create Mac OS Catalina bootable USB from UNSUPPORTED Mac OS version

Question

Level 1

8 points

create Mac OS Catalina bootable USB from UNSUPPORTED Mac OS version

I have two MacBook Pros

One supports Catalina (A1398) - but the drive died and I have replaced with a new, empty drive.

The OTHER one does NOT support Catalina, it's too old (A1278), it's running macOS High Sierra 10.13.6.

How ON EARTH can I use my functional (but outdated and unsupported) Mac to download and create a bootable USB for Catalina to rebuild my supported MBP?

I have gone round in silly circles with App Store, it seems "Apple knows best" and refuse to let me download the installer since I'm doing it on an unsupported Mac.

This is of course a flawed assumption since I have NO intention of installing it ON the Mac I'm trying to download from.

I have tried around a dozen times to perform Internet Recovery on the newer MBP with new drive - it always stops after I have hit "continue" on the install Catalina link after a minute or so with "could not contact a recovery server"

I have a very fast fibre connection, and there is no firewall on outbound comms, I am using WiFi but have no method of plugging this newer MBP in with a cable to eliminate WiFi use. No other devices have been conducting "high usage" activities while I'm trying to perform the internet recovery.

I am aware of unsupported methods such as "catalina patcher" that allow installing/upgrading on Macs that would otherwise fail Apple's compatibility checks. I'm not interested in running unvetted third-party tools like that - don't trust them.

Does anyone know how I can manually DOWNLOAD and create a bootable USB Catalina installer from my working High Sierra MBP?

I found a link that suggested terminal commands like:

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.15.3

But that gives errors like:

softwareupdate: unrecognized option `--fetch-full-installer'

softwareupdate: unrecognized option `--full-installer-version'

usage: softwareupdate <cmd> [<args> ...]

The "help" for that particular command doesn't help me understand and doesn't match what I read online, so I guess what I'm reading online caters ONLY for Catalina terminal app :(

This is a completely retarded decision by Apple not to provide any sensible options for downloading and creating offline media FOR different versions of MacOS to the one you're running!

The only viable method I have come up with is (I think) the following:

Use my working High Sierra MBP to create an otherwise pointless "High Sierra bootable USB"

( note : I tried to build one for Mojave but apparently that's not supported on my A1278 either...)

Use the High Sierra bootable USB to install on the new empty drive in my other MBP

Update from High Sierra to Catalina on the newer MBP.

Thanks Apple! :(

If anyone has a better idea for workflow using SANCTIONED methods and sources - I'm all ears...

Cheers,

theUt

MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.13

Posted on Mar 13, 2020 9:00 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Mar 13, 2020 9:16 PM in response to theUt

Hello, theUt.

Sorry to hear you're having such a time with this.

Have you discovered this sanctioned link?

How to create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

Within that document are links to macOS installer application downloads and the Terminal commands that you will use to create bootable USB drive installers.

About the only caveat I see there is this bit under "Download macOS":

"Important: To get the correct installer, download from a Mac that is using macOS Sierra 10.12.5 or later, or El Capitan 10.11.6."

Just ensure that you have installed all the appropriate updates for your macOS version, High Sierra, is it? (And looking again I see you are at 10.13.6) I have used these resources to create Catalina installers from a 2010 iMac running High Sierra. I see no reason why you should not have the same success.

Reply

Answer 2

Eau Rouge

Level 8

42,718 points

Mar 14, 2020 12:37 AM in response to theUt

There is nothing wrong with the Catalina patcher, your life will not end.

Reply

Answer 3

theUt Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2020 12:27 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

Hi **.Johnson

Thanks for your reply.

As you say - the part I'm stymied on is the ability to DOWNLOAD the Catalina build.

I cannot seem to even download the slightly older Mojave.

The level of "verification" by Apple is flawed since I need the installer for ANOTHER system - not the one on which I am using to download.

Really they should provide methods to do the DOWNLOAD on any system - Windows, older macOS, Linux or ChromeOS - the same as these other systems provide.

My High Sierra install is fully up-to-date, no updates pending and I have restarted a few times trying again.

Thanks Apple... (not)

I'm gong down the route of installing High Sierra first and upgrading.

I guess if I want a clean install I ought to be able to GET the Catalina bootable USB built once I have done the High Sierrra install > Catalina upgrade.

Ridiculous.

