How to Fix a Damaged macOS Installer

[tywebb13]

I was disappointed to see that they are not letting you download older installers (Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks) this time.

The last time certificates expired they re-released all the old installers including those 3 with expiry dates set for Feb 7, 2023. So I spent several hours re-downloading 10.7.5, 10.8.5, 10.9.5, 10.10.5 and 10.11.3 with the new certificates - and made bootable usbs. After that I made bootable usbs for 10.11.6, 10.12.6, 10.13.6, 10.14.6, 10.15

I also made bootable usbs for Tiger, Leopard and Snow Leopard - which install much faster than the dvds. Thankfully these don't suffer from expired certificates.

By not letting Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks to be downloaded anymore, they are effectively giving them a death sentence of Feb 7, 2023. Interesting that my Tiger usb will outlive my Mavericks usb.

It is especially disappointing for Lion and Mountain Lion - because those were ones you actually had to PAY FOR!!!

 

[tywebb13]

I just checked the developer downloads page to see if they have removed Leopard and Snow Leopard too.

They haven't.

Despite removing Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks, developers can STILL download Leopard and Snow Leopard!!!

 

[McLover66]

Another weird problem I'm having is the error: ''..... is not a valid mount point'' in terminal. It only happens when I want to make a Sierra bootable installer, all the others work fine. Changing the name of the USB drive does not solve the issue and I've checked the path and it's correct. Does anyone else has this issue with the new 10.12 Sierra installer?

 

[kohlson]

Maybe I am missing something on these, but...I downloaded Sierra, El Cap, and Yosemite. The file names are a bit of a mystery (Essentially: InstallMacOS.dmg). OK, I thinks, I'll just start an install onto any of the readily available disks in my system. But except for the boot drive, none were "acceptable." Reason? None of them has MacOSX already installed on it. At least, according to the error triangle. So I am not sure how helpful these will be in my "keep older Macs alive" project.

 

[DeltaMac]

I was disappointed to see that they are not letting you download older installers (Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks) this time.
...
By not letting Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks to be downloaded anymore, they are effectively giving them a death sentence of Feb 7, 2023. Interesting that my Tiger usb will outlive my Mavericks usb.

It is especially disappointing for Lion and Mountain Lion - because those were ones you actually had to PAY FOR!!!

I don't understand... I downloaded Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks today from the Purchased tab in the App Store, booted to my Yosemite system. Made bootables from each, and all installers work from the bootable images.
What's the real problem here?

 

[rumplestiltskin]

The createinstallmedia command will fail with the new Sierra installer. Some code is munged somewhere. As a workaround, do an actual installation to your flash drive, then just copy the new installer to that drive's Applications folder. At least you can boot and get Sierra installed to an otherwise unbootable drive (or reinstalled over an earlier installation nondestructively).

 

[tywebb13]

I don't understand... I downloaded Lion, Mountain Lion, and Mavericks today from the Purchased tab in the App Store, booted to my Yosemite system. Made bootables from each, and all installers work from the bootable images.
What's the real problem here?

The problem is that apple themselves are saying you can't download them.

This is from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208052 :

you can find the latest download links in the installation guidelines for these macOS versions. Earlier versions aren't available for download.

• macOS Catalina
• macOS Mojave
• macOS High Sierra

• macOS Sierra
• OS X El Capitan
• OS X Yosemite

The older ones might be in your purchases tab if you got them before. But the new links apple have provided work even if you didn't get them before.

They haven't done that for Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks - and herein lies the problem.

Going forward you are still stuck with the certificate expiry of 7 Feb 2023 for those versions - unless apple re-release them. I think that is possible actually. But unlikely.

 

[tywebb13]

Another weird problem I'm having is the error: ''..... is not a valid mount point'' in terminal. It only happens when I want to make a Sierra bootable installer, all the others work fine. Changing the name of the USB drive does not solve the issue and I've checked the path and it's correct. Does anyone else has this issue with the new 10.12 Sierra installer?

Indeed. I was so curious about your post that I downloaded Sierra and attempted to make the bootable usb to see if this bug is reproducible.

I got the same result.

The reproducibility of the bug makes it very suitable to apple for a bug report.

