Install Issue: TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor...

I've finally found a straightforward solution that doesn't involve running the El Capitan installer from within a separate OS X installation.

First of all I tried installing Google Noto fonts as detailed here which DIDN'T work.

After some more digging I then stumbled upon the OS X Recovery Disk Assistant here:

OS X Recovery Disk Assistant v1.0

I used this application to create a bootable USB, booted from it (reboot and hold the option key) and proceeded to perform an on-line installation of OS X. To my relief, El Capitan downloaded and installed without a hitch.

I think I'm right in saying this method will install the last version of OS X that you had installed on your mac.

By the way, is everybody else experiencing this problem also trying to install to an SSD? Also, the only way I could even boot from my original El Capitan installation USB was by holding 'c' at startup - when I held the option key it didn't even find my USB drive. Perhaps I just didn't wait long enough?

Anyway, please let me know if the above solution works for anyone else.

Thanks Carrascoproducer,

I actually belong in two threads, but the folder issue is easily fixed with putting in the USB boot disk, however the issue of the TSplicedFont still remains.

However, I am happy to report that VICTORY HAS BEEN WON!

Here is how I worked around it, hope this helps someone else:

1. Insert the older disc that came with the iMac (in this case Lion, but anything will work), or else DL a copy from a trusted source and create a boot disk.

2. Hold down C upon bootup to select the boot Disk (in my case the Superdrive) as the bootup, which should boot into the setup/recovery screen.

3. Install the OLD version of OS X onto an EXTERNAL USB or Firewire hard drive with sufficient capacity (you may need to format this hard drive first).

4. Allow the old OS to restart using the OS installed on the external hard drive.

5. Perform minimal setup/configurations so that you can get to the point of downloading El Capitan from the App Store.

6. Once it is downloaded, run the setup and INSTALL INTO THE MAIN HARD DRIVE for the computer (NOT the external hard drive).

7. Voila, I now have a CLEAN install of El Capitan on the main hard drive!

So, its all good now. For some reason, I could NOT get past installing El Capitan from the USB key. It wouldn't work. Had to be a fresh download from the App store, on the computer I was using to install from.

Thanks all for your advice and help!

Over and out for now.

Tried it w/o WiFi, still didn't install. I can't help but wonder if your success with WiFi off was a coincidence, but seemed causal? Curious if anyone else reports success with that simple settings change.

Just to add data points: I'm am using a USB stick created on newer MBP, to try to reinstall El Capitan to an older MBP. El Capitan was originally installed using the App Store. I've probably tried to install ten times, always with a long hang at one second left, and always ends with "An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running application again." The most recent attempt was on a freshly-erased drive. Also tried installing to a clone I made to an external drive (using a new computer).

Seems to be a lot of people using a USB stick to install, who are reporting issues in this thread. Is anyone in the thread using a USB stick created on the same computer that you're trying to install to? I'm certainly not.

Hi Dellison,

Try my method that I described in my comment: Re: Install Issue: TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor...

Use CMD+R to install the OSX El Capitan

I repeat, TSPLICE messages in the logs are just noise. They are a not a stopper for this installation!

Don't sweat it. Just wait half an hour.

"about 1 second remaining" turned into "about 0 seconds remaining" and then OS X finally rebooted.

My case:

• Bootable usb created with tool from El Capitan installer.
• Bootable usb was created on same macbook of installation.

I'm getting the same issue with basically the same laptop, 17" 5,1

Error starts almost immediately though.

Yosemite was running OK until internal drive crapped out.

El Cap install from partitioned 128GB Lexar Thumbdrive created with DiskMaker X

Trying to install to an SSD that was erased before being installed.

Installation log is up to 10,600 lines and counting.

MW

Macbook Pro 5,1, Trying for El Cap

Same issue here, trying to install from usb stick on a second partition on a late 2009 27 "iMac, with SL on it.

The last second gets eternal, then the machine shuts off:

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: 2015-10-14 14:52:26.678 Language Chooser[444:7023] TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor for:

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: (

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: {

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: UnicodeRange = "<__NSCFCharacterSet: 0x7f886e5bfaf0>";

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: name = NotoSansBuhid;

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: },

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: {

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: UnicodeRange = "<__NSCFCharacterSet: 0x7f886e161050>";

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: name = NotoSansHanunoo;

Oct 14 14:52:26 iMac Unknown[445]: },

...

and so on...

PD: So, Snow Leopard still rocks for me. I was willing, but...😉

So I went to home/library/fonts, found a Google file, but with no "noto"-font in it.

