Bootcamp Error: "Your disk could not be partitioned". Windows 10 installation - REPOST

1) I rebooted and held down Cmd + R. OSX Utilities came up.

2) I selected "Restore From Time Machine Backup"

3) On the "Select a Backup Source" screen, I chose my external HDD which contains the backup.

4) On the "Select a Backup" screen, there is a dropdown which says "Restore From". This is greyed out, and the text shows my internal SSD., despite me selecting the external drive in the former step. All of the backups are displayed below, including the latest one from this morning. I select the time of the backup that I want, and I click "Continue".

5) The next screen is "Select a Destination". However, it doesn't lists my internal drive. It only shows other partitions in my external physical drive (except the partition where I keep my TimeMachine backups). In other words, I can not restore to my internal drive.

Should I reinstall MacOS instead? will I be able to restore from TimeMachine afterwards?

This is scary. Please advise.

(Sorry for any typos. I am login/writing from my tablet)

EDIT: Where I said:

1) I rebooted and held down Cmd + R. OSX Utilities came up

I meant:

1) I rebooted and held down Cmd + Option + R. Connected to the internet via ethernet. Waited for the download/ progress bar to complete. OSX Utilities came up

I have been using Mojave for quite some time now.

The backup was created this morning, and the restore this evening.

The output of "sw_vers" is:

ProductName: Mac OS X

ProductVersion: 10.14

BuildVersion: 18A391

I always try to use the latest macOS version and to have all my updated with the latest.

In fact, up until your last comment, I thought that I was running the latest macOS version.

Strange, I believe I haven't been offered by macOS the opportunity to update to 10.14.5.

Regarding your question, yes, I have always had 10.14. I have never used 10.14.5.

Can you share some information about what has happened? Is the SDD setup different? How? Does it matter? Should I upgrade to 10.14.5, perform a TimeMachine backup, and restore again?

Thanks for the information.

I have several partitions in my external hard drive excluded from TM backup. See below:

May I ask why you ask? Is excluding partitions contributing to the restoration JHFS+ bug?

What if I stay on JHFS+? What are the drawbacks?

If it is advisable to update to 10.14.5 and then restore again, would it be possible to keep my existing Bootcamp/windows install (I have already customize it a little bit and it would be great to not have to repeat that work)?

Content seems to have been restored correctly. However, if there has been data loss, I should be able to recover all files, as I do double backup: (1) TM backups go "4_HD_BACKUP 500GB" & (2) Manual copy-paste backup of all my files (1 per month) goes to "3_HD_BACKUP 500GB".

No luck here.

First, I tried to install Mojave 10.4.5 from the App Store. Several tries. Always the same error: "This update could not be verified". I searched for a solution online. I made sure my Macbook has the right time and date. I rebooted. No success.

Second, I downloaded Mojave 10.4.5 .dmg from Apple. When I try to install it, I get the following error:

So, it is a catch-22. I want 10.4.5 to get an APFS-formated drive. However, 10.4.5 only will install in an already APFS-formated drive.

Any ideas? Should I manually convert HFS+ to APFS? (even if I have to reinstall Bootcamp)

Thanks for the link. I have reviewed the information. I see that -dryrun permits to "Non-destructively convert an HFS volume to an APFS Container with a single (but see below) APFS Volume."

I also see that "If -dryrun is specified, all calculations, checks, and some data moving is performed, but your disk is left as valid HFS (headers remain declared as HFS, partition types are left alone, etc)."

Does this mean that I will end up with an APFS disk, that is, somehow, still an HFS one? If so, given that I am open to erase my SDD (both macOS & bootcamp partition), wouldn't it be easier/faster/safer to create the right APFS setup from the beginning, even if it is through a "destructible way"? (e.g. APFS format > reinstall macOS > update to 10.14.5 > Reinstall from TM backup).

After all our work during the last days, I prefer to end up with the right file format setup and reinstall everything from scratch, than to end up with a somehow weird file format setup in order to avoid additional work.

