Wrong Restore. Please Help (Very Urgent)

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Level 1

11 points

Wrong Restore. Please Help (Very Urgent)

My MAC came with Catalina, when the constant BigSur update notification came, I got bored and installed BigSur. However, I was not satisfied at all. And I wanted to return to Catalina with the restore. I previously backed up with the time machine in Catalina. I booted the Mac with COMMAND + R and selected restore with time machine. When the restore finished I tried to turn on the mac but the problem started here. The apple logo appeared and the mac was closing. Then you learned that downgrading was not like that. I installed Catalina backup on BigSur. Now the mac does not open. I can only connect to COMMAND + R. I tried to restore the bigsur backup again but this time when I turn the mac back on, the automatic COMMAND + R screen pops up. Moreover, without pressing these keys. The version doesn't matter anymore. Catalina or Bigsur accepted. Just let the MAC work. All my work is left unfinished. Please help.

iMac 27″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Apr 17, 2021 10:27 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Jack-19

Level 8

46,008 points

Apr 17, 2021 11:51 PM in response to zsvnc

Hi zsvnc,

Let's try Internet Recovery. This will erase all data!

Shut off the Mac. (if on)
Connect to Ethernet, if possible.
Turn on the Mac, and immediately press and hold Option + Command + R until you see a spinning globe.
Once you are in macOS Recovery, verify you are connected to WiFi in the top right corner.
Go to Disk Utility.
Select "View" in the toolbar —> "Show All Devices".
Select your main hard drive or SSD. This will either be the top, non indented hard drive.
Click Erase, and input the following exactly: (If you cannot select erase on the main hard drive, erase the "Container" or “Macintosh HD”.)
Name: Macintosh HD
Format: APFS
Scheme: GUID Partition Map (if shown)
Click "Erase". If “Erase Volume Group” is shown, use that instead.
Quit Disk Utility
Go to the reinstall macOS app.
Follow the prompts, and install on Macintosh HD.
Let macOS install. Use Setup Assistant to restore data from your Time Machine backup.

Cheers,

Jack

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Answer 2

Jack-19

Level 8

46,008 points

Apr 18, 2021 1:25 AM in response to zsvnc

You need to erase the whole drive. This is the top, NON indented drive (typically). It is usually either "APPLE HDD", "APPLE SSD", or "Fusion Drive". (You may need to select "View" --> "Show All Devices").

If it says "Fusion Drive", erase the "Container".

If this still doesn't help, please respond with a photo of Disk Utility.

Cheers,

Jack

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Answer 3

zsvnc Author

Level 1

11 points

Apr 18, 2021 11:12 PM in response to Jack-19

I did the process again. I guess I didn't delete everything last time. This time I did not encounter any problems when I deleted everything. I deleted it and installed Directly. Everything is OK. I cannot thank you enough. You saved me from a big problem. Thank you so much.

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Answer 4

zsvnc Author

Level 1

11 points

Apr 18, 2021 12:35 AM in response to Jack-19

Thank you so so much for your answer. I delete macintosh hd and macintosh hd data. Should I completely remove the Macintosh Data by pressing minus?

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Answer 5

zsvnc Author

Level 1

11 points

Apr 18, 2021 7:21 AM in response to Jack-19

Thank you so much. The problem is solved. Everything is fine but I have only one question. When doing restore it asks for location, should I install Backup to Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD-DATA?

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