MacBook Pro A1278 SSD Hard Drive Upgrade: Solving the Mysterious Case of Undetected Hard Drives

Have you ever encountered a situation where your MacBook Pro A1278 fails to detect a hard drive, despite it being in perfect condition? This is a common issue faced by many users who have upgraded their laptop's storage with an Apple-branded hard drive. In this article, we'll explore the reasons behind this problem and offer some solutions to get your hard drive detected again.

The issue is not limited to Apple-branded hard drives, as I've experienced it myself with a Seagate FireCuda SSHD (ST1000LX015) hybrid hard drive. The hard drive was working perfectly until a recent system update, after which it suddenly became undetected when installed inside the MacBook Pro A1278.

I've tried several approaches to troubleshoot this issue, including checking the SATA cable and using an external enclosure to boot the laptop from the hard drive. In both cases, the hard drive was detected without any issues. This led me to suspect that the problem might be related to the firmware or BIOS level.

Some users have reported that they were able to solve this issue by installing a non-Apple-branded hard drive with a different firmware. However, I'm still looking for a more permanent solution that doesn't require replacing the hard drive.

If you're experiencing similar issues with your MacBook Pro A1278 and undetected hard drive, please share your experience in the comments section below. Any solutions or workarounds would be greatly appreciated.

Macbook pro a1278 ssd hard drive upgrade