Reply

Answer 4

theUt Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2020 12:36 AM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks MrHoffman

My post says I tried Internet Recovery and which part of that it failed on (many times).

It also outlined precisely that method: High Sierra bootable USB, then I'll upgrade > Catalina.

Still maintain this entire area of OS recovery is deeply and fundamentally flawed design by Apple.

Apparently the Apple forums blank words like re-tard-ed because that's naughty?

Can't see any reason why they don't just provide a simple OS repository (that doesn't require App Store), accessible from any modern browser on Windows, any variant of macOS, Linux or ChromeOS.

Y'know - like everyone else does?

It's just a download for effs sake.

The verification should be done at INSTALL time.

Anyway, I will get there eventually.

Cheers,

theUt

Reply

Answer 5

LD150

Level 10

104,590 points

Mar 14, 2020 2:23 AM in response to theUt

"......it always stops after I have hit "continue" on the install Catalina link after a minute or so with "could not contact a recovery server"......"

That is the bit I do not understand. Yes they do have a repository of OS's and that is internet recovery. Maybe your wifi also has a fault?

It does show a strong reason for Time Machine or a bootable clone backup, both of which are designed to reinstall onto a new clean hard disk like this.

Reply

Answer 6

theUt Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2020 6:08 PM in response to LD150

Hi peter_watt

I agree - it's very weird and frustrating.

I have a fairly "decent" setup in terms of gear quality at home (Aerohive WAPs) and none of the my other client devices are showing any kind of issue. Naturally I restarted both WAPs, my switch and router, and tried moving closer to one WAP then the other but the behaviour doesn't change.

I am in NZ so perhaps the recovery servers are for some reason unreachable internationally.

It would be useful if the error message about inability to contact a recovery server gave some actually useful detail (FQDN, IP address - anything?) but nope, it's a fairly unhelpful error.

Yes, noted re backups - but the A1398 is one I have only just acquired and I acquired it because of the dead drive, prior owner didn't want to fix it so cheap machine for me.

Cheers,

theUt

Reply

Answer 7

theUt Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2020 6:10 PM in response to Eau Rouge

umm whoops, I didn't mean to click the "solved" button to your reply, since your reply did anything but solve my issue! :P

I don't seem to be able to undo that...

Ah well, anyway, I'm getting there the long way but thanks

Reply

Answer 8

Mar 14, 2020 7:28 PM in response to theUt

Hey, my friend. You're welcome. And I'm sorry that you 're having to go the long way 'round for this upgrade.

FWIW, I just initiated and successfully downloaded the Catalina upgrade installer application here in the US on a MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.15.3. So, there you go.

I don't know exactly what that tells us, but obviously there's a hitch in your giddy-up somewhere.

I do hope you get your machine up and running soon. Please let us know how it goes.

Good luck.

Reply

Answer 9

LD150

Level 10

104,590 points

Mar 15, 2020 1:37 AM in response to theUt

I could believe it if you were in Iran or China but last time I looked NZ was friends of the “Western” world. Heck you and I share the same Monarch.

Remember also there are other internet recovery options, using other key combinations, such as install the OS it was originally supplied with, and install the latest OS that my Mac can cope with.

Reply

Answer 10

Mar 14, 2020 9:38 PM in response to theUt

Hi, theUt.

That's good news, my friend. Well done!

Heck yeah, do the old machine, too.👍🏽

Then keep those installer files and the usb stashed away somewhere safe, just in case.

Cheers!

Reply

Answer 11

MrHoffman

Level 10

156,553 points

Mar 13, 2020 9:50 PM in response to theUt

I’ll assume that Internet Recovery is not working.

Visit an Apple Store, or an Apple authorized service provider?

Or download High Sierra on the old Mac, build a bootable installer, boot that on the erased Mac, then load Catalina.

Reply

Answer 12

theUt Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2020 8:50 PM in response to D.I. Johnson

Hi D.I. Johnson

Catalina is installing right now on the MBP A1398.

I had to install High Sierra on it first.

I could never download Catalina on my old A1278 no matter what I tried...

Interesting that Catalina downloaded first time, without issue on the A1398 with new drive and brand new install of High Sierra.

Seems a bit like I should blitz the drive on my old A1398 and do a clean fresh install of High Sierra, after all I HAVE just built a bootable USB for it... :P

Cheers,

theUt

Reply

create Mac OS Catalina bootable USB from UNSUPPORTED Mac OS version

Similar questions