How to overcome UNTRUSTED_CERT_TITLE during MacOS Recovery

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52 points

How to overcome UNTRUSTED_CERT_TITLE during MacOS Recovery

How to overcome "UNTRUSTED_CERT_TITLE" during MacOS Recovery?

I am installing a different hdd in a Macbook Pro to give to friend. After highest security (7 pass) erase on the original disk, then install of MacOS Sierra I decided to go ahead and upgrade it to a larger used hdd. So after installing the drive and using internet recovery to perform the erase/highest security, I kept getting the error: "UNTRUSTED_CERT_TITLE", when trying to reinstall MacOS... (-_Q) #facepalm

WHATEVER shall I do???

(Hope you'll pardon me... I am including the question I had in my mind, and will respond with the answer I found in a different thread involving OS X Lion Recovery... it worked for my dilemma involving MacOS Sierra, and if you're having the same problem, you might be glad to come across this solution under the heading of the error you may be receiving... namely "UNTRUSTED_CERT_TITLE".

See below for the easy solution... 🙂)

Posted on Nov 2, 2016 6:17 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

jfvaleroso.smart

Level 1

4 points

Apr 11, 2017 7:07 PM in response to MegHMom

Connect to wifi, then
run

ntpdate pool.ntp.org

You might be running in a different timezone, that should fine.

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Answer 2

Apr 14, 2017 3:26 AM in response to hellodon

If you have done an internet restore, you should find Terminal as an option in the menus.

Once you have done this, issue the command

ntpdate time.euro.apple.com

to set the time from Apple's time servers.

You should then be able to continue to install the OS.

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Answer 3

jktra

Level 1

4 points

Dec 1, 2016 9:50 AM in response to MegHMom

Thanks Meg, so glad I found this helpful post. I just changed time on the terminal and it work. thank you

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Answer 4

Deb Ham

Level 1

8 points

Dec 19, 2017 9:50 AM in response to MegHMom

BRILLIANT!! I have been having an issue w/ the date at startup about 1/2 of the time. When I saw that resetting the date was the answer, I immediately knew that it would fix my own issue. Now I have to hope that wiping the hard drive will fix the ongoing issue I have with the date loading incorrectly.

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Answer 5

MegHMom Author

Level 1

52 points

Nov 2, 2016 6:20 AM in response to MegHMom

I am SO thankful to @snevas for posting this information in a different thread:

"The certificate couldn't be verified because a wrong system time (mine was reset to 31/12/2000). You can check by executing `date` from the terminal (is located under the utilities).

To fix the date execute: `date MMDDHHMMYY` (M=Month, D=Day, H=Hour in 24-hour notation, M=Minute and Y=last 2 digits of year).

After this you can install Mac OS..."

You are so right @snevas!!! I am installing Mac OS Sierra on that machine as I type my elated response!!!

Blessings!!!

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Answer 6

MrDanito

Level 1

4 points

Nov 10, 2016 1:11 AM in response to MegHMom

sorry but i dont understand your reply.

where do i find this???

To fix the date execute: `date MMDDHHMMYY` (M=Month, D=Day, H=Hour in 24-hour notation, M=Minute and Y=last 2 digits of year).

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Answer 7

MegHMom Author

Level 1

52 points

Nov 10, 2016 9:58 PM in response to MrDanito

This is a command to enter in the "Terminal" app available from the "Utilities" menu in the menu bar while in Internet Recovery Mode.

If we were performing/entering this command in Terminal right now, since it is 11:58pm (i.e. 23:58) on 10/10/2016, we would enter the following command: "date 1010235816" and then hit "enter".

Now that the system date and time has been corrected, we could try again to reinstall the OS, by choosing "Reinstall macOS" and if the certificate error was due to incorrect date/time, the reinstall should now proceed without a problem. (See the Apple knowledge base article: About macOS Recovery - Apple Support for additional information that might be helpful.

Hope this helps!

Blessings! 🙂 MegH

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Answer 8

MrDanito

Level 1

4 points

Nov 21, 2016 2:49 AM in response to MegHMom

Meg, you are the best. it worked. Thanks a lot. Dan

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Answer 9

MegHMom Author

Level 1

52 points

Nov 21, 2016 6:30 AM in response to MrDanito

So very glad, Dan! I was sure thankful to have been pointed in the right direction by the post from @snevas...

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Answer 10

MegHMom Author

Level 1

52 points

Dec 1, 2016 10:55 AM in response to jktra

Really glad to hear it, @jktra! Blessings! 🙂

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Answer 11

graycdav

Level 1

8 points

Dec 27, 2016 5:12 PM in response to MegHMom

Thanks Meg and @snevas. Giving my old Macbook pro to my brother in law and came across the same problem. I was a little worried that this may not fix my problem because I was not sure if the machine was new enough to handle Sierra. Tried it anyway and it is downloading Sierra as we speak. Fingers crossed that I do not run into any further issues, but thank you so much for posting this solution.

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Answer 12

hellodon

Level 1

9 points

Dec 30, 2016 5:27 PM in response to MegHMom

I ran into that post/solution before finding your post… Unfortunately I am running into this error as well but the big difference is that I had a hard drive failure, so I have a brand-new drive and there's nothing on it, no way for me to get to utilities or get to the date and time… So I really have no idea what I should do. I am attempting to do an Internet install the new drives there, formatted properly, but when I try to do a reinstall of Sierra it gets that message....since I don't have the utilities folder or any applications at all, I don't know where to even check the date let alone set it… Does it even exist with blank hard drive?

Can someone please help? I was so excited to get this new drive installed and get my life back (haha) but I'm kind of stuck right now unsure how to move forward

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