Restarting issues

[honestone]

Understand. But, what about all your transactions associated with Quicken? I would assume you'd want those account files.

Also, if you use Outlook 2011, you should save its EMail database.

I've gone through something similar a few times before, especially when I want to do a clean installation of a new Mac OS. Prior to any erasing and formatting of the drive, I always first saved critical files, and those were typically my Account and Back-up Account files connected with Quicken 2007, and the EMail database for Outlook 2011.

 

[IH1724]

I just had started using quicken for 2016 transactions and I wasn't finished when it crashed, so I just ended up doing it by hand.

 

[honestone]

That's too bad. If only you had a reliable backup taken right before the "disaster".

Also, have you decided on which Samsung SSD to get, both in terms of 850 Pro versus 850 EVO, and size? I have not seen any sales on either yet, but Presidents' Day weekend is approaching.

Also, I would strongly recommend that after you complete this project, that you perform disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs on a "frequent" basis. Again, there are both freeware (Onyx is an excellent choice) and commercial (TechTool Pro is another excellent choice) products to help you with that effort. I use both when I do my weekly disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs, and backup, processing, and it definitely helps in keeping both of my Macs running smoothly and without issues.

And, just to let you know, for Outlook 2011 (as part of Office 2011), when you "initially" delete an EMail, it does not get permanently removed from Outlook's mail database. What needs to be subsequently done is to rebuild that database as often as you want. Here are the instructions for doing that:

"1. Quit Outlook. Hold down the Option key and launch it again. Rather than Outlook's normal interface, you'll get the Microsoft Database Utility. Select your identity (most people normally have only the one) in the list and click Rebuild. When it's done, you'll have a new Main Identity and the one it worked from, which now has an appended name of [Backed up 2012....].

2. Quit the utility and go to the Documents folder of your user account. Then /Microsoft User Data/Office 2011 Identities/ . Put the mail identity with [Backed up...] in its name in the trash. Before deleting it, launch Outlook again to make sure the rebuilt data is opened correctly. If so, empty the trash. Your deleted emails will now actually be removed from the hard drive.

3. If for some reason the rebuilt identity doesn't open (I've never had it happen), you can drag the new Main Identity folder to the trash and put the original back. Then remove the "backed up" part of the name so it just says Main Identity again. When Outlook is launched, it will use that one as if nothing had ever changed. All of the deleted emails you were trying to remove will be back with it, but you can at least try rebuilding it again instead of being stuck with a non working identity."

I never had a problem regarding that third step. In fact, it never happened to me. However, for #2, I first re-launched Outlook 2011 to make sure there were no issues with the new database (which there were never any). I then quit Outlook 2011, navigated to that folder, moved the old Identity file to the trash, then deleted it.

For Outlook 2016, the method is different, but easier. And, it is something one can (and I do) do every time to permanently delete EMails in Outlook 2016.

 

[IH1724]

Sorry for the long time to respond I just ordered and received everything necessary to complete this operation. I went with the 850 EVO 500GB. I have currently partitioned the new HD and am waiting for the new OS to download on the 2013 MacBook Pro. However in your Feb. 6th response I have a few questions.

Quote:
"3. Do a clean. "virgin" installation of the Mac OS you want to use. The best way to do that is to first visit the App Store and download the latest version of whatever OS you want. If it's Sierra, that version would be 10.12.3. Just click on "Featured", and on the list to the right, you'll see macOS Sierra. If you want an earlier OS, if you have downloaded it before via the App Store, you should see it in your "Purchased" list. If not, maybe someone else could help you about getting it.

In any event, when you download that file, inside your Applications folder will be a file entitled "Install macOS Sierra". The first thing to do is to make a copy of it in another location on your hard drive (you'll also do this later after the installation onto your new HDD/SSD). The reason is that after you launch it from your Applications folder and the installation completes, that file disappears. Hence, it's a good idea to have another copy someplace else."

How do I transfer the new "virgin" instillation onto the new SSD? When I clicked to install the new version of Sierra it appears it downloads it to the '13 Mac? I see that you said to find it in the Applications folder, do I just right click on it and select copy, or duplicate? Then, how do I get it into the partition for the new EVO 500 drive?

