Cannot clean install macos on my macbook air

[Youthemand28r2]

I have Macbook Air 13 Inch 2015. I have tried installing macos and it won't install.

I have installed macos on many of my friend's macbook airs and pros with 0 error.

What I've tried

1. Download the OS from here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372 and follows the terminal script

2. Download from Mac Deploy and make bootable USB from their app and also make a bootable from terminal

3. Tried changing date from terminal.

I have tried all these with Mojave, Catalina and Big Sur. I used the same Mojave I boot and that too did not work anymore. Apple diagnose 'D' says no error found.

I need some more suggestions of what I can try.

 

[ftaok]

What is the file size of the installer that you downloaded in Step 1? For Big Sur, it should be around 12.6GB. If it's around 30MB, you've gotten the "stub" installer and it won't be able to be used to create a bootable USB drive.

You can search over at MrMacintosh for the full Big Sur installer and it should be able to be used to create a bootable USB drive using Terminal.

Not sure about "Mac Deploy" app or changing dates. I didn't have to do any of that at all.

 

[DeltaMac]

Do you get an error message of some kind when you try to install?

 

[Youthemand28r2]

Do you get an error message of some kind when you try to install?

Please help. I also checked the sum from these and they are all same https://github.com/notpeter/apple-installer-checksums

BTW I used a VM to make installer

 

[DeltaMac]

Tell us some other info about your MBAir... Is it possible that you have just now upgraded to an NVME card, replacing the original Apple-specific card as an upgrade?
If so, what version of macOS were you running on this MBAir before the drive upgrade? was it OLDER than High Sierra (macOS 10.13.x)?
If so, reinstall the original Apple-native drive card, then install High Sierra, or maybe Mojave on THAT card. The install will update the firmware on your MBAir, which add support for an NVME card (and the adapter that it needs). Then, I would suggest that you can either reinstall the new card and adapter, which should now accept the macOS install, and actually boot to a system on the NVME drive while installed in your MBAir.

 

[Youthemand28r2]

Tell us some other info about your MBAir... Is it possible that you have just now upgraded to an NVME card, replacing the original Apple-specific card as an upgrade?
If so, what version of macOS were you running on this MBAir before the drive upgrade? was it OLDER than High Sierra (macOS 10.13.x)?
If so, reinstall the original Apple-native drive card, then install High Sierra, or maybe Mojave on THAT card. The install will update the firmware on your MBAir, which add support for an NVME card (and the adapter that it needs). Then, I would suggest that you can either reinstall the new card and adapter, which should now accept the macOS install, and actually boot to a system on the NVME drive while installed in your MBAir.

I used MB Air 2015 13 Inch and I installed a new WD NVME and I was running Mojave 10.14.6 before.
Sould I reinsert the original SSD and make a bootable from that device? Maybe I cannot make a bootable from my Macbook Pro VM since I need to install it on Macbook Air?

 

[DeltaMac]

What connector adapter are you using? I have never tried anything other than the tiny Sintech, which always works for me.
WD NVME? hopefully not one of the recently released SN570s? Those have some reports of being performance ripoffs. I use a W-D SN750 (black), no problems, although it can run quite hot - part of the nature of NVME cards, however.

You may want to try installing your system on that NVME card in an external USB enclosure first, then replace the working card inside your MBAir. I have a 2017 Air that I use as a "mule" for installing on a variety of drives. It will install any system from Yosemite to Monterey. (I have about a dozen different USB enclosures, so I can use anything from 3.5-inch SATA to the the fastest NVME Gen 4 cards, so I always have something that will work for that kind of job... )

 

[Youthemand28r2]

What connector adapter are you using? I have never tried anything other than the tiny Sintech, which always works for me.
WD NVME? hopefully not one of the recently released SN570s? Those have some reports of being performance ripoffs. I use a W-D SN750 (black), no problems, although it can run quite hot - part of the nature of NVME cards, however.

