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Arquebusier Author

Level 1

4 points

MontereyOS Install Error: "The volume cannot be used because it is a backup disc".

This is a repeat of a previously posted topic. This is in an office seting for an iMac (Built-in Retina, Radeon Pro 575 4096 MB graphics, 3 similar iMacs in office) with a shared Time Capsule backup system, however for some reason the hard drive on the computer in question is now the backup disc and not the Time Capsule. So I cannot install MontereyOS.

Please refer to a layperson's step by step process to allow MontereyOS to be installed and that I don't lose any data on the computer, and also how to prevent this from happening again.

Thanks!

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jun 14, 2022 10:48 AM

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

147,228 points

Posted on Jun 14, 2022 5:55 PM

Please refer to this old Discussion: Upgrade to Catalina.

In it,

John Galt wrote:

That Support document explains what happens if you attempt to do what it says. However, Step 2 explains the salient point: If a Backups.backupdb folder exists at the root level of whatever device on which you're attempting to install macOS, the installer will conclude it's a Time Machine backup drive, and won't let you proceed.

The referenced document no longer exists because that problem is not supposed to happen any more. If you are curious, here is the archived version: If you can't install macOS on a Time Machine backup disk (Archived)

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MontereyOS Install Error: "The volume cannot be used because it is a backup disc".

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