You should try this approach... worked for me in 5 minutes start to finish
https://fuerstnet.de/en/upgrade-crucial-m4-ssd-firmware-mac-without-cd#comment-390
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[Tutorial] EFI Booting Crucial / Micron M550 firmware updater
- Thread starter alex0002
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You should try this approach... worked for me in 5 minutes start to finish
https://fuerstnet.de/en/upgrade-crucial-m4-ssd-firmware-mac-without-cd#comment-390
I used your instructions to change the grub.cfg for my Crucial BX100.
I tried for two days to use a boot CD and boot usb stick to update the firmware of my Crucial BX100 following the instructions on the Crucial website for OS X. I finally came across your post and updated my firmware in 5 minutes. Thank you so much!
Can anyone assist me in verifying if which GRUB-EFI bootloader files I should obtain if I would like to update to latest firmware for Crucial "M500" SSD (not M550)?
grubefiusb-0.02.zip, grubefiusb-0.03.zip, or grubefiusb-0.03-p02.zip? or maybe a different EFI bootloader file?
I am a newbie that used the directions provided by "alex0002" to successfully create a bootable USB thumb drive to update the M550's firmware on my 2011 iMac, but I didn't know if the same or similar instructions apply to help me update a different Mac that has the M500.
I know where to get the firmware download for the M500 (http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/support-ssd-firmware), but didn't know which EFI bootloader to use with it to create the bootable USB.
Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
grubefiusb-0.02.zip, grubefiusb-0.03.zip, or grubefiusb-0.03-p02.zip? or maybe a different EFI bootloader file?
I am a newbie that used the directions provided by "alex0002" to successfully create a bootable USB thumb drive to update the M550's firmware on my 2011 iMac, but I didn't know if the same or similar instructions apply to help me update a different Mac that has the M500.
I know where to get the firmware download for the M500 (http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/support-ssd-firmware), but didn't know which EFI bootloader to use with it to create the bootable USB.
Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I am a newbie for this kind of thing... Is there a text editor for Mac that would accomplish this task? Is it fairly easy to do for someone that has no programming skills? I am nervous that if I do something that is wrong while updating the firmware of the M500, that it may end up being a bad end result (maybe render the computer unusable)...
Thanks
I am a newbie for this kind of thing... Is there a text editor for Mac that would accomplish this task? Is it fairly easy to do for someone that has no programming skills? I am nervous that if I do something that is wrong while updating the firmware of the M500, that it may end up being a bad end result (maybe render the computer unusable)...
Thanks
You can get Text Wrangler here; it's free and it's Mac software: http://www.barebones.com/products/textwrangler/download.html
You are only going to need to change the code in two places of the grub.cfg file (from MX100 to M500)
The firmware update for the Crucial/Micron M550 SSD now provides the firmware update tool for firmware MU02 implemented as a linux kernel and ramdisk contained in an ISO image.[1]
Since we can boot a linux kernel using EFI, it should be possible to boot a Mac from USB with an EFI bootloader and update the SSD firmware without an optical drive. This EFI Boot USB method can also be used in cases where update from the optical drive fails.
Downloads and items needed before you begin:
1. Crucial / Micron Firmware download for M550 SSD.[2]
2. USB flash drive (or SD card) to be formatted as a FAT32 volume.
3. GRUB-EFI bootloader files for 64bit EFI from the attachment.
Download the firmware, unzip and place the ISO on the desktop.
For M550 MU02: M550_SED_UPDATE_MU02_BOOTABLE.iso
Download the GRUB-EFI bootloader files from the attachment: grubefiusb-0.02.zip
The GRUB license is GPL and is included in the zip file.
