Cloned SSD won't boot OS X

[grabraham]

Hi,

I've been trying to install an SSD in my old macbook pro (2011 I believe).

The original hardrive failed so I bought a new SSD to replace it. I tried installing El Capitan via a bootable USB thumbdrive, however that failed due to several error messages that read "TSplicedFont failed".

Next I tried an older OS X, Yosemite and that also failed. After I format the SSD and began the installation, I quickly got the message, "Could not verify". However, and independent verification shows no problems with the SSD.

If it has failed once, the SSD can still be found in disk utilities, but it disappears as a drive option for installing OS X.

I also tried cloning the harddrive of my roommate's MacBook Air (Early 2015), then booting it in my MacBook Pro. This process failed as well. Initially, the disk can be seen as a bootable option, however once selected the screen goes white I changes between a circle with a line through it and a file folder with a question mark. These two symbols flash back and forth randomly.

If I restart and attempt to boot it again, the SSD no longer appears as an option.

I am way over my head, frustrated, and super close to giving up and selling every piece of technology I own for scraps so I can have a working computer again!

Any help would be very much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[ferrarr]

The drive is dead, replace it and you will get it working again.

 

[MacInWin]

Would it happen to be a Samsung SSD? Some of the Samsung SSDs don't play well in Mac hardware. If you are in the US, OWC is the place to buy Mac stuff (macsales.com). No, I'm not paid by them, I'm just a happy customer.

 

[IWT]

@grabraham

I also tried cloning the harddrive of my roommate's MacBook Air (Early 2015), then booting it in my MacBook Pro

If you go ahead with this, you could run into all sorts of problems — conflicting Apple IDs; the fact that his/her Mac is much newer than yours and certain apps and even the OS might not be workable on your Mac. There are ownership issues too as you would run into problems upgrading as the apps and OS are owned by that person...and so on.

Just saying.

Ian

 

[Rod]

How did you format this HD and what partition map did you use?
This is a good article on the process:http://www.macworld.com/article/2055589/storage/how-to-format-a-startup-drive-for-a-mac.html#slide4


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[Rod]

If you didn't follow that process to the letter it simply won't work.


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