Can't Even Use Recovery Mode to "Downgrade" to Catalina In Order To Install Big Sur (Again)

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Can't Even Use Recovery Mode to "Downgrade" to Catalina In Order To Install Big Sur (Again)

Last stop here before I take this in to a shop. I have Big Sur 11.0.1 and cannot update to this 11.1. patch. MacBook Air goes thru the motion of "installing" with a green bar, restarts and I still get a system preferences notification prompt to update. Been trying to update this since early yesterday. There's nothing on the web to address this. I've gone thru two Apple Chat reps today, tried safe booting, and attempted a Recovery. Recovery mode doesn't even list Big Sur; it only gives me the option to do Catalina. But trying to do this, the screen's "INSTALL" button is greyed out so I cannot even click it.

I'm not sure why Big Sur isn't even listed in the Recovery section, even though it's the system this laptop's using. But I can't even downgrade to Catalina. Or does anyone know if a fix to 11.1 is coming out? Where it stands right now, if for some reason I had to reinstall any OS system I'm out of luck in the Recovery panel; it didn't give me an option. I don't know how to rotate this pic here; it was taken upright so I don't know why it's presenting here like this:

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Dec 19, 2020 12:56 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

155,804 points

Dec 31, 2020 12:30 PM in response to coryfromphoenix

The solution is to boot macOS Recovery again and use Disk Utility to completely erase the entire storage device.

Follow these instructions: Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support.

Pay attention to Step 4. "The device" in its context refers to the entire storage device, meaning not a volume or partition subordinate to that device.

Then, you should be able to reinstall macOS. macOS 11.1 should be the only available Big Sur version. If that results in 11.0.1 I'm out of ideas.

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

272,730 points

Dec 19, 2020 1:34 PM in response to coryfromphoenix

You have not told us whether you have an Intel or M1 MacBook Air. The M1 MacBook Air goes into recovery mode differently from the Intel.

For the M1, turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which includes a gear icon labeled Options. Select Options, then click Continue.

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Answer 3

sberman

Level 10

272,730 points

Dec 19, 2020 5:56 PM in response to coryfromphoenix

Be certain you use an Apple Store or Authorized Apple Service Center.

Good luck!

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Answer 4

Dec 19, 2020 4:03 PM in response to sberman

I used command R and/ command r/some other key with the power button when talking to an agent. I'm just taking it to a shop. Not being able to reinstall anything from Recovery mode really has me worried now.

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Answer 5

Dec 31, 2020 11:40 AM in response to coryfromphoenix

My personal update: Ok so I took this computer into an Apple store Dec 24th, having made an appt. The tech wasn't able to run a diagnostic on the spot due to limited means (COVID-related), he said. Ok, fine. I was able to make an appt, but once I get to said appt apparently no-one there can look at this thing on the spot. Makes sense to me. Would have been nice to have been told over the phone that I would have to leave my laptop, but whatever. I left it with the assumption (as I was told by the store people) that they would reboot the thing, reinstall Big Sur, and then update it with the newest version of 11.1. Got a call to pick up, I go pick this up today as it was "fixed". I get home, and now it's doing the same exact thing that prompted me to take it into Apple to begin with. Whatever alleged "work" they did, they did nothing at all. I'm still getting a notification to update to 11.1, still waiting a ridiculous amount of time for the update to take place (well over an hour) after clicking it, and the "ABOUT THIS MAC" still shows Mac OS Big Sur version 11.0.1. So....I don't know what fix was made. So...at this point I've pretty much given up. Unless they come out with a fix to 11.1 not sure how else this is going to resolve itself.

So basically I wasted a trip to the store for nothing. Websites offer nothing that works. This site offers nothing that works. Chatting with several agents thru Apple did nothing. Taking it to Apple and waiting a week to get this back did nothing either. I know you're supposed to stay on top of patches to keep things running smoothly but hey, that's not possible if you can't update it. Oh well.

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