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Unable to set target system volume for preflight - error on installing Mac OS

I am trying to install Monterey on an external SSD. It is formatted in APFS and there are some files on it.


When clicking to install Monterey, the image is grayed out and I get a "unable to set target system volume for preflight" note.


What the heck does that mean?


Can I install Monterey on it or do I have to reformat the drive. Or could I install another APFS partition?


iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 12.6

Posted on May 16, 2023 2:08 PM

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13 replies

May 9, 2024 2:43 PM in response to Perplexae

To my previous message.


The problem lies in the inability to set access rights for internal and external drives.


How I fixed this:

  1. Unlink the device from the user's Apple account.
  2. By using Configurator for Apple developers, we roll back the system to the factory state.
  3. Install Sonoma from Apple server.
  4. Update and configure the system for User.
  5. Everything works.

May 18, 2023 8:36 AM in response to PRP_53

I have been viewing the volumes through the Disk Utility and selected all volumes.


I created a new volume under the same container on this external SSD. There is just one container on that drive.


The Monterey OS installed on the new blank APFS volume.


All the files in the original volume are intact. Monterey shows up in the new volume and I can boot off of that.

May 17, 2023 4:40 AM in response to Lawrence Hammer

From what I have seen, installing Monterey on an External Drive may or may not work.


At least it would be problematic


Somewhere in Monterey 12.3 or 12.3.1 the Monterey Installer would verify if the Destination Drive is an Apple Original Drive


If not an Original Drive, it may baulk and refuse to install " It is formatted in APFS and there are some files on it. "


It does not Help that the existing External Drive

May 19, 2023 7:39 AM in response to PRP_53

Out of curiosity, what are you looking for here since it boots just fine? I am trying to insure that I am not releasing any information that may compromise my security, which is why I scrubbed the names on the other picture I posted.


It appears here that #1 is the original data container. The others have to do with the Monterey install, I think.


 #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER


   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +2.0 TB     disk7


                                 Physical Store disk3s2


   1:                APFS Volume ⁨        626.6 GB   disk7s1


   2:                APFS Volume ⁨Monterey OS - Data⁩      5.0 GB     disk7s3


   3:                APFS Volume ⁨Preboot⁩                 269.4 MB   disk7s4


   4:                APFS Volume ⁨Recovery⁩                2.2 GB     disk7s5


   5:                APFS Volume ⁨VM⁩                      1.1 MB     disk7s6


   6:                APFS Volume ⁨Monterey OS⁩             15.4 GB    disk7s7

May 19, 2023 7:59 AM in response to Lawrence Hammer

To compare the Drive Structure on Ventura 13.4 to Monterey 12.??


Your drive


#:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER


   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +2.0 TB     disk7


                                 Physical Store disk3s2


   1:                APFS Volume ⁨        626.6 GB   disk7s1


   2:                APFS Volume ⁨Monterey OS - Data⁩      5.0 GB     disk7s3


   3:                APFS Volume ⁨Preboot⁩                 269.4 MB   disk7s4


   4:                APFS Volume ⁨Recovery⁩                2.2 GB     disk7s5


   5:                APFS Volume ⁨VM⁩                      1.1 MB     disk7s6


   6:                APFS Volume ⁨Monterey OS⁩             15.4 GB    disk7s7



My Drive


APFS Container Scheme -                      +245.1 GB   disk3


                                 Physical Store disk0s2


   1:                APFS Volume Macintosh HD            9.1 GB     disk3s1


   2:              APFS Snapshot com.apple.os.update-... 9.1 GB     disk3s1s1


   3:                APFS Volume Preboot                 5.4 GB     disk3s2


   4:                APFS Volume Recovery                782.7 MB   disk3s3


   5:                APFS Volume Data                    22.3 GB    disk3s5


   6:                APFS Volume VM                      20.5 KB    disk3s6

May 20, 2023 3:05 PM in response to Lawrence Hammer

Sometimes, a simple restart can help resolve temporary glitches. Restart your Mac and try the installation process again. Ensure that you have sufficient free disk space on your target system volume. Insufficient disk space can cause installation errors. Delete any unnecessary files or applications to free up space if needed. If you downloaded the macOS installer from the internet, it's possible that the file is corrupted or incomplete. Try downloading the installer again from the official source, and make sure the file size matches the expected size macOS includes a utility called Disk Utility, which can repair disk permissions and fix certain issues.


May 10, 2024 8:35 PM in response to Lawrence Hammer

Lawrence Hammer wrote:

Out of curiosity, what are you looking for here since it boots just fine? I am trying to insure that I am not releasing any information that may compromise my security, which is why I scrubbed the names on the other picture I posted.

It appears here that #1 is the original data container. The others have to do with the Monterey install, I think.

 #:                       TYPE NAME                    SIZE       IDENTIFIER

   0:      APFS Container Scheme -                      +2.0 TB     disk7

                                 Physical Store disk3s2

   1:                APFS Volume ⁨        626.6 GB   disk7s1

   2:                APFS Volume ⁨Monterey OS - Data⁩      5.0 GB     disk7s3

   3:                APFS Volume ⁨Preboot⁩                 269.4 MB   disk7s4

   4:                APFS Volume ⁨Recovery⁩                2.2 GB     disk7s5

   5:                APFS Volume ⁨VM⁩                      1.1 MB     disk7s6

   6:                APFS Volume ⁨Monterey OS⁩             15.4 GB    disk7s7

FYI, the volume name for item#1 (disk7s1 with size 626.6GB) is most likely the problem since it has no visible characters listed in the output.


Another reason it may not install is due to the presence of existing files on the volume. Even if it did install macOS to that volume, then those existing files would have been moved to a "Reallocated Items" folder located within the "/Users/SharedFolder" since macOS does not allow any items to be stored on the root of a macOS system boot volume.


Unable to set target system volume for preflight - error on installing Mac OS

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