The individual file checksums can be verified:
Code:$ shasum EFI/boot/bootx64.efi 093b2e05d8ad4c2bb8ca01d01c15fdaa6ff50174 EFI/boot/bootx64.efi $ shasum EFI/boot/unicode.pf2 74bf975b64be55f4e1b2abac4320966782f8d388 EFI/boot/unicode.pf2 $ shasum EFI/boot/grub.cfg d850dd77e88f2880ddfaf31a5f1765916e519784 EFI/boot/grub.cfg
The original GRUB-EFI files can be downloaded from the Gparted project on sourceforge if preferred.[3]
The same EFI Boot method can also be used to boot MicroCore linux or some other small linux system.[4]
Please note: using GRUB to boot the Micron firmware updater is unsupported.
Use this option at your own risk.
The installation procedure:
1. To format the USB flash drive, insert the USB in the Mac.
Format the USB drive as FAT32 (MS-DOS in OS X Disk Utility).
- use Partition Map type: Master Boot Record.
- use a suitable volume name - in this case we use: EFIBOOT
Once formatting is complete, the volume should be mounted as EFIBOOT.
2. To install the EFI bootloader, open the folder containing GRUB-EFI files:
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
3. Transfer those files to the EFIBOOT USB:
The EFI folder and files should be copied to the root of the USB flash drive.
4. Install the Crucial / Micron firmware update folders to the USB.
Open the M550 firmware ISO where there will be two folders:
* boot
* cde
Now copy those folders and files to the root of the EFIBOOT USB.
The EFIBOOT volume should now contain the following folders:
* EFI
* boot
* cde
The files provided in the cde folder of the Crucial/Micro download, do not appear to be used in the M550 MU02 update, but there is no harm in having them on the USB.
In practice, the following files are needed on the USB:
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
* boot/vmlinuz
* boot/core.gz
5. Set the boot flag for the FAT32 partition (optional step).
This is an optional step and should not be needed in most cases where the USB uses an msdos partition table. There might be some EFI/UEFI implementations where this is required.
In Linux we can use the Gparted application to change the partition flags.
6. Shutdown/reboot the computer.
When restarting a Mac, press and hold the Option key at boot time.
In a few seconds, Startup Manager appears and you can select the EFI Boot USB device.
When the GRUB bootloader runs, the GRUB menu can be seen and the user can then select the preferred boot option using the up/down arrow keys.
* Micro Core Linux with waitusb=10 and superuser
* Micron Storage Director M550 FW update
If no key is pressed, the default menu option is used.
The M550 FW update option will update the firmware with no need for user input.
The Micro Core Linux option can be used for troubleshooting, but the macbook pro keyboard and some other Mac keyboards might not work. You will need to use a generic USB keyboard.
===
More info on the M550 MU02 firmware update can be found in M550 MU02 thread on the crucial support forums.[5]
Notes:
1. Previous Crucial/Micron firmware updates for the M4 and M500 SSDs used a FreeDOS based update that could not be booted from a pure EFI/UEFI environment.
2. Crucial SSD firmware downloads can be found here:
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/support-ssd
3. Gparted project: http://gparted.org/
The downloaded version used for the GRUB-EFI files was: gparted-live-0.20.0-2-amd64.zip
http://sourceforge.net/projects/gparted/
4. TinyCore and MicroCore linux can be found here:
http://tinycorelinux.net/downloads.html
5. M550 MU02 thread on Crucial SSD support forums
Thanks a lot! It worked perfectly on my Mac Mini. Crucial should provide instructions for Mac users!
I am a newbie for this kind of thing... Is there a text editor for Mac that would accomplish this task? Is it fairly easy to do for someone that has no programming skills? I am nervous that if I do something that is wrong while updating the firmware of the M500, that it may end up being a bad end result (maybe render the computer unusable)...
Thanks
I'm sometimes using Text Wrangler for text editing which is quite good, although there are other options.
People with Linux/Unix command line experience might prefer to use the nano or vi editors from a terminal session.
However, there are likely to be some difficulties with the M4 and M500 SSD firmware updates if you try to boot them using the EFI boot method mentioned in this thread.
