Mac restore - reinstall Mac OS from disk utility quits half way through download

[Shanakdc]

I recently upgraded my mid-2010 27” iMac to internal SSD. I wiped the Mac and am not looking to recover any files, just restore it.

I was able to replace the stock HD with a new SSD without problems, then start it up with CMD + R into disk utility. I formatted the new SSD to APFS and named it “Macintosh HD”. I also used the disk utility “first aid” function to check the that there were no errors on the volume or container. The new SSD appears to be fine.

When I go to reinstall Mac OS (High Sierra), I’m able to select the new SSD and start the download. Unfortunately, I’ve done this several times and every time the download quits halfway through and goes straight to a reboot (no tone). Since High Sierra didn’t download correctly/completely, there’s no startup disk and the Mac gives me a white screen with blinking “?” File folder.

I’ve even tried the Same process after reformatting the SSD to Extended journaled (HFS+). That didn’t work either. I can’t boot up in safe mode because there’s no OS on the Mac (except the base system). I can’t select a startup disk because there’s no OS on the SSD. I’ve gone back to the APFS format on the SSD, but can’t get High Sierra to download onto it completely.

What am I missing? Thanks!

 

[TonyAguila]

I recently upgraded my mid-2010 27” iMac to internal SSD. I wiped the Mac and am not looking to recover any files, just restore it.

I was able to replace the stock HD with a new SSD without problems, then start it up with CMD + R into disk utility. I formatted the new SSD to APFS and named it “Macintosh HD”. I also used the disk utility “first aid” function to check the that there were no errors on the volume or container. The new SSD appears to be fine.

When I go to reinstall Mac OS (High Sierra), I’m able to select the new SSD and start the download. Unfortunately, I’ve done this several times and every time the download quits halfway through and goes straight to a reboot (no tone). Since High Sierra didn’t download correctly/completely, there’s no startup disk and the Mac gives me a white screen with blinking “?” File folder.

I’ve even tried the Same process after reformatting the SSD to Extended journaled (HFS+). That didn’t work either. I can’t boot up in safe mode because there’s no OS on the Mac (except the base system). I can’t select a startup disk because there’s no OS on the SSD. I’ve gone back to the APFS format on the SSD, but can’t get High Sierra to download onto it completely.

What am I missing? Thanks!

Time to try internet recovery by rebooting and holding down command-option-R. This will require great patience since it takes a great deal of time to load. (It involves downloading a disk image of the recovery system, and requires a (good) internet connection.)

If you are successful, and booted into Recovery, it will be good to reformat the SSD again. APFS is fine for High Sierra. More than fine, actually. Since you have done first aid on the SSD previously, it will not be necessary, although it will not take much time on a blank drive. Then proceed to installing High Sierra, which is the maximum macOS version that your model iMac can run.

For future reference, your iMac’s model identifier is “iMac11,3.” Good luck!

 

[Shanakdc]

Time to try internet recovery by rebooting and holding down command-option-R. This will require great patience since it takes a great deal of time to load. (It involves downloading a disk image of the recovery system, and requires a (good) internet connection.)

If you are successful, and booted into Recovery, it will be good to reformat the SSD again. APFS is fine for High Sierra. More than fine, actually. Since you have done first aid on the SSD previously, it will not be necessary, although it will not take much time on a blank drive. Then proceed to installing High Sierra, which is the maximum macOS version that your model iMac can run.

For future reference, your iMac’s model identifier is “iMac11,3.” Good luck!

Thanks, but no joy… got the same result… High Sierra downloads only halfway then cuts to a restart followed by the blinking “?” file folder. Any other ideas?

 

[TonyAguila]

Thanks, but no joy… got the same result… High Sierra downloads only halfway then cuts to a restart followed by the blinking “?” file folder. Any other ideas?

Let’s try a hardware diagnostic next. Reboot and immediately hold down the D key to bring up the hardware test. If this does not work, try option-D instead. Again, this will take much longer because it will download a copy of the diagnostic file from Apple’s server first. Internet connection required.

If you have access to another Mac, or if you know anyone with a Mac, you can try creating a macOS installer thumb drive for High Sierra.