OS 10.11 will not Update

[RalphTomaccio]

I've had problems with the App store not updating apps or OS's in the past, but I was usually able to work-around that by going to the Apple Support download site, download the file manually and update in that manner. Now, ever since upgrading to El Capitan, even THAT doesn't work. I've downloaded OS 10.11.1, 10.11.2, 10.11.3 as well as the 10.11.3.Combo file and none of them will install. I have even gone as far as re-installing OS 10.11 and again trying the updates, nothing works.

What happens is that when I get to this point and click "Install":

It immediately goes to this point in less than a second:

It can't possibly install the update in such a short period of time. And that is confirmed by me going to the About this Mac dialog after restarting where it still says 10.11.

Any solutions to this on-going problem I'm experiencing?

 

[honestone]

No matter how you update (via the App Store, or using the Combo Updater (that is the way I prefer to update)), you will always get that last screen "rather quickly". You do need to click Restart, and then the machine will indeed restart, and the update will proceed. That eventual update process does take some time, but it should successfully complete.

That has always been my experience with recent OS updates. And, as I mentioned, I always update using the Combo Updater.

What are you doing after you get that screen above? It sounds like you are not clicking on Restart.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

Yes, that is the wait is suppose to work and, yes, I do click on restart. It restarts, but NOTHING happens from there other than a normal restart. The OS does not update.

 

[honestone]

Did yiu perform any disk cleanup/maintenance/repair tasks on your internal drive prior to upgrading from Yosemite tom El Capitan, including Repairing Permissions?

There is the possibility that you have a permissions issue with your internal drive. Unfortunately, the version of Disk Utility in El Capitan no,longer has this task. However, you can download the excellent, free, venerable, and well-reviewed software entitled Onyx, from here:

http://www.titanium.free.fr/onyx.html

Make sure you download and install version 3.1.4, the first one on that list. Onyx has the Repair Permissions feature, and you will most likely need to run 2 or 3 times. It also has some other useful features related to disk cleanup.

After you Repair Permissions, re-download the OS 10.11.3 Combo Updater from here:

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1859?locale=en_US

Also, do you have a more advanced Disk Maintenance program like TechTool Pro or Disk Warrior? Either of them are superior to Disk Utility.

And, you should perform periodic disk cleanup/maintenance/repairs on your drive. Along with you doing some disk cleanup on your own, Onyx and one of those products I mentioned would be some good tools to use for those tasks.

Finally, are you making backups to an external device? And if yiu are, what software are you using for that?

 

[RalphTomaccio]

I used Onyx for El Capitan before any attempts to update.

Most recently I redownloaded the full 6GB installer, backed up all my stuff, placed the installer on my external HD and ran it, installing the OS on my iMac HD. It restarted and, after about 25 minutes with the progress bar on the screen, the screen went all white with no scroll bar appearing. The only thing showing currently is the cursor. If I hit any key, the cursor disappears but will return if I try moving it. It has been this way for about another 20 after the initial 25 minute startup. Nothing seems to be happening.

So, what do I do now? I was tempted to force quit and shut down, but decided that may really screw things up.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

After force quitting, I restarted and it eventually finished installing. I then went to About this Mac and it STILL says 10.11 (15A284).

If I wipe out my whole iMac HD and do a clean install, is this 6GB file the one I should use to start from scratch? And, at this point, are there any other options left?

 

[honestone]

After force quitting, I restarted and it eventually finished installing. I then went to About this Mac and it STILL says 10.11 (15A284).

If I wipe out my whole iMac HD and do a clean install, is this 6GB file the one I should use to start from scratch? And, at this point, are there any other options left?

Yes, and first, it would be the full 6 GB Installer file you have.

I'm assuming that this latest attempt by you was to update from OS 10.11 to something "higher". But, the size of 6GB for the installer sounds like you were updating to either 10.11.1, 10.11.2, or 10.11.3 with a full OS installer. The size of the Combo Updater for OS 10.11.3, on the other hand, is 1.47 GB. So, please describe exactly where you were upgrading from, what you were upgrading to, and which updater file you tried to use.

Also, regarding your most recent attempt, when you say "Most recently I redownloaded the full 6GB installer, backed up all my stuff, placed the installer on my external HD and ran it, installing the OS on my iMac HD", how exactly did you start up that installer file on your external hard drive?

When I upgraded from Yosemite (OS 10.10.5), I actually started with the full OS 10.11.1 full installer. The reason why I waited for OS 10.11.1 is that the first beta of OS 10.11.1 appeared near the beginning of August, almost 8 weeks before OS 10.11 was released (at the end of September). OS 10.11.1 came out 4 weeks later, at the end of October. (The other factor was that the update for TechTool Pro (one of my 5 products that I require to be compatible) was not released until the end of the first week of October).