Unlike the Crucial M550 and later, the M4 and M500 firmware updates did not use a linux based firmware updater. The updater for those earlier M4 and M500 SSDs used a different boot process that loads FreeDOS from a virtual floppy disk image.
You could try the Refit based method mentioned in the post (and link) above by Rei K.
I just noticed I'm replying to an old post, so I hope you already found a solution.
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Someone asked me about the MX200 firmware update.
Just follow the general instructions as per the previous messages for the M550 and MX100.
The following files should be installed on the USB:
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
* boot/vmlinuz
* boot/core.gz
The bootx64.efi and unicode.pf2 files under EFI/boot come from either the M550 or MX100 grubefiusb*.zip files posted earlier in the first page of this thread.
The updated grub.cfg for the MX200 can be edited using a text editor or use the attachment to this post.
The files installed under boot come from the MX200 firmware download.
I was able to test that the update boots on my macbook pro, but I didn't have an MX200 so I just got the message:
No drives needing update...
Please find the updated grub.cfg for MX200 in the attachment: grub-mx200.zip
Just follow the general instructions as per the previous messages for the M550 and MX100.
The following files should be installed on the USB:
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
* boot/vmlinuz
* boot/core.gz
The bootx64.efi and unicode.pf2 files under EFI/boot come from either the M550 or MX100 grubefiusb*.zip files posted earlier in the first page of this thread.
The updated grub.cfg for the MX200 can be edited using a text editor or use the attachment to this post.
The files installed under boot come from the MX200 firmware download.
I was able to test that the update boots on my macbook pro, but I didn't have an MX200 so I just got the message:
No drives needing update...
Please find the updated grub.cfg for MX200 in the attachment: grub-mx200.zip
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[doublepost=1478510669][/doublepost]successful update , thank you!
Hi Alex following your fantastic guide, I successful update my new 525 GB Crucial MX300 to actual firmware M0CR040
The SSD has replaced the optical unit in my iMac (27-inch, Mid 2010). I only wasted time trying to use the optical drive (now external) as boot device. I burned 4 CDs following various guides with no lucky.
I edit EFI/boot/grub.cfg with firmware rssd-model=MX300 in the attachment: grub-mx300.zip
The bluetooth keyboard of iMac works fine to select the preferred boot option using the up/down arrow keys!
All the best
Alessandro
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The firmware update for the Crucial/Micron M550 SSD now provides the firmware update tool for firmware MU02 implemented as a linux kernel and ramdisk contained in an ISO image.[1]
Since we can boot a linux kernel using EFI, it should be possible to boot a Mac from USB with an EFI bootloader and update the SSD firmware without an optical drive. This EFI Boot USB method can also be used in cases where update from the optical drive fails.
Downloads and items needed before you begin:
1. Crucial / Micron Firmware download for M550 SSD.[2]
2. USB flash drive (or SD card) to be formatted as a FAT32 volume.
3. GRUB-EFI bootloader files for 64bit EFI from the attachment.
Download the firmware, unzip and place the ISO on the desktop.
For M550 MU02: M550_SED_UPDATE_MU02_BOOTABLE.iso
Download the GRUB-EFI bootloader files from the attachment: grubefiusb-0.02.zip
The GRUB license is GPL and is included in the zip file.
The individual file checksums can be verified:
Code:$ shasum EFI/boot/bootx64.efi 093b2e05d8ad4c2bb8ca01d01c15fdaa6ff50174 EFI/boot/bootx64.efi $ shasum EFI/boot/unicode.pf2 74bf975b64be55f4e1b2abac4320966782f8d388 EFI/boot/unicode.pf2 $ shasum EFI/boot/grub.cfg d850dd77e88f2880ddfaf31a5f1765916e519784 EFI/boot/grub.cfg
The original GRUB-EFI files can be downloaded from the Gparted project on sourceforge if preferred.[3]
The same EFI Boot method can also be used to boot MicroCore linux or some other small linux system.[4]
Please note: using GRUB to boot the Micron firmware updater is unsupported.
