El Capitan. no packages were eligible for install.

These fixes didn't work for me. They bypassed the original error message but then I kept getting a lengthy, unintelligible error log. I tried creating an external boot disk with TransMac - same issues. After 5 days and many download/install/restart/repeat attempts (we have slow internet), I found this:

• Another reader suggests adding the Option key ⌥ to Command ⌘ -R keys when entering Recovery Mode. This means pressing Command⌘+ Option⌥+R (using all three fingers pressed at the same time.) This brings up OS X Internet Recovery. And forces your Mac to download its originally installed OS from Apple’s Servers

Fix Mac OS X El Capitan will not start up after update - AppleToolBox

AND IT WORKED!

This got me out of the painful install loop and allowed me to bypass the painful El Capitan OS X altogether. My 2010 Macbook automatically downloaded High Sierra instead and is now working fine.

Thought it might help the few others who aren't having success with the original fixes.

Thank you. Now my El Capitan can be offered to a new user. Better than recycle.

1. "go to utilities -terminal- type this and only this, date 0115124517"
2. This is what saved me.
3. Nowhere was this in the directions.You are good!

GeoShifter:

Once you've gotten to re-setting the date, the 'manual

setting' allows you to later reset the date & time, too.

So it can be actual time, but not automatic to local zone.

+ others:

This is child's play compared to being locked into the

former system. If these older macs could use Internet

Recovery, and start from there (assuming the physical

connections were correct and proper format used, etc)

As that implies, the utilities online would be used to

reformat (a)new storage drive (SSD or HDD) to work.

To use a bootable USB installer requires the terminal

command line to get correct macOS installers to use

that USB-flash, stick, or external drive. If compatible.

This is not something I do every year, but then I have

clones on boot-capable external hard drives; my newer

Mac (Late 2012 quad core mini server) has Time Machine

too. ~ However I've previous experience with hundreds of

Mac installations (antiques?) & refurbished 500+ to donate.

Hopefully someone with recent experience can interject

ideas; that is most difficult without a physical presence.

Sorry to not be helpful; and due to offline time constraint

and obligation I'm unfollowing this and other discussions.

Good luck & happy computing! 🌞🍀🌤🌍

I have this same problem as well. Tried everything mentioned under this topic. No progress. When I change the system date and try to download the installer I get an error message that tells me to try running the installer again. I can only get by this error by setting the date to current date and time. When I download the installer, I get the same error message

Os x could not be installed on you computer. No packages were eligible for install.

SInce I did a Time Machine backup before erasing my disk, tried reinstalling everything from Time Machine. When system boots, the system hangs during the boot-up. Ran Disk First AId. Looks like to ran OK. Tells me I have a Journaled HFS Plus Volume ( GUID partition map). Disc First AId didn't appear to improve my situation - still hanging on boot up.

Open to suggestions - what to do now?

Same exact issue here. When I change the date and try to install I get "An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running this application again."

Without changing the date, I get the same error as everyone else.

I might ask if anyone knows how I can run the installer manually - from the command line I can cd to /Volumes and see my main hard drive and the downloaded dmg file "Install OS X El Capitan" . If I could run the installer from the downloaded file, I'd saver about 2 hours for these tests and not download that installer file over and over.

also, a interesting thought - is the El Capitan download different for a Mac Mini vs a MacBook Pro laptop? When I start the installer download, it asks me to log in with my AppleID - If I login as myself, I have downloaded El Capitan as an upgrade to my Mini, but until this point not with a Mac laptop. JUst a thought. I will see if I can login with my daughter's AppleID and see if that makes a difference. Probably not but I'm clutching at straws

I did finally get it to work but I couldn’t do a recovery from the internet no matter what. And the recovery partition wasn’t loading either. But I was able to download it on another Mac and burn a usb installer, which still needed to have the date changed to install, but it finally did work. Thanks.

If anyone is still have issues after setting date to 2017, make sure you try this order of operations next:

reboot after failed install

once you're back in recovery, disable wifi

now open terminal and set date

now continue with installer

Hi all hoping someone can help me out here. I’m getting the ‘No packages’ are available when trying to reinstall El Capitan. Trouble is I now have a formatted drive, no backup. also after booting it cannot see the bootable usb with the installer on it. It does however see my external hard drive. I was thinking if I put the installer files on that it may work but I have no access to another Mac to do the transfer. Tried Trans Mac but that can’t see the external drive. Thanks. Ps. Tried changing the date to 2016 but unless the date is correct it comes up with an error.

Thanks for posting this solution. It worked for me. After a very long and frustrating journey, I've at last restored the OS using a USB drive. This solved the "no packages" error, but then after starting the installation, I got a generic message saying the OS could not be installed. I have no idea why Apple won't give a more helpful error message, like a clue about the date?

Thanks again!

Thank you so much! This is what helped me after spending almost 2 weekends trying to re-install OS (and failing) after wiping my Macbook so I could sell it. Sending tons of good karma your way! Cheers

No problem, thanks to everyone who added bits and pieces that helped me as well. I now have a time machine back up on multiple external hd’s :) which expedites some of the process if it happens again after a crash ect.

This was the magic bullet for me. Thank you, very frustrating problem. I had successfully updated a dozen or so iMacs from Snow Leopard (10.6.8) to El Capitan (10.11) in the past (like a couple years ago) and then I had this failure on two iMacs this month. One edit I had to make was to log in as Superuser; so I had to type the sudo -s command before I could reset the date. Thanks again for the fix jmaiers!

Hello forum members:

I have not been on this forum for a long time, but I was having problems with a 2007 iMac running El Capitan after erasing the hard drive (in order to give it to a friend) and receiving the 'no packages' warning.

I came across the work-around posted by jmaiers and it worked at treat. Saved me some real headaches, so thank you very much for the clear and concise procedure.

Best wishes,

Bob Sutton.