I’m stuck in a High Sierra installation nightmare

[machenryr]

As I write this I’m hoping I’ve solved it but maybe this can help

I was trying to install HS on a PCIe SSD. There may be other problems. I had thought I updated the firmware. I guess the evidence is that I HAVE installed HS on two drives already so successfully. But ok.

Now I have a problem that the installer KEEPS trying to install MacOS. I can’t get it to stop, no matter how many times I restart, shutdown, use the option key to select another boot drive, hold D for diagnostics - it doesn’t do any of that. It just continues to try to install. I then found the original MacPro install disk to select a new startup disk. None of my OS drives showed up. I think the original disk was too old. Snow Leopard. So i chose look for network disks.

Any clue as to what is happening here? How can I get back to my boot drive? Any of three boot drives would be great! How can I stop the installer?

I didn’t solve it btw.

 

[machenryr]

Sheesh! I can’t get out of this. Anyone send me a clue how I can stop this and get back to my Mac OS??

 

[smirking]

What hardware are you on?

 

[machenryr]

What do you mean? It’s in my signature. Is that what you mean? MacPro 5,1. 3.46 gz. 2009 early.

 

[machenryr]

Then half the time it starts with a bright background. So bright i can’t really read it. I can only hit restart and it’ll restart and try and install HS again.

 

[machenryr]

All new drives. All four bays have SSD. Also the optical bay where the current boot drive is is a 500 GB SSD. Plenty of memory. 32 gb Ram. Freaking out right now.

 

[machenryr]

The only way out of this that I can think of is to remove the boot drive. It’s in the optical bay and hook up my external Sierra boot drive. Hope it sees it.

 

[DeltaMac]

Can you temporarily remove other drives, leaving only the boot drive that you are attempting to install High Sierra?
Maybe you can try moving that boot drive to bay 1.

You said in your first post that you are trying to install to a PCIe SSD. Is that a card-type SSD?
Exactly which SSD? (Manufacturer and model)
I have read in these threads that, for example, a Samsung 970 EVO plus, an NVMe card (I think?) does NOT work in a Mac. Which specific SSD are you trying to use here?

Yes, the Snow Leopard installer may not see any drives, particularly if the drives have already been formatted APFS, if you did that as preparation for installing High Sierra. The Snow Leopard won't see the volumes at all.

 

[machenryr]

It’s a Samsung Evo 970. NOT plus.

 

[machenryr]

But how can I quit the installer??

 

[DeltaMac]

?
How you can quit the installer:
1. Choose Quit from the menus. or
2. Press and hold the power button until your MacPro shuts off, or
3. Pull the power plug.

Then, reset PRAM, continuing with that by allowing the boot chime to sound a minimum of two chimes before you release the keys, continuing to hold the option key so you can choose some other boot drive that can still do a normal boot of your MacPro.
Do your macOS install on some drive that is NOT a Samsung EVO 970. Remove that one, and all other drives, except the drive you want to install to, until you get a good system installed. Not saying that's a bad drive for you, but you need to get a good install on some OTHER drive. Once you have a good booting system on an internal drive (and you can boot successfully to that drive when it is in one of the drive slots,) NOW troubleshoot that other system install on the Samsung 970. Is your MacPro firmware as updated as you can get it? Full install from a 10.14.5 installer should take care of that firmware, no more fuss!

 

[machenryr]

I do. I have done all of that. I have Sierra in my older main boot drive and high Sierra on another. I don’t have the opportunity to see a menu. It boots into install. I have shutdown, restarted, started with option, with D. All I get is the install screen I get no menu. I have reset the pram many times.

 

[machenryr]

Ok. I was able to find the menu by holding the mouse. Sorry for the drama. But this was trying to install the security update! Now I chose a safe startup. Let’s see what happens!