Use this option at your own risk.
The installation procedure:
1. To format the USB flash drive, insert the USB in the Mac.
Format the USB drive as FAT32 (MS-DOS in OS X Disk Utility).
- use Partition Map type: Master Boot Record.
- use a suitable volume name - in this case we use: EFIBOOT
Once formatting is complete, the volume should be mounted as EFIBOOT.
2. To install the EFI bootloader, open the folder containing GRUB-EFI files:
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
3. Transfer those files to the EFIBOOT USB:
The EFI folder and files should be copied to the root of the USB flash drive.
4. Install the Crucial / Micron firmware update folders to the USB.
Open the M550 firmware ISO where there will be two folders:
* boot
* cde
Now copy those folders and files to the root of the EFIBOOT USB.
The EFIBOOT volume should now contain the following folders:
* EFI
* boot
* cde
The files provided in the cde folder of the Crucial/Micro download, do not appear to be used in the M550 MU02 update, but there is no harm in having them on the USB.
In practice, the following files are needed on the USB:
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
* boot/vmlinuz
* boot/core.gz
5. Set the boot flag for the FAT32 partition (optional step).
This is an optional step and should not be needed in most cases where the USB uses an msdos partition table. There might be some EFI/UEFI implementations where this is required.
In Linux we can use the Gparted application to change the partition flags.
6. Shutdown/reboot the computer.
When restarting a Mac, press and hold the Option key at boot time.
In a few seconds, Startup Manager appears and you can select the EFI Boot USB device.
When the GRUB bootloader runs, the GRUB menu can be seen and the user can then select the preferred boot option using the up/down arrow keys.
* Micro Core Linux with waitusb=10 and superuser
* Micron Storage Director M550 FW update
If no key is pressed, the default menu option is used.
The M550 FW update option will update the firmware with no need for user input.
The Micro Core Linux option can be used for troubleshooting, but the macbook pro keyboard and some other Mac keyboards might not work. You will need to use a generic USB keyboard.
===
More info on the M550 MU02 firmware update can be found in M550 MU02 thread on the crucial support forums.[5]
Notes:
1. Previous Crucial/Micron firmware updates for the M4 and M500 SSDs used a FreeDOS based update that could not be booted from a pure EFI/UEFI environment.
2. Crucial SSD firmware downloads can be found here:
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/support-ssd
3. Gparted project: http://gparted.org/
The downloaded version used for the GRUB-EFI files was: gparted-live-0.20.0-2-amd64.zip
http://sourceforge.net/projects/gparted/
4. TinyCore and MicroCore linux can be found here:
http://tinycorelinux.net/downloads.html
5. M550 MU02 thread on Crucial SSD support forums
I did that with the MX200 files and Worked!!!!
In EFIBOOT usb:
* boot/core.gz
* boot/isolinux
* boot/vmlinuz
* cde
* EFI/boot/unicode.pf2
* EFI/boot/bootx64.efi
* EFI/boot/grub.cfg
I made changes in grub.cfg replacing M550 to MX200:
#menuentry "Micron Storage Director M550 FW update" {
# search --set -f /boot/vmlinuz
# linux /boot/vmlinuz ro quiet base loglevel=3 waitusb=10 superuser rssd-fw-update rssd-fwdir=/opt/firmware rssd-model=M550
# initrd /boot/core.gz
#}
menuentry "Micron Storage Director MX200 FW update" {
search --set -f /boot/vmlinuz
linux /boot/vmlinuz ro quiet base loglevel=3 waitusb=10 superuser rssd-fw-update rssd-fwdir=/opt/firmware rssd-model=MX200
initrd /boot/core.gz
Thank you!!!
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After years of reading MacRumors, I just signed up for the first time ever, to post this.
OMG why isn't this thread at the top of Crucial's firmware update instructions for Mac!!
