So, because I couldn't find any guides for quite what I did I figured I'd write a quick summary in the hopes that it can help someone else. Also, I feel like procrastinating a bit. It is hardly a comprehensive tutorial, and I can only speak for my specific setup.
The situation: I have a MacBook Pro 15" Core2Duo running 10.6.7.* I recently swapped in an 80gig OCZ Vertex 2 SSD for the boot drive in place of the old hard drive and moved the hard drive to the optical bay slot using an OptiBay.** I have been having kernel panics every time I try to wake it up from Safe Sleep*** after power loss (swapping batteries w/o power cable). It seems this is a known issue with the OCZ Vertex 2 (and other similar) SSDs. A firmware update**** seems to fix the problem. Unfortunately OCZ has shit-awful support for updating firmware on any non-Windows platform.
I found a few helpful forum discussions, but this is what I did:
First, check your firmware version: In System Profiler (Apple menu --> about this mac --> more info) under the Serial-ATA window in hardware you should see your SSD. Look for the "Revision" next to "Model" and "Serial Number." That is your current firmware version.
To actually change the firmware you need to deal with Windows. I already have Windows 7 installed via Bootcamp on the hard drive, and NTFS-3G installed so OS X can read and write NTFS (the Windows file format). The OCZ firmware updater is a small Windows program. For it to work, the SSD can't be the drive that Windows is booted from, and the SSD needs to have at least a small Windows-formatted partition.
Using Disc Utility I shrunk the existing OS X boot drive partition and added a second partition that was about 6 gigs big. It could probably be smaller. I formatted it as NTFS (possible thanks to the NTFS-3G plugin), but FAT may work or you could format the partition as NTFS from Windows or the Bootcamp Utility app. You don't need to instal anything onto the partition, it only needs to be Windows-formatted (I'm not sure if it must be NTFS or if FAT will also work).
I booted into the existing Bootcamp Windows instal on the hard drive, and ran the OCS firmware updater program following their instructions. (When I first tried I didn't know you had to have a Windows-formatted partition on the SSD, and the program didn't recognize the SSD even though Windows saw it just fine.) Somewhere along here you'll probably have Windows or some antivirus program you installed and forgot about yell at you to register or update or whatever because you haven't booted into Windows in months and never bothered to put in the license key. I cursed a couple times, mashed some buttons to make the dialogs go away, and rebooted into OS X.
I checked the firmware in System Profiler again, saw a higher number, and felt triumphant. A quick test of the Safe Sleep issue was successful, so hopefully that fixed it. Now you can remove the extra partition on the SSD in Disc Utility and have a sandwich.
* I believe this guide applies to all Intel MacBooks, including unibodies, running any OS X, but this is the only unit I have tried.
** The OptiBay has adequate but mediocre build-quality, and at $100 w/ external drive case included is rather over-priced, but it did the job. I have since learned that there are alternatives, but I don't know the specifics.
*** Technically Deep Sleep I believe, but the Mac automatically enters that from Safe Sleep under default settings (I think).
**** In my case the current firmware is 1.32, I believe I started with 1.22 or 1.24 but I didn't keep good notes because I fail at life.
[Edited to fix NTSF to NTFS because yay dyslexia]
Showing posts with label mac. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mac. Show all posts
3/24/2011
3/03/2011
UI tweaks in OS X Lion
I always love these look at the steps in the evolution of a UI.
When Apple changed the system folders to monochrome I found that it did hurt usability, but I'm actually curious if it might be worth the trade off this time. We'll see. Regardless, the care the designers invest is undeniable.
iTunes was first to go monochrome, and now Lion is following in its footsteps. Things like the color icons in the sidebar in Finder are now monochrome[.]
...
Another move to make the interface take a step back and bring user content forward. Giving up color cues almost certainly makes it less usable, so what’s gained? A nicer looking interface that feels simpler because it fades away into the background, presenting you with less information to process.
When Apple changed the system folders to monochrome I found that it did hurt usability, but I'm actually curious if it might be worth the trade off this time. We'll see. Regardless, the care the designers invest is undeniable.
7/19/2010
7/03/2010
Brand Recognition - not a 'smartphone,' but an 'iPhone?'
“No, I don’t work on a laptop at home,” someone recently said to me. “I work on my MacBook.”
Not sure if this frightens or impresses me...
4/28/2010
Applegeek's Eve character merged with Summer Glau
this is two of my favorite things in the world merged - I love Hawk!! (he's been working on a bunch of really cool projects for QMx, like the Wash Little Damn Heroes figurine.)