Also, when I upgraded, I already had a bootable backup (via SuperDuper!) on two external devices. So, I booted from that backup, used Disk Utility there (the Yosemite version) to erase and format the internal SSD, and then did a fresh, clean installation of OS 10.11.1 from the file on the backup to my internal SSD (I actually did this for both of my Macs). Later on, when OS 10.11.2 and OS 10.11.3 were released, I used the Combo Updater for each of those both times (and again on both of my Macs). All of that went smoothly.

Assuming that you have a bootable backup on an external device, yes, you can first boot to that backup, then proceed to 1) Erase, Format, and if necessary Partition your internal drive on the iMac, 2) do a fresh, clean installation with the latest full El Capitan Installer file on the external hard drive, and 3) re-boot the iMac.

Next, use Migration Assistant to "migrate"/copy all the applicable stuff from the backup on the external drive. Finally, if that full installer file you used results in either OS 10.11, OS 10.11.1, or OS 10.11.2, you can then download the Combo Updater for 10.11.3, and apply it.

By the way, so far (and knock on wood) all of my software that was initially compatible with OS 10.11 (or OS 10.11.1, in my case) has remained compatible with OS 10.11.2 and OS 10.11.3. A couple of threads on this site revealed that some "off the wall" software needed an upgrade to the latest version of El Capitan, from the "base" OS 10.11. Hopefully, that will be your case. But, to be sure, you should confirm that you have any necessary updaters for third party applications that you have. Myself, initially OS 10.11 compatible versions of 1Password, Onyx, Office 2011, SuperDuper!, and TechTool Pro (those are the 5 products I referred to above) were released, but since that time, newer versions of 1Password, Onyx, and Office 2011 have been released, but not for "later" OS compatibility.

If the external backup is not a "bootable" one (ie, you used Time Machine for your backups), there is another way you could do this, although it will not initially be done "externally". But, let us know if you have a bootable backup on the external drive.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

Yes, and first, it would be the full 6 GB Installer file you have.

I'm assuming that this latest attempt by you was to update from OS 10.11 to something "higher". But, the size of 6GB for the installer sounds like you were updating to either 10.11.1, 10.11.2, or 10.11.3 with a full OS installer. The size of the Combo Updater for OS 10.11.3, on the other hand, is 1.47 GB. So, please describe exactly where you were upgrading from, what you were upgrading to, and which updater file you tried to use.
I started with 10.11 and want to eventually get to 10.11.3. I tried using the individual updates, ie. 10.11.1, 10.11.2 then 10.11.3, as well as the combo updater. None of those worked.

Also, regarding your most recent attempt, when you say "Most recently I redownloaded the full 6GB installer, backed up all my stuff, placed the installer on my external HD and ran it, installing the OS on my iMac HD", how exactly did you start up that installer file on your external hard drive?
It wasn't from a bootable external drive. I simply started the full installer from the external and selected the iMac to install the full OS over the existing one. I did not do a "clean" install.

When I upgraded from Yosemite (OS 10.10.5), I actually started with the full OS 10.11.1 full installer. The reason why I waited for OS 10.11.1 is that the first beta of OS 10.11.1 appeared near the beginning of August, almost 8 weeks before OS 10.11 was released (at the end of September). OS 10.11.1 came out 4 weeks later, at the end of October. (The other factor was that the update for TechTool Pro (one of my 5 products that I require to be compatible) was not released until the end of the first week of October).

Also, when I upgraded, I already had a bootable backup (via SuperDuper!) on two external devices. So, I booted from that backup, used Disk Utility there (the Yosemite version) to erase and format the internal SSD, and then did a fresh, clean installation of OS 10.11.1 from the file on the backup to my internal SSD (I actually did this for both of my Macs). Later on, when OS 10.11.2 and OS 10.11.3 were released, I used the Combo Updater for each of those both times (and again on both of my Macs). All of that went smoothly.

Assuming that you have a bootable backup on an external device, yes, you can first boot to that backup, then proceed to 1) Erase, Format, and if necessary Partition your internal drive on the iMac, 2) do a fresh, clean installation with the latest full El Capitan Installer file on the external hard drive, and 3) re-boot the iMac.
That is my next step. I had to order a USB drive and will then create a bootable installer onto that. Back up everything and start from scratch.

