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Can't download the additional components needed to install Mac OS X.

Michael Brown

Michael Brown

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 14, 2020
9
0
The hard drive got erased and I have been trying to reinstall the Mac OS X via the internet recovery tool (option+command+R) with no luck. I keep getting the same message that I put as the title on this post. I have done over a month of research and still have not found a solution to get an OS back on our iMac. Please see the video below.


I have tried everything to get as OS installed back on our iMac with no luck

I am almost certain this is a Mid 2014 model
MF883LL/AA
Model No: A1418

I have a great internet connection, over 300 Mbits/s, just tested.

Someone please help me get this iMac back operational.
 
Lion will not install as your 2014 21.5" iMac came with OS X.9.3 (Mavericks) and there is no going backwards. If you have the original system install discs use them, or look at eBay and such for full system install discs.
 
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nambuccaheadsau said:
Lion will not install as your 2014 21.5" iMac came with OS X.9.3 (Mavericks) and there is no going backwards. If you have the original system install discs use them, or look at eBay and such for full system install discs.
Click to expand...

Hmm, we can not find the discs anywhere. I did a search on Ebay with no luck. Maybe someone on here has or can make a copy of the Maverick 9.3 full system install discs

So I could not install say 9.2.2?
 
Internet Recovery will normally try to install the OS that shipped with your Mac (if your Mac shipped with macOS 10.7 or later).

Lion (10.7) shipped with a late 21.5" 2011 iMac (A1311). Internet Recovery trying to install Lion on a 2014 iMac does not make sense.

See the "macOS Recovery exceptions" section:

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

You can use macOS Recovery, your computer's built-in recovery system, to reinstall the Mac operating system. Reinstalling macOS doesn't remove your personal data.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

See the "If you can't start up from macOS Recovery" section:

How to start up from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

macOS Recovery is your computer’s built-in recovery system, with utilities to reinstall macOS, repair or erase your startup disk, restore from a Time Machine backup, and more.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Do you have access to another Mac?
 
CoastalOR said:
Internet Recovery will normally try to install the OS that shipped with your Mac (if your Mac shipped with macOS 10.7 or later).

Lion (10.7) shipped with a late 21.5" 2011 iMac (A1311). Internet Recovery trying to install Lion on a 2014 iMac does not make sense.

See the "macOS Recovery exceptions" section:

How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support

You can use macOS Recovery, your computer's built-in recovery system, to reinstall the Mac operating system. Reinstalling macOS doesn't remove your personal data.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

See the "If you can't start up from macOS Recovery" section:

How to start up from macOS Recovery - Apple Support

macOS Recovery is your computer’s built-in recovery system, with utilities to reinstall macOS, repair or erase your startup disk, restore from a Time Machine backup, and more.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

Do you have access to another Mac?
Click to expand...

I do not have access to another mac unfortunately.
 
Michael Brown said:
Maybe someone on here has or can make a copy of the Maverick 9.3 full system install discs/QUOTE]Didn't all OS X versions after Snow Leopard and AppStore come exclusively as electronic downloads?
Click to expand...
I do not believe there exists a physical disc to install that.
But I happen to have them installer packages. You only need to create a bootable media (USB or disc) out of it.
Mavericks weighs in at 5,31GB
Send me a PM and I will give you a download link.
 

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OP:

Try a slightly different version of internet recovery:
shift option command R

No promises that this will produce different results, but try it anyway and see what version of the OS internet utilities offers to you.

According to everymac.com, the 2014 iMac originally shipped with Mavericks OS 10.9.3.

Somehow (and I have no idea why), Apple's servers seem to have the identity of your Mac "wrong", and are offering you the wrong OS to download (via internet recovery).

If nothing else works, I have a suggestion.

There are sellers on ebay who will sell you a bootable USB flashdrive with the OS installer of your choice pre-installed -- ready to boot and install. The price is typically around $20.

I would not choose Mavericks, however.
I'd suggest either
10.12 "Low Sierra"
or
10.14 "Mojave"

Either will run fine on a 2014 iMac.
 
Last edited:
Fishrrman said:
OP:

Try a slightly different version of internet recovery:
shift option command R
Click to expand...

That key combination doe snot work on my mac.
[automerge]1587129156[/automerge]
priitv8 said:
I do not believe there exists a physical disc to install that.
But I happen to have them installer packages. You only need to create a bootable media (USB or disc) out of it.
Mavericks weighs in at 5,31GB
Send me a PM and I will give you a download link.
Click to expand...
Do you have Majave? Can I create a bootloader on a windows machine?
 
