Format new SSD in Mac Mini

Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Hi,

I've replaced my mid 2010 mac mini HDD with an SSD but now I need to format it so I can install the OS.

It seems I should have cloned it first before replacing the existing HDD.

Is there a way to format the drive as it is now already in the mac?


Any assistance is appreciated.

Thanks
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Sure, you'll just need your Mac Mini's system disc to boot the machine from. Insert System Disc 1, turn the machine off, then on and immediately press and hold the Option key. Continue holding until the disc shows up as a boot option. Click it. The machine will boot off the disc and eventually, the setup dialog will appear. Click through the first few prompts until the menu bar appears at the top of the screen. Choose Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. Format the drive, and when done, close Disk Utility and proceed with your install.
 
OP
S
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks for replying.

That's good. So it can be done.

I'm away from home in London at the moment and my brother is trying to do it. I'd rather he left it for me to do but he's not bad at this sort of thing. Anyway, he told me that when he tried to start the mac he got an icon with a question mark so I'm guessing the machine is looking for a bootable drive with an OS to boot up.

I can't remember if I left the install disk in the drive though. Is the disk ejectable with the mac in it's current state?

Thanks
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Thanks for replying.

That's good. So it can be done.

I'm away from home in London at the moment and my brother is trying to do it. I'd rather he left it for me to do but he's not bad at this sort of thing. Anyway, he told me that when he tried to start the mac he got an icon with a question mark so I'm guessing the maching is looking for a bootable drive with an OS to boot up.

I can't remember if I left the install disk in the drive though. Is the disk ejectable with the mac in it's current state?

Thanks

Yes, you can eject the disc in this state in one of two ways - either press and hold the Eject key on your keyboard, or (if you're using a non-Mac keyboard), simply press and hold the left mouse button as soon as the machine is turned on.
 

RavingMac

Well-known member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Jan 7, 2008
Messages
8,303
Reaction score
242
Points
63
Location
In Denial
Your Mac's Specs
16Gb Mac Mini 2018, 15" MacBook Pro 2012 1 TB SSD
Yes, you can eject the disc in this state in one of two ways - either press and hold the Eject key on your keyboard, or (if you're using a non-Mac keyboard), simply press and hold the left mouse button as soon as the machine is turned on.

Out of curiosity, does that require a wired device (mouse or keyboard) or will it work with Bluetooth versions?
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Out of curiosity, does that require a wired device (mouse or keyboard) or will it work with Bluetooth versions?

I have been able to do it with a Bluetooth mouse in the past, though it is often less reliable.
 
OP
S
Joined
Dec 23, 2012
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
1
That's interesting. I'd have thought the bluetooth devices wouldn't be able to connect to the mac without it first booting an OS. I have a wireless Apple keyboard and was thinking I'd need to use a normal USB one.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
That's interesting. I'd have thought the bluetooth devices wouldn't be able to connect to the mac without it first booting an OS. I have a wireless Apple keyboard and was thinking I'd need to use a normal USB one.

That's the beauty of EFI - you would never see that on a typical PC (with a BIOS that is too crude). But when you pair a BT device on a Mac with EFI, it pairs in both OS X and to the EFI. This is why you can use a Bluetooth keyboard to hold the Option key down at startup, or do a PRAM reset.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top