED my mac side to it. Used it for a few months and now got a caddy from amazon. Installed my SSD in the main bay, then my HDD in the optical bay. So since they are clones, but my HDD has the newer files, my SSD boots both sides(Mac and windows bootcamp) My HDD tries to boot windows bootcamp, goes the the start up, says loading windows, THEN flashes a blue screen REALLY fast and restarts my computer. I believe it has something to do with the drives labeled the same, so i tried changing the actual name of them. No luck. Something about the boot sequence is off.

To answer your question: Can you boot up the SSD to get to the mac desktop? Run disk utility and see if it shows the other drive. If it shows, no problems with the caddy. If it doesn't, then you need to check your connections. If you can't boot at all, get a lion recovery USB stick. Wait, you do have one correct? No? Start your mac, when you see a white screen hold OPTION key. Then when wait till you see the wifi part. Select your network and try the recovery over the internet. THERE you have disk utility. You may format the drives if they show up.

Another solution if you can boot in the SSD in the main bay, WITH the optical bay installed, not the HDD there, then get a cable(maybe your SSD came with one, mine did) that you can hook up the HDD through USB. When you do this, format it in disk utility(idk what you want out of this drive, mac backup, journaled, fat 32, NTFS, w/e) After it is clean, install it again. Take your time and do it right. When you attempt to boot, hold the option key again. You should see Mac HD or something that you labled. Click it. If it freezes, go to step 3.

Step 3: Install your optical drive bay replacement, WITHOUT the HDD. Try booting. If this works, check your HDD.(even though you said you did)