Reinstall High Sierra macOS does not work (recovery server could not be contacted)

Unsure if you're still facing the same issue, but after being frustrated by it repeatedly on multiple computers, I finally found a solution. https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-fix-the-recovery-server-could-not-be-contacted-error-high-sierra-recovery-is-still-online-but-broken/

Fix #3 worked for me, changing the NVRAM's URL for the update. Basically, Apple broke the security exchange in some way, so you have to force the installer to use an "http" link rather than a "https" one. After that change, it installed perfectly. And you don't need a USB installer or recovery disk.

To clarify, you're going into the error log just to get the URL (don't know if it's against terms here, or I'd post it directly). Once you have that copied (without the "s"), you write the command that starts with "nvram", then hit paste. You should see your URL (removing the "s" in "https" if necessary) appear. Hit enter. There's no real "result", just it lets you enter more text. Quit out of Terminal. Then go to Reinstall macOS as normal. The process will run properly now and be able to connect.

brbo wrote:

Wondering if this Apple support article is any help in installing High Sierra OS:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

It would be if the OP still had a working startup disk to boot from.

These days, I believe it is not wise to completely erase your only copy of an old version of macOS and count on Internet Recovery. There are too many recent posts in these forums about issues with Apple's servers.

You really want to have a current clone backup (made with Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper!) … or a freshly-installed copy of macOS on an external drive. Something that will boot up all of the way, so that you can either

1. Use the link you describe to try to get an installer, or
2. Clone your backup/temporary working drive back to your main drive, in the event that something goes wrong with the attempt to do an installation on your main drive

Even a Time Machine backup of a startup drive might be enough to let you recover – assuming that you can get into Recovery mode. You cannot directly boot from a Time Machine backup, but I believe that in Recovery Mode, you can restore it onto your main drive, thereby making the main drive bootable.

If the OP has backups of any kind, now is the time for the OP to use them. Otherwise, the OP is probably going to need help from someone with an old Mac (such as a repair shop) to prepare an OS and get it onto this Mac.

I had the same problem on my 2011 IMAC. Being that my IMAC and High Sierra both are no longer supported, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple would not make it available for reinstall on older machines. I am heading to the Apple Store in a few days to return my old IMAC for recycling. I could not believe how long to a high security disk cleaning took for my old 1TB Hard Disk drive; I did a FIPS erase with 7 passes it took the better part of two hours per pass.

I have the exact same problem. Were you able to resolve it?

So long as you got it installing! It would be nice if Apple just fixed the certificate verification issue so no one has to go through these steps.

Did you find a solution, as I have the same problem getting “Could Not connect with Mac Server”. The log file says disc not in Mac Extended Journal. It is an SSD in a 2011 iMac APFS formatted. Could not get Installer to work either the I downloaded. Must one reformate the SSD in Extended Journal, then reinstall all your boot drive data?

Does not make sense...

Best, Seth

This reply may be of no use to you now but for anyone else who gets here due to the same issue, it might be of use.

Bought mid 2011 iMac from user who could not reinstall High Sierra - or anything else. I had a 2009 HDD with High Sierra on it so I tried booting from that using a docking station. Yay - booted up then crashed and kept crashing - so, using the still published advice from forums and Apple and being a newbie I went and - wonder of wonders - managed to reinstall Lion, the original OSX and from there tried to migrate to High Sierra BUT you can't do that - have to install El Capitan as an intermediate step and them move upwards to HS.

Bought El Cap USB installer and erased Mac Hd Lion volume - USB installer began OK then abruptly stopped after 2 minutes with a restart. Now I didn't have an OSX or start disc, the recovery partition didn't work so I was stuffed and now in the same position as the guy who sold the mac to me.

MY SOLUTION was not straight forward it involved (1) obtaining an SSD with HS preinstalled (2) getting a Firewire 800 enclosure for the SSD and (3) substituting the SSD for the enclosure HDD - I got a LaCie from Ebay to do this. (4) used terminal to set device date to year 2016 (5) powered up using option and booted from the LaCie.

After 8 weeks of failure the mac did boot up and to my immense relief, it went into the set up phase.

I then used the docking station with a SuperDuper copy of the HS installation that was on my other mac that was being repaired to install that copy on to the mac's internal HDD. NOTE: the SSD is APFS and disc HDD's are optimised for HFS+.... which is why I used the SuperDuper (HFS+) to copy itself on the internal HDD.

It isn't pretty and there are far too manic Kernal Panics but at least it now has a copy of the other mac's OS and files plus the availability of the LaCie SSD as an alternative boot drive.

[Mid 2011 iMac £40 ..LaCie = £19...SSD(HS) £23 Firewire cable £3 Unsable ElCap USB £9 Docking Station for SuperDuper SSD £26]

I will in due course try to just do a clean install by adding a supplementary SSD [that will involve too much surgery for me to do safely] containing the OS and then use the HDD for storage. None of the items I bought will be redundant as I now have an external SSD for time machine backups and two versions of the file system to use as neccessary.

What an amazing adventure and story. After I got my 27" 2011 iMac I quickly had the only local Apple service center, which has since closed in this small west Texas town, replace the optical drive with a 128 GB SSD. Sometime later I installed a second 128 GB SSD. One was the boot drive and the other a Carbon Copy Clone back up boot drive, which did weekly back ups. I have since turned this off not knowing if the operating boot drive was functioning optimally, as can no longer reinstall High Sierra in recovery mode. Never had a problem all these years until recently. Don't know why Apple doesn't fix this. I downloaded the install application, but, it only works on the drive that you want to install the macOS. That is not typically how things work. You have to boot from another drive and install it onto the Target boot drive, so I'm not sure how that works. And not sure if it's really installing a complete macOS, as the little checkered colored squares that start to show up when things start to fail are only briefly fixed. However, I still have it working, but haven't copied the clone boot drive as a back up in a long time, fearful to copy the problem from the primary boot drive.

Let me know how things go, and any new developments. Best, Seth

Hi I’ve been trying to follow the guidance you highlighted. I’m not coding savvy, but thought it looked easy enough to follow, but got stuck after opening the terminal app and pasting in the line from the error log. I then highlighted the URL and copied it. The instructions then say “You are now back at the command line. Now type in the following command then select paste.”

I’m not sure how I get back to the command line.

can you help, please?

Thanks for your help. I watched the video on the Mr Macintosh site and worked out where I was going wrong. Sometime images speak more than words. (I was getting stuck using just the word version of what to do because I was not understanding where I had to create the new command. As I said I'm not savvy in coding ...)

Wondering if this Apple support article is any help in installing High Sierra OS:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

It's not. I've been directed there countless times over the past couple days trying to get either internet recovery or a bootable installer to function.

I finally got through, but the load didn't work. I'm going to turn it over to Apple tomorrow.

The firmware is suspected. Apple tech has the device now. The same problem was evident at the Apple store. I will update you after the resolution.