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Level 1

47 points

Security Update 2018-003 10.13.6-Total O/S failure requiring reinstall

I initiated the installation of the latest security update for High Sierra. It all went normally. I then went back to the App Store Updates section to check it and there was no indication that I had completed the installation. The update/install option was still there as if I hadn't installed it at all. I thought that was odd, so I rebooted the Mac. I got a grey screen with a huge number of crash report log entries. There was a dialogue box option giving me a restart/shut down option. I shut down the Mac and rebooted with the same result: the O/S wouldn't boot. I spoke with a senior Apple tech. rep. He told me to reboot using Recovery mode (Command+R). I got the desktop showing, but everything was extremely slow. He did a screen share to observe how the software was acting. He concluded that there was a corrupt file and I'd have to do a complete reinstall. I had a bootable backup and three hours later, I had copied that to my Mac and successfully cloned it. (using Super Duper) No boot/performance issues now, but I'd like to know if anyone else had an issue with the install of this Security Update. It's now there in my Update section and obviously I'm hesitant to try it again. Any insights would be appreciated. It's the first time in 20 years as a Mac user that I've had such a complete software failure.

MacBook Pro Retina (2015 and later)

Posted on Dec 6, 2018 4:46 AM

Best reply

Maks_K

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Dec 9, 2018 1:37 AM

Hi everyone!

Here's my workaround:

When after restart you see the crash log go to Utilities menu (at the top) and select your usual startup disk. You'll be able to boot without failures after that.
Then you may try to install that update again using App Store or using this link: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1984?locale=en_US

I downloaded it using the link and installed manually and everything works fine now.

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83 replies

meviza

Level 1

16 points

Dec 7, 2018 8:34 AM in response to VBsunset

Same here. My life would have turned into a nightmare if I hadn't taken the Time Machine backup.

Download and install from this address.

Download Security Update 2018-003 (High Sierra)

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1984?locale=en_US

Dec 7, 2018 10:24 AM in response to meviza

Download and install from this address.

Download Security Update 2018-003 (High Sierra)

https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1984?locale=en_US

This worked for me and it now shows the update was installed in App Store.

VBsunset Author

Level 1

47 points

Dec 7, 2018 11:31 AM in response to VBsunset

I just received this communicaton from one of the excellent tech advisors that I spoke with. I had forwarded him the link to this discussion topic.

"Really do appreciate the follow up and providing the link as well about other people reporting the same issue and would agree that it sounds like there may be an issue with the update and will forward this information off to our engineers for review. If I get any further information back I will let you.know via email."

sorl

Level 1

4 points

Dec 7, 2018 1:39 PM in response to VBsunset

Possible solution to avoid reinstall.

I had the same issue, so I was going to do a reinstall but my main hard drive was too full. After installing on a secondary hard drive, I was going to free up room on the main when I found a folder labeled–if I remember correctly–OSinstall_data or similar on the main hard drive next to the system, application and library folder. It supposedly was only about 300KB, but after deleting it I was able to reboot onto my main hard drive and the security update is once again listed a requiring installation.

Maybe a safe reboot or use of terminal, which I believe was available when the crash log window shows up at the boot screen, would allow people to delete the folder and avoid a reinstall of the system. I hope helps and saves many from having to do a reinstall.

Dec 7, 2018 2:01 PM in response to sorl

Same issue on my early 2015 macbook pro .

Had same problem with 2018-002 on my 2011 imac

Totally lost confidence now with apple security updates , won't be touching them until any of my macs wont run without them

What a total and complete f@@@ up ... come on Apple !

Dec 7, 2018 5:21 PM in response to VBsunset

The same here with a MacBook Air (Early 2015). At reboot: grey screen and cursor only. The system showed a message asking for a reinit which I did and everything worked fine later but system update offers me to install the Security Update 2018-003 10.13.6 again. It seems that it was not installed or the system self recovered at the latest version before update???

VBsunset Author

Level 1

47 points

Dec 8, 2018 3:48 AM in response to JohnJohn4

Hello! Thank you for the response and help. I may be mistaken but the update that is in your screen capture is no different from the original update designation. It's exactly the same number designation as you can see by the title of this discussion subject. If the update had been revised, I believe that the version would "004", rather than the original "003". I referenced the link to the Apple page which is on the App store update associated with the security update and it describes the update as being a December 5 release which is the original release date. It appears to me to be exactly the same problematic update, so perhaps you could follow up, if you don't mind, with some additional data/insight on why you feel that this is a second (debugged) iteration. It seems to me that the key to your success was doing the install in Safe Mode which circumvented the issue that crashes the OS in normal mode, rather than any change to the original update. Thanks again for your detailed post.