Then I started the Language Chooser via Terminal because of this install protocol notificacion:

Oct 14 16:44:28 iMac InstallAssistant[491]: Env: _=/System/Library/CoreServices/Language Chooser.app/Contents/MacOS/Language Chooser

Oct 14 16:44:29 iMac Unknown[445]: 2015-10-14 16:44:29.283 Language Chooser[444:6967] TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor for:

Terminal:

/System/Library/CoreServices/Language\ Chooser.app/Contents/MacOS/Language\ Chooser ; exit;

2015-10-15 01:06:48.828 Language Chooser[382:903] No /etc/rc.cdrom & No /var/db/.AppleCustomMac

Setting boot completed.

2015-10-15 01:06:51.323 Language Chooser[382:903] Could not write to /var/log/CDIS.custom

2015-10-15 01:06:51.323 Language Chooser[382:903] Cannot load BootPanel.pdf from (null)

logout

Maybe there's an issue with the Language Chooser.app, because a long time ago I deleted a lot languages with the Monolingual.app.

I don´t want to delete my working SL partition, I just want to install 10.11 on a second partition to check it out.

So it seems that I have to formate the whole HD, make a clean install of 10.6, than create a second partion, install 10.11 on it and then reinstall my timemachine backup on the SL partition...

OH MY GOD, QUE CAPITAN! 😝

So I did, what I had to do.

Formatted the whole HD, 1TB

Made a clean install of 10.6.3

Made a second partition, 101 GB

And tried to install 10.11

Same issue.

THIS IS FOR ME OS X El Marinero, no Capitan... la, la Bamba... 😁

Last hope: The install image on the USB stick may be corrupt, will download El Marinero again, and try a last time.

I had this same issue and drove myself crazy trying to get it to go. A big issue with all this is how long the process takes to figure out you have this problem. I finally resolved the issue. It wasn't easy and took out of the box thinking. I tried 2 different downloaded versions of The Elcapitan Installer from the app store. I made install disks to Memory Cards (2 different ones), a flash drive and a firewire drive. All failed with the same error as described throughout this thread.

What I finally did to get success was install El Capitan to an External Firewire drive. It is a slow process (90 minutes in my case). Once the install was finished to the external I use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the external drive to my internal drive. Carbon Copy Cloner is an application that makes an exact copy that is bootable. All you do is open Carbon Cloner that you install onto the external you just installed El Capitan on. You select the Elcapitan drive as the source and you internal hard drive as the destination. It took about 20 minutes for the program to make the copy. Once it completed I set my internal drive as the startup disk and hit restart. BINGO.... My Mac is running El Capitan off the internal Hard Drive now. All went perfectly.

Well... i do have the same problem as well. Tried to clean install El Capitan, again & again, and same error message found.

Tried several USB stick, same output. Tired now, guess if apple could solve this. Sigh. Anyone, any advice? Much thanks.

Chooser[438:7016] TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor for:

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: (

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: {

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: UnicodeRange = "<__NSCFCharacterSet: 0x7fe26c5d3940>";

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: name = NotoSansBuhid;

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: },

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: {

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: UnicodeRange = "<__NSCFCharacterSet: 0x7fe26c5d39f0>";

Oct 3 05:56:45 MacBook-Pro Unknown[439]: name = NotoSansHanunoo;

Same problem here. Installing from a USB with a Macbook Pro 2011.

The log keeps repeating the same error over and over. Seems rather odd that Apple developers would set such a long timeout, but I'm going to let it work all night and see what happens since others have had success.

This isn't a very good start for an OS version that was supposed to be about fixing bugs.

xclass wrote:

I had this same issue,

I tried installing to mac book pro for each English and Korean language but failed.

How can I perform roll back to the previously installed version of OSX?

If you deleted your disk you have to download the previous OSX version from the Mac App Store in a different computer. Then create the USB, install as usual, and restore from time machine if you use that.

Same problem here, tried many USB sticks 8GB/16GB to no avail. Installation process takes ages and error log(cmd+L) shows the same errors

TSplicedFont failed creating descriptor for: ...

I am trying to get El Campo onto iMaC Mid 2010

I am a 25 year Mac User. The only fix that worked for me was installing the El Capitan to an external hard drive and then using Carbon Copy Cloner to copy that external drive back to my Macs internal drive. It is much easier than you would think. I posted the same thing earlier but nobody has commented so I thought I would try again. It works perfectly.