Culture Shocked. Creating a Ventura backup to an external SSD from a Sonoma-shipped Mac Studio M2 Ultra: how?

[MichaelWV]

Hi, I hope the title says it all. Trying to avoid an overlong message ( impossible!), I just purchased a Mac Studio M2 Ultra (4gb SSD, 192Gb RAM) for my private music studio. It was quite involved, as I also bought two 32" monitors and other stuff, so the connections and reconnections were pretty challenging. It's the first new Mac I've had since my old late-2012 iMac; now an office machine. Coming to a Silicon computer has already been an eye-opener. A bit like the shock of going from System 9 to OSX. Wow that was something!

Some things haven't been that smooth. A Lacie 6 TB went down (don't they always?) in the migration, but I saved the two drives. An old Apple Cinema Display wouldn't work with the new computer; now solved. Some things mysteriously refused to co-operete with the Mac Studio's TB/USB C ports. Still cannot quite understand the difference between the two front ports and the rear ones.

It has been the roughest Mac transition I've experienced. But everything is resolved, except that I really do want to avoid running Sonoma for the time being, due to incompatible music software. As it is, my first impressions are cautiously favourable, with regard to the OS.

My intention is to install Ventura onto an external OWC SSD, then migrate my present Monterey setup to it ( from another SSD) and run my Mac Studio from that. I already migrated my Monterey system to the Sonoma Mac Studio with no apparent issues. Haven't tested the music stuff as yet. So, is there anyone out there (who's still reading this!) who could kindly point me in the right direction, please?

Once Sonoma is fully music-friendly I'll move over and use the external SSD as Time Machine backup.

I've realised, after some research, that it's not easy. In fact, I don't yet fully grasp the extent of the task. The Intel route was so much more simple and flexible.

If anyone can help, please, do treat me like an idiot, because in respect to this, I really am that idiot.

Many thanks.

 

[ColdCase]

How to make an external bootable working drive in macOS Ventura | AppleInsider

When something goes wrong with your Mac, it's a boon to have a separate, external drive that you can work from — but Apple no longer makes that easy. Here's how to do it.

appleinsider.com

 

[MichaelWV]

What was that phrase about a bad apple again....?

Thank you kindly for the reply. Wonderful info...

 

[Fishrrman]

Excuse me for being a dense old man, but what OS is CURRENTLY installed on the Studio?

What OS do you want on the external drive?

Let's make things simple, OK?

Here's how I would create an external drive:
1. Download the free utility called "Mist" from here:

Release 0.9.1 · ninxsoft/Mist

Fixed insecure HTTP URLs for certain Firmware files - thanks F1248! Fixed a bug where downloads were not being cancelled when the Escape key was being pressed - thanks F1248! Rolled back the Bootab...

github.com

(you want the ".dmg" file from the download page)

2. Mist will both download an installer AND create a bootable USB flashdrive in one integrated operation. Looks to be very smooth.

3. Now, get a 32gb USB flashdrive. A 16gb MIGHT work, but 32gb you know will be ok.

4. Use Mist to create an installer for the OS of your choice.

5. Boot the Studio from the flashdrive installer. (hopefully this will work)

6. Have your "target" USB drive pre-initialized and erased to APFS, GUID partition format.

7. Begin the install, but when the installer asks WHERE to install, "aim it" at the external drive.

8. See if the install will go through. Can't make promises here, things are changed considerably with the m-series Macs.

9. If you DO get "a good install", have a backup drive ready from which to migrate (I'm wondering if you could "migrate" directly from the Studio's internal drive).

 

[Chancha]

It is unlikely he could successfully migrate from the Sonoma instance already on the Studio to the Ventura fresh install. Migration Assistant / Time Machine often only permits OS upgrade not downgrade in the process.

But in fact I don't understand why anyone would, since the OP's intention is to avoid Sonoma, so going straight from the Monterey backup to the fresh Ventura install should have been what was planned.

Then whatever he has done on the Sonoma instance should remain as a test bed and left unused, once he starts using the external Ventura install. On Ventura I'd re-do all the application installations and user settings again, just don't try to copy anything from Sonoma.

