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Installing macOS Big Sur 11.4 on my SSD that does not have S.M.A.R.T support -> S.M.A.R.T failing

When installing macOS Big Sur 11.4 I get the message S.M.A.R.T. error. The hard drive has a hardware problem and can't be repaired.

My SDD does not support S.M.A.R.T.

What can I do to successfully install Big Sur 11.4?


Thanks!

/Hans

Posted on Jul 25, 2021 7:29 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 15, 2021 4:36 AM

Found a quite simple solution:

I rebooted in Recovery Mode (CMD-R when restarting)

From the left pane, I selected the startup disk, and then clicked on First Aid. I clicked Run to repair the startup disk.

I then restarted the Mac, downloaded Big Sur from the App Store, and then installed it.

Worked like a charm.

:-)

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 15, 2021 4:36 AM in response to hans_becker

Found a quite simple solution:

I rebooted in Recovery Mode (CMD-R when restarting)

From the left pane, I selected the startup disk, and then clicked on First Aid. I clicked Run to repair the startup disk.

I then restarted the Mac, downloaded Big Sur from the App Store, and then installed it.

Worked like a charm.

:-)

Jul 25, 2021 7:44 AM in response to hans_becker

If this is an Original Apple SSD - Find an Apple Authorized Service Provider nearest your location for Repairs. Just fill in the Country and City Information


As a Temporary workaround - get a good external SSD Drive and direct the Installer to the external Drive.


Important if this is the route - Extra Special Notation regarding the Touch ID equipped Apple Computer. About Startup Security Utility and Must Enable from Recovery Mode the ability to boot from External Drive Before Attempting 


Jul 25, 2021 8:20 AM in response to hans_becker

So to confirm, you have a third-party SSD installed, and that third-party SSD does not support SMART, and a Big Sur update is mis-detecting the third-party SSD (lack of) SMART support as an error, and is balking?


I’d think your options are to then install on an SSD or HDD with SMART and image the storage to the not-SMART storage, or to replace the not-SMART SSD with a SMART SSD. Either bypass the failing SMART checks, or satisfy the SMART checks.


It’s fairly rare to find a third-party SSD that doesn’t support SMART. And given the way SSDs tend to fail (catastrophically), reducing what little pre-failure warning might be available from that not-SMART SSD; spare sector exhaustion, etc.


Installing macOS Big Sur 11.4 on my SSD that does not have S.M.A.R.T support -> S.M.A.R.T failing

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