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I have a MacBook Pro 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 (mid-2011 model) running OS X 10.8.2. I upgraded to an SSD which I bought from Crucial and works just great. Crucial sent an email recommending I upgrade my firmware to get even better performance from my SSD.

I downloaded the firmware to my desktop in the form of an ISO file from the Crucial website, and the instructions told me to burn this to a disk and change my boot order in order to boot from this disk. I burned the disk but subsequently have not been able to get a bios screen or to be able to boot from the DVD I created. I have tried holding down the C key but nothing seems to happen.

What do I need to do to complete the installation of the firmware?

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2 Answers 2

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The guide provided by Crucial here is quite PC-hardware centric, that's why they talk about BIOS, I guess. Forget BIOS in a Mac context.

You say you burned a DVD. I've downloaded the ISO file from the update page, burned a CD and I couldn't boot from it either when pressing 'C' upon restart (as explained here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1533]. The CD spun, but except for the noise nothing happened. (I own a Macbook Pro 2.2 GHZ Intel Core i7 (early 2011)).

I've checked the ISO file, it is a Linux boot CD that I suspect is not tuned for Mac hardware. I'd say contact Crucial customer support.

(The guide states:

Firmware version 010G includes improvements which are specific for Windows 8 and new UltraBook systems, although Windows 7 and other operating systems and computer platforms may also see improvements.

so maybe you are not missing much...)

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  • Thanks I'll let them know but I didn't realize how windoze specific the update is so I guess I will just leave it be.
    – mcheema
    Commented Oct 18, 2012 at 15:27
  • Just to complete this topic here is the reply from Crucial: Thank you for your email. A Firmware update should only be done if it addresses a certain issue and this new Firmware update isn't needed for the Macbook Pro. Our Firmware tool is compatible with a MAC and it sounds like the ISO file hasn't downloaded as it should have. If you want to go ahead with the update then I would recommend trying the download again or connecting the drive to a Windows based system and trying again. If you have any further questions or need further help, just let us know.
    – mcheema
    Commented Oct 19, 2012 at 15:50
  • Just wanted to share this: I inserted the firmware CD my Mac couldn't boot from into my wife's PC (Dell Inspiron / Windows 7) and it booted into the Crucial firmware tool without a hitch.
    – jaume
    Commented Oct 20, 2012 at 19:52
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You should know there is no such this as "BIOS" on a Mac (the equivalent system is called EFI, but you don't boot into it to change settings). To boot from a DVD or any other external medium, you'll have to hold down the Option ⌥ key while booting.
Then you'll get a list with all the bootable devices and there you can select the device you want to boot from.

Or you can go to System Preferences > Startup Disk to select your disk and then reboot. Then you'll also boot from the disk.

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  • I didn't know any of that so thanks. I unfortunately can't vote up the answer until my rep goes up but will then. In this situation my disk does not show up in the startup disk window so I think as jaume pointed out this image is just not good for a MAC and I would have no confidence in it anyway at this point.
    – mcheema
    Commented Oct 18, 2012 at 15:30

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