2/17/2010
Gruber and Pilgrim on Mac, Linux, "betterness" and data openness
(from 2006, but I only saw this now, and it is just as applicable now as ever)
YES YES YES: Gruber on Pilgrim's decision to switch from Mac to Linux (and what makes something 'better')
More yes:
Pilgrim's primary concern is over data portability, which usually boils down to format openness and has hurt him many times - an issue that I am already quite concerned about myself and am trying to focus on more and more when I choose database-type software but have yet to be satisfied with. Proprietary concerns me far less than real world practical 'openness' in the data-portability sense. In my case the various factors in OS decision work out differently, but I really like the issue(s) that Pilgrim brought up and am thinking about them more than I used to. In fact, right now I am in the middle of trying to migrate my Aperture library over to my new clean instal, and am having issues with data corruption and file ownership permissions - I chose Aperture for its UI-level photo library management tools, but the biggest flaw with it is it's awkward library structure under the hood which lock me into the Aperture ecosystem. Would I make the same decision again to lock myself into Aperture? Yes, but only because there still is nothing 'better' out there (for me) - I can't wait to jump ship the moment something does come along though.
YES YES YES: Gruber on Pilgrim's decision to switch from Mac to Linux (and what makes something 'better')
More yes:
I’m deeply suspicious of Mac users who claim to be perfectly happy with Mac OS X. Real Mac users, to me, are people with much higher standards, impossibly high standards, and who use Macs not because they’re great, but because they suck less than everything else. Pilgrim, to me, is a quintessential Mac user in that regard; and what he’s doing is wondering if maybe things might suck less somewhere else.
Pilgrim's primary concern is over data portability, which usually boils down to format openness and has hurt him many times - an issue that I am already quite concerned about myself and am trying to focus on more and more when I choose database-type software but have yet to be satisfied with. Proprietary concerns me far less than real world practical 'openness' in the data-portability sense. In my case the various factors in OS decision work out differently, but I really like the issue(s) that Pilgrim brought up and am thinking about them more than I used to. In fact, right now I am in the middle of trying to migrate my Aperture library over to my new clean instal, and am having issues with data corruption and file ownership permissions - I chose Aperture for its UI-level photo library management tools, but the biggest flaw with it is it's awkward library structure under the hood which lock me into the Aperture ecosystem. Would I make the same decision again to lock myself into Aperture? Yes, but only because there still is nothing 'better' out there (for me) - I can't wait to jump ship the moment something does come along though.
2/10/2010
the god-tablet...err 'iPad'... P0ST 0F D00M!!
Since I've been rather busy the last few weeks with all this life stuff, I never did get around to posting my thoughts about the iPad before or after it's official christening, so here's a summary of my thoughts - err, links to posts I generally like:
the buildup to the 11th tablet direct from god:
---Gruber's excellent critique of the godTablet's true conceptual predecessor, the Newton
T3H HYP3!!!!1!!!:
---"Don't you have any inside sources you can contact?" (PvP comic)
the MaxiPad:
---the price is fucking amazing
---hey, the name isn't any worse thaniTouch, I mean the "iPod Touch"...
---yes, it is just "an overgrown iTouch," but that's exactly the point, that's precisely what I (we?) have been wanting for years ---sure, it's not a netbook, but I have no interest in one of those anyway, and if I want something more advanced there's always the Axiotron Modbook. It is the perfect device for the bus or taking notes in class (with a bluetooth keyboard)
---I cannot wait till Ihave the money decide I can live without food for a month and buy one - the 3G plan is EXACTLY what I have been wanting for years and can probably replace my current hack for getting cellular data fro $30/mo (well, okay, cheaper would be nice - $30 is just about the upper limit I can afford a month...)(not having to jailbreak to use it as a mobile wifi modem would be nice would make this a way better product)
---that whole flash kerfuffle: sure, flash 'would be nice,' and I really wish they used a flashblock type setup where you leave flash off by default but click an item to enable flash as needed, but I can live without probably and if this hastens Flash's demise then so much the better (disclosure: I FUCKING HATE FLASH)
---the DRM/app lock-in/gulag: yes, it sucks, they need to give users the option to use non-approved apps without having to endure the jailbreak arms-race, but it is a sacrifice I will gladly make for this kind of quality design (until someone comes along and makes something better - sadly I doubt this will happen anytime in the next decade or two)
the real importance/significance and why it actually matters:
---well, for one thing we need to actually need to make computers work for normal users and the backlash is really "future shock" [via Marco] - the significance is really in the long run, in this new category of consumer electronics appliances
---Alan Kay's take:
the aftermath:
---CARS does a remarkable foreshadowing post (technically this was posted beforehand, but it works so well...)
