High Sierra Installer starts downloading something, finishes in less than a second, then fails to install

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Level 1

8 points

High Sierra Installer starts downloading something, finishes in less than a second, then fails to install

So I downloaded the High Sierra Installer and when I open it and try to start the install, it starts a download of something. Less than a second after I enter my password to start the install, it starts downloading something and finishes immediately. After this it prompts me to close everything and restart my computer but after I click 'Restart', it closes all of my open applications and then shows the error message "An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running this application again.”. What can I do to fix this problem?

MacBook Air

Posted on Feb 7, 2020 2:35 PM

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Answer 1

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HWTech

Level 9

55,844 points

Feb 7, 2020 10:09 PM in response to dante266

It is possible the download is corrupted. You can try deleting the installer and re-downloading it. Just make sure to check on the root of the drive for a folder called something like "OX Install Data" just in case your installer download was split into two locations (happens a lot for me).

You can try creating a bootable macOS USB installer, but it may not work if corrupted the download is corrupt:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

To reinstall the current macOS or to install the most recent version of macOS which is compatible with your computer boot into Recovery Mode (Command + R) or Internet Recovery Mode (Command + Option + R) respectively.