USB 3.0 external HDD not showing up on boot

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Tok Tok


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Unfortunately I can't find my answer on google so hope somebody here knows a solution to my problem.

I have bought this new external usb 3.0 drive for my Macbook Retina and I want to install Mac OS on it. I can access the HDD perfectly fine in Mac OS and do everything I want, create partitions, copy files etc. Even when I boot into the Mac OSX installation and can select the HDD and install Mac OS on it. But when the setup restarts for booting into the newly installed OS it can't because my HDD is not showing up in the boot menu. When I hold the Option key I can see my USB flash drive from where I installed Mac OS but the external HDD doesn't show itself...

Any idea how I can fix this??
 
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ycl1688


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Tok Tok said:
Unfortunately I can't find my answer on google so hope somebody here knows a solution to my problem.

I have bought this new external usb 3.0 drive for my Macbook Retina and I want to install Mac OS on it. I can access the HDD perfectly fine in Mac OS and do everything I want, create partitions, copy files etc. Even when I boot into the Mac OSX installation and can select the HDD and install Mac OS on it. But when the setup restarts for booting into the newly installed OS it can't because my HDD is not showing up in the boot menu. When I hold the Option key I can see my USB flash drive from where I installed Mac OS but the external HDD doesn't show itself...

Any idea how I can fix this??
Click to expand...

You should be able to find it on your 'FInder' left panel or Application > Utilities > disk utility > left panel. If not then the external drive is bad. Something confusing me is what purpose you are using the external HD for, if for backup you can use Carbon copy clone or time machine.
 
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Tok Tok


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Well yes I can find the drive there, that's the weird thing.. in Mac OS the drive is completely accessible, it's only when I boot that the drive doesn't show up.

Eventually I want to try getting windows onto there, I found some techniques to do it. But even if that doesn't work I still want a drive that's bootable, if not I'm returning it to the store.
 
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ycl1688


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If you want to create a boot able external HD, you can use CCC carbon copy clone or super duper to create a back up of your internal disk. Should there be a need to change your internal drive, you can first see if your system boot up from external drive by holding the option key as the chime sounds.
 
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It's making a copy with Super Duper as we speak. I hope this is going to work.
You would think that the Mac OS installation makes the drive bootable...
 
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ycl1688


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super duper will clone your whole mbp to the external drive, it is boot able, you can try with option key press on when the boot up chime sounds.
 
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Unfortunately it didn't work... I'm beginning to think this is a hardware problem. But I have the weekend to figure out what it could be so all suggestions are welcome ;)

If nothing works I'm returning it to the store Monday.
 

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