You may want to try installing your system on that NVME card in an external USB enclosure first, then replace the working card inside your MBAir. I have a 2017 Air that I use as a "mule" for installing on a variety of drives. It will install any system from Yosemite to Monterey. (I have about a dozen different USB enclosures, so I can use anything from 3.5-inch SATA to the the fastest NVME Gen 4 cards, so I always have something that will work for that kind of job... )

I am back on my original ssd, is there anyway I can check if the nvme drivers are supported or not? I guess I will try booting via external SSD enclosure.

 

[ftaok]

I am back on my original ssd, is there anyway I can check if the nvme drivers are supported or not? I guess I will try booting via external SSD enclosure.

Post #1 of this thread.

Upgrading 2013/2014 Macbook Pro SSD to M.2 NVMe

This thread is about upgrading MacBook Airs & Macbook Pros (2013-2015) with new high speed and/or high capacity NVMe SSDs. This thread was one of the first to talk about MacBook Pro NVMe SSD upgrades on Macrumors, and was started by user "maxthackray", which we can thank and give tribute for...

forums.macrumors.com

I went with the Corsair MP510 and the Sintech adapter of both an MBA and MBP. Both running the latest BootROM and High Sierra.

 

[Youthemand28r2]

What connector adapter are you using? I have never tried anything other than the tiny Sintech, which always works for me.
WD NVME? hopefully not one of the recently released SN570s? Those have some reports of being performance ripoffs. I use a W-D SN750 (black), no problems, although it can run quite hot - part of the nature of NVME cards, however.

You may want to try installing your system on that NVME card in an external USB enclosure first, then replace the working card inside your MBAir. I have a 2017 Air that I use as a "mule" for installing on a variety of drives. It will install any system from Yosemite to Monterey. (I have about a dozen different USB enclosures, so I can use anything from 3.5-inch SATA to the the fastest NVME Gen 4 cards, so I always have something that will work for that kind of job... )

Can you send me a video of the "mule" you are talking about? So i plugged in the old ssd back. I am buying a new ssd nvme enclosure and will install the OS in the new ssd via the enclosure and will put it back once its loaded.

 

[Floop]

Hey, you've probably thought of this but just in case...

Apple have a cunning "check" built into their macOS installers, each of which contain basically a "use-by" date. When running a macOS installer it will compare the system clock date with the date baked into the installer, and if the dates are too far apart then the installer will refuse to work with exactly the error shown in the first image of post #4.

To get around this when trying to run an older installer it is possible to boot into the installer, but then change the system clock date via terminal before proceeding with the installation.

My rule of thumb is I look at the "Modified Date" of the installer file, and generally aim for midday the following day, and then go:

1. Boot from installer
2. Open Terminal (from Utilities menu)
3. Type date into Terminal followed by today’s date in this format [month][day][hour][minute][year] eg for July 11, 2016, 2:15 that would be date 0711141516 then press enter.
4. Close Terminal
5. Run Installer

This has always solved the problem for me.

Good luck!

 

[Youthemand28r2]

Hey, you've probably thought of this but just in case...

I downloaded the Installer via App Store (On VM inside Windows 10) and did a hash check. My SSD arrived after 5 days and it still gives me an error, is the 5 days too far?
Ps. I have installed many macOS for many of my firends' MacBook even after they upgraded the nvme. I have 0 errors. It all worked at first try. I always have a problem with my MAC, I tried installing 20 times with date changed to 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, wifi off and wifi on and I am greeted will all sorts of erros.

 

[ftaok]

I downloaded the Installer via App Store (On VM inside Windows 10) and did a hash check. My SSD arrived after 5 days and it still gives me an error, is the 5 days too far?
Ps. I have installed many macOS for many of my firends' MacBook even after they upgraded the nvme. I have 0 errors. It all worked at first try. I always have a problem with my MAC, I tried installing 20 times with date changed to 2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, wifi off and wifi on and I am greeted will all sorts of erros.

Have you tried downloading the installer from MrMacintosh? I had trouble downloading the installers off the Mac App Store using a Mac. I kept getting the "stub" installer and it wouldn't let me create the bootable USB drive. Downloaded the full installer off of MrMacintosh and it was fine after that.