After a couple of days searching and trying various solutions to update SSD firmware via booting from a USB stick, with no success, I arrive here and within 30 minutes have updated two MX200s, in a 2011 iMac and a 2012 Mac Mini, from MU03 to MU04.
My meagre contribution - for "safe" editing of text files I like pico. I'm no command line geek but find it friendly enough to use for simple changes such as those required here in grub.cfg.
Thank you so much Alex and others who contributed.
OMG why isn't this thread at the top of Crucial's firmware update instructions for Mac!!
After a couple of days searching and trying various solutions to update SSD firmware via booting from a USB stick, with no success, I arrive here and within 30 minutes have updated two MX200s, in a 2011 iMac and a 2012 Mac Mini, from MU03 to MU04.
My meagre contribution - for "safe" editing of text files I like pico. I'm no command line geek but find it friendly enough to use for simple changes such as those required here in grub.cfg.
Thank you so much Alex and others who contributed.
Last edited:
Hi Alex many thanks for your fantastic guide, I successfully updated my 250 GB Crucial MX500 to current firmware release M3CR022.
Just followed your guide and replaced grub.cfg with custom — menuentry "Micron Storage Director MX500 FW update" — and — rssd-model=MX500 — attached modified file: grub-mx500.zip
Works flawlessly. Thanks a lot! Best
Just followed your guide and replaced grub.cfg with custom — menuentry "Micron Storage Director MX500 FW update" — and — rssd-model=MX500 — attached modified file: grub-mx500.zip
Works flawlessly. Thanks a lot! Best
…And here we are, in August 2019. Does the method described here work with newer Macs that include the T2 security chip? My efforts over the course of several hours (!) with my 2018 Mac Mini have been unsuccessful; attempting to boot from the flash drive prepared per the instructions posted here fails, with a rather lengthy error message being presented in plain text, terminal-style, which includes this warning: "superblock indicates jumpstart record but this driver was not loaded from that partition".
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I don't have access to one of these new models with the T2 chip. From my understanding there are some problems booting Linux or another OS with these new models with the T2 chip. I'm not sure exactly what you are trying to do and what sort of SSD you have and how it is attached (from my understanding the firmware update needs a true SATA interface).
However, this might help.
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2018/11/apple-t2-chip-cant-boot-linux
I'm not sure if you've tried this, but it would appear to allow you to boot from linux flash drives, including firmware updaters. That is assuming that the T2 chip is the issue here and not some other hardware compatibility issue.
I know it's an old thread but I was able to upgrade my Crucial P2 SSD with some slight modifications.
1/ download grubefiusb-0.02.zip from the first post
2/ download the latest Crucial P2 firmware
3/ follow step 1 to 3 from the first post
4/ from the firmware zip, extract the iso and open it: copy boot/corepure64.gz to boot/core.gz and boot/vmlinuz64 to boot/vmlinuz
5/ from the iso, open boot/isolinux/isolinux.cfg and copy everything after the "APPEND" (should be on the last line)
6/ open EFI/boot/grub.cfg on your flash drive and paste/replace everything after the "linux /boot/vmlinuz" - I attached the resulting file
1/ download grubefiusb-0.02.zip from the first post
2/ download the latest Crucial P2 firmware
3/ follow step 1 to 3 from the first post
4/ from the firmware zip, extract the iso and open it: copy boot/corepure64.gz to boot/core.gz and boot/vmlinuz64 to boot/vmlinuz
5/ from the iso, open boot/isolinux/isolinux.cfg and copy everything after the "APPEND" (should be on the last line)
6/ open EFI/boot/grub.cfg on your flash drive and paste/replace everything after the "linux /boot/vmlinuz" - I attached the resulting file
His this a complete file ready for MX500 update
Hi,I downloaded your file for MX500 updates and was hoping this was a complete and ready to boot fix for the crucial ssd FW but I don't understand what I read on the files in finder, any help,I have 4 of the crucial MX500 ssd...thnx,Ken