 

[honestone]

First, you do not "transfer" that "virgin" installation. As I mentioned, after you download it to the 2013 13" MacBook Pro, the file entitled "Install macOS Sierra" will be in the Applications folder on that machine. To make a copy of it in another location on that machine, click on that file, and hold down the Option key. Then, drag that file (again with the Option key held down) to the location you want to copy it to. The same method works when you want to make a copy of that file in a location on the Samsung 850 EVO 500 gig SSD.

Secondly, with that download complete, and with the 850 EVO 500 Gig SSD connected to the 13" MacBook Pro, you should see the partitions of that SSD on that MacBook Pro's desktop. When you double click on the "Install macOS Sierra" file, a dialogue should pop up, asking you as to where you want to install it. You should be able to select the desired partition on the 850 EVO 500 Gig SSD where you want the OS to be installed. I actually just did it, and I got a screen that has a "Show All Disks..." choice. Click on that, and the partitions on that EVO drive should then appear. For me, given that I have a Samsung 850 Pro 512 gig SSD connected, after I clicked on "Show All Disks...", the 3 partitions on that SSD appeared.

Once you make your selection, the installation will proceed.

 

[IH1724]

I downloaded the Sierra file last night (and it took awhile) to the '13 MacBook Pro. While it was downloading the only thing similar that I saw in the Applications folder was titled "mac OS Sierra" with a loading bar underneath it displaying the progress of the download. However, after it was completed I saw neither the "mac OS Sierra" or the "Install macOS Sierra" that you mentioned. If I go back into the App store and hit the button to re-install it I see the same thing as I saw before.

Am I seeing the right things or am I doing something incorrectly?

 

[IH1724]

Disregard that last post for the most part, I figured out how to open it up and install it. However, when I got to the final part of the dialogue and it asked me to restart it on the '13 MacBook Pro, and it restarted and then came to a mostly black screen and asked for the admin password on the '13 (I noticed a language pulldown behind the password screen), do I need to go through with that, or will that mess up and wipe out the '13s contents, or does that specifically install it onto the new drive in the closure after I've set it into the correct partition?

 

[honestone]

Your new SSD is installed inside an external enclosure, correct? And you successfully completed the installation of OS 10.12.3 onto that SSD (or a partition on it), correct? Finally, you did not "migrate"/copy any "stuff" from anywhere else (like from the 13" MacBook Pro), correct?

Assuming all of that is accurate, that 850 EVO SSD is now just like having another computer, as you have a bootable OS (ie, Sierra) on it. Given that it is just the OS (and Apple "supplied" software), it's basically like buying a new Mac that already has the OS on it. You then need to go through the normal setup process of a new machine.

I have gone through a similar process before, but after the installation of the OS, I "migrated"/copied stuff from a SuperDuper! backup to that partition, and that copying contained OS "setup" information like my admin account, password, etc.

In your situation, at this point, you should be able to disconnect everything, remove the 850 EVO SDD from the external case, remove the old drive from the 2011 MacBook Pro, install the 850 EVO SSD inside the 2011 MacBook Pro, close up that machine, and boot it up. That should be just like getting a new Mac, and you then will need to go through all the "new" setup steps, like setting up an admin account/user, password for that account/user, date, time, etc.

I guess the other thing you could do is to try this: with the SSD connected to the 13" MacBook Pro, boot up the MacBook Pro. You should subsequently see the partition/partitions for the 850 EVO SSD on the MacBook Pro's desktop. Go to System Preferences, and select Startup Disk. You should see at least two disks there to choose from: the startup disk for the MacBook Pro (ie, its internal drive), and the OS 10.12.3 partition disk on the 850 EVO SSD. Select the 850 EVO one, click on Restart, and what will basically happen is that you are booting from that 850 EVO partition, but using the MacBook Pro's screen to work. If you are first asked to enter a password, I suspect that would be the one for the MacBook Pro. After that, you should be able to go through the entire setup process for OS 10.12.3, including setting up your account, password, time zone, date, etc. Again, though, I have never actually gone through such a process, but logically, it should work.

 

[IH1724]

I did everything precisely as you asked and I installed it while connected to the '13 MacBook Pro, and everything looked good. Then after I installed it into the problematic '11 MacBook Pro, it fired up and it did the same thing it loaded to about 3/4 on the bar and then it stopped and then a static-looking bar about 1/2" across showed up horizontally just above the apple boot logo and then, nothing, just white screen.

