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Can't Restore (The volume cannot be downgraded.)

B

BluAffiliate

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Feb 16, 2010
376
65
Hey everyone.
| am having a critical issue on my mac's sound:

VFF001
VFF002
VFF003		There may be an issue with the audio hardware.Contact Apple or take your computer to an AASP or Apple Store to learn which service and support options are available.

When I try to reinstall MacOS version in the recovery mode, this is what I see.
Can't proceed from there. Anyone seen this/
1674733507438.jpeg
 
BluAffiliate said:
Hey everyone.
| am having a critical issue on my mac's sound:

VFF001
VFF002
VFF003		There may be an issue with the audio hardware.Contact Apple or take your computer to an AASP or Apple Store to learn which service and support options are available.

When I try to reinstall MacOS version in the recovery mode, this is what I see.
Can't proceed from there. Anyone seen this/
View attachment 2148501
Click to expand...


Are you trying to downgrade to Monterey from Ventura? If so I think you will need to erase, install Monterey and migrate from a TM or other backup. Some sites say the backup you use needs to be made while Monterey but that wasn't my experience when I tried it. A TM backup of a Ventura install was successfully migrated into Monterey.

Not sure what your problem is, or whether reinstalling Monterey or Ventura would help. With that message I would be inclined to run Apple Diagnostics which will report on the hardware....or do what it says and contact Apple.
 
I'm not trying to downgrade.
I am pressing down the power button and booting into recovery mode. I use recovery mode to try to reinstall macos. IDK why it gives the downgrade message this is not what I am trying to do.
 
BluAffiliate said:
I'm not trying to downgrade.
I am pressing down the power button and booting into recovery mode. I use recovery mode to try to reinstall macos. IDK why it gives the downgrade message this is not what I am trying to do.
Click to expand...
What OS are you in? That screenshot says you are about to install Monterey.

As I said I would run Apple Diagnostics since you are being alerted to a possible hardware fault. And contact Apple.

Did the problem start after an OS update?
 
wildaman said:
sounds maybe similar to this? https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/error-this-volume-cannot-be-downgraded.2284451/

are you trying to downgrade by like a x.x.1 increment without realizing perhaps? not sure, just throwing things out there
Click to expand...
I am not trying to downgrade. I just want to reinstall macOS through the recovery mode.
Mike Boreham said:
What OS are you in? That screenshot says you are about to install Monterey.

As I said I would run Apple Diagnostics since you are being alerted to a possible hardware fault. And contact Apple.

Did the problem start after an OS update?
Click to expand...
I'm in the recovery mode.
The issue started not after upgrade. But I want to try to fix before going to apple, I can't afford to spend money right now.
 
BluAffiliate said:
I am not trying to downgrade. I just want to reinstall macOS through the recovery mode.

I'm in the recovery mode.
Click to expand...
OK but then your installed OS is Monterey....if that is the screen you see when you boot to Recovery > Reinstall macOS.

Any special reason you haven't updated to Ventura? Unless your Mac is limited to Monterey by age, upgrading to Ventura would reinstall macOS and maybe Ventura will have fix if it is a software problem....which I doubt.

I think it a long shot that either reinstalling Monterey or Ventura will fix your problem, but could be wrong.

What Mac is it?
 
BluAffiliate said:
I am not trying to downgrade. I just want to reinstall macOS through the recovery mode.

I'm in the recovery mode.
The issue started not after upgrade. But I want to try to fix before going to apple, I can't afford to spend money right now.
Click to expand...
which version of Monterey are you currently on? 12.6.2 or 12.6.3?
 
Mike Boreham said:
OK but then your installed OS is Monterey....if that is the screen you see when you boot to Recovery > Reinstall macOS.

Any special reason you haven't updated to Ventura? Unless your Mac is limited to Monterey by age, upgrading to Ventura would reinstall macOS and maybe Ventura will have fix if it is a software problem....which I doubt.

I think it a long shot that either reinstalling Monterey or Ventura will fix your problem, but could be wrong.

