El Capitan installation failed (error related to essentials.pkg)

Question

El Capitan installation failed (error related to essentials.pkg)

I have a late 2012 27" iMac which was running Yosemite.

Today, when I tried to upgrade to El Capitan I repeatedly get the message:

OS X could not be installed on your computer

An error occurred while extracting files from the package "Essentials.pkg".

Quit the installer to restart your computer and try again.

I have tried repeatedly and keep getting the same error. Googling indicated that it may be a problem with non-Apple-memory -- I had 32 GB Crucial RAM -- so I replaced it with the RAM modules that originally came with the iMac but I ended up with the same error message.

How can I see details about what this error is? Should I go back to Yosemite (I do have up-to-date Time Machine Backups)? Any suggested fixes?

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Yosemite (10.10.3)

Posted on Sep 30, 2015 12:31 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 19, 2017 1:02 PM in response to Linc Davis

Halleluja! Thank you very much. I called apple support 2 times, tried to install yosemite, el capitan, sierra etc with no luck. Tried formatting the disk with multiple partition, tried to download sierra from 2 different networks +++ CMD + alt + P + R solved the problem :-D

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Answer 2

Sep 30, 2015 12:52 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

Sanjaya, to me that sounds like there is an issue with the Installer file. Have you tried re-downloading it?

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Answer 3

Sep 30, 2015 2:18 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

Restore OS X using OS X Recovery.

Then try downloading and installing El Capitan.

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Answer 4

JimmyCMPIT

Level 7

29,258 points

Sep 30, 2015 12:54 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

Can you try a re-download in the event the installer is corrupt?

Did you check the RAM using Apple Hardware Test?

Using Apple Hardware Test - Apple Support

if so what was the result?

Have you tried using one internal bank for the original RAM and leaving one empty?

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Answer 5

Sep 30, 2015 12:59 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

Sanjaya Kumar wrote:

....

OS X could not be installed on your computer

An error occurred while extracting files from the package "Essentials.pkg".

Quit the installer to restart your computer and try again.

...

Pretty much indicates a corrupted installer to me.

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Answer 6

Sep 30, 2015 1:24 PM in response to woodmeister50

Thanks for the suggestions.

I haven't had a chance to re-download because I called AppleCare and they asked me to power cycle with the Shift key pressed down and they'd call me back in about 1/2 hour to see how things went. Things didn't go well -- same error message. So I'll wait to hear from them and report back with progress.

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Answer 7

Sep 30, 2015 2:19 PM in response to JimmyCMPIT

I did the Apple Hardware Test and it reported no problems.

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Answer 8

ozion

Level 1

0 points

Sep 30, 2015 4:30 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

I am having the same exact issue with the same iMac. How can i re-download the installer?

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Answer 9

Sep 30, 2015 5:17 PM in response to ozion

Cmd-R on power-up. You'll get a menu and from that select Reinstall OS X. It will re-download and install. It fixed the problem for me.

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Answer 10

Sep 30, 2015 5:21 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

Glad that worked for you 🙂

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Answer 11

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,649 points

Sep 30, 2015 5:31 PM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

Please try again after taking each of the following steps that you haven't already taken.

Step 1

Reset your computer’s PRAM.

Step 2

If your model has user-replaceable memory, and you've upgraded the memory modules, reinstall the original memory and see whether there's any improvement. Be careful not to touch the gold contacts. Clean them with a mild solvent such as rubbing alcohol. Aftermarket memory must exactly match the technical specifications of the machine.

Step 3

Back up all data to at least two different storage devices, if you haven't already done so. One backup is not enough to be safe. The backups can be made with Time Machine or with Disk Utility. Preferably both.

Erase and install OS X. This operation will destroy all data on the startup volume, so you had be better be sure of the backups.

Step 4

Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider to have the machine tested.

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Answer 12

Sep 30, 2015 5:39 PM in response to Linc Davis

Hi Linc,

My problem was resolved by re-downloading El Capitan.

This morning I was perhaps one of the first few people to download El Capitan from the app store. (I had searched for "El Capitan" on the app search bar and when I first clicked the result it said "not available" but started downloading on the second click). Being an early bird, I suspect I downloaded an incomplete copy and got stuck in the re-install loop.

The AppleCare rep's suggestion to reinstall using Cmd-R -- which also had been suggested by others on this thread -- and that did the trick.

Also, that reminds me -- I need to put back the Crucial RAM now that my issue is resolved.

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Answer 13

I Blom

Level 1

4 points

Oct 1, 2015 3:17 AM in response to Sanjaya Kumar

I Have the same problem, I removed all the the extra ram so it has only the factory ram. Still in the error loop but i tried to reinstal os x option (cmd r) but I got a other error 'there is a error preparing the instalation, try again" its a new loop

i have the same 29" late 2012 model

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Answer 14

Oct 1, 2015 6:51 AM in response to I Blom

I've had exactly the same error. Just keeps going around in a loop. I've tried installing Yosemite back on it but that won't work either.

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Answer 15

Oct 1, 2015 7:22 AM in response to Ryan C Murray

I had the exact same error message and I did the following two things to fix it:

removed 3rd party RAM modules (from Crucial) and replaced them with the original RAM that came with the iMac
Cmd-R on power up and selected "Reinstall OS". In my case it started re-downloading (and installing) El Capitan, not Yosemite

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