Nevertheless, if you think that -dryrun is the way to go, then my current plan would be:

1. In normal mode > Terminal > diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun
2. Disconnect TM disk
3. Update to macOS 10.14.5
4. Reconnect TM disk.
5. Complete a new TM backup.
6. Check that the TM backup includes all data, non-corrupted.
7. Internet Recovery: Disk Utility: Delete macOS partition "1_LAPTOP 450 GB".
8. Internet Recovery: Restore from TM backup.

Could you please confirm that the above is the right order and that "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun" is the right command?

FYI, the output of "diskutil list" is:

/dev/disk0 (internal):

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme 500.3 GB disk0

1: EFI EFI 314.6 MB disk0s1

2: Apple_HFS 1_LAPTOP 450GB 449.0 GB disk0s2

3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3

4: Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP 50.3 GB disk0s4

/dev/disk1 (external, physical):

#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER

0: GUID_partition_scheme *2.0 TB disk1

1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk1s1

2: Apple_HFS 4_HD_BACKUP 500GB 500.0 GB disk1s2

3: Apple_HFS 3_HD_BACKUP 500GB 499.9 GB disk1s3

4: Apple_HFS 2_HD_MEDIA 1TB 999.9 GB disk1s4

I have executed "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun" in Terminal.

When I do it in Normal mode, I get this:

Rehearsing the conversion of the volume on disk0s2 to an APFS Volume on an APFS Container

Started APFS operation on disk0s2 1_LAPTOP 450GB

Dry run of HFS Volume conversion to an APFS Container with a single APFS Volume

The target is the Journaled HFS+ volume "1_LAPTOP 450GB" backed by the GPT partition disk0s2

The target is a macOS system disk

Exiting conversion operations with error code -69546

Error: -69546: Conversion to APFS of a macOS system volume is only allowed in the OS Installer Environment

When I do it in Single User mode, I get this:

What am I doing wrong?

Yes. I can boot into Internet Recovery.

In fact, I want to apologize, as I made a mistake in my last message. The last photo in my last message belongs to Internet Recovery (not Single User Mode as I mistakenly said).

To recap, this is what "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun" looks in Terminal:

In Normal mode:

Rehearsing the conversion of the volume on disk0s2 to an APFS Volume on an APFS Container

Started APFS operation on disk0s2 1_LAPTOP 450GB

Dry run of HFS Volume conversion to an APFS Container with a single APFS Volume

The target is the Journaled HFS+ volume "1_LAPTOP 450GB" backed by the GPT partition disk0s2

The target is a macOS system disk

Exiting conversion operations with error code -69546

Error: -69546: Conversion to APFS of a macOS system volume is only allowed in the OS Installer Environment

In Single User Mode:

In Internet Recovery (> Utilities > Terminal):

Apologies for the confusion.

Thanks for the link. I see that it is not critical to get rid of the current internet recovery partition, as there are other options available.

I just updated to Mojave 10.14.5 in my external HDD.

Booting from my external HDD, in normal mode, the output of "diskutil list" is:

/dev/disk0 (internal):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                         500.3 GB   disk0

   1:                        EFI EFI                     314.6 MB   disk0s1

   2:                  Apple_HFS 1_LAPTOP 450GB          449.0 GB   disk0s2

   3:                 Apple_Boot Recovery HD             650.0 MB   disk0s3

   4:       Microsoft Basic Data BOOTCAMP                50.3 GB    disk0s4

/dev/disk1 (external, physical):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        *2.0 TB     disk1

   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk1s1

   2:                  Apple_HFS 4_HD_BACKUP 500GB       500.0 GB   disk1s2

   3:                 Apple_APFS Container disk2         500.0 GB   disk1s3

   4:                  Apple_HFS 2_HD_MEDIA 1TB          999.9 GB   disk1s4

/dev/disk2 (synthesized):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +500.0 GB   disk2

                                 Physical Store disk1s3

   1:                APFS Volume 3_HD_BACKUP 500GB       12.2 GB    disk2s1

   2:                APFS Volume Preboot                 45.0 MB    disk2s2

   3:                APFS Volume Recovery                510.0 MB   disk2s3

   4:                APFS Volume VM                      8.6 GB     disk2s4

/dev/disk3 (disk image):

   #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      GUID_partition_scheme                        +5.4 GB     disk3

