{"id":45723,"date":"2018-09-04T10:19:51","date_gmt":"2018-09-04T15:19:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=45723"},"modified":"2021-02-11T18:22:31","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T00:22:31","slug":"mac-installation-errors-you-may-encounter-and-how-to-fix-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/45723-mac-installation-errors-you-may-encounter-and-how-to-fix-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Mac Installation Errors You May Encounter and How to Fix Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With every new release of the Mac operating system, there always seems to be a few installation errors that enough people encounter to make us wonder how the OS managed to get through the beta process. The answer can usually be attributed to the difference in the relatively small number of beta users versus the large number of users downloading and installing a new official release of the macOS. When all those new users start to install the OS, the sheer number of Mac hardware, peripherals, and software makes it very likely that some bug that managed to sneak through the beta process will rear its ugly head in the release version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In this guide, we will look at some of the installation problems that tend to occur with new releases of the Mac operating system. With any luck, you may be able to either correct the issue, allowing you to finish the installation, or prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Installation Issues Commonly Seen with macOS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before we get too far along, I want to point out the obvious: don’t install a new version of the Mac operating system without having a current backup. Some of the installation issues we\u2019re going to mention can cause loss of data. Having a Time Machine backup<\/a> or a clone of your current system<\/a> can be a lifesaver. If you don\u2019t have a backup system in place, I highly recommend investing in one before you install a new version of macOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can find a large number of external enclosures<\/a>, drives<\/a>, and SSDs<\/a>, as well as a portable and easily-carried-with-you Envoy Pro EX<\/a> high-performance USB 3 or Thunderbolt bus-powered SSD storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the backup recommendation out of the way, let\u2019s get started with the error messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Could Not Write Installation Information to Disk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This message usually shows up as a sheet that drops down from the macOS or OS X installer shortly after you start the install process. It may seem odd but the usual cause is a corrupt installer, and simply deleting the installer app and downloading a new copy will likely fix the issue. The error message seems to occur most often when the Mac installer is downloaded from a third-party site. This is a good reason to download the official copy from the Mac App Store or join the free public beta program if you want to try out a new version of the Mac OS early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Other possible causes include a damaged boot drive. Try using Disk Utility’s First Aid capabilities to test and repair your disk, as outlined in\u00a0First Aid: Verify and Repair HFS+, APFS Drives with Disk Utility.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Could Not Find Installation Information for This Machine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may run across this error message when you\u2019re performing a clean install of the Mac OS and have erased the startup drive. Normally, when you perform a clean install and erase the startup drive, you do so while running the macOS installer from another boot drive, perhaps a USB flash drive that you have cloned the installer to<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the installer has a problem, you may find yourself forced to reboot and use the Recovery Partition or the Internet Recovery System built into your Mac. It\u2019s at this point that the Could Not Find error message is displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The usual cause is a simple one; your Mac isn\u2019t connected to your local network and the Recovery process is trying to access Apple’s servers to download the software needed for installation. Instead of telling you your Wi-Fi or Ethernet network isn\u2019t working, the installer displays the above message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fix is to make sure you\u2019re connected to your Ethernet network, or have your Wi-Fi password on hand. Restart your Mac while holding down the Command + R keys to enter recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you don’t automatically connect to your network, you\u2019ll be asked to either supply the Wi-Fi password or select another method of connecting to your network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you connect by Wi-Fi, make sure it\u2019s selected, and then supply the password.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should now be able to continue the recovery process and reinstall the operating system<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Computer is Incompatible with the Operating System You Are Attempting to Install<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This error message is an oldie, but could be seen by someone upgrading from OS X Yosemite and earlier to OS X El Capitan or later. Start by checking to see if your Mac is actually compatible with a newer version of the OS. In some cases, you won\u2019t be able to upgrade because Apple has dropped support for your older Mac. You can check the compatibility lists at the links below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n