[Solved] Problems installing Lion on new SSD

[Funked]

Hi guys. I bought an OCZ Agility 3 SSD for my MacBook Pro (early 2011). I replaced my optic drive with an optibay, and put my old 500GB HDD in there, and put the SSD in the normal hard drive bay. Installation of everything went fine (though was a tedious job putting those tiny screws back in!). The SSD shows up on my desktop when I boot to the old HDD, I have formatted and partitioned it ready to go - so I don't think the problem I'm having is hardware related, it all seems to be working.

I was going to make a bootable USB key using Apple's Lion Recovery HD app. When I choose to boot from it when holding the option key at startup, it goes into the recovery screen. It says it needs to verify the download and installation with Apple (even though I don't want to download it, it should be on the USB). When I click verify, sometimes it says something like "Could not get the information for your system. Contact Apple Support." so I can't go any further. Though sometimes it lets me past that screen, choose the SSD to install Lion, and it appears to work. It has a countdown saying it'll take a few hours, but stops after 10 mins or so and says "Can't download the additional components to install Mac OS X". Keeping in mind, this is when I have selected the USB from the boot menu. I have had my ethernet cable in while trying this though. So I went to a friends house to use his wifi to see if that worked, though the same problems continued. (I have also tried the "Recovery HD" partition on the HDD itself, not USB.) I have tried to force it into internet recovery mode by holding command + option + r. With ethernet, this didn't work since it kept asking for a wifi connection. So I tried it on wifi, and it had a countdown of 20 minutes and seemed to complete the download, but then restarted and I was back at the Lion Recovery screen.

I've almost gave up hope, I don't want to call Apple because it'll cost a bomb on a mobile phone. I've searched google for hours and came across many tips on how to fix this, but none have worked. I hope someone can help me! Do you think its because the HDD is in the optibay? I put the SSD in the old HDD bay to utilise the 6Gbps speeds, though should I put it in the optibay and try to install Lion on it? Thanks!

Edit SOLVED - see post number 25 for details.

 

[brandscill]

So when you just boot into internet recovery mode and it downloads the data, reboots and takes you to lion recovery can you not complete a clean install from there? This is how I've done it in the past

 

[Funked]

So when you just boot into internet recovery mode and it downloads the data, reboots and takes you to lion recovery can you not complete a clean install from there? This is how I've done it in the past

Yeh, when it downloads the data it just goes back to the original Recovery screen. If I click to reinstall from there, it goes back to the same process of verifying the download with Apple, and if I eventually get past that screen then it goes onto the other problems! Everything I've came across on google suggests its a problem with my internet, not being able to connect to Apple's servers. I'm a university student so I live in student accommodation, our internet is on the same network (wifi or ethernet). Do you think it could be a network problem? I don't understand why it won't let me boot from the USB key though, it always prompts me to download.

 

[brandscill]

Yeh, when it downloads the data it just goes back to the original Recovery screen. If I click to reinstall from there, it goes back to the same process of verifying the download with Apple, and if I eventually get past that screen then it goes onto the other problems! Everything I've came across on google suggests its a problem with my internet, not being able to connect to Apple's servers. I'm a university student so I live in student accommodation, our internet is on the same network (wifi or ethernet). Do you think it could be a network problem? I don't understand why it won't let me boot from the USB key though, it always prompts me to download.

Who's your accommodation with? (Brandon from the Facebook group by the way)

Does sound like a server communication issue, since your saying you have wi-fi would I be correct in guessing it isn't an MMU owned hall of residence?

 

[samac92]

Weird I'm having almost the same problem, I'm trying to install Lion onto a MBP from a dvd and it keeps saying that it can't download additional components. Trying internet recovery just results in an exclamation mark telling me to contact support.

Maybe a problem with Apple servers?

 

[brandscill]

Weird I'm having almost the same problem, I'm trying to install Lion onto a MBP from a dvd and it keeps saying that it can't download additional components. Trying internet recovery just results in an exclamation mark telling me to contact support.

Maybe a problem with Apple servers?

Possible but unlikely I would say

 

[Funked]

Who's your accommodation with? (Brandon from the Facebook group by the way)

Does sound like a server communication issue, since your saying you have wi-fi would I be correct in guessing it isn't an MMU owned hall of residence?

Hey, I'm with Oxford Court. We don't get wifi here as standard but some people bought their own routers to use, I just use the ethernet though. I'm going home in a week or so, so if I can't sort the problem by then I'll try on my home network and hopefully it'll work!

Weird I'm having almost the same problem, I'm trying to install Lion onto a MBP from a dvd and it keeps saying that it can't download additional components. Trying internet recovery just results in an exclamation mark telling me to contact support.

Maybe a problem with Apple servers?

That's interesting, your problem is very similar! A few times it has gone on the spinning globe when I force it into recovery mode, but like you say, an exclamation mark comes up saying contact Apple. It could be a problem with their servers.

 

[brandscill]

Hey, I'm with Oxford Court. We don't get wifi here as standard but some people bought their own routers to use, I just use the ethernet though. I'm going home in a week or so, so if I can't sort the problem by then I'll try on my home network and hopefully it'll work!

I would suggest going into the Library (could even go now if you so wished as it's 24 hour)

I know the traffic management and firewall system we use on halls connections is a little different to that on the normal network. You may find you have more luck using the normal MMU WiFi network. That or the free starbucks wifi!

 

[Funked]

I would suggest going into the Library (could even go now if you so wished as it's 24 hour)

I know the traffic management and firewall system we use on halls connections is a little different to that on the normal network. You may find you have more luck using the normal MMU WiFi network. That or the free starbucks wifi!

I tried the library earlier haha it didn't work though. I connected to the MMU wifi (though it didn't prompt me for username or pass) and it just gave me the same issues. I thought a normal router would work because I was able to type in the network key, no luck though!

 

[samac92]

That's interesting, your problem is very similar! A few times it has gone on the spinning globe when I force it into recovery mode, but like you say, an exclamation mark comes up saying contact Apple. It could be a problem with their servers.

Internet recovery seems to be working for me now, well the globe is spinning and the progress bar is half full.

 

[brandscill]

I tried the library earlier haha it didn't work though. I connected to the MMU wifi (though it didn't prompt me for username or pass) and it just gave me the same issues. I thought a normal router would work because I was able to type in the network key, no luck though!

Ah yes.... the bloody login.

 

[Funked]

Internet recovery seems to be working for me now, well the globe is spinning and the progress bar is half full.

Are you on a wifi connection or ethernet? It wouldn't work at all for me on ethernet, but on wifi it downloaded but brought me back to the recovery screen every time. Let me know what happens when yours finishes downloading!

 

[Blackmel]

I may be wrong.

If your purchase was pre-Lion, you'll need to use the SL recovery disk, otherwise a bootable media with InstallESD.dmg. I tried to use the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant to do a clean install, but was stuck verifying information. But another USB with the .dmg, did the job.

Probably select your HD as startup disk, then rip the .dmg for your Lion installation.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1161069/make_a_bootable_lion_installer.html

 

[Funked]

I may be wrong.

If your purchase was pre-Lion, you'll need to use the SL recovery disk, otherwise a bootable media with InstallESD.dmg. I tried to use the Lion Recovery Disk Assistant to do a clean install, but was stuck verifying information. But another USB with the .dmg, did the job.

Probably select your HD as startup disk, then rip the .dmg for your Lion installation.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1161069/make_a_bootable_lion_installer.html

My mac came preinstalled with Lion, so I have no way of accessing the Lion installer unless I purchase it from the AppStore - which I don't think is fair. It's not in my purchased downloads, I can't hold option and redownload it. According to google, theres no way of getting the actual installer if it came with Lion preinstalled, the Recovery HD partition can make a bootable USB key (only for the mac it was created on). But as I say, the USB key won't boot, it always prompts me to download!

 

[samac92]

Are you on a wifi connection or ethernet? It wouldn't work at all for me on ethernet, but on wifi it downloaded but brought me back to the recovery screen every time. Let me know what happens when yours finishes downloading!

On wifi. The screen has now gone black and it isn't responding to any key presses so I have no idea what's going on lol. I can still hear the HD spinning so I don't want to try the power button yet..

 

[samac92]

My mac came preinstalled with Lion, so I have no way of accessing the Lion installer unless I purchase it from the AppStore - which I don't think is fair. It's not in my purchased downloads, I can't hold option and redownload it. According to google, theres no way of getting the actual installer if it came with Lion preinstalled, the Recovery HD partition can make a bootable USB key (only for the mac it was created on). But as I say, the USB key won't boot, it always prompts me to download!

This link probably doesn't help but I just found it:
http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=getting-lion-installers

And my internet recovery finally worked after yet another restart and is now downloading lion.

 

[Funked]

This link probably doesn't help but I just found it:
http://www.afp548.com/article.php?story=getting-lion-installers

And my internet recovery finally worked after yet another restart and is now downloading lion.

Thanks for the link but unfortunately still no luck for me. Oh so did you boot it into recovery by command+option+r? When the spinning globe finished, did it boot back to the normal recovery screen? What did you do after that? Did you have to redownload Lion?

 

[samac92]

Thanks for the link but unfortunately still no luck for me. Oh so did you boot it into recovery by command+option+r? When the spinning globe finished, did it boot back to the normal recovery screen? What did you do after that? Did you have to redownload Lion?

I booted into recovery by holding command + R, after the spinning globe completed (the second time) it just went to the normal recovery screen, I clicked install Lion and it is now downloading.

 

[Funked]

I booted into recovery by holding command + R, after the spinning globe completed (the second time) it just went to the normal recovery screen, I clicked install Lion and it is now downloading.

Oh I see, glad you finally got it working I still haven't figured mine out. I think its network problems for sure though. I just tried to force it into recovery again using command+option+r, the spinning globe was going for about 1 minute then came up with the exclamation mark and the error code "-4403F". So I guess I'll just wait until I fly home next weekend and try it on my home network!

 

[brandscill]

Oh I see, glad you finally got it working I still haven't figured mine out. I think its network problems for sure though. I just tried to force it into recovery again using command+option+r, the spinning globe was going for about 1 minute then came up with the exclamation mark and the error code "-4403F". So I guess I'll just wait until I fly home next weekend and try it on my home network!

Just a thought, when Apple first released Lion as a download only upgrade they said come to the Apple Store if you want to download it quickly.

You could go to the arndale and do it all there on the Apple Guest network, if it's got to work anywhere it would be there!

Might even get away with sitting outside if you didn't want to go in as there is a fair range

 

[Bear]

...
I was going to make a bootable USB key using Apple's Lion Recovery HD app. When I choose to boot from it when holding the option key at startup, it goes into the recovery screen.
...

If by "Apple's Lion Recovery HD app" you mean Lion Recovery Disk Assistant v1.0 then what you're making is just a copy of the recovery partition. It doesn't actually have the Lion installation image on it.

 

[Funked]

Just a thought, when Apple first released Lion as a download only upgrade they said come to the Apple Store if you want to download it quickly.

You could go to the arndale and do it all there on the Apple Guest network, if it's got to work anywhere it would be there!

Might even get away with sitting outside if you didn't want to go in as there is a fair range

Ooh yeh I was thinking of going to the Apple store to see what they say. Does fitting an SSD void the warranty or anything? I have like 2 years left of AppleCare though so I prob should take it to them!
Edit: I just set up an appointment for technical support to phone me in 30 minutes, so hopefully they can tell me what to do.

If by "Apple's Lion Recovery HD app" you mean Lion Recovery Disk Assistant v1.0 then what you're making is just a copy of the recovery partition. It doesn't actually have the Lion installation image on it.

Yes that's what I'm talking about. It says I can reinstall Lion from the USB though, so surely it would have the Lion installer on it somewhere? I don't understand why it won't let me boot from the USB, it always prompts me to download. I've tried 2 different USB keys so that's not the issue.

 

[abhinav7333]

Hi guys. I bought an OCZ Agility 3 SSD for my MacBook Pro (early 2011). I replaced my optic drive with an optibay, and put my old 500GB HDD in there, and put the SSD in the normal hard drive bay. Installation of everything went fine (though was a tedious job putting those tiny screws back in!). The SSD shows up on my desktop when I boot to the old HDD, I have formatted and partitioned it ready to go - so I don't think the problem I'm having is hardware related, it all seems to be working.