I have submitted the bug report to apple.

 

[tywebb13]

The createinstallmedia command will fail with the new Sierra installer. Some code is munged somewhere. As a workaround, do an actual installation to your flash drive, then just copy the new installer to that drive's Applications folder. At least you can boot and get Sierra installed to an otherwise unbootable drive (or reinstalled over an earlier installation nondestructively).

Thank you. I too have a workaround. Make a bootable DVD installer instead.

To do this copy and paste these into terminal to make the bootable iso file (assuming you have the Sierra installer in your Applications folder):

hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil create -o /tmp/Sierra.cdr -size 7.85g -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J

hdiutil attach /tmp/Sierra.cdr.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build

asr restore -source /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg -target /Volumes/install_build -noprompt -noverify -erase

rm /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Installation/Packages

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/Packages /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Installation/

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.chunklist /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/BaseSystem.chunklist

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/BaseSystem.dmg

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil detach /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/

hdiutil convert /tmp/Sierra.cdr.dmg -format UDTO -o /tmp/Sierra.iso

mv /tmp/Sierra.iso.cdr ~/Desktop/Sierra.iso

A bootable iso file called Sierra.iso will then appear on your desktop and you can use this to burn it to a dual layer dvd:

sudo drutil burn /Users/YOURNAME/Desktop/Sierra.iso

where you replace "YOURNAME" with the username for the account you are logged into at the time.

and then boot to startup manager with option key to select the dvd.

Just be aware though that a bootable dvd takes a lot longer to boot up than a bootable usb.

 

[Country-Gents]

Right this had baffled me and a colleague for a few days. The issue im having, now I understand the cause of the error, is that the links send you to the App Store and it just announces that it cant connect to the store. It will if I go to an app thats there. Any clues folks

 

[gank41]

Right this had baffled me and a colleague for a few days. The issue im having, now I understand the cause of the error, is that the links send you to the App Store and it just announces that it cant connect to the store. It will if I go to an app thats there. Any clues folks

The only way I was able to get the App Store installers was by going through a Virtual Machine of 10.14 and downloading them from there, and then copying them over.

 

[Country-Gents]

The only way I was able to get the App Store installers was by going through a Virtual Machine of 10.14 and downloading them from there, and then copying them over.

Thanks unfortunately I dont have a vm, there must be a way to trick it somehow.......

 

[Gleison]

[QUOTE = "Telos101, post: 27909846, membro: 1027970"]
Isso não funciona o tempo todo, pelo menos não com o aplicativo Install MacOS Mojave. Além disso, não é realmente prático ajustar o relógio se você estiver implantando aplicativos de instalação em vários Macs.
[/CITAR]


Olá, segui este vídeo e consegui resolver esse problema de instalação, era muito simples a solução, realmente a data do sistema causa isso. ligação:

 

[McLover66]

[QUOTE = "Telos101, post: 27909846, membro: 1027970"]
Isso não funciona o tempo todo, pelo menos não com o aplicativo Install MacOS Mojave. Além disso, não é realmente prático ajustar o relógio se você estiver implantando aplicativos de instalação em vários Macs.
[/CITAR]


Olá, segui este vídeo e consegui resolver esse problema de instalação, era muito simples a solução, realmente a data do sistema causa isso. ligação:

That's a fix we know about, the new problem is you cannot create a bootable usb drive with the newly provided macOS Sierra installers Apple provided with the new certificates.

 

[camelia]

That's a fix we know about, the new problem is you cannot create a bootable usb drive with the newly provided macOS Sierra installers Apple provided with the new certificates.

When you post about Sierra installers are you including macOS High Sierra?

Thanks
Came

 

[gank41]

When you post about Sierra installers are you including macOS High Sierra?

Thanks
Came

I was able to make USB installers of everything from Yosemite on up to Catalina, accept for Sierra.

 

[camelia]

Thank you. I too have a workaround. Make a bootable DVD installer instead.