 

[SpecFoto]

I just went through this last month as I use an external Acasis drive with a 4TB NVMe and Ventura as my startup drive for my new M2 Mac Studio Max, which came with Sonoma. Previously it was used as the start up drive for a 2019 iMac. The Mac OS needs to be specific for the Apple Silicone system so I had to reinstall the Mac Silicone OS on my external drive to make it the Mac Studio startup, the existing Intel Mac OS would not work.

1. Using the Mac Studio, download the Ventura 13.6.3 Installer from the Apple Store (It automatically picks the correct Silicone OS).
2. Start up the MS and install Ventura on the external drive. If your external drive is formatted as APFS, you should not need to wipe the existing external drive clean and your existing data can remain, as least my drive did. Transfer a copy of the Ventura Installer to the external drive Application folder when done.
3. Reboot the MS. In the System Preferences choose the external drive as the Start Up drive and restart. You can now operate from the external drive with Ventura.

In my case I wanted a copy of Ventura on the internal MS SSD:
4. From the external drive Erase the MS internal SSD using the built in Disk Utility formatting it as APFS and install Ventura on the MS. ( My MS would not let me install Ventura over Sonoma, I had to wipe it clean).

5. Transfer your data to which ever drive you want. As my MS has only a 1TB internal SSD I use the 4TB external for all my System and personal info, along with 2 8TB SSD RAID's. The internal MS 1TB is just for mainly for storage and a cache for Photoshop at present.

 

[chrfr]

Why not just put Ventura on the internal storage and work from that? A downgrade is not difficult, although it does require erasing the computer.

 

[MichaelWV]

As a co-founder, I welcome you to the Old Men's Club.

As I originally described, Sonoma is installed. I only just bought the Mac Studio.I admit my post is rather bogged down by irrelevant minutiae of my life story; so, that detail could have got lost in the meandering tributaries.


And as I already explained, I want Ventura on an external SSD, because some music software in not yet Sonoma-ready. For the time being, I intend to run things from this new OWC/Ventura SSD.


And, as mentioned, I migrated everything over to the Mac Studio from an external Monterey-installed SSD I was running on an old iMac, courtesy of OCLP. It all went without a hitch. Sort of. My issue has been my unfamiliarity with the protocols of the Silicon architecture.


The new OWC SSD drive is formatted and ready to go, but first I'll test Sonoma on the Studio to ascertain the extent of the incompatibilities.


As for 1-9.... All understood, but I have no intention to migrate from Sonoma, since that's the very OS I'm trying to avoid right now! Your method appears good and clear, with a little uncertainty as to the outcome. Understandable. It seems, though, that the first linked article's method is more suitable for my addled brain, because...


I have been using OCLP to create USB installers, and already have one created for Ventura, without (I hasten to add) having OCLP installed.That's an option that I declined for my purposes, as it's only really intended for running "modern" OS's on "obsolete" hardware. Pah! However, I will look into this Mist utility, and thank you for the link. I vaguely heard of it.


As of now, the Mac Studio cannot see my OCLP-created USB Ventura installer, but having read through the article kindly provided by the other contributor, it seems I do not require a USB installer at all, because I have a Ventura installer present on my Sonoma system, by way of the aforementioned Monterey migration I performed.

So, the other-described method bypasses USB installer route, and one "points" the OS installer of choice to the target drive from within the internal Recovery mode of (in this case) Sonoma, on my Mac Studio. It's known as a pre-boot, I believe. I think I got that right. Um.... awkward mumble....


In any eventually, I will report back with my results.


Thanks for taking the time with your suggestions.

 

[MichaelWV]

Why not just put Ventura on the internal storage and work from that? A downgrade is not difficult, although it does require erasing the computer.

Read. My. Lips: "If anyone can help, please, do treat me like an idiot, because in respect to this, I really am that idiot."

You don't specify how to do it. In certain quarters it's supposed to impossible to downgrade. And anyway, right now, I'd actually like to preserve Sonoma in readiness for fully-compatible operation.

