Clean install of Ventura 13.1 freezes at Language selection screen

Hi MEADEN,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities. If you are still experiencing this issue, since it happens with your MacBook Pro and works OK with your other Mac, we'd recommend using Disk Utility on the impacted Mac to check for errors. Start up normally, then use the guidance from How to repair a Mac disk with Disk Utility to check for and repair any errors. The following guidance from that article will get you started.

"Open Disk Utility

In general, you can just open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. However, if your Mac doesn't start up all the way, or you want to repair the disk your Mac starts up from, open Disk Utility from macOS Recovery:

1. Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:

• Apple silicon: Turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window. Click the gear icon labeled Options, then click Continue.
• Intel processor: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R.

2. You may be asked to select a user you know the password for. Select the user, then click Next and enter their administrator password.

3. From the utilities window in macOS Recovery, select Disk Utility and click Continue."

Find your drive there and run First Aid which should help you discover and repair any issues. Then, try the installer again. We hope that helps.

Take care.

I'm experiencing a similar issue. Bought a new MacBook Pro 14 (came with Ventura 13.0), migrated from my old MacBook Pro running Monterey 12.4. Everything seemed fine until I updated to 13.1. Getting the same response with jerky cursor / occasional beach balls on the language selection screen. Tried a reboot with similar results. After about 20 minutes the language list disappeared leaving just the small text at the bottom, which also disappeared a minute or two later. Next I got a screen with "Recovery" and "Examining volumes", then it dropped me to full Recovery mode indicating I need to reinstall Ventura. First Aid showed no issues with the volumes. Now trying to reinstall Ventura.

I've also been experiencing this today. I might have found a workaround, though I can't be sure because I've only done a very small number of tests.

I've found that if the internal disk is already wiped, then the language selection dialog works as you'd expect, with no slow down. I've done this twice.

But if the internal disk already has an installation of macOS Ventura, then the language dialog freezes as you've described. I've seen this 3 or 4 times before I searched for the problem and found your post.

If this behaviour is consistent, then the workaround would be:

• Make a bootable external drive with Ventura 13.1. Unplug it.
• Use the disk utility in the built-in recovery assistant (not your bootable external drive) to wipe the disk.
• Boot from the external bootable installer and use it to install Ventura 13.1.

I am dealing with the same thing but from a different angle: New M1 Pro 16” MBP, trying to enable system extensions for Sound Source, boot into recovery, select options and it freezes on language selection. Just awesome. Apple lockdown+apple bugs means I can’t use my paid software. Excellent, premium experience. This literally wouldn’t be an issue for me if they weren’t so unnecessarily ornery about system extensions. Not happy.

Same. Trying to setup OWC Softraid - total fail at this point.

ludicrous.