To do this copy and paste these into terminal to make the bootable iso file (assuming you have the Sierra installer in your Applications folder):

hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil create -o /tmp/Sierra.cdr -size 7.85g -layout SPUD -fs HFS+J

hdiutil attach /tmp/Sierra.cdr.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build

asr restore -source /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg -target /Volumes/install_build -noprompt -noverify -erase

rm /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Installation/Packages

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/Packages /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/System/Installation/

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.chunklist /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/BaseSystem.chunklist

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/BaseSystem.dmg

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil detach /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/

hdiutil convert /tmp/Sierra.cdr.dmg -format UDTO -o /tmp/Sierra.iso

mv /tmp/Sierra.iso.cdr ~/Desktop/Sierra.iso

A bootable iso file called Sierra.iso will then appear on your desktop and you can use this to burn it to a dual layer dvd:

sudo drutil burn /Users/YOURNAME/Desktop/Sierra.iso

where you replace "YOURNAME" with the username for the account you are logged into at the time.

and then boot to startup manager with option key to select the dvd.

Just be aware though that a bootable dvd takes a lot longer to boot up than a bootable usb.

@tywebb13

I follow all your steps very carefully, but my bootable BD is not working!! Is a must to use a DVD??

Finally can you be so kind to provide me the direct download link of Gatekeeper 181, which I think is the newest please?

Thanks
Came

 

[ultradk]

I can't download high Sierra from the Mac App Store, I can only "open", but nothing happen.. Anyway to get around this?

 

[chrfr]

I can't download high Sierra from the Mac App Store, I can only "open", but nothing happen.. Anyway to get around this?

You need to find the already downloaded copy on your computer and delete it, then download again.

 

[ultradk]

You need to find the already downloaded copy on your computer and delete it, then download again.

I am sure that I already had been looking and can't seem to find and it's puzzles me..

 

[chrfr]

I am sure that I already had been looking and can't seem to find and it's puzzles me..

It could be on any drive attached to your computer.

 

[ultradk]

It could be on any drive attached to your computer.

Thanks!

 

[Tech198]

Phew.. ! I thought i was going nuts.... I was blaming VMWare fusion for this exact error, which forced me to download a fresh copy every few weeks... of Mojave mostly.

I was wondering why an installer, which worked after downloading, "didn't" work when i came to install again a few "days" later, or so when its just sitting on an external USB drive doing nothing..

Expired certificate in installer huh ? Well, lets hope it's fixed..

Now i'm know i know i'm not crazy, i can sleep better..

Too Bad we can't download older versions of macOS on the App Store now.

Not related, but i got round this by installing Yosemite in VM, then using that to login to App store and download all past OS's

Apple's not gonna stop me...

 

[cadec]

I have the same 'This copy of the Install macOS Mojave application is damaged, and can‘t be used to install macOS' error and found these possible fixes

the one about setting the date back 3-4 years to 2016 seems like a good one and I am going to try that first.

NOTE/UPDATE TO ABOVE: YES! That is working for me -- the installer opened now and it wouldn't before.
Don't forget to uncheck the auto set box for time/date, then set back to 2016
I set mine to dec 7 2016 - changed the month too just in case.

this is the simplest of all options I've found (and I have looked at a lot of sites on this and searched for full installers, but the one I have is going to work after all.)

This copy of the Install macOS Mojave application is damaged: Even After Correcting Time

I was trying to do a fresh install of a macOS Mojave. But it ends up with an error 'This copy of the Install macOS Mojave application is damaged". I have downloaded multiple ios files and finally, ...

apple.stackexchange.com

How to Fix “application is damaged, can’t be used to install macOS” Errors

If you have attempted to use a MacOS installer application recently, you may discover an error message stating something like “This copy of the Install macOS Mojave.app application is damaged…

osxdaily.com

.

 

[Attila F]

The (new) Sierra installer file from Apple is causing the error message ".. not a valid mount point..".
The problem lies in the installer file from Apple, which needs to be modified.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ant-make-bootable-drive.1935673/post-28197924

Type this command in a Terminal window and it will “fix” your “Install macOS Sierra.app” file:

sudo plutil -replace CFBundleShortVersionString -string "12.6.03" /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Info.plist

Now you should be able to create a bootable Sierra USB drive from the “Install macOS Sierra.app” file.
Good luck!