After running MultiBeast with unreadable SSD unable to boot to Clover install menu until I did this...

[namednad]

Greetings to all from Texas, USA!

I'm not writing this post asking for help, I'm only posting this in case someone else runs into this issue and to let them know what I found. If moderators find this is not needed, please delete it, or if it should be in another part of the forum, please move it there.

I'm a newbie here and thank you all for the great help I've found here so far just by reading the posts. I ran into some of the booting problems that are apparently common to others, but after multiple attempts I had my system booting and running High Sierra without any issues other than not being able to boot without the install USB inserted. It would just go into a rebooting loop without the install USB.

Using the UniBeast install disk to boot into High Sierra, and after running MultiBeast to install some kexts and installing a couple of dmgs, I had video, sound, wifi internet, had installed some programs and was able to use the system for a couple of days as I normally use my regular MAC OS X systems. It just would not boot to the Mac OS X drive without the install USB inserted. I don't know how many times I attempted to get it to boot from the SSD I had installed High Sierra to after attempting different things that I found on this forum. I went so far as to reformat my SSD drive a couple of times then re-installed High Sierra using UniBeast yielding the same results.

Anyway, I was trying one more time to use the Post-install instructions with MultiBeast that I found in the post -https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/guide-hp-6300-pro-hp-8300-elite-a-100-percent-working-and-easily-affordable-customac.224812/#kexts and after running MultiBeast with those instructions (which I believe I followed to the letter) my HP 6300 SFF system with i7-3770 processor would not boot after a couple of hours with the install USB inserted. I then erased my SSD using Disk Utility and rebooted to the Clover install menu and tried to re-install from there using a Time Machine backup I had made earlier when the system was running properly while the install USB was inserted.

Then I restarted my system, but all it would do was boot super slowly with the Apple Logo and loading bar progressing to approximately 90% or more, then my screen went all white, which it normally does momentarily during boot, only it stayed that way overnight and longer for probably 13 hours or more at which time I restarted the system again and it booted to the white screen again after nearly an hour. Then all it would do was boot to the white screen after an hour or so and seem to lock up there. I let it run overnight again last night and it was still at that white screen again this morning. I have even created another UniBeast install USB and have reformatted my original install USB and reinstalled using UniBeast for High Sierra to it yielding the same results.

I was able to install High Sierra via UniBeast to a standard hard disk rather than the SSD, it just runs slower. I assumed because of this that for some reason, and even though I was able to use Finder to read the SSD and use Disk Utility to reformat my SSD, that it had somehow become corrupted and had failed. I then successfully used the Power Cycle to restore my SSD. I then reinstalled High Sierra via Unibeast to the SSD and all seems to be well again except for only booting when the install USB is inserted. Here's a link explaining the Power Cycle method to restore a dead or corrupted SSD: https://dfarq.homeip.net/fix-dead-ssd/

I hope this may be helpful to someone else in the forum. Thank you all again for your contributions to the forum that have been so helpful to me.

Respectfully,
dan

 

[namednad]

I am now able to boot without USB drive.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Greetings to all from Texas, USA!

I'm not writing this post asking for help, I'm only posting this in case someone else runs into this issue and to let them know what I found. If moderators find this is not needed, please delete it, or if it should be in another part of the forum, please move it there.

I'm a newbie here and thank you all for the great help I've found here so far just by reading the posts. I ran into some of the booting problems that are apparently common to others, but after multiple attempts I had my system booting and running High Sierra without any issues other than not being able to boot without the install USB inserted. It would just go into a rebooting loop without the install USB.

Using the UniBeast install disk to boot into High Sierra, and after running MultiBeast to install some kexts and installing a couple of dmgs, I had video, sound, wifi internet, had installed some programs and was able to use the system for a couple of days as I normally use my regular MAC OS X systems. It just would not boot to the Mac OS X drive without the install USB inserted. I don't know how many times I attempted to get it to boot from the SSD I had installed High Sierra to after attempting different things that I found on this forum. I went so far as to reformat my SSD drive a couple of times then re-installed High Sierra using UniBeast yielding the same results.