   1:                        EFI EFI                     209.7 MB   disk3s1

   2:                  Apple_HFS macOS 10.14.5 Update    5.1 GB     disk3s2

Booting from my external HDD, in normal mode, macOS 10.14.5, the output of "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun" is:

Rehearsing the conversion of the volume on disk0s2 to an APFS Volume on an APFS Container

Started APFS operation on disk0s2 1_LAPTOP 450GB

Dry run of HFS Volume conversion to an APFS Container with a single APFS Volume

The target is the Journaled HFS+ volume "1_LAPTOP 450GB" backed by the GPT partition disk0s2

The target is a macOS system disk

Exiting conversion operations with error code -69546

Error: -69546: Conversion to APFS of a macOS system volume is only allowed in the OS Installer Environment

As I mentioned before, my Mac boots automatically from external HDD. If I press Cmd + R, I get the following (no option to boot from external HDD):

Therefore, I am hesitant to change Preferences > Startup disk to my internal SDD, as I won't be able to boot from my external drive again. In any case, my new external SDD should arrive at the end of this week.

What is the OS Installer Environment? Some kind of special boot mode?

I made a mistake in my former message. I said " If I press Cmd + R, I get the following". I wanted to say " If I press Option, I get the following".

When I reboot holding "Option", I see the options listed in the former image (which does not include my macOS 10.14.5 in my external HD).

Apologies for the mix up.

In this situation, I think we have to wait for my external SDD to arrive. I will set it up with macOS 10.14.5 and, hopefully, I will be able to boot from it in some kind of special mode (Single User? Recovery?...) that allows me to execute "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun".

Happy to report some progress over here.

Today I received my external SSD (Crucial BX500 240GB). I put it in the enclosure and:

1. Formatted it to "Mac OS Journaled + GUI Partition"

2. Installed macOSMojave. Auto-magically, after this step, the system was already in 10.14.5, so, there was no need for a manual update.

If I restart the system while pressing "Option", I get these options. Notice how not only my new external SSD shows up, but now, also, my former external HDD show up for the first time. I wonder why.

When I installed macOS in the former external HDD, being a partition of a larger physical HDD, I could only select "APFS" as file format. Now, when I installed macOS in the new external SDD, selecting the whole physical disk, I was able to select "Mac OS Journaled + GUI Partition". Maybe this has made possible to, somehow, not only show up the new external SDD, but also the former external HDD!

Booting in normal mode from my new external SSD MacOS Mojave 10.14.5, and executing "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun" returns the same error as before from the former external HDD: "Error: -69546: Conversion to APFS of a macOS system volume is only allowed in the OS Installer Environment"

So, I re-boot using "Cmd + R". I do this unsure of whether this is going to work or not, because, if I understand it correctly, Cmd + R, makes it boot from a recovery partition in my internal SDD. In other words, there is no way that my MacBook can notice that there is "another" external bootable SDD in APFS and 10.14.5.

Luckily, for some reason I don't understand, this works. Cmd + R > Terminal > "diskutil apfs convert disk0s2 -dryrun" returns the following:

Just woke up in the morning, with a fresh mind, and realised that I have converted to APFS without a bootable volume (the output of "diskutil list" above confirms this).

I understand that I should use the verb "-prebootSource", but I don't know what to write on <prebootStagingDirectory>. Could you please provide the exact command to execute? or is it too late now that I have already converted to APFS?

I went ahead and, using the "Disk Utility" app in my external SSD, created the following "volumes" (not partitions) in my internal SSD disk:

• Preboot
• Recovery
• VM

During the creation process, I didn't input any "Size options", such as "Reserve size" and "Quota size".

I tried to run "First Aid" from the external SSD MacOS Mojave, but I couldn't ("the volume can not be unmounted").

I went to Cmd+R mode > Disk utility and I successfully repaired each of the newly created volumes.

Sadly, my MacBook still doesn't boot from the internal SSD. When I boot while clicking "Option", the internal SSD option ("1_LAPTOP 450GB") just isn't there.

Please, note how, even after running "First Aid", the size of the new volumes is significantly smaller than their equivalents in the external SSDs.

The output of "diskutil list" is: