2011 iMac High Sierra Install on new SSD - issues/errors

[OSURules]

Hi all-

nearly at wits end here. I have a 21.5 mid 2011 iMac and had an SSD drive installed in place of the original hard drive.
Have tried every way I know to reinstall High Sierra on new SSD. Drive shows up and is formatted to Mac extended journaled.

1. restore time machine backup - errors with -36
2. Internet recovery - gets to about 2 minutes left and hangs with failed to verify installesddmg.pkg error - downloaded from Apple store
3. usb bootable - same as internet recovery
4. Clone original drive to ssd after booting original drive with enclosure - seems to copy all files but will not boot to internal ssd.

Are there any other options to get the OS loaded that I am not thinking of?

thanks!

 

[USB3foriMac]

Doesn't sound being a matter of how you install it...
* SSD defect?
* How did you connect the SSD? To the HDD connector, ODD, SSD connector?
* If connected to ODD, maybe a SATA incompatibility. Your SSD is likely SATA 3, the ODD port SATA 2. Some SSDs don't work well when not on SATA 3.

Another option for installation: Create a bootable High Sierra USB installer. Handy if you frequently install the system. Edit: I see you did that already.

Another option is that you did not mount the graphic card correctly, or that it is 'partially' defect. Had a case recently where I could install and perfectly run Linux Mint (an option you can try, too!), but any MacOs installation would stop half way through (actually when MacOs is trying to switch to some other resulation it appears). Fixed that by baking the card.

Sometimes a simple disasseble & reassembe helps.

 

[Juicy Box]

What OS did you have on the HDD?

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

vertical smile's question is relevant.
What did it have BEFORE you tried High Sierra?

Can you install OS 10.12 "Low Sierra" without problems?

Fishrrman's maxim:
"When one thing doesn't work, but another thing does... use the thing that works..."

One other question:
Do you have any external hard drives around?
If so, have you tried installing High Sierra on an EXTERNAL drive?
What happens if you do?

 

[vkd]

Its most likely because Apple puts a date stamp in the build, check online about it. I recently (finally) upgraded my 2011 iMac from 10.9 Mavericks to 10.12 Sierra and had to find a date on the internet to make it work, something in Aug-Oct 2014 if I recall correctly.