Anyway, I was trying one more time to use the Post-install instructions with MultiBeast that I found in the post -https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/guide-hp-6300-pro-hp-8300-elite-a-100-percent-working-and-easily-affordable-customac.224812/#kexts and after running MultiBeast with those instructions (which I believe I followed to the letter) my HP 6300 SFF system with i7-3770 processor would not boot after a couple of hours with the install USB inserted. I then erased my SSD using Disk Utility and rebooted to the Clover install menu and tried to re-install from there using a Time Machine backup I had made earlier when the system was running properly while the install USB was inserted.

Then I restarted my system, but all it would do was boot super slowly with the Apple Logo and loading bar progressing to approximately 90% or more, then my screen went all white, which it normally does momentarily during boot, only it stayed that way overnight and longer for probably 13 hours or more at which time I restarted the system again and it booted to the white screen again after nearly an hour. Then all it would do was boot to the white screen after an hour or so and seem to lock up there. I let it run overnight again last night and it was still at that white screen again this morning. I have even created another UniBeast install USB and have reformatted my original install USB and reinstalled using UniBeast for High Sierra to it yielding the same results.

I was able to install High Sierra via UniBeast to a standard hard disk rather than the SSD, it just runs slower. I assumed because of this that for some reason, and even though I was able to use Finder to read the SSD and use Disk Utility to reformat my SSD, that it had somehow become corrupted and had failed. I then successfully used the Power Cycle to restore my SSD. I then reinstalled High Sierra via Unibeast to the SSD and all seems to be well again except for only booting when the install USB is inserted. Here's a link explaining the Power Cycle method to restore a dead or corrupted SSD: https://dfarq.homeip.net/fix-dead-ssd/

I hope this may be helpful to someone else in the forum. Thank you all again for your contributions to the forum that have been so helpful to me.

Respectfully,
dan

MultiBeast does not require the use of any Power Cycling 'tricks" to 'mend' faulty SSDs. To be clear MultiBeast has nothing to do with such a problem. Nor does Clover.

Having said that, it would be useful to explain how Power Cycling is able to restore the onboard firmware of an otherwise defunct SSD

 

[namednad]

MultiBeast does not require the use of any Power Cycling 'tricks" to 'mend' faulty SSDs. To be clear MultiBeast has nothing to do with such a problem. Nor does Clover.

Having said that, it would be useful to explain how Power Cycling is able to restore the onboard firmware of an otherwise defunct SSD

No argument about that, in fact what you wrote about MultiBeast and Clover is clearly obvious.

I can't explain why it works, but this is from a CRUCIAL support tech-"from Crucial Support: plug the power cable into the drive, but not the data cable, leave it for 30 min, unplug for 30 seconds and repeat. After two power cycles the SSD may come back to life".

All I can tell you is that it has worked for me, more than once. Thanks again for everything you guys do!

 

[UtterDisbelief]

No argument about that, in fact what you wrote about MultiBeast and Clover is clearly obvious.

I can't explain why it works, but this is from a CRUCIAL support tech-"from Crucial Support: plug the power cable into the drive, but not the data cable, leave it for 30 min, unplug for 30 seconds and repeat. After two power cycles the SSD may come back to life".

All I can tell you is that it has worked for me, more than once. Thanks again for everything you guys do!

Fair enough

I use Crucial SSDs and have never had a problem, fortunately.

The title of your thread was a little, er, "misleading" though ...

 

[namednad]

Apologies... I have edited thread title, I hope this is not misleading.

I've read that most SSD problems relating to not being detected by a system are caused by some sort of power surge. Where I live we have frequent thunderstorms and our power intermittently goes off and back on again.

 

[UtterDisbelief]

Apologies... I have edited thread title, I hope this is not misleading.

I've read that most SSD problems relating to not being detected by a system are caused by some sort of power surge. Where I live we have frequent thunderstorms and our power intermittently goes off and back on again.

Well it's interesting information and good to know. Maybe it will help others who find their SSDs unresponsive, to rescue them rather than mistakenly buying a new one.

From your description you were doing fresh installs. I wonder how much data is lost if you use the technique to rescue a drive already in use? All or nothing or somewhere in-between?

 

[namednad]

I don't know. I always format the SSD when it comes back to life. The next time I do it, I'll read the disk to see what's there but my understanding is the power cycle restores it back to factory defaults.