What Mac is it?
Click to expand...
I'm on Ventura 13.2
wildaman said:
which version of Monterey are you currently on? 12.6.2 or 12.6.3?
Click to expand...
Ventura 13.2


Weird that screen says Monterey.
 
BluAffiliate said:
I'm on Ventura 13.2

Ventura 13.2


Weird that screen says Monterey.
Click to expand...

That is weird. In your shoes I would make a bootable 13.2 installer and reinstall from that, but don't think it will fix your suspected hardware problems.

You haven't said what mac your are on.
 
Mike Boreham said:
That is weird. In your shoes I would make a bootable 13.2 installer and reinstall from that, but don't think it will fix your suspected hardware problems.

You haven't said what mac your are on.
Click to expand...
Bootable installer is a good idea.
I am on a M1 Macbook Pro 14
 
Once you’ve updated to aVentura, I don’t think you can go back to Monterey.
 
Got it. I take it this is an Intel machine. If so, it should have an internet recovery option. That would work I bet.
 
You should have the option to recover by (re-)installing Ventura. One of the options though is to reinstall using the version of MacOS that was originally shipped with your laptop, which is what you seem to be doing.

Hopefully something here helps:

Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac

Learn how to use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac.
support.apple.com
 
chabig said:
Got it. I take it this is an Intel machine. If so, it should have an internet recovery option. That would work I bet.
Click to expand...


adrianlondon said:
You should have the option to recover by (re-)installing Ventura. One of the options though is to reinstall using the version of MacOS that was originally shipped with your laptop, which is what you seem to be doing.

Hopefully something here helps:

Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac

Learn how to use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac.
support.apple.com
Click to expand...

No he says above it is an M1 MBP14"
 
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chabig said:
Then he has the option to boot to Fallback Recovery and try reinstalling from there!

eclecticlight.co

An illustrated guide to Recovery on Apple silicon Macs

A step-by-step fully illustrated guide to how to use every feature in Recovery Mode on an M1 or M2 Mac running Big Sur, Monterey or Ventura.
eclecticlight.co eclecticlight.co
Click to expand...

Yes he could try that, quite tricky to get timing right when I tried it.

Since there seems to be something wrong with his primary Recovery (offering Monterey) my preference would be the bootable installer route which might fix main Recovery.

Fallback Recovery is last resort if it won't boot from primary Recovery but I doubt (might do) that it would fix main Recovery.

As I keep saying to OP I don't personally feel this is going to fix the suspected hardware issues, and he should run Apple Diagnostics.

OP, do you have a TM backup of your Mac? if not I would definitely do one!
 
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Mike Boreham said:
Yes he could try that, quite tricky to get timing right when I tried it.

Since there seems to be something wrong with his primary Recovery (offering Monterey) my preference would be the bootable installer route which might fix main Recovery.

Fallback Recovery is last resort if it won't boot from primary Recovery but I doubt (might do) that it would fix main Recovery.

As I keep saying to OP I don't personally feel this is going to fix the suspected hardware issues, and he should run Apple Diagnostics.

OP, do you have a TM backup of your Mac? if not I would definitely do one!
Click to expand...
going to try this this weekend
 
The OP has a MacBook Pro 14" (m-series Mac). However, he didn't tell us that until 'way down in the thread.

The old trick (on Intel) of "Command-shift-option-R" (to reinstall older OS) doesn't work any more.
All changed now.

What MIGHT work would be to download a copy of Ventura and create a bootable USB installer.
Then, boot from the USB installer, wipe the internal drive, install Ventura from there.
(I was able to create a bootable flash drive with Monterey, that will boot my MacBook Pro 14" -- but I HAVE NOT attempted to erase/install using it)

With Apple's "new way" and the m-series, looks like you can only go "upwards" (via Recovery), and no longer "back" (as the special key command above would let one do).

Question for anyone reading who has an m-series Mac:
Have you successfully used a USB bootable flashdrive to wipe and re-install the OS?
How'd it go?

Another question for the OP:
You didn't tell us what app or what you were doing when you got those audio error msgs above.
Are you sure they can't be fixed in Ventura?
 
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