Dec 8, 2018 9:47 AM in response to VBsunset

This security update (2018-003 10.13.6) gave me an OS error message as well on an early-2011 MBP, but I was able to easily fix it because the same thing happened to me with the last security update (2018-002) and I already did the research on how to fix the problem:

Try this:

Wait until the installer error log appears, then go up top to the Utilities menu and simply select the drive that you usually boot to -- that's it. For me, it then just booted up normally to my regular desktop, so first I did a Super Duper backup (it had been a while since my last backup, and my Super Duper bootable clone has saved me before -- I highly recommend at least trying the free trial). Then, I went ahead and retried the update, which worked successfully for me this time.

This is the thread from the last update that suggested this method:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/new-high-sierra-security-update-2018-002-10-13-6-wont-install.2151143/page-2

I very rarely post to forums but I figured that my advice might save someone else from the level of upset that I experienced after the 2018-002 update debacle.

And if anyone from Apple is actually reading this, you are officially on the "Naughty" list for the year because you didn't listen to us after the 2018-002 update and ensure that this wouldn't happen again. Boooooo.

UTC135

Level 1

8 points

Dec 8, 2018 10:34 AM in response to VBsunset

Had similar issues when the security update just froze and didn't complete. Updates from Apple are rather unreliable these days. Mojave killed my iMac earlier in the year and required a complete rebuild.

Dec 8, 2018 2:39 PM in response to VBsunset

Exactly the same kind of issue for me. I'd updated and all had seemingly gone well. Had used my MacBook Pro without an issue. Then today I went to use for a carol service practice and got the installation failed to complete message with the huge list of error logs. Incredibly disappointing and had to then return home, wait a couple of hours to update from a backup drive. Extraordinarily poor considering the Mac was working perfectly then on a reboot it stopped working. Like others, without Time Machine it would have been a nightmare. As it was I lost hours of work on songs, video and audio and have had to re-do this today. I'm very careful in how I use my Mac but this has been relatively disastrous, although some good has come out of it thanks to the suggestions on this page. I'm just sorry for others and hope you can all get things resolved. As for me, I'll wait til Monday to reapply the security update...

VBsunset Author

Level 1

47 points

Dec 8, 2018 5:08 PM in response to Steve Hayes1

Steve and everyone, thank you for all the posts, feedback and workarounds. But please make sure that you phone Apple Support, ask for a Senior Advisor and establish a case number so that the maximum pressure is brought to to bear on Apple to make software that "just works". Please reference this discussion page. I really appreciate everyone's input here.

Roger2

Level 1

8 points

Dec 8, 2018 6:16 PM in response to VBsunset

Security 2018-003

Perhaps someone in communities can help with my issue. Apple support doesn’t respond to me. I’ve wasted a lot of time trying to install security update 2018-003 on my MacBook Pro with High Sierra which is only about a year old without any success. I can’t afford all this time on bad software. Does anyone know what to do?

Dec 9, 2018 3:24 PM in response to Maks_K

Choosing the startup disk didn't fix the problem for me... After three reboots, I went to recovery mode and reinstalled High Sierra. Still haven't run that security patch... makes me leery regardless of what patch screwed up the machine. I've had too many Apple-related problems in the past month.

Arquiel

Level 1

4 points

Dec 11, 2018 7:46 PM in response to Arquiel

My SuperSuper backup predated switching computers so I was resigned to reinstalling the OS and remigrating my data. However, the OS reinstall didn’t wipe the drive, and all my data and settings were exactly how I left them, including the rogue Security Update waiting to be installed. So coast is clear, got a fresh backup and will be upgrading to Mojave.

VBsunset Author

Level 1

47 points

Dec 12, 2018 8:00 AM in response to Arquiel

Hello All,

I just received this from the excellent Apple Support rep. who helped me with this issue:

"I got a response from our engineers and they are actively investigating any cases like this and are requesting for logs to be provided in the case that you are still running into the same issue. So in the case that you are not running into the issue then we do appreciate you making us aware of the issue and no further action needs to be taken but if you do run into the issue or would like to share via the support community you can let them know that we are requesting for anyone that is having those issues to give us a call so we can gather logs about that issue so we can provide a better solution."

Security Update 2018-003 10.13.6-Total O/S failure requiring reinstall