No destination disk to install Mac OS to

I was trying to erase my hard drive and start over fresh with my 2011 Mac Pro.


After pressing Command R during start up I arrive at OSX Utilities page.


I can choose to Reinstall OSX, but when I arrive at the page where it asks me to select the disk that I want to install OS X to, there exists no options for me to select a disk.


In disk utility there is only a disk1 with an indented OSX Base system below it. After selecting disk1 or OSX base system, no options are available to erase or enable first aid.


I know I messed something up when trying to reset my computer.


How can I install Mac OS if there isn't a disk to use?


Please help







Mac Pro, macOS 12.7

Posted on Jan 20, 2024 7:41 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 21, 2024 11:01 AM

What OS installer is booted? That is what OS option is there to install on the first screen? If you are booted to an older macOS installer such as 10.7 Lion, then you may not see any valid volumes because older versions of macOS don't understand the newer drive layout utilized by the APFS file system.


Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to access the online macOS 10.13 High Sierra installer.....assuming that macOS 10.12.4+ was previously installed at some point in the past. If you boot to the High Sierra installer, then within Disk Utility you may need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drive appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Select the physical drive and erase it as GUID partition and MacOS Extended (Journaled). If successful, then quit Disk Utility and select the "Install macOS High Sierra" option.


Unfortunately sometimes no matter which keys you use to access recovery mode, the Mac may only boot to the online installer for the OS which originally shipped with the Mac from the factory. If it is booted to a macOS 10.7 to 10.10 installer, then you need to partition & format the whole physical drive using the instructions in this article:

https://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/formatting/Mac_Formatting_6-10_R3.pdf


FYI, if you can still boot this laptop to the internal drive, then I would highly recommend creating a bootable macOS 10.13 High Sierra USB installer now while you still can so you have more options since some people have issues with Internet Recovery Mode. Here is an Apple article with instructions:

Create a bootable installer - Apple Support



4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 21, 2024 11:01 AM in response to donescrewedup

What OS installer is booted? That is what OS option is there to install on the first screen? If you are booted to an older macOS installer such as 10.7 Lion, then you may not see any valid volumes because older versions of macOS don't understand the newer drive layout utilized by the APFS file system.


Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to access the online macOS 10.13 High Sierra installer.....assuming that macOS 10.12.4+ was previously installed at some point in the past. If you boot to the High Sierra installer, then within Disk Utility you may need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drive appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Select the physical drive and erase it as GUID partition and MacOS Extended (Journaled). If successful, then quit Disk Utility and select the "Install macOS High Sierra" option.


Unfortunately sometimes no matter which keys you use to access recovery mode, the Mac may only boot to the online installer for the OS which originally shipped with the Mac from the factory. If it is booted to a macOS 10.7 to 10.10 installer, then you need to partition & format the whole physical drive using the instructions in this article:

https://eshop.macsales.com/tech_center/formatting/Mac_Formatting_6-10_R3.pdf


FYI, if you can still boot this laptop to the internal drive, then I would highly recommend creating a bootable macOS 10.13 High Sierra USB installer now while you still can so you have more options since some people have issues with Internet Recovery Mode. Here is an Apple article with instructions:

Create a bootable installer - Apple Support



Jan 28, 2024 12:07 PM in response to donescrewedup

If you do not see the physical internal drive, then that drive has failed. It is possible the cable connection to the drive or Logic Board is loose so you can try reseating both connections to see if it makes any difference. There is a slim possibility that the internal HD SATA flex cable is bad (while the 2012 model was notorious for having bad cables, I never personally encounter a bad cable with the 2011 models). If the internal drive has failed, then it is possible to replace it with an SSD upgrade. A Crucial MX500 2.5" SSD is a good option (avoid the Crucial BX500 series as it is complete junk).


I'm assuming you have a MacBook Pro laptop here when I mention the cable issue & connections since like @John Galt mentioned there are no 2011 Mac Pro desktop towers.


Regardless if you have a laptop or a desktop tower, the internal hard drive has most likely failed. If you do have the desktop tower, then please let us know as it can possibly change some things.


This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

No destination disk to install Mac OS to

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