Stuck after disk crash, have full backup but trouble rebuilding and restoring

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djlangston Author

Level 1

4 points

Stuck after disk crash, have full backup but trouble rebuilding and restoring

iMac (27-inch,Late 2012)

Processor 2.9 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5

Memory 8GB 1600 Mhz DDR3

Startup Disk Macintosh HD (a Seagate Barracuda 1000GB) <-the disk that crashed

Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GX 660M 512 MB

Serial Number C0***NCV

macOS Catalina version 10.15.7

Last Backed up on Time Machine July 2023

Barracuda drive abruptly crashed. Goal is just to rebuild Mac back to Last State of Catalina 10.15.7

Then restore Time Machine contents to recover to last full backup.

Opened MAC, installed new 14TB disk, closed MAC, performed CONTROL R reboot

The Internet Download installed OSX 10.8.5 (options to download newer OS were NOT available)

The version of Safari now installed is 6.0.5 (8536.30.1)

Safari opens very few links. I can reach www.apple.com but not reach 'Support' link or App Store.

Safari says "Safari can't open page"https://support.apple.com" because Safari can't establish a secure connection to the server "support.apple.com"

Tried reaching App Store, same error.

Using another device (Macbook Air, macOS High Sierra 10.13.6) I'm researching solutions and entering this question's details.

Have read Here's how to upgrade MacOS 10.8.5 to Cat… - Apple Community

(tried this as suggested)

"So just go to How to download and install macOS – Apple Support (UK)and in step 4 you will see the link to download the Yosemite installer. Download and go through all the steps to get Yosemite on your Mac."

This effort fails because Safari 6.0.5 fails to access any of the links suggested above.

Support community comments suggest it should be possible for me to rebuild/restore to previous state but I'm stuck on my 27-inch Mac and unable to go through the steps to download Yosemite then upgrade back to Catalina. Respectfully requesting help. Dave L***

[Edited by Moderator]

iMac 27″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Aug 16, 2023 5:42 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

HWTech

Level 9

0 points

Aug 16, 2023 1:36 PM in response to djlangston

You will need to make sure you have installed the latest patches for that OS before you will be able to access the App Store to get the 10.13+ installers (best to use a link I'm providing below). I have no idea if Safari will then be able to access the links to the macOS 10.11 installer on the Apple website. I think years ago Apple allowed people to download a later version of Safari from Apple's website....not sure what that version would be though which would be compatible with 10.8.5.

Here is an Apple article with instructions for downloading various versions of macOS installers....macOS 10.11 El Capitan is available from outside of the App Store so you can download it using any computer with a current browser....then transfer the .dmg file to your iMac where you will need to open/mount the .dmg and run the .pkg file to extract the real installer to the Applications folder (this last part can only be performed on a Mac compatible with the OS installer).

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Here is the actual download link for macOS 10.11 direct from Apple (still need to read the instructions in the previous article I linked above):

http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2019/cert/061-41424-20191024-218af9ec-cf50-4516-9011-228c78eda3d2/InstallMacOSX.dmg

Also, here is an Apple article for creating a bootable macOS USB installer:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

When trying to access Internet Recovery Mode, try using Command + Option + R. Unfortunately with some Macs, no matter which keys you use to access Internet Recovery Mode it may only allow access to the online macOS installer for the OS which originally shipped with the Mac from the factory (no idea why).