Next, use Migration Assistant to "migrate"/copy all the applicable stuff from the backup on the external drive. Finally, if that full installer file you used results in either OS 10.11, OS 10.11.1, or OS 10.11.2, you can then download the Combo Updater for 10.11.3, and apply it.
My understanding is that the full 6 GB installer file will automatically bring me to 10.11.3.

By the way, so far (and knock on wood) all of my software that was initially compatible with OS 10.11 (or OS 10.11.1, in my case) has remained compatible with OS 10.11.2 and OS 10.11.3. A couple of threads on this site revealed that some "off the wall" software needed an upgrade to the latest version of El Capitan, from the "base" OS 10.11. Hopefully, that will be your case. But, to be sure, you should confirm that you have any necessary updaters for third party applications that you have. Myself, initially OS 10.11 compatible versions of 1Password, Onyx, Office 2011, SuperDuper!, and TechTool Pro (those are the 5 products I referred to above) were released, but since that time, newer versions of 1Password, Onyx, and Office 2011 have been released, but not for "later" OS compatibility.
The only issue I have with older software is Photoshop v5 which requires a legacy Java 6, which I have archived. Overtime I have tried updating the OS, I have had to re-install Java.

If the external backup is not a "bootable" one (ie, you used Time Machine for your backups), there is another way you could do this, although it will not initially be done "externally". But, let us know if you have a bootable backup on the external drive.
Tell me. Does Time Machine back-up the OS as well as software and my files or just the latter?Just want to make certain that if I'm successful in getting to 10.11.3, I don't migrate some old OS stuff that will muck up everything I've done.

 

[honestone]

I have never launched a "full" OS installer file from an external device (without booting to that device), and performed a full installation of that new full installer over an existing one. If you mean just an update like via the smaller "delta" OS updates, or the Combo Updater, that is more understandable. But, to do it with starting with a full installer file is unknown to me.

Yes, I believe that if you get the "Install OS X El Capitan" file from the App Store, it will be the full, OS 10.11.3 version.

I don't believe Time Machine backs up "all" system files, but the main drawback of a Time Machine backup is that it is not bootable. One via either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner is, and thus makes clean installations and/or recoveries easier and smoother.

I truly believe at this point that you can proceed in one of two ways:

1. First, download the latest "Install OS X El Capitan" file from the App Store. Next, make a bootable backup/clone of your current system, via either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner to an external drive, boot your machine to that backup, use Disk Utility there to Erase, Format, and if necessary, partition your internal hard drive, do a fresh, clean installation of OS 10.11.3 onto your internal drive by launching the "Install OS X El Capitan" file from that backup, and re-boot your machine. For using migration Assistant to "migrate"/copy all the "applicable" files/folders from that backup, you bring up a good point about possibly copying some unneeded "crap" from that backup (that same issue could exist with a Time Machine backup). I guess to make sure everything is clean is to re-install each of your applications one by one, and also "play" with various settings. Yeah, that is a huge pain in the rear!

2. Again, first download the latest "Install OS X El Capitan" file from the App Store. When that is done, it might be necessary to make a copy of that "Install OS X El Capitan" someplace else "safe". Next, you boot to the hidden Recovery HD partition on your internal drive. This link explains how to boot to it, and what it contains:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

Note that you can use Disk Utility there (ie, like in an "isolated" environment) to Erase, Format, and if necessary, partition your internal drive. (Of course, you still have your Time Machine backup that you recently made, right?). Now, here is what I am unsure of. When you then start the Install OS X process, I don't know where that installation file comes from, and whether it will be OS 10.11.3. That is one of the main reasons why I prefer to do all this from my bootable SuperDuper! backup. I definitely know where the "Install OS X El Capitan" file is, what version it is, and thus have much more control. Like above, though, there is still the issue about using Migration Assistant.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

Well, here's where I'm at.

1. I created the USB bootable drive.

2. I rebooted holding down Command+R and ran First Aid. Everything checked out.

3. I wanted to see first if I could reboot with the USB drive and received a message that " This copy of the Install OS X El Capitan 10.11.3 application can't be verified. It may have been corrupted or tampered with during downloading." It then brought me back to the beginning screen.

4. I then shut down, removed the external HD and USB drive and again rebooted holding down Command+R and saw the opportunity to install El Capitan over Wi-Fi. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I tried it and it seems to have worked! I am now running El Capitan 10.11.3.

5. I'm going to stick with trying to create a bootable USB drive by re-downloading El Capitan once again, just to have it on hand.

My concern now is whether other issues will pop up eventually, necessitating that I actually do a clean install. I am hoping to avoid that, but am willing to do so if things don't work out with what I currently have running. So, let's hope I don't have to come back to this thread and bring it back to life.

