Using External SSD and then OCLP?

[Milew81]

I have a late 2012 iMac that is running Catalina. I have a new Samsung T7 SSD and want to load the OS on it as primary. Note - I am not experienced with mac at all so please explain this to me like i am 6.


What is the first step to loading an OS onto a new SSD?
Would I need to FIRST load Catalina on the SSD, then use OCLP so I can upgrade?

I am very frustrated that, even though I bought this mac years ago, I did pay nearly 3k for it, and now I cannot use the applications I have always used because I am stuck at catalina.

 

[dantearmok]

Read carefully the OCLP Install Guide. It and the FAQs should answer most of your questions.

GitHub - dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher: Experience macOS just like before

Experience macOS just like before. Contribute to dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

And fwiw, I'm embarking on the same path, going to put Ventura on my mini (late 2012).

 

[davidlv]

I have a late 2012 iMac that is running Catalina. I have a new Samsung T7 SSD and want to load the OS on it as primary. Note - I am not experienced with mac at all so please explain this to me like i am 6.


What is the first step to loading an OS onto a new SSD?
Would I need to FIRST load Catalina on the SSD, then use OCLP so I can upgrade?

I am very frustrated that, even though I bought this mac years ago, I did pay nearly 3k for it, and now I cannot use the applications I have always used because I am stuck at catalina.

First, you need to make a Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) backup of your data, and if possible have two separate backups.
A cheap 500GB Buffalo USB-type SSD will work fine.
Next you need to make an OS USB installer for Monterey or Ventura (monterey is lighter and will still get security updates until late 2024. Ventura will (should) work with that hardware and OCLP, but it is a much more complex system.
Download the latest release of OCLP 0.6.8 for Ventura or 0.4.11 for Monterey. Both are available here:

https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases.

Run the OCLP app from your current Catalina install and choose the "Create Mac OS Installer" menu choice.
That will give you the option to download the target OS, and install the OS to a 16GB USB initialized as a HFs+ & Guid Partition Map with the name Untitled.
After you get that far, the explanation provided by the OCLP developers should be enough to get the OS installed.
Remember, you need to start up from the USB holding down the Option Key, and then Click on the EFI icon once (if you don't the unsupported hardware won't boot), and then the USB installer.
Once it boots up, plug in the Samsung, and use the Disk Utility (View menu Show all Devices) to wipe the external SSD and then to install the target system to the Samsung T7 SSD.
Bon Voyage.

 

[Milew81]

Read carefully the OCLP Install Guide. It and the FAQs should answer most of your questions.

GitHub - dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher: Experience macOS just like before

Experience macOS just like before. Contribute to dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

And fwiw, I'm embarking on the same path, going to put Ventura on my mini (late 2012).

Thanks man!

 

[Milew81]

First, you need to make a Carbon Copy Cloner (CCC) backup of your data, and if possible have two separate backups.
A cheap 500GB Buffalo USB-type SSD will work fine.
Next you need to make an OS USB installer for Monterey or Ventura (monterey is lighter and will still get security updates until late 2024. Ventura will (should) work with that hardware and OCLP, but it is a much more complex system.
Download the latest release of OCLP 0.6.8 for Ventura or 0.4.11 for Monterey. Both are available here:

https://github.com/dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/releases.

Run the OCLP app from your current Catalina install and choose the "Create Mac OS Installer" menu choice.
That will give you the option to download the target OS, and install the OS to a 16GB USB initialized as a HFs+ & Guid Partition Map with the name Untitled.
After you get that far, the explanation provided by the OCLP developers should be enough to get the OS installed.
Remember, you need to start up from the USB holding down the Option Key, and then Click on the EFI icon once (if you don't the unsupported hardware won't boot), and then the USB installer.
Once it boots up, plug in the Samsung, and use the Disk Utility (View menu Show all Devices) to wipe the external SSD and then to install the target system to the Samsung T7 SSD.
Bon Voyage.

There is nothing really on my current HDD that, if I lose,wil matter. I have my photos and videos saved already. I just want to use the HDD for storage. I have a 1TB Samsunt T7 SSD I will use to run the OS. I will be trying this soon this week thanks again and I will report back!

 

[davidlv]

There is nothing really on my current HDD that, if I lose,wil matter. I have my photos and videos saved already. I just want to use the HDD for storage. I have a 1TB Samsung T7 SSD I will use to run the OS. I will be trying this soon this week thanks again and I will report back!

You never really said what the internal storage is. Does that iMac have a fusion drive or a plain HDD?
If it is a Fusion drive, composed of a 128GB SSD and a HDD, you can split them into two separate disks.

 

[Milew81]

You never really said what the internal storage is. Does that iMac have a fusion drive or a plain HDD?
If it is a Fusion drive, composed of a 128GB SSD and a HDD, you can split them into two separate disks.

Sorry, the iMac came with a 1TB Fusion drive -my main goal is to get an updated OS to be primary on the new Samsung T7 - I just don't know about OCLP as I haven't done it. Not sure, still, if I need to first install a compatible OS (catalina) and then, from the new drive use OCLP to upgrade? I am just really needing to download and use certain apps that I no longer can download from Catalinal - thanks again!~

 

[Milew81]

You never really said what the internal storage is. Does that iMac have a fusion drive or a plain HDD?
If it is a Fusion drive, composed of a 128GB SSD and a HDD, you can split them into two separate disks.

And I had no idea the Fusion drive had an SSD - I just cannot stand the lag time at boot, opening large files, etc so I got the SSD Samsung T7

 

[davidlv]

Sorry, the iMac came with a 1TB Fusion drive -my main goal is to get an updated OS to be primary on the new Samsung T7 - I just don't know about OCLP as I haven't done it. Not sure, still, if I need to first install a compatible OS (catalina) and then, from the new drive use OCLP to upgrade? I am just really needing to download and use certain apps that I no longer can download from Catalinal - thanks again!~

It is possible to split the Fusion drive into one SSD and one HDD. If you want to do that search on the forums, it has been explained several times. Keep in mind that all the dataa on both drive will be lost in the process so make your you have a good backup or 2.
Next, you can just leave the Fusion drive as is and install Ventura or Monterey to the external Samsung drive.
You do not need to install Catalina first.
You need to make an OCLP OS install USB disk, preferably using the latest release of OCLP.
Get the latest macOS here (either Ventura or Monterey); https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-ventura-13-full-installer-database-download-directly-from-apple/ or https://mrmacintosh.com/macos-12-monterey-full-installer-database-download-directly-from-apple/
and put it in the Application folder
Download OCLP;

Releases · dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher

Experience macOS just like before. Contribute to dortania/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com

Run the OCLP app, choose Create a OS installer
After that USB disk is complete, all you have to do is follow the instructions at;

OpenCore Legacy Patcher

Experience macOS just like before

dortania.github.io

Bon Voyage