Re-Install Help!

[kevski5000]

So I had an issue that I couldn't seem to fix. I tried to use Recovery to re-install MacOS, but it kept failing stating an error occurred when loading the update.

I deleted the partitions on the iMac and tried again - same thing happened.

I then created a Bootable Install which also won't now install, it's get most of the way through (as did the re-install from recovery) and then give me an error message saying "An error occurred validating the installer data. The downloader is either damaged or incomplete."

Anyone got any ideas as to what's going wrong?

 

[Rod]

Since we have no idea what device you are referring to; it's year of manufacture or what macOS it is running it's pretty near impossible to answer your question.
It could even be that the Certificate for the macOS you have downloaded has expired but without knowing which OS or where you are downloading it from I cannot say.
More details please.

 

[kevski5000]

Ok so it’s a 2020 iMac model A2115

It now isn't running any OS. Previously was running Ventura.

The recovery mode Re-installer gets most of the way through and then gives the message "An error occurred loading the update". I have tried this a number of times using ethernet connectivity straight to the router to rule out wifi failure.

Using my MacBook, i created (using images downloaded from the app store and terminal) bootable installers for Ventura, Big Sur and Catalina.

When installing on the iMac using these images, I get the error "Installation cannot proceed because the installer is damaged. Redownload the installer and try again". This same error happen regardless of the OS version

 

[Rod]

Why are you downloading .dmg versions of the macOS installers. It's my understanding that the full macOS installer application needs to be used to create a bootable installer.
Secondly the notification you mention was commonly seen where the certificate for the installer had expired.

 

[kevski5000]

I was following the instructions on How to download and install macOS

How should i create a bootable installer? I thought the apple support page would be the best way of doing it. I've never had to create a bootable installer for a Mac before so i don't know

 

[lclev]

If you are sure the downloaded OS installer are current - which will cause certificate errors - here is one other idea - make sure the system clock and date are correct on the iMac.

You will have to do this in terminal mode as it has no OS.

Setting the date/time in macOS (10.14+) recovery mode – Alan Siu's Blog

How to Change Date in macOS via Terminal ~ Rafal Kukla

If you struggling with error message while installing macOS, perhaps this solution can help you.

rafalkukla.com

These articles use similar but different commands. Have a look.

Lisa

 

[Rod]

I understand from your first post that you had a "problem" with your iMac that you couldn't fix which prompted you to reinstall your OS. Can I ask what that problem was?
The reason I ask is because, some problems cannot be fixed by reinstallation, indeed they occasionally result in a sort of "catch 22" situation where the only option is a complete erasure of the internal drive at the media level using a bootable external source.
When I say, "at the media level" I am referring to the SSD not Macintosh HD. This would erase the Recovery Partition as well leaving the internal drive blank.
In most cases this requires a bootable macOS installer created from a full version of the macOS installer downloaded from the App Store and modified by Terminal or a third party app like InstallDisc Creator.
You boot the device from this (usually a USB thumb drive) and use Disk Utility on the Thumb Drive to completely erase the iMac internal drive, reformat and map it then instal a new copy of the operating system from scratch.
I'm sure that sounds complex but having done it many times myself I can say that it's really not. The process is all automated, it's just a matter of following the right steps in the right order.

 

[Rod]

You will need another Mac for the process. One that can download the macOS you want.

Download the macOS installer then quit it when it asks to run.

Download the free InstalDisk Creator from macdaddy.io

Plug in a suitable USB flash drive and use InstallDisc Creator to create the bootable installer. It walks you through the process. It will erase the USB drive and create a bootable installer on it.
Boot your iMac with the USB drive connected using Command + Option keys.

Use Disk Utility to erase the internal SSD.

Name it, eg Sony SSD, it will probably rename itself anyway.
Format as APFS
Map as GUID.
It will create a single partition which you should name Macintosh HD

Now you can quit Disk Utility and return to the first window.
Choose Instal MacOS.

On completion you will need to follow the Setup Wizard to setup as new.
Using the same Apple ID and personal details on completion, any data stored in iCloud should now download eg. Contacts, Calendars, ect.

 

[kevski5000]

Thanks for the suggestions - The date and time suggestion: The time was actually out by an hour for some reason, but i've corrected (although it reverts back every time it restarts) that and the problem/error still occurs when installing

The problem I was having with the OS was that Finder was completely non functional. It continually was crashing and restarting every 1-2 seconds. A dialogue box did keep popping up but that was closing too before i could do anything which said "the last time you opened finder, it unexpectedly quit while reopening windows. Do you want to try and reopen those windows again.". So as soon as i logged in, the finder icon would be bouncing continually in the dock, starting, throwing up that dialogue box, closing it, and restarting finder all within 2 seconds. This was a never ending cycle. If i clicked on finder to open it, i would just get an error saying it could not be opened. I tried everything i could find online to fix it, but had no luck.

That's when I tried to re-install via internet. When that failed a couple of times. I thought formatting Macintosh HD and reinstalling then might have worked. That's how i've ended up here...

So When i go to disk util, it only shows the Macintosh HD and Macintosh HD data unless i go to View>Show all devices. When i do that, It shows a Fusion Drive with Container Disk within that and the Macintosh HD drives within that. I can erase the container, but i can't erase the Fusion Drive.

I have tried just deleting the container which then automatically creates a Macintosh HD drive, but that doesn't resolve the install issue

 

[Rod]

My bad, I should have looked up your model number from your post #3.
Fusion drives have unique problems. Although what I advised about reinstalling macOS still holds true it assumes the two internal drives are functioning as one, as designed. As I have no personal experience with Apple's Fusion Drive I will bow out now rather than confuse the issue.
Should you need to seek advice elsewhere do mention that you have an iMac Fusion Drive model because they require a different approach to troubleshooting problems.

 

[MacInWin]

To try to help you understand the drive structure a bit, here is a brief-ish explanation of APFS.

In APFS, the not-so-new dsk system from Apple, your storage drive (Fusion drive) has a Container on it, and in the Container are two or more Volumes. In your case, one is named Macintosh HD and the second is Macintosh HD Data. The first of those is for system information and use. The second, with the "Data" in the name, is where all User data, including yours, is stored. Those two volumes were set up when you installed the OS and it formatted the drive for APFS.

What you need to be careful about is to pick the HARDWARE level (where it says Fusion Drive) as the target for the system installation. That will then create the Container and Volumes in the right place. If you pick Macintosh HD as the target, you could end up with a Volume named Macintosh HD and inside it, a volume named Macintosh HD Data, a second Volume also named Macintosh HD Data. It's happened before.

Installng at the hardware level will, of course, probably delete everything on the current HD Data drive so you will need to restore from a backup after the system is reinstalled and the system boots. But you said you already deleted the old Data Volume, so that isn't really an issue at this point.

As for the Fusion issue, I don't know much about Fusion drives, but you should be able to select the hardware level as I said and do the install. Don't worry about trying to erase the Fusion drive, the install will (should) take care of it as it goes.

 

[ferrarr]

View>Show all devices.

Can you post a screen shot of Disk Utility that shows "All Devices"?