 

[honestone]

When you have it connected to the 13" MacBook Pro, can you boot off of it? That process should work, as (from what I gather) your 13" MacBook Pro is fine, and you had no "hitches" installing Sierra onto the 850 EVO drive. So logically, you should be able to select the 850 EVO partition containing Sierra as a startup disk, and restart the 13" MacBook Pro from it. Assuming that partition just contains a "plain, vanilla" OS 10.12.3, without you doing anything to it after the initial installation, the boot process should work fine. If you do that, what happens?

According to this:

http://www.macworld.com/article/3121239/macs/which-macs-can-run-macos-sierra.html

your 2011 MacBook Pro can accommodate Sierra, so still unsure why you are having issues.

And just to insure something, when you received the 850 EVO Drive and installed it inside an external enclosure, you then connected it to the 13" MacBook Pro, then used Disk Utility on the MacBook Pro to Erase and Format (and if necessary, Partition) the 850 EVO Drive. And when you did that, the Format was "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)", and the Scheme was "GUID Partition Map".

 

[IH1724]

Yes I can boot just fine off of it on the '13 MacBook Pro, when I do that its just like I opened it up for the first time no issues at all.

And yes I formatted and set the scheme to those specifications

...I'm beginning to think at this point I'm over my head...

 

[honestone]

The only thing I can think of is that there is something else wrong, from a hardware perspective, with your 2011 MacBook Pro.

One other thing: when you booted the 2013 machine from the 850 EVO drive containing Sierra, you did not do anything further in terms of setup, correct? In fact, do you just get some kind of "Starting Screen" (I believe it would be some kind of Welcome to Mac OS screen) after you boot to the SSD?

 

[honestone]

Cory,

If you are looking at this forum, we can use your expertise!

 

[IH1724]

Yes that is right I got a welcome to Mac OS screen

 

[honestone]

It seems then that there is another hardware issue with the 2011 MacBook Pro. I guess to confirm that, you can try one more thing (I know it is a pain, but it would help):

1. Turn off the machine.

2. Remove the 850 EVO drive, and re-install it inside the external enclosure.

3. Re-install the old hard drive inside the machine.

4. Connect the external enclosure to the machine.

5. Boot up the 2011 MacBook Pro. The 850 EVO partition/partitions should show up on the desktop.

6. If so, go to System preferences, select StartUp Disk, and the bootable partition on the 850 EVO SSD should be there. Select it, and choose Restart.

If that works, you could continue to do that, ie, use the 850 EVO SSD as the startup disk for the 2011 MacBook Pro. The main thing, though, is that if all that is successful, then it would point to another hardware issue with the 2011 MacBook pro.

 

[IH1724]

Ok I did that essentially, and it didn't work, I got the same static bar and a white screen. But since I can never get past the initial password login immediately following start up, I held down the option screen and hit the partition that had the OS downloaded to it. I just can't ever get to the desktop.

 

[honestone]

But when the SSD was connected to the "good" MacBook Pro, it works as expected, correct? That is, going to System Preferences and Startup, you can select it, click Restart, and things work fine, correct? No static bar, no while screen, and no asking for any password. Just boots up normally, and you get the "Welcome to ..." screen.

You also state "But since I can never get past the initial password login immediately following start up". Did that happen when you had the SSD connected to your good Mac? It seems like what you stated above, that it worked fine connected to your "good" Mac.

Also, when you had the SSD connected to the problematic Mac, did it show up on that machine's desktop after you started that machine up normally?

 

[IH1724]

Yes yes everything worked just fine when connected to the good mac. When the SSD was connected the to the problematic Mac, it showed no difference in appearance from what the initial problem was with the factory internal HD. No matter what HD I use with the problematic Mac I get the same response.

 

[honestone]

One more thing (I've asked a couple of times above): when the 850 EVO SSD was connected, via USB, to the problematic Mac, and you booted up the problematic Mac from its original internal drive, did the 850 EVO SSD Volume/Volumes (Partition/Partitions) appear on the desktop? Again, this is without "touching" any of those Volumes on the 850 EVO SSD?

 

[IH1724]

Even when connected, to the problematic Mac, nothing that I've done can get me to the desktop, the only thing that the Mac will show is some variation of a white screen