I'm going to think positively now, and thank everyone who offered their help! I really do appreciate it.

 

[honestone]

That's good news. But, it might good if you take the following additional steps and perform periodic disk maintenance (and of course backups!):

1. The excellent freeware product DiskMaker X will be good to use for creating a bootable USB drive. You can download it from here:

http://diskmakerx.com/

I have actually not used it, as I have two external drives to which I make weekly bootable backups/clones to, via SuperDuper!, for both of my Macs. But, I am thinking of looking into doing that, just in case! (I also have a small, 1 TB external drive in a nice, slim external case that I make a bootable backup to for my MacBook Air prior to taking the machine with me when I travel). But, I have heard that DiskMaker X is an excellent way to go!

2. Are you certain that all the third party applications that you have have been upgraded for compatibility with El Capitan?

3. I have never needed to use the Recovery HD partition for an installation of El Capitan (via WiFi), but one wonders if the "good" file "Install OS X El Capitan" was downloaded and "placed" inside the Applications folder on your machine containing the "fresh" version of OS 10.11.3. If you do need to re-download it, make sure you have another copy of it somewhere else (maybe also on the external drive; see below).

4. If you have nothing critical on the external hard drive, I would re-connect it to your Mac, and use Disk Utility to Erase, Format, and Partition the drive (at least 2 partitions could be useful). One of the partitions, to be used as a backup, needs to be "somewhat" larger than the current size of your primary partition containing the OS on your internal drive. If you are going to use Time Machine for backups (an OK solution), not sure how bog you need to make it. If instead you use a backup/cloning program like SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner, then it is much easier to determine the size of that backup partition (I would make it between 25 and 50% larger than the current size of the internal partition on your machine). The other partition (or partitions) can be used to store miscellaneous stuff, like photos, movies, TV show, tax returns, etc.

5. Once again, I would strongly recommend that 1) you download and use the excellent freeware program Onyx (you can get from here: http://www.titanium.free.fr/onyx.html), and 2) invest in a more advanced disk maintenance program like TechTool Pro (https://www.micromat.com/products/techtool-pro), or Disk Warrior (http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/). I actually have all 3 of those fine products (along with SuperDuper!), and I use Onyx, TechTool Pro, and SuperDuper! for my weekly disk cleanup/maintenance/repair (hardly need to do repairs) tasks, and my backups. Doing that (along with doing disk cleanup on my own between those weekly tasks) does a long, long way to keeping both of my Macs "lean and clean".

 

[RalphTomaccio]

That's good news. But, it might good if you take the following additional steps and perform periodic disk maintenance (and of course backups!):

1. The excellent freeware product DiskMaker X will be good to use for creating a bootable USB drive. You can download it from here:

http://diskmakerx.com/

Have it and it's what I used in my first attempt to make a bootable USB drive.

I have actually not used it, as I have two external drives to which I make weekly bootable backups/clones to, via SuperDuper!, for both of my Macs. But, I am thinking of looking into doing that, just in case! (I also have a small, 1 TB external drive in a nice, slim external case that I make a bootable backup to for my MacBook Air prior to taking the machine with me when I travel). But, I have heard that DiskMaker X is an excellent way to go!

2. Are you certain that all the third party applications that you have have been upgraded for compatibility with El Capitan?

The only app I have a small issue with is Photoshop v5. It requires a legacy version of Java that I archive and use whenever I attempt to do an update.

3. I have never needed to use the Recovery HD partition for an installation of El Capitan (via WiFi), but one wonders if the "good" file "Install OS X El Capitan" was downloaded and "placed" inside the Applications folder on your machine containing the "fresh" version of OS 10.11.3. If you do need to re-download it, make sure you have another copy of it somewhere else (maybe also on the external drive; see below).

I have the install file on three HD's, one on the iMac and one on each of two externals. Since I had the issue of the USB drive not able to be verified and thus not bootable, I need to download a fresh copy to try that. The nice thing about the WiFi install is that I should have received the most up to date update possible.

4. If you have nothing critical on the external hard drive, I would re-connect it to your Mac, and use Disk Utility to Erase, Format, and Partition the drive (at least 2 partitions could be useful). One of the partitions, to be used as a backup, needs to be "somewhat" larger than the current size of your primary partition containing the OS on your internal drive. If you are going to use Time Machine for backups (an OK solution), not sure how bog you need to make it. If instead you use a backup/cloning program like SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner, then it is much easier to determine the size of that backup partition (I would make it between 25 and 50% larger than the current size of the internal partition on your machine). The other partition (or partitions) can be used to store miscellaneous stuff, like photos, movies, TV show, tax returns, etc.