I was going to make a bootable USB key using Apple's Lion Recovery HD app. When I choose to boot from it when holding the option key at startup, it goes into the recovery screen. It says it needs to verify the download and installation with Apple (even though I don't want to download it, it should be on the USB). When I click verify, sometimes it says something like "Could not get the information for your system. Contact Apple Support." so I can't go any further. Though sometimes it lets me past that screen, choose the SSD to install Lion, and it appears to work. It has a countdown saying it'll take a few hours, but stops after 10 mins or so and says "Can't download the additional components to install Mac OS X". Keeping in mind, this is when I have selected the USB from the boot menu. I have had my ethernet cable in while trying this though. So I went to a friends house to use his wifi to see if that worked, though the same problems continued. (I have also tried the "Recovery HD" partition on the HDD itself, not USB.) I have tried to force it into internet recovery mode by holding command + option + r. With ethernet, this didn't work since it kept asking for a wifi connection. So I tried it on wifi, and it had a countdown of 20 minutes and seemed to complete the download, but then restarted and I was back at the Lion Recovery screen.

I've almost gave up hope, I don't want to call Apple because it'll cost a bomb on a mobile phone. I've searched google for hours and came across many tips on how to fix this, but none have worked. I hope someone can help me! Do you think its because the HDD is in the optibay? I put the SSD in the old HDD bay to utilise the 6Gbps speeds, though should I put it in the optibay and try to install Lion on it? Thanks!

I did the same thing and did a clean install using the internet.

 

[brandscill]

Ooh yeh I was thinking of going to the Apple store to see what they say. Does fitting an SSD void the warranty or anything? I have like 2 years left of AppleCare though so I prob should take it to them!
Edit: I just set up an appointment for technical support to phone me in 30 minutes, so hopefully they can tell me what to do.

Swapping the HDD for an SSD wouldn't void the warranty no. Yet you've swapped out the superdrive and added a hard drive bay there... that might.

Still, it doesn't stop you going to them to ask for help, or short of that since we think it's just a network issue borrowing their internet. They won't mind. Just say oh I need to do a lion recovery and my internet at home is broken/slow


Did you talk to Apple, what they say/do?

 

[Funked]

Swapping the HDD for an SSD wouldn't void the warranty no. Yet you've swapped out the superdrive and added a hard drive bay there... that might.

Still, it doesn't stop you going to them to ask for help, or short of that since we think it's just a network issue borrowing their internet. They won't mind. Just say oh I need to do a lion recovery and my internet at home is broken/slow


Did you talk to Apple, what they say/do?

I arranged an appointment for Apple to call me today. I explained the whole situation, and he went to speak to someone superior and came back with his verdict - he said he sounds like either a network problem, as I suspected, or else my mac wasn't able to recognise the SSD as a bootable drive, since it was in the original HDD bay, and the HDD was in the optibay. He also told me that the warranty is now voided for my entire machine, although if something was to go wrong with another part such as RAM, if i put the optical drive back in and the HDD in its regular place, the technicians might not be able to tell. And they would only know about my upgrade if they looked up history on the HDD in their systems, though if its a problem with RAM then they shouldn't know lol.

Anyway I didn't want to wait a week until I fly home to use my home wifi, so I decided to get a copy os OS X Lion by "other means"... I booted into my HDD and ran the installer, selected the SSD and restarted and finished the installation with no problems! So I'm now certain it was a network issue, although I'm still unsure why I couldn't boot from the USB key I created.

My next steps are to set everything up properly. I want all my regularly used apps and OS X itself on the SSD, but keeping my music, movies etc on the HDD. I have changed the location of the Home directory to point to my HDD, but reinstalled some apps on the SSD. I'm going to create a partition on the HDD to preform regular backups of the SSD using TimeMachine. Do I have to keep OS X itself on my HDD? Or can I copy the Users + Applications directories onto an external HD, format the mac HDD and transfer them over and point to it? Or do I need to keep other folders like Library and System on the HDD?

Overall verdict: Installing the optibay isn't too hard, anyone with common sense and a good tutorial can do it. Installing Lion was a pain because of my mentioned issues, but now it is all working. The boot time is a LOT faster now, it boots in about 10 seconds or less now - was taking 35+ seconds on the HDD. Overall performance seems snappier too, and it doesn't heat up as much as before. It's amazing how smart these machines are, both drives working together like a hybrid. Even though I done a clean install of OS X Lion, after mapping my Home directory to the HDD I was able to keep basically all my settings like desktop wallpaper, icons, etc, all looks how it did before except a hell of a lot faster. I'd recommend everyone to install an optibay and SSD!