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Fix old Mac Mini or buy used newer one?

Mr_Brightside_@ said:
yes
High Sierra or Mojave
16 GB
leave
Click to expand...

I added Mojave to a USB and am now at my office to install it but I’m getting the line through the o symbol when I try.

After googling, it looks like Mac mini’s from 2011 are not compatible with Mojave.

Or am I doing something wrong?
 
iAssimilated said:
No, your research is correct, the 2011 mini's latest (officially) supported macOS is High Sierra. There are ways to install Mojave, but they include modifying the installer (http://dosdude1.com/mojave/).
Click to expand...

Ah ok.
so to delete it off the USB do I just plug it in and delete it like I would a file off of it or is there some sort of process to it?

And should I just use regular Sierra to be safe or it won’t matter because it’s being installed on a wiped clean Mac mini?
I just want to make sure it works with no issues.

thank you so much for the help
 
iAssimilated said:
You will want to create the installer on the USB drive:

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.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...

Yes, sorry forgot to mention I already did that with mojave. I found a good YouTube link that showed me step by step how to do it.

But my question is, now I have to delete the Mojave one in order to make room for the Sierra I have on that USB and is there a specific way of doing that?

I tried plugging in the USB and just clicking the install Mojave file and deleted it but when I eject the USB and plug it again, the USB is still called “install macOS Mojave”

seems like something’s still on the USB .

EDIT- never mind I figured it out and added High Sierra and it’s running perfectly.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME, you guys are awesome!!!
 
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Okusaguy said:
i Was connected with wifi this whole time and just turned it off and ran Ethernet directly to it and still getting the error.
Sorry for all this and I really appreciate your help!

1.So I’ll have to get a USB and download an OS to it then boot it from there?
2.Which software should I use and how big are they typically because I have to buy a new USB that can hold it.
3.Should I change the date back to normal or just leave it?
4.If I have to change it back, what numbers do I input for today?

thank you so much again
Click to expand...

The error message that you get has often one of two causes; your wifi is not stable, hence the suggestion for the network cable. The other is that some certficates are not valid any more for very old macs, hence the suggestion to set the dat on the machine a few years back. I think it's also necessary to reboot after de date setting. You can look that up on other posts in this fine forum.

If you want to do an installation from USB, one with a capacity of 8GB or more is enough. The smallest USB drive I can get is 16GB, so that wil be no problem. My experience is that some older computers have problems with booting from big USB drives, even with it's "only" 32GB.
One thing to look for is the speed of the drive. This can vary much, and the price is not an indication like "more expensive is faster". So do some comparing before you buy your stick.

One last thing; on dosdude1.com you can download software that can make the bootable USB drive for you, for different versions of OSX, even for versions that don't support your old mac mini but still work. Because your Mac Mini is from 2011, the last supported version is High Sierra. Try that first.

Happy tinkering with your mini!
 
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