Trying to install SSD in Mac mini 2011

[Bolanders]

SO I pulled the old HD out and installed an SSD in my Mac mini


I have a USB Bootable Disk and hold option down on chime and get to the screen where I can select Disk Utility. Plan was to Erase and Format the SSD since it has never been used.

When I go into Disk Utility it is not listed. I took it apart and reconnected the cable again and nothing.

Not sure what to do at this point

DO I need to connect it externally to another Mac first and format it in disk utility before installing it in my Mac and trying to install an OS?

 

[fastlanephil]

I’d get a free trial copy of Carbon Copy Cloner and put your old HDD Back in the Mac Mini. Get the OWC Express Silver USB 2.0 HD enclosure ($10), install the SSD into the encore and clone your HDD to the SSD. You hopefully should then have a bootable drive that can then be installed into your Mac Mini.

 

[Bolanders]

Solved it.

Boot to USB by hitting option when you hear chime

Open Terminal from menu at top once it boots up

Run disk utility in terminal and type the following command.

diskutil list <enter>

If you see the SSD (which I did) look for what it is listed as "identifier"

Mine was disk0

then you type

disk eraseDisk JHFS+ MacOS /dev/disk0

<hit enter>


Should do its thing and you should be good to go

 

[Bolanders]

Night and day difference between SSD and HD. Like a new computer