After talking with apple support for a long time, they said I would need to find someone with a Mac to create a bootloader. I did that and my mac is not recognizing it as a bootloader. If I select it, I get a circle with a line through it.......

We used the following instructions to create the bootloader

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

You can use a USB flash drive or other secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system. These steps are primarily for system administrators and other experienced users who are familiar with entering commands in Terminal.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
OP wrote:
"That key combination doe snot work on my mac."

What kind of keyboard do you have?
Is it wired, or wireless?
 
OP:
What is your status now?
Are you still getting nowhere?

Have you considered buying a bootable USB flashdrive?

There are ways to create a bootable flashdrive for the Mac on a PC running windows, but I don't have any info on that -- I just know that they exist.
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:
What is your status now?
Are you still getting nowhere?

Have you considered buying a bootable USB flashdrive?

There are ways to create a bootable flashdrive for the Mac on a PC running windows, but I don't have any info on that -- I just know that they exist.
Click to expand...
Yes I have but what would be the difference of me creating it on a new mac which is what I just did?
 
Michael Brown said:
After talking with apple support for a long time, they said I would need to find someone with a Mac to create a bootloader. I did that and my mac is not recognizing it as a bootloader. If I select it, I get a circle with a line through it.......
Click to expand...
Try this: Insert your Catalina installer bootable drive. Restart your iMac, holding Option-Command-P-R
You should hear the boot chime sound.
Keep holding the same 4 keys until you hear the boot chime two more times, then release all except the Option key.
You should get the boot-picker screen. Your Installer drive should be a choice, so select that, then press enter.
Do you again get the prohibited symbol (slashed circle)?
Then, your flash drive is prepared incorrectly, or is damaged. I always test new bootable installers on the Mac that I use for creating them, just to make sure it actually will boot a Mac. Did you try it out on the Mac that made yours?
 
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DeltaMac said:
Try this: Insert your Catalina installer bootable drive. Restart your iMac, holding Option-Command-P-R
You should hear the boot chime sound.
Keep holding the same 4 keys until you hear the boot chime two more times, then release all except the Option key.
You should get the boot-picker screen. Your Installer drive should be a choice, so select that, then press enter.
Do you again get the prohibited symbol (slashed circle)?
Then, your flash drive is prepared incorrectly, or is damaged. I always test new bootable installers on the Mac that I use for creating them, just to make sure it actually will boot a Mac. Did you try it out on the Mac that made yours?
Click to expand...
Nope. I will redo the bootloader and test on the mac that creates it
 
OK, if you now have a bootable USB flashdrive, try it and tell us how it works.

I again suggest that BEFORE you attempt the OS install, you again open disk utility, go to the view menu and choose "show all devices", then select the internal drive and erase it to APFS with GUID partition format.

Then give the installer a go...
 
This thread seems all messed up. If the OP is actually booting into Internet Recovery and getting the Lion installer then that iMac must be one that either shipped with Lion or it's one of the 2011 models that shipped with Snow Leopard and was updated to Lion and had a firmware update.

I think the latest macOS those will run would be High Sierra (looking at everymac.com).

Could he start it up in Internet Recovery again and, before beginning the installation, use Terminal to change the date back to the end of 2011? Perhaps that would get over the issue in the thread title.
 
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BrianBaughn said:
Could he start it up in Internet Recovery again and, before beginning the installation, use Terminal to change the date back to the end of 2011? Perhaps that would get over the issue in the thread title.
Click to expand...
Struggled half a day today to upgrade my Late 2008 MBP from 10.10 to 10.11 El Capitan.
I would have never believed that you need to do system date tweaks to get OS X installed. But there it was. As soon as I set system date back to Now() - 4y (ie. 04/19/2016) everything worked.
They must have some signing certificate that expired before 2020 in there somewhere...
 
What date does it need to be on the terminal for Mac OS X Lion 10.7 under internet recovery mode.

Help appreciated please
 
I have tried changing the date to the following:
10th December 2009 - 10th December 2020
Still keep getting the same problem for each year.
 
Hi thank you for your reply. I have tried that date and I still get the same error code under internet recovery mode. I am minded to just order a bootable USB from Amazon. I have ordered El Capitan as that's what I had installed on my system before I erased the HD to reset to factory settings. Hopefully a fresh install from a bootable USB will work unless you have any fresh suggestions?

Thank you
 
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