Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

M1 MBP cant reinstall Big Sur

harleymhs

harleymhs

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 19, 2009
790
177
Hey Guys, Just got my M1 MBP 13, After setting it up, my wife wanted it so I went to erase the SSD and reinstall Big Sur... Not. What a horror. After checking Google seems this is a problem! How does apple put out a new product and have this issue? I did make a Bootable USB on my other mac and tried hitting the option button upon start up no bootable USB shows .. Actually nothing shows when OPT key is pressed upon booting... I read that you have to take it back to Apple to have the OS installed... After spending 1700 $ ( 16GB Ram ) I will be going back to apple today for sure, But to RETURN it for a refund.. We will wait till 2021 and pick up the new redesigned MBP ... Just my experience.
 
Last edited:
Nugget said:
Where the heck did you read that? Nothing is preventing you from reinstalling macOS:

Use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon

Learn how to use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

or

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...
Tried your #2 , Didnt work!
 
Thanks for your help.. But What happens if this was the ONLY Mac computer in my home... Thats what saying . The bootable USB doesnt show up.. Ill give it another shot this am before I head to Apple to return .
 
UPDATE: Comes up with an error , with the bootable USB drive too! Going back for a refund.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6113.jpg
    IMG_6113.jpg
    60.8 KB · Views: 183
harleymhs said:
UPDATE: Comes up with an error , with the bootable USB drive too! Going back for a refund.
Click to expand...
But did you get in the bootable installer? The login options screen comes up with pressing and holding the power button in M1 Macs, not holding opt
 
Is there a brick-n-mortar Apple Store anywhere nearby?
I'd take it to them.

Otherwise, if you're stuck and can get no further, a refund might be the only option.

Hmmmm.... is the claim above that m1 Macs CAN'T do internet recovery true...?

In that case...
If you want a MacBook Pro that WON'T give you such headaches, buy an Apple-refurbished 2020 MacBook Pro 13" with an INTEL processor inside.
They CAN do internet recovery.
 
  • Like
Reactions: harleymhs
@harleymhs Have you read this post:

forums.macrumors.com

Erasing an M1 before return

Yes - with Mac OS 11.0.1 here are the steps I used to successfully Erase my M1 Mac and reinstall the baseline OS: 1: Shut down your M1 Mac 2: Press and hold the power button down to enter recovery mode 3: Click the "Options" Gear-cog icon and then press the "Continue" button that appears below...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
harleymhs said:
Hey Guys, Just got my M1 MBP 13, After setting it up, my wife wanted it so I went to erase the SSD and reinstall Big Sur... Not. What a horror. After checking Google seems this is a problem! How does apple put out a new product and have this issue? I did make a Bootable USB on my other mac and tried hitting the option button upon start up no bootable USB shows .. Actually nothing shows when OPT key is pressed upon booting... I read that you have to take it back to Apple to have the OS installed... After spending 1700 $ ( 16GB Ram ) I will be going back to apple today for sure, But to RETURN it for a refund.. We will wait till 2021 and pick up the new redesigned MBP ... Just my experience.
Click to expand...

You don’t need to return it or require Apple Configurator and 2nd device. Easily fixed just requires time and internet connection.

Jump to 3min mark

Apple Support article:

If an error occurred while updating or installing macOS - Apple Support

The message might say that an error occurred while downloading, preparing, or installing, or that the software is damaged, could not be verified, failed to personalize, or needs to be reinstalled.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

d0245a8982d852597081f8141a8d16e2.jpg
 
Last edited:
harleymhs said:
I saw that fix, I can do it but I wont! This should not happen, if these were not ready to put out on the market they should of waited.
Click to expand...
Well our collective desire to be helpful probably just plummeted.

So there's a way to fix it and you just won't? And, you bought a computer with a brand new processor architecture during a transition period and are somehow surprised there's some rough edges?

Grow up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Super Spartan, Nugget, deeddawg and 2 others
:rolleyes: dude. I did the same thing when I first got my M1 MBP - installed a bunch of stuff, installed 11.0.1 update, couldn't get my AW to unlock my MBP and decided I wanted to start from scratch. Went into recovery mode - erased, got the personalization error - went F'k then found the solution on MrMacintosh and Apple KB. Followed the video and was able to fix the issue and reinstall fresh. If you decide to wipe and reinstall in the future just follow the steps listed in this post:

forums.macrumors.com

Erasing an M1 before return

Yes - with Mac OS 11.0.1 here are the steps I used to successfully Erase my M1 Mac and reinstall the baseline OS: 1: Shut down your M1 Mac 2: Press and hold the power button down to enter recovery mode 3: Click the "Options" Gear-cog icon and then press the "Continue" button that appears below...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com

Key take away from this reinstall and error experience: Unlock with AW now works perfectly and I learned something new about my M1 and the new recovery process. Future MacOS will be more secure and easier to roll back when there are issues with system snapshots:



"Right off the bat, we need to understand that Mac Internet Recovery on Apple Silicon is DEAD! Finally you don’t have to worry about IR errors and the problems that come with them.

Internet Recovery will still remain for Intel based Macs. For Apple Silicon we now have 4 different ways to reinstall macOS.

mrmacintosh.com

How to Reinstall macOS on your Apple Silicon M1 Mac. Everything you Need to Know

macOS recovery and reinstall has changed on Apple Silicon. I will show you everything you need to know about all the changes! + MORE!
mrmacintosh.com mrmacintosh.com

  • 1. macOS Recovery = First line of recovery.
  • 2. System Recovery = Hidden partition for when normal macOS recovery is not available.
  • 3. macOS Big Sur USB Installer Drive. = Boot to a createinstallmedia based Big Sur full installer.
  • 4. macOS System Restore via DFU mode + Apple Configurator 2."
 
Last edited:
Feisar said:
Internet Recovery is DEAD on Apple Silicon.
Click to expand...
Nothing in your post, or the linked post, suggests as much. The linked post simply describes how internet recovery aggressively pushes setup/login, and upon which login precipice users who intend to sell their M1 Mac should jump ship.
 
Will a USB installer, created with an Intel Mac, work on a M1 MacBook?
Because It could be easier to find an Intel Mac around than someone with M1, at least now.....
 
Why on earth would you even do that to begin with? How difficult would it have been to simply deauthorize the computer, sign out of iCloud, and delete your files. It would have taken 5 minutes tops. It's your wife after all, not a complete stranger. You just made a lot of unnecessary work for yourself for nothing.
 
mikethebigo said:
Well our collective desire to be helpful probably just plummeted.

So there's a way to fix it and you just won't? And, you bought a computer with a brand new processor architecture during a transition period and are somehow surprised there's some rough edges?

Grow up.
Click to expand...
You won this thread. /salute.
 
zeratul75 said:
Will a USB installer, created with an Intel Mac, work on a M1 MacBook?
Because It could be easier to find an Intel Mac around than someone with M1, at least now.....
Click to expand...
Yes, they are completely compatible.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back