the buildup to the 11th tablet direct from god:
---Gruber's excellent critique of the godTablet's true conceptual predecessor, the Newton
T3H HYP3!!!!1!!!:
---"Don't you have any inside sources you can contact?" (PvP comic)
the MaxiPad:
---the price is fucking amazing
---hey, the name isn't any worse than
---yes, it is just "an overgrown iTouch," but that's exactly the point, that's precisely what I (we?) have been wanting for years ---sure, it's not a netbook, but I have no interest in one of those anyway, and if I want something more advanced there's always the Axiotron Modbook. It is the perfect device for the bus or taking notes in class (with a bluetooth keyboard)
---I cannot wait till I
---that whole flash kerfuffle: sure, flash 'would be nice,' and I really wish they used a flashblock type setup where you leave flash off by default but click an item to enable flash as needed, but I can live without probably and if this hastens Flash's demise then so much the better (disclosure: I FUCKING HATE FLASH)
---the DRM/app lock-in/gulag: yes, it sucks, they need to give users the option to use non-approved apps without having to endure the jailbreak arms-race, but it is a sacrifice I will gladly make for this kind of quality design (until someone comes along and makes something better - sadly I doubt this will happen anytime in the next decade or two)
the real importance/significance and why it actually matters:
---well, for one thing we need to actually need to make computers work for normal users and the backlash is really "future shock" [via Marco] - the significance is really in the long run, in this new category of consumer electronics appliances
---Alan Kay's take:
When the Mac first came out, Newsweek asked me what I [thought] of it. I said: Well, it’s the first personal computer worth criticizing. So at the end of the presentation, Steve came up to me and said: Is the iPhone worth criticizing? And I said: Make the screen five inches by eight inches, and you’ll rule the world.[via Daring Fireball]
the aftermath:
---CARS does a remarkable foreshadowing post (technically this was posted beforehand, but it works so well...)
2/09/2010
handy Windows program brings over some Mac features for Bootcamp users
(or those who have the misfortune of not being able to hackintosh their inferior hardware... well, and I suppose those odd people who prefer Windows... ::shudder::): maComfort [via TUAW]
1/31/2010
ClickToFlash
I can't believe it took me this long to stumble across this flash-blocker plugin for Safari - ClickToFlash. I used ScriptBlock in Firefox all the time, but never bothered to replace it in Safari because it's a faster, stabler browser to begin with, but I'm so excited to use it now.
1/12/2010
Inklet is an AMAZING looking app
...that lets you use your trackpad as a basic pentablet. [via TUAW] I want this app so badly - I actually played around with soemthing similar to this before (using Flysketch) and I already have their Pojo stylus - but alas it only works on the newest multi-touch Macbook/Macbook Pro trackpads so I'll have to wait to upgrade River before I can use this...
Moltz on The TABLET
Astounding news is rocking the tablet rumor circuit as Apple appears prepared to deliver a tablet-enabled version of iWork when it introduces its new tablet at the tablet special event on January 27th, also known as “Tablet launch day”. (Tablet.)
Crazy Apple Rumors
1/11/2010
12/29/2009
12/05/2009
11/28/2009
Mouse Gesture App for Mac
As you may already have the misfortune of knowing, I am a huge mouse gesture geek. Mouse gestures are the mouse equivalent to keyboard shortcuts, enabled by drawing different shapes with the mouse cursor. Opera has them built in, and Firefox has the Mouse Gestures Redox plug in to enable gestures in those specific apps. Previously I wrote about my love for CocoaSuite, which worked in all Mac Cocoa apps, but it no longer works in 64 bit Snow Leopard apps and has been abandoned by the developer. Which leads to my newly-discovered love - X-Gestures! (only $5 and written by a Hampshire alum no less ^_^) It is a little awkward to configure at first, but has incredible configurability and flexibility. If you are a Mac mouser go download it NOW! (if you're a keyboarder check out Butler and Quicksilver)
11/03/2009
A heartbreaking review of Apple's New Magic Mouse
By Ars Technica
The Dealbreaker:
The Dealbreaker:
Those of you who make middle-clicking a regular part of your mousing activities will want to avoid the Magic Mouse altogether: middle clicks are not supported at all. But there's one aspect of the Magic Mouse that may be a complete deal-breaker for long-time Apple Mouse users: no support for Exposé and Dashboard actions.
10/27/2009
10/26/2009
9/25/2009
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