brkorb
Level 1 (12 points)
Mac OS X

Q: I cannot install El Capitan

I have visited discussions from last fall and progressed from being unable to get the install started to now being unable to get it to finish.  https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7544363 Rebooting after El capitan download is taking hours


I have followed various other procedures outlined by Googling for "os x el capitan won't install" and wound up with a system that won't boot, either.  So now I am here and cannot use any method that requires being booted up to adjust settings.  That eliminates "Reset PRAM" and "Reset SMC" steps.  WRT selecting the start disk, I augmented the hanging "Installer" disk with a CD ROM with a RecoveryDiskAssistant image.  It seems to want to supervise the install image and the install image locks up.

 

Now, what?  I've been at this for hours now.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Apr 28, 2016 12:08 PM

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brkorb

Q: I cannot install El Capitan

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  • by brkorb,

    brkorb brkorb Apr 28, 2016 12:26 PM in response to brkorb
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 12:26 PM in response to brkorb

    Oh, yes, also:  how can I eject the CD?  Booting to single user gets me a root prompt, but "eject" is not known on this platform.  Also, tried booting in safe mode (pressing the shift key) and got into an infinite boot loop.  I guess you can't do a safe install.

  • by brkorb,

    brkorb brkorb Apr 28, 2016 12:40 PM in response to brkorb
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 12:40 PM in response to brkorb

    disk2s1: device is write locked.

     

    I am getting that message.  Is it possible that there was some software along the line that permanently write locked my drive?  (I am trying to find some "drutil" program in single user and tried to remount the root fs read/write.)

  • by JimmyCMPIT,

    JimmyCMPIT JimmyCMPIT Apr 28, 2016 12:54 PM in response to brkorb
    Level 5 (7,491 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 12:54 PM in response to brkorb

    eject the disk installer by holding down the mouse button as the computer is rebooting.

     

    Hopefully you have a backup of your system before you installed, if so recover from that.

    Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac - Apple Support

     

    otherwise

    boot into single user mode (if file vault is enabled see notes in this document)

    How to start up your Mac in single-user or verbose mode - Apple Support

     

    when the prompt appears type

    fsck-fy

     

    when it's finished type

    reboot

     

    if the system is not booting you may need to perform a recovery

    OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support

     

    then create an installer on a flash drive or other media using this method

    Create a bootable installer for OS X - Apple Support

    it is preferable to use flash media.

  • by brkorb,

    brkorb brkorb Apr 28, 2016 1:45 PM in response to JimmyCMPIT
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 1:45 PM in response to JimmyCMPIT

        Hopefully you have a backup of your system before you installed, if so recover from that.

     

    I copied my user files to a "goflex" drive.  Time Machine wanted to copy the entire world.  I got started 'cuz Lion was too out-of-date and was going for El Capitan.

     

        # fsck-fy

        # reboot

     

    No go.  The install-el-capitan image was on the drive and hanging the system.  "fsck" was all happy.

     

        if the system is not booting you may need to perform a recovery

        OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support

     

        then create an installer on a flash drive or other media using this method

        Create a bootable installer for OS X - Apple Support

     

    Using that method requires booting into OS/X.  I was finding that difficult.

     

        it is preferable to use flash media.

     

    I tried burning RecoveryDiskAssistant.dmg to a CD.  "Next time".  Meanwhile, I booted with CMD-OPT-R and I am now down to 3:45 remaining.  I only have one Apple.  This is Linux.  Apple needs to do something to make El Capitan easier to climb.

     

    Anyway, thank you for taking the time to respond. - Regards, B

  • by brkorb,

    brkorb brkorb Apr 28, 2016 3:08 PM in response to brkorb
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 3:08 PM in response to brkorb

    I guess I'll check back tomorrow.  I'm over an hour into my 3:45 download/install and I still need to wait another 3:38.  At 7 minutes progress per hour, it might actually take a couple hundred hours.  That's a long time.

  • by brkorb,

    brkorb brkorb Apr 28, 2016 6:01 PM in response to brkorb
    Level 1 (12 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 6:01 PM in response to brkorb

    Better 'n better.  The time guestimate does not seem to be anywhere close.  It finished a while ago.  But the better part is that the new install never asked for new passwords but installed new passwords anyway.  I wonder what password might have been chosen.....I'll reboot to single user and change it.