Thanks

 

[MichaelWV]

I just went through this last month as I use an external Acasis drive with a 4TB NVMe and Ventura as my startup drive for my new M2 Mac Studio Max, which came with Sonoma. Previously it was used as the start up drive for a 2019 iMac. The Mac OS needs to be specific for the Apple Silicone system so I had to reinstall the Mac Silicone OS on my external drive to make it the Mac Studio startup, the existing Intel Mac OS would not work.

1. Using the Mac Studio, download the Ventura 13.6.3 Installer from the Apple Store (It automatically picks the correct Silicone OS).
2. Start up the MS and install Ventura on the external drive. If your external drive is formatted as APFS, you should not need to wipe the existing external drive clean and your existing data can remain, as least my drive did. Transfer a copy of the Ventura Installer to the external drive Application folder when done.
3. Reboot the MS. In the System Preferences choose the external drive as the Start Up drive and restart. You can now operate from the external drive with Ventura.

In my case I wanted a copy of Ventura on the internal MS SSD:
4. From the external drive Erase the MS internal SSD using the built in Disk Utility formatting it as APFS and install Ventura on the MS. ( My MS would not let me install Ventura over Sonoma, I had to wipe it clean).

5. Transfer your data to which ever drive you want. As my MS has only a 1TB internal SSD I use the 4TB external for all my System and personal info, along with 2 8TB SSD RAID's. The internal MS 1TB is just for mainly for storage and a cache for Photoshop at present.

Thank you for that. Great and clear detail for my purposes, which I'll definitely consider.

Right now, I've been assessing the damage of working with Sonoma. I was quite surprised at just how much music software worked. I'd estimate c.95%. But that's not good enough. I want a exact copy of my Monterey version. Well, within certain tolerances, I'd accept 99%.

I've just discovered some genius on YouTube, who has figured out how to force Logic Pro AU validation, so that any apparently permanently-failed AU will be persuaded to work. And it's 100% foolproof. I say "force", but it's an incredibly elegant solution. This very fact is pushing me closer to 100%.

 

[MichaelWV]

It is unlikely he could successfully migrate from the Sonoma instance already on the Studio to the Ventura fresh install. Migration Assistant / Time Machine often only permits OS upgrade not downgrade in the process.

But in fact I don't understand why anyone would, since the OP's intention is to avoid Sonoma, so going straight from the Monterey backup to the fresh Ventura install should have been what was planned.

Then whatever he has done on the Sonoma instance should remain as a test bed and left unused, once he starts using the external Ventura install. On Ventura I'd re-do all the application installations and user settings again, just don't try to copy anything from Sonoma.

Exactamundo.

 

[oneartist]

Excuse me for being a dense old man, but what OS is CURRENTLY installed on the Studio?

What OS do you want on the external drive?

Let's make things simple, OK?

Here's how I would create an external drive:
1. Download the free utility called "Mist" from here:

Release 0.9.1 · ninxsoft/Mist

Fixed insecure HTTP URLs for certain Firmware files - thanks F1248! Fixed a bug where downloads were not being cancelled when the Escape key was being pressed - thanks F1248! Rolled back the Bootab...

github.com

(you want the ".dmg" file from the download page)

2. Mist will both download an installer AND create a bootable USB flashdrive in one integrated operation. Looks to be very smooth.

3. Now, get a 32gb USB flashdrive. A 16gb MIGHT work, but 32gb you know will be ok.

4. Use Mist to create an installer for the OS of your choice.

5. Boot the Studio from the flashdrive installer. (hopefully this will work)

6. Have your "target" USB drive pre-initialized and erased to APFS, GUID partition format.

7. Begin the install, but when the installer asks WHERE to install, "aim it" at the external drive.

8. See if the install will go through. Can't make promises here, things are changed considerably with the m-series Macs.

9. If you DO get "a good install", have a backup drive ready from which to migrate (I'm wondering if you could "migrate" directly from the Studio's internal drive).

I've been trying to install Ventura onto a M1 Mac mini that was erased. I could never download a copy of Ventura using my M2 MacBook Air because it had Sonoma. When I tried to load Sonoma on my mini a message said I must install Ventura first and then update to Sonoma. I was stuck until I used Fishrrmans post. Mist worked perfectly. Thanks!!