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User profile for user: LucGe
LucGe Author
User level: Level 1
11 points

Reinstall MacOs Yosemite (or higher) on Imac 2011

I want to set my Imac back to factory settings. So I erased the harddrive and wanted to reinstall MacOs via the helpprogram. However this fails:

Via Cmd + R and via internet Cmd + option+R. both give an error. So alternative option would be to create a bootable usb device with Mac Os. So I used a newer Macbook to download the Yosemite Os (.dmg). However I cannot execute this on the (newer) macbook on the usb drive, as it thinks I want to install the Yosemite Os on the newer macbook lol. So I tried to download the MacOs High Sierra from the appstore. But also this is not allowed on the macbook I use to make a bootable usb stick.


Do you guys have any idea what I can do to make a bootable USB with Yosemite OS (or High Sierra) for my Imac 2011?


Thanks in advance

iMac 27″, OS X 10.10

Posted on Aug 29, 2024 7:54 AM

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10 replies
User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,284 points

Aug 30, 2024 9:22 AM in response to LucGe

Forget about macOS Yosemite at the moment. You need to get any version of macOS onto your 2011 iMac if Internet Recovery Mode is not working. Once you do that, then you can create a bootable macOS Yosemite USB installer if you really want that particular OS.


A 2011 iMac can run both macOS 10.11 El Capitan and macOS 10.13 High Sierra. This means you just need access to another working Intel Mac generally from 2007 to mid-2020.


  • macOS 10.13 you need a Late-2009 to mid-2018 Mac
  • macOS 10.11 you need a 2007 - 2015 Mac


You can verify the other Mac is compatible with that OS by using the information in the following article since there are some exceptions to the model years I have listed:

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility




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User profile for user: BDAqua
BDAqua
User level: Level 10
245,165 points

Aug 29, 2024 8:35 AM in response to LucGe

Option-⌘-R

Upgrade to the latest macOS compatible with your Mac.


Look at top of screen for Utilities menu...

In Disk Utility>View, select Show all Devices, highlight the top left entry.


Run Disk First Aid on all items in the left panel, from top down.


APFS won't work for Sierra or earlier, Sierra or earlier needs MacOS Extended Journaled. High Sierra won't work for APFS on earlier Macs.




More details...


Like many others, I ran into the dreaded “The recovery server could not be contacted” message when trying to do a restore of Mac OS High Sierra for a 2010 13 inch MBP that I was selling (yes I know it’s worth almost nothing, but someone wanted to buy it from me)…

How to recover a Deleted Hard Drive durin… - Apple Community

If all else fails...

https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-fix-the-recovery-server-could-not-be-contacted-error-high-sierra-recovery-is-still-online-but-broken/


High Sierra “The Recovery Server Could No… - Apple Community


Use http:// instead of https://

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouNQS36dIBw&t=95s

The formula for caos: APFS+macOS High+EFI… - Apple Community

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User profile for user: LucGe
LucGe Author
User level: Level 1
11 points

Aug 29, 2024 10:24 AM in response to BDAqua

Thanks for the feedback.

still i cannot reinstall/upgrade to a verdion of MacOs. I’m constantly stuck for whatever apple reason… frustrating. the cmd - r options provided in the articles do not offer any help and editing the link nvram i do not even get there because i do not get the errors…. So my imac is directing me to yosemite os


in the disk utility of disk helpprograms i see my macintosh HD and I see a OS x Base system, but not able to recover from that



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User profile for user: LucGe
LucGe Author
User level: Level 1
11 points

Aug 29, 2024 11:45 AM in response to BDAqua

Yes that is what I’m trying to establish.

but not sure how to do that…


what I’ve done is try tro create a bootable usb from another Macbook. However, here again apple prevents that (yosemite) in this can van be set to a bootsble usb drive. Tried the same with Sierra but also here Apple thinks i’m trying to install it on the newer macbook and mentioning the OS is too old…


so I’m a bit stuck and do not see the point why Apple

makes this so complicated when normal restore does not work….

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User profile for user: BDAqua
BDAqua
User level: Level 10
245,165 points

Aug 29, 2024 3:52 PM in response to LucGe

Well, have you connected an external drive, Start up from macOS Recovery

Option-⌘-R

Upgrade to the latest macOS compatible with your Mac.


Look at top of screen for Utilities menu...

In Disk Utility>View, select Show all Devices, highlight the top left entry.


Run Disk First Aid on all items in the left panel, from top down. Format the external drive MacOS Extended Journaled, GUID partiton scheme, then trypointing the Istalerto the external drive?


Any chance you can get a friend to nah=ke a bootable USB stick?


APFS won't work for Sierra or earlier, Sierra or earlier needs MacOS Extended Journaled. High Sierra won't work for APFS on earlier Macs

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User profile for user: LucGe
LucGe Author
User level: Level 1
11 points

Sep 1, 2024 4:07 AM in response to HWTech

Thanks for replying. In the meantime I’ve found a Snow Leopard disc :). Wchich gave me hope to boot and reinstall from cd. Wel starting up from cd works…. A whole lot of code line appears and then a message saying shut down computer and turn on again resulting being captured in the same loop as always…

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Reinstall MacOs Yosemite (or higher) on Imac 2011

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