Serious Problems Installing SSD MBP

Hi all,

I am running a mid2009 MBP with Crucial 8GB ram, SL and 160GB HDD.

I recently bought a Samsung 830 256GB SSD to replace my HDD.

After using CCC, i swapped the drives out but i kept getting major kernel panics and freezing etc and on occasion, would not even get to the desktop.

I then replaced it back with the original HDD and all works fine.

I decided to do a fresh clean install of OSX SL on the SSD with the usb adapter which went fine.

I put the SSD back into my MBP and it still hangs and locks out big time!!!

I have out the original HDD back in to get me up and running again, but i am stumped.

I am guessing it is the drive at fault, but after reading about this, i was wondering if it is the memory (which i have had replaced under warranty before).

Any help appreciated!!

Some manufacturers Jason recommend SSD not be cloned, clean install and take everything over with Migration Assistant, and some, Crucial included, provide their own cloning tools. After formatting the drive, one presumes, and doing a clean install, time to takle the matter up with Samsung.

Have had two SSD fail, one a G.Skill Falcon after two days and a Kingston SSNow after six months so they are not foolproof.

Thanks for that.

I found a tutorial from Samsung themselves that said to clone using Disk utility.

The problem that i found with that, was that it would not copy "ACL(?)" files across.

After this, i did an erase on the SSD, and di a brand new clean install of MAC OSX SL.

Even after doing that, and installing the drive back into my MB, it still would freeze solid after a few minutes.

I am going to try it with the stock RAM back in and see if that solves anything, as this seems to be a common issue.


What is really annoying is reading about all the people that have swapped the drives without a single problem!!!!

did you boot your mbp using ssd as external drive ? before installing the ssd,
boot up pressing the option key as soon as the chime soon, click on your ssd drive to
see if the external drive (ssd) works.
If okay, then do the install ssd to internal, then install osx to your ssd.
I have done quite a few ssd install not a problem.
My current ssd is samsung 830 ssd. I have mid 2009 with intel ssd doing the ssd install just like you did,
ccc and so on.
I do not believe Ram has anything to do.
If all fail samsung ssd has problem, return or exchange it.

ycl1688 said:

did you boot your mbp using ssd as external drive ? before installing the ssd,
boot up pressing the option key as soon as the chime soon, click on your ssd drive to
see if the external drive (ssd) works.
If okay, then do the install ssd to internal, then install osx to your ssd.
I have done quite a few ssd install not a problem.
My current ssd is samsung 830 ssd. I have mid 2009 with intel ssd doing the ssd install just like you did,
ccc and so on.
I do not believe Ram has anything to do.
If all fail samsung ssd has problem, return or exchange it.

Click to expand...

Im just not sure it is the drive though.

I decided to perform another clone, installed the drive and after about 5 mins it froze.

This is in fact my second attempt at doing this reply, but i am now back on all original drives, however, i have booted using the SSD connected via usb and it works perfectly,, no hanging, beachball or crashes.

I would go on from that, and maybe wonder if the SATA cable is damaged, but, everything works fine with the original HDD installed.

Getting frustrated now!!

can you exchange the ssd ?
usually the external ssd boot up success is a good sign, half the battle won.
Try once more, with the ssd as external drive erase with disk utility using extended(journaled)
and ccc to copy internal to external drive.
boot up external, if okay, install the ssd as internal then boot up hold option key, install the osx
and go from there. Make sure your sata cable is snag against your ssd drive when installed.
I know it is an easy job to install ssd and the screws under the body must have been turned
a lot, make sure you do not strip them. Good luck.

Sorry for the late reply,

However, i have now returned the ssd, and i was hoping they were going to send me a replacement, but they were out of stock so have refunded me in full.

Question is... do i try another samsung or does anyone recommend anything else?

Budget is around 150GBP.

Cheers!

Realising that all drives, hard and solid state, are liable to failure somewhere along the line, after using Kingston and G.Skill Falco have had a good run for OWC Mercury Electra drives.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/

Also the data cables do get brittle with heat and time, so consider replacing the cable at the same time.

Yes, i do realise that all drives will fail at some point, getting them to work from the start is the challenge

Anyway, i have re-ordered a Samsung which i will have tomorrow, so maybe, this one will work.

I did look at the ribbon cable and it looks ok, but as i said, the HDD works perfectly OK installed.

Plus the fact, the only place in the UK that i can get it replaced would be Apple, as there does not seem to be anyone that sells spare parts.

Admire your fighting spirit.
So try to get the ssd going.
if not working, do you have relatives or friends that have similar
Mbp ? See if you can install the ssd to their mbp.
It is disturbing that your old hdd works and not ssd.

No, i am the only one with a MBP.

The rest on the house are original white & black Macbooks.

I ordered the replacement for next day so i should have it tomorrow!!

So, would it better for me to just install the SSD into the MBP and then install OSX from the install disc rather than clone the HDD first?

I guess that way, there should be no bad files copied from the HDD (if there are any).

I could then drag over any important files from the HDD via USB?

it would be easier to ccc to ssd externally.
This way you do not have to unscrew the
bottom part of the mbp, make sure the ssd works externally.
be very positive how the new ssd perform externally.

Ok thanks.

Thing is, the SSD i sent back worked perfectly via USN when i booted from it originally.

It was only when it was actually installed in the MBP that is caused problems.

Please excuse all the simple questions!!!

at this point do whatever you feel comfortable with to get the new ssd going.
As the saying goes 'whatever works'.

I will throw this out there just in case. I know there were SATA issues with older MacBooks and faster SATA 3 drives and lockups, pauses, data corruption even. It was due to the SATA 1.5 controller in the Macbook not getting along with faster SATA 3 drives. Some drives had 1.5 jumpers on them and that fixed it for those drives. Not sure if this is your issue with 2009 MBP, but worth consideration just in case.

What made me think of this issue is that the drive works fine in your USB case.

thanks dtravis7.
could be it.
samsung 470 series is sata 2.
I have my mid 2010 with sata 3 no problem.

dtravis7 said:

I will throw this out there just in case. I know there were SATA issues with older MacBooks and faster SATA 3 drives and lockups, pauses, data corruption even. It was due to the SATA 1.5 controller in the Macbook not getting along with faster SATA 3 drives. Some drives had 1.5 jumpers on them and that fixed it for those drives. Not sure if this is your issue with 2009 MBP, but worth consideration just in case.

What made me think of this issue is that the drive works fine in your USB case.

Click to expand...

I did wonder this, as i did read somewhere about these issues, although i thought this was on the earlier white & black Macbooks.

Whilst i was trying to find out if i had any issues, i did note that when the SSD was installed and working it was showing that it was at 3Gbps link and negotiated speeds. (i think thats the correct term!).

My current HDD installed at the moment is showing 3Gbps link and 1.5 negotiated.

let us try it out this way with 830 series samsung, if not good, then you can try 470 series which is sata 2. Price wise should be lower than 830 series. You could save some cash to watch some of the Olympic event in person provided you are living close to London.

ycl1688 said:

let us try it out this way with 830 series samsung, if not good, then you can try 470 series which is sata 2. Price wise should be lower than 830 series. You could save some cash to watch some of the Olympic event in person provided you are living close to London.

Click to expand...

I am closer to the Olympic sailing venue than London!

I did price up Sata2 but they are only available in sizes less than my current HDD.

Update...

Thanks to the Royal Fail, my Amazon ordered SSD is now in Scotland, rather than the south coast, so as it stands, i have no replacement SSD.

If i havent got it by tomorrow, Overclockers UK seem to be a good price, so i will get one from them.