Mac Compatible USB 3.0 flash drives for boot volume [solved]

[multipazz]

I have seen that the new 2012 macs can boot from these devices
although I have read the retina mac has issues booting USB 3.0

i would like to run on ALL intel macs.. new and old

I ordered a cheap 64GB USB 3.0
hoping to build a new Lion Diagnostics Drive
with all the tools and apps I need to run on it

but I can't get it to boot

restored the InstallESD to it and nothing

formatted and selected the drive for OS install..
the installer was happy to allow the OS install..
but on the first reboot... again nothing...

I have some more drives on order to test...
but I am not sure they will work either

I have no problem with USB 2 flash drives.. they work great !
but time is money as they say

anyone has got this working ?
what drive did you use... ?

[Fight9]

Are you stuck on USB? FireWire drives boot. I did it today actually. I put my old MacBook in Target Disk Mode and booted it on my iMac that I could partition the main HD on my iMac. I am preparing for the new 240 GB SSD I purchased earlier today.

[multipazz]

i have plenty of firewire diag drives...

the point is a lot of macs now don't have firewire

usb is on ALL macs

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nice.. 240GB will make a sweet OS drive

I actually have a new 128GB SSD kicking around..

If i cant get this USB 3.0 shit working I will use that

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the other think about USB flash drives is they are small

I carry 4-5 flash drives in my pocket

different OS installers and boot drives for different jobs

the SSD will be great... but it is much bigger
and I wont be carry that in my trousers pocket

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I used to use the old firewire iPod for booting Mac diags
only problem is they were not designed to run the disk
for that kind of sustained transfers like booting a full OS
so you end up burning through hard drives fast...

good job they were under warranty

[Fight9]

Thats a lot of flash drives to carry around. You could always just use that 128GB SSD partitioned 5 ways for all the different diagnostics tools you need.

I finally got my main HD down under 240 GB and all my data moved to the new partition I created earlier. Now its ready to be cloned to the SSD when it arrives later this week. I created a 240 GB partition. I moved all my movies, music, photos, etc to the new partition. The original partition (660GB.) is going to be cloned to the new SSD. After that, I am going to wipe that original partition and move all the data to that one. Once that is completed, I am going to format the 240GB partition I created today and turn it into a new Time Machine drive for the SSD. This will free up my 1TB external I have been using for Time Machine.

Its like a data musical chairs. It will be the perfect setup when I have completed, though.

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I want to get a thunderbolt drive. You can boot from that now too. Might be easier than USB 3

[multipazz]

i have multi partition drives...

the great thing about flash drives

they are CHEAP...

i can have half a dozen drives and work on more machines at once

i am not going to spend 200 bucks on a thunderbolt and only work on one at a time

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i am not booting these things to work on them

I repair computers ... I don't use computers

i need to find problems... hard drive... over heating..

then fix them

[multipazz]

here is a list of the drives I have ordered to test...

Sony 32GB Micro Vault Q-Series Flash Drive, Silver, 3.0 USB (USM32GQ/S)
SanDisk 32GB Cruzer Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Verbatim 32GB V3 Store n Go USB 3.0 Flash Drive - Grey

I hope at least one of these drives will do what i want

if anyone has any other suggestion for a drive that is working for booting old macs
please post it up here

I will post up my results next week when the drives arrived and I have tested

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if i can get a non usb 3.0 mac to boot...
then it MUST also be compatible
on the new ones at full speed

[Fight9]

Originally Posted by multipazz

nice.. 240GB will make a sweet OS drive

I actually have a new 128GB SSD kicking around..

If i cant get this USB 3.0 shit working I will use that

I got my SSD in the mail earlier today. I just got done cloning my start up drive and I am installing it tomorrow. I cant wait to take my iMac apart. I have been itching for a new thing to explore inside. Stripping apart iPhones is starting to get boring.

I got the installation kit that mounts the SSD behind the optical drive.

[Fight9]

I got the drive installed and booted up with no problems there. I only have one issue that may you can help me with, Multipazz. The read and write speeds are only around 250mb/s. It's suppose to be at 500mb/s. The system profiler says it has a link speed of 6 gigabit. I've been reading about an EFI update that enabled SATA III 6 Gigabit but it want to be installed on OSX 10.7.3 and not 10.8. I am going to call Apple tomorrow if I can't find some sort of solution on the Internet tonight.

Although, if I have to settle for 3 gigabit, I'll be happy. It's still 2.5x faster than my old HDD.

The SSDs final resting place...

[>|SuperBee|<]

Originally Posted by Fight9

I got the drive installed and booted up with no problems there. I only have one issue that may you can help me with, Multipazz. The read and write speeds are only around 250mb/s. It's suppose to be at 500mb/s. The system profiler says it has a link speed of 6 gigabit. I've been reading about an EFI update that enabled SATA III 6 Gigabit but it want to be installed on OSX 10.7.3 and not 10.8. I am going to call Apple tomorrow if I can't find some sort of solution on the Internet tonight.

Although, if I have to settle for 3 gigabit, I'll be happy. It's still 2.5x faster than my old HDD.

The SSDs final resting place...

Thats HOT!!!

[multipazz]

Originally Posted by >|SuperBee|<

Thats HOT!!!

Sure will be if he don't put the fan back in

I look into the drive speed problem later today

[multipazz]

this link show you how to check your firmware version

EFI and SMC firmware updates for Intel-based Macs


I believe this is the firmware for your iMac

iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.9

[Fight9]

Yup, thats the EFI update that I was talking about. I cannot install because I am on 10.8.




I guess that doesn't matter though because I am already on that firmware. It has to be something else. I'll have to keep looking.

[multipazz]

so format a 8GB or 16GB USB 2 flash drive with GUID

install lion on the flash drive

update your firmware

[Fight9]

I am already there



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iMac (21.5-inch, Mid 2011) iMac12,1 IM121.0047.B1F (EFI 1.9)

[multipazz]

i believe you can also install from CD

you always used to be able to do it

Firmware Restoration CD 1.9

---------- EDIT ----------

oooops wrong firmware

---------- EDIT ----------

Firmware Update Enables 6Gb/s in 2011 iMacs. | Other World Computing Blog

iMac EFI Update 1.6

---------- EDIT ----------

looks like your firmware is to new...

I would guess apple disable this feature again

[Fight9]

I'll have to use a Lion disk to install.

[multipazz]

nope that one require snow leopard

Requires the Mac OS X 10.6.7 Update for iMac (early 2011) be installed

i doubt you will be able to downgrade

[Fight9]

Probably wouldn't want to. I have Mid-2011 iMac, not Early.

---------- EDIT ----------

I'll call Apple today and see what they say.

[multipazz]

could be on the wrong port...

from what i am reading.. there are only 2 from 3 ports that do 6GB/s

---------- EDIT ----------

if you are on the wrong port... put the optical drive on that one

[Fight9]

Negotiated link speed: 6 gigabit