Problems upgrading to macOS Mojave on MacBook Pro 2018

Ok well now I am totally ******, no I don't mean I have been drinking.

I have just successfully installed Mojave on a unsupported mac "MacbookAir 3.2" late 2010.

Ok I used a patch to do it but if a patch can be turned out that fast and works

Frig I am ******.

Cant install on MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports )

What a cherry on top of a pile of crap I tell ya !

Have been working with a senior advisor all day on my 27”, 2017 iMac. Have run multiple tests, attempted downloads, including a reinstall and a clean install, - still having all of the same issues - no connectivity, disconnected keyboard, mouse, spinning rainbow..you name it. We screen shared initially with my High Sierra and then could no longer once Mohave was installed. Advisor is documenting as we go along and will be resuming our session when he returns for his 2nd shift advising me that if the clean install fails (which it appear has failed) there are two additonal options we’ll try. Stay tuned.

FINALLY DID IT!!! Talked with AppleCare for 3 days, non of their solutions worked.

Then I just turned off the WiFi, connected to my iPhone using USB tethering Personal hotspot, and ran the Install MacOS Mojave application. It took a really long time, but in the end it installed without any issues and now no problems seem to be occurring. Hopefully, the numerous crashes due to Kernel Panic will also cease with this update, but I don’t know though. But fingers crossed.

Was the USB tethering personal hotspot going out to the internet with its own WiFi connection through a router, or through your cellular data plan?

Did you ever try to install with the computer WiFi turned off and the computer isolated from the internet (not connected to a Personal hotspot)? (This would have to use an already downloaded Install file, or through a bootable USB drive.)

I wonder what the deal is with the computer's WiFi and this installation? I had the "WiFi hardware not detected" error problem, AND my Network System Preferences pane was empty and I could not add anything even when I clicked the plus sign. Also, I had no network preferences whatsoever in the Library > Preferences folder.

MacOS needs Internet to install, even from the install file, as was clarified to me by a senior advisor from AppleCare. And to answer your question, tethering with my iPhone’s data plan. I guess the installer is not able to connect to the apple servers using WiFi, which seems to be the problem. I’m sure any wired connection will work, as long as you’re not using the MacBook’s wireless adapter. Mine is the 2018 MacBook, btw.

So did you have to download the whole 6 GB install file using your cellular data plan, or did you pre-download it and then turn off the WiFi and set up the tethered personal hotspot? What I'm trying to isolate is whether downloading through the WiFi does something to the installer (like, picks some configuration version) or whether that is irrelevant. A clerk at the Apple Store (not the genius bar) told me that the download is customized to whatever computer downloads it, so I couldn't use a download taken from a different model Mac. I think he is mistaken, that the download is instead one big comprehensive package deal that installs whatever is appropriate to your computer and discards the rest.

I downloaded the package using my normal WiFi, and while installing it on my MacBook Pro 2018, I connected it using my iPhone’s internet. I don’t think it took much data. Plus I used the same package that I downloaded in my Pro to install Mojave in my MacBook Air, so the installation package was not specifically made for my particular Pro.

MBP2018 13' - Received call from Apple Engineer who wanted to walk me through a re-install. After he described what we were going to do (clear SMC, etc) I politely declined and indicated that I'd been through it 3 times already and prefer waiting for the next version / fix - the time I wasted trying to upgrade simply isn't worth it.

PS - old MacBook Air upgraded without a hitch - go figure

After spending all day yesterady with a senior apple advisor - after testing and attempting to diagnose the Mojave install problems - there was no resolution leaving the trouble ticket open. Reinstalled High Sierra for the 5th time. Unable to send engineers any data from the iMac since Mojave disables all connectivity.

After reading all the different feedback from people here and the different issues being experienced I got to thinking about something I don't think I've seen anyone mention here.

In the course of Apple's history, they've used components from different manufacturers. For example people here may have different models of macs that fail, but someone else with the same model doesn't have issues.

Has anyone here taken inventory of which manufacture of compointens such as wirelss eithernet, usb, etc your mac has.

There have been times in the past where Apple has had issues based on drivers of certain hardware components based on a specific manufacturer. I think a good idea might be for people having issues to go deeper then they may have and send apple information about their hardware on a compoient and manufacturer level rather then the mac model alone.

Senior advisor was quite adamant after all of yesterday’s tests on my iMac that ”it is a software issue, not a hardware issue,” which is why they wanted to mine data from my device and get it into Apple’s engineers. Nevertheless, you raise a very interesting point which is precisely why I offered to swap my 4 month old iMac for a new one with Mojave pre-installed.

That's why I raised the point, yourself and others here, have tried many times to install / upgrade.

If you've gotten to the point where you tried a clean install by erasing internal storage, and removing all connected devices but a mouse and keyboard, then there isn't any other possibility then internal hardware / software issues (driver / firmware.)

dmauch: Just for grins and giggles, do you happen to own a copy of VMWare, or Parallels Desktop? You have me interested now, whether or not you could even install Mojave in a VM on that iMac with High Sierra as the host.

It's not a big deal if you can't, or don't want to go through with the time, I'm just wondering if whatever might be bricking it as the host would also affect it as a VM. As you know, Mac OS X, macos require apple hardware to be virtualized.

Both programs offer a trial, so you don't even have to own a copy or purchase one. You could simply use the trial as a test, if you are interested. Just thought I would toss that out for consideration.

No and I’ve not had the occasion of using either. Are you suggesting that I try loading VMWare on a trial basis and then attempt to download Mojave from he app store onto it? - or something like this?

Yes, I was suggesting, that if you wanted to see if Mojave would run at all on your iMac, that you could try a trial of either Fusion 11, or Parallels Desktop. You would need to download the Mojave installer in High Sierra, and then point the VM to the app for install source. It sounded like from your other posts though that you're tired of dealing with Apple on this issue, and ready to return the Mac, so that's why I gave you the suggestion, but leaving the choice to actually try it up to you.