 

[Floop]

I don't know for sure, but I would be surprised if a 5-day time elapse would cause the problem. I thought it was more likely to be weeks/months that caused the issue I described. But, just in case, the cost of testing this out is minimal - it would take you less than 10 minutes to check, probably less than five.

 

[DeltaMac]

I think the big question will be:
Can you boot to the USB bootable macOS installer?

No macOS installer is affected by the expired date issue since Sierra. You should not need to change the system date at all. You can't boot to an NVME drive (as an internal drive) unless it has High Sierra or later installed, so the date is not an issue - it is a "red herring", at least for a system newer than Sierra

 

[Floop]

No macOS installer is affected by the expired date issue since Sierra. You should not need to change the system date at all.

You are not correct on this. I've literally just had the error the OP reported when trying to install Mojave, and changing the date using the method I described solved the problem, and the install then succeeded without error.

 

[DeltaMac]

I install Mojave probably twice a month on customer's Macs, even yesterday as a full wipe-and-restore on my own Mac. I have never had to reset the date for Mojave. Latest installer that sometimes needs that is Sierra.
You have anecdotal experience, but it's more likely that your Mojave installer was not up-to-date. I download most installers at least once per month. The common date issue was on El Capitan, and, in my own experience, the most recent download for the El Capitan installer does not currently have the date issue - at least in my own experience.

Don't take this wrong, as I do occasionally have macOS installer fails, and I sometimes will try the date change anyway -- but almost always, a quick NVRAM reset, then rebooting to whatever macOS installer usually gets an install working for me.

 

[Floop]

I install Mojave probably twice a month on customer's Macs, even yesterday as a full wipe-and-restore on my own Mac. I have never had to reset the date for Mojave. Latest installer that sometimes needs that is Sierra.
You have anecdotal experience, but it's more likely that your Mojave installer was not up-to-date. I download most installers at least once per month. The common date issue was on El Capitan, and, in my own experience, the most recent download for the El Capitan installer does not currently have the date issue - at least in my own experience.

Don't take this wrong, as I do occasionally have macOS installer fails, and I sometimes will try the date change anyway -- but almost always, a quick NVRAM reset, then rebooting to whatever macOS installer usually gets an install working for me.

Like you, I am an IT professional and I regularly complete such work for customers, so I think the difference in our experiences may relate to the slightly different processes we use, but I can assure you my experience is not "anecdotal" but borne out by numerous data points.

I have the installer DMGs saved for future use, and use the createinstallmedia command within terminal to prepare a USB drive when necessary, that points to the saved DMGs. If you download the installers regularly, then they might be seen as "fresh", which might be why you don't experience the date issue, whereas I do. I cannot say for sure.

I can say however, with confidence, that you are incorrect when you said that "No macOS installer is affected by the expired date issue since Sierra. You should not need to change the system date at all."

Anyway I learn something every time I communicate with people on here, and hope the OP has figured out his query.

 

[saleee277]

Hey, you've probably thought of this but just in case...

Apple have a cunning "check" built into their macOS installers, each of which contain basically a "use-by" date. When running a macOS installer it will compare the system clock date with the date baked into the installer, and if the dates are too far apart then the installer will refuse to work with exactly the error shown in the first image of post #4.

To get around this when trying to run an older installer it is possible to boot into the installer, but then change the system clock date via terminal before proceeding with the installation.

My rule of thumb is I look at the "Modified Date" of the installer file, and generally aim for midday the following day, and then go:

1. Boot from installer
2. Open Terminal (from Utilities menu)
3. Type date into Terminal followed by today’s date in this format [month][day][hour][minute][year] eg for July 11, 2016, 2:15 that would be date 0711141516 then press enter.
4. Close Terminal
5. Run Installer

This has always solved the problem for me.

Good luck!

I know it is an old post, but I just wanna say that this worked in my case. Tried to install HighSierra on A1534 and got message " damaged installation" or something like that and after changing date to 2017 everything worked great.

 

[Floop]

That's great to know, and I'm glad it helped you. ?