Unable to reinstall macOS in recovery mode

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Gooner4_1998 Author

Level 1

4 points

Unable to reinstall macOS in recovery mode

This afternoon my 2017 iMac went into a constant boot loop. I was unable to get it to boot into safe mode, so I was forced to go into recovery mode.

Once in recovery mode I erased the hard drives using disk utility and then selected ‘reinstall macOS’. As this is a 2017 machine, it’s automatically pulling up Sierra.

I get all the way to the end of the installation progress bar, before I get the following error message:

‘An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running this application again’.

I‘ve gone through the same process 4 times, each with the same result. I’ve tried using disk utility first aid and have also tried to load the OS onto both the SSD and the HDD, all with the same result.

Can anyone help please - it’s driving me insane!

Thanks

iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Jul 10, 2023 4:35 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

BDAqua

Level 10

245,189 points

Jul 10, 2023 5:18 PM in response to Gooner4_1998

OSX Base is what is running restore mode, can't use that.

Up in Disk Utilty's View Menu, choose Show all Devices

If your Mac has a Fusion Drive and you see a flashing question mark or alert, see the troubleshooting section of the Apple Support article About Fusion Drive, a storage option for some Mac computers.

If you continue to have problems with your disk or it can’t be repaired, it may be physically damaged and need to be replaced. For information about servicing your Mac, see Find out how to service or repair your Mac.

In Terminal…

diskutil resetFusion

How to fix a split Fusion Drive - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Gooner4_1998 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 11, 2023 12:35 AM in response to BDAqua

Ok, went through the steps to fix the Fusion Drive and thought I was going to be in luck, but the operation failed right at the end. Attached is the terminal log.

In addition, the 2T HDD is no longer visible in disk utility, or when running diskutil list in Terminal.

I did try installing on the SSD that remains but it threw the same error as before.

I seem to be going backwards, not forwards 🤪

Anything else I can try?

Thanks

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Answer 3

Gooner4_1998 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 10, 2023 4:50 PM in response to Gooner4_1998

Here’s some images from Disk Utility which may help 🤷🏽‍♂️

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Answer 4

Gooner4_1998 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 10, 2023 6:02 PM in response to BDAqua

Thanks for your response.

I’ll give this a go 👍🏽

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Answer 5

Gooner4_1998 Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 10, 2023 6:23 PM in response to BDAqua

I can’t see an option to ‘show all devices’ in disk utility (there isn’t a ‘view’ option in the menu bar. Any idea or would it only show when in the OS?

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Answer 6

BDAqua

Level 10

245,189 points

Jul 10, 2023 6:47 PM in response to Gooner4_1998

I can't test it, but when you're in DU, try CMD+2 keys.

Or is there a view icon in DU's Toolbar?

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Unable to reinstall macOS in recovery mode

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