My primary use for the main external HD is for Time Machine back-ups. I also, in addition to that, save my three main folders of my personal files outside of the Time Machine as an additional backup.

5. Once again, I would strongly recommend that 1) you download and use the excellent freeware program Onyx (you can get from here: http://www.titanium.free.fr/onyx.html), and 2) invest in a more advanced disk maintenance program like TechTool Pro (https://www.micromat.com/products/techtool-pro), or Disk Warrior (http://www.alsoft.com/DiskWarrior/). I actually have all 3 of those fine products (along with SuperDuper!), and I use Onyx, TechTool Pro, and SuperDuper! for my weekly disk cleanup/maintenance/repair (hardly need to do repairs) tasks, and my backups. Doing that (along with doing disk cleanup on my own between those weekly tasks) does a long, long way to keeping both of my Macs "lean and clean".

I have and used Onyx for a long time. I admit that I do not have TTP or DW.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

As I said in an earlier post, I wanted to download the full 6 GB El Capitan Installer to have the freshest version as I couldn't get the USB drive to work because of a message that said it may have been corrupted during download. The problem I now have is that it won't download again from the App store. When I use the download button on the El Capitan page, the progress wheel in the upper left corner just spins and spins, but nothing gets downloaded into the Applications folder. If I go to the "Purchased" area in the App store, the file shows as having been downloaded at some point, but the "Download" button on the right side is greyed out and prevents me from re-downloading it from that area as well.

And the full 6 GB El Capitan Installer is not available from the Apple Support site either. It simple directs me to the App Store. Any other way to download that file again?

 

[honestone]

I realize your frustration in attempting to again download an item you already "purchased". One would think it would be easier.

I gather you do not have a "Install OS X El Capitan" file anywhere, no matter which version it is. But, you should be able to get it. I just visited the App Store, clicked on Purchases, and saw that I had already downloaded the OS X El Capitan file (surprisingly, it shows a date of Sept. 30, 2015, which is when OS 10.11 came out, but I started with OS 10.11.1, downloaded via the App Store near the end of October. Go figure!). In any event, yes, the Downloaded button is greyed out. But, if you click on the OS X El Capitan "name", you will next get a screen where you can download it. You can then click where it says Download. I actually get a warning that says "OS X v10.11.3 is already installed on this computer. Use the Updates page to install the 10.11 update or if you would like to download the full OS X installer click Continue.", but I just cancel out of that.

So, if you do download it, the first thing to do is to make a copy of it in numerous places, and one of them should be on your external hard drive.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

I do still have the installer file I'm trying to re-download. But since I experienced the "corrupted" file issue with it being used for the USB bootable drive, I hesitate to use it again. Hence, the desire to download it again.

You would think that for something that is "free", you would be able to download it as many times as you want. Oh well, I guess I'll just wait till 10.11.4 is out to download and store that one in a few places.

 

[honestone]

Did you try and follow what I posted above? It was going to work for me, but I do not need it. You will get the full OS 10.11.3 installer file by following those directions (assuming they work for you). They did for me.

I don't know when OS 10.11.4 will be released. It is still in beta testing. If you can now download that full OS 10.11.3 installer file (can't see why you cannot), then when OS 10.11.4 is released, you can just get the Combo Updater, without going to the App Store. To get a full installer, the only way is to get it from the App Store. The Combo Updater, on the other hand, is located on another Apple site, nor connected or associated with the App Store at all. That is one reason why I always prefer to do my updates using the Combo Updater.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

Did you try and follow what I posted above? It was going to work for me, but I do not need it. You will get the full OS 10.11.3 installer file by following those directions (assuming they work for you). They did for me.

Yes, I did go to the El Capitan main screen in the app store as well as the purchased area and I did get the same warning you and clicked on "continue" as well. That's when the progress wheel in the upper left of the page just spins and spins but nothing ever gets downloaded to the Application folder.

 

[honestone]

That download can take quite a while, from what I remember. Even downloads of smaller apps take some time. Here is how you can see it:

http://osxdaily.com/2011/07/27/check-download-progress-mac-app-store/

You can also see the progress via Launchpad.

 

[RalphTomaccio]

I was finally successful in re-downloading El Capitan by getting rid of previous downloads completely from my Mac. I also disconnected my external drive as well. Apparently the App store will find any previous download of the installer no matter where it is located. I made the (wrong) assumption that as long as it wasn't in the Applications folder, it would download. Learn something new every day!

Once again, thanks.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yes, I found that out that hard way a while back. I had the same issue, where a incomplete/corrupted download on an external prevented a full redownload.

Glad you sorted that out.

C