Hello,
This is my first time posting here, so I should first apologise if I have chosen the wrong thread for this. However, to the potential few who might read this, I hope that it helps you not do to your mac, what I managed to do with mine.
I wanted to erase and reinstall MacOS on my 2023 14 inch macbook pro. I had upgraded to test MacOS 14, but was experiencing accessibility and other issues (I am a blind user.) As a result I wished to go back to Ventura.
There are many guides circulating online and at the top of search results that state that to erase the system and then reinstall MacOS, you should first delete the system and data partitions, make new ones, and then install. However, this should not be done on your M1 mac.
Before I began deleting partitions, I first thought it would be worth erasing them. I went to my system partition and selected erase. Here, it said I would have to erase the volume group (I.E. the system and data volumes.) I had no problem with this.
On clicking the erase volume group button, I was then prompted with a warning that this would erase my mac, deleting all media, documents and settings. I was aware of this, but what I did not like was that this would restart my mac.
On seeing this warning, I thought it was just going to erase all content and settings. So all my data would disappear, but the system would remain as was, or be it with all the settings back to defaults so I would have to go through setup again. In hind sight, I know that I was entirely mistaken, and to a point I should've considered that I had opted to erase a volume group, so of course it would delete the system too. However, I did not think this was the case, and selected cancel.
Next, I manually deleted the system and data partitions, before adding a new system partition and firing up the MacOS installer. I chose the disk, and then selected next. This is where the problem came.
On selecting next, it said that to continue, I would need to erase the mac. This seemed wrong as I was aware that I had already done so, but selected erase mac. Immediately, an error came up. "Erase mac failed. There are no users left on this volume to recover."
I later found out that this was because, for security, the system volume had to be tied to a user account on erase, I suppose just to make sure that it is you erasing, and not someone who stole the mac? However, I was stuck on this.
I researched this error for hours, finding nothing. I then opted to contact Apple and explained the situation. They advised me to do things I had already done. Try again, and also try using my bootable USB that I had created to help me with the installation.
When I said that none of that had worked, they stated that I would have to take the mac into an apple store near me, and so I did, the next day. I had seen that you could hook the mac up to another and use Apple Configurator to restore the system, but an hour after my mac was taken in the store, I got a call. They stated that my mac was not being detected in Apple Configurator, meaning that there was a problem with the drive. I tried explaining that I had deleted some partitions and also tried using terminal commands to disable volume ownership to try and get the system reinstalled before taking the mac in, but it was said that Apple Configurator would detect and fix such problems. However, it wasn't there at all.
This meant that the logic board needed replacement. Thankfully, I don't need to pay for this, but that is where I currently am, waiting for my mac to be ready for collection.
I know, in hind sight, that it was a silly decision to go and delete partitions. However, apart from the apple support website, basically every other guide states that you should delete the partitions and add again. By the time I had seen the Apple Support page, it was too late. I had already wiped the disk completely clean.
If you just skip to the bottom of this very lengthy post, all I will say is this. Please, whatever you do, do not delete your system and data partitions when you want to erase your mac. It will completely brick it and you will need a replacement. Instead, just go into Disk Utility, find your system volume and select erase. Select erase volume group, then erase mac. This will avoid all the issues that I have had.
I hope this is useful to anyone who reads this, and please feel free to call me an idiot for not reading all of the manuals before undertaking this process as I had done it so many times before, or be it years before when the system was completely different.
This is my first time posting here, so I should first apologise if I have chosen the wrong thread for this. However, to the potential few who might read this, I hope that it helps you not do to your mac, what I managed to do with mine.
I wanted to erase and reinstall MacOS on my 2023 14 inch macbook pro. I had upgraded to test MacOS 14, but was experiencing accessibility and other issues (I am a blind user.) As a result I wished to go back to Ventura.
There are many guides circulating online and at the top of search results that state that to erase the system and then reinstall MacOS, you should first delete the system and data partitions, make new ones, and then install. However, this should not be done on your M1 mac.
Before I began deleting partitions, I first thought it would be worth erasing them. I went to my system partition and selected erase. Here, it said I would have to erase the volume group (I.E. the system and data volumes.) I had no problem with this.
On clicking the erase volume group button, I was then prompted with a warning that this would erase my mac, deleting all media, documents and settings. I was aware of this, but what I did not like was that this would restart my mac.
On seeing this warning, I thought it was just going to erase all content and settings. So all my data would disappear, but the system would remain as was, or be it with all the settings back to defaults so I would have to go through setup again. In hind sight, I know that I was entirely mistaken, and to a point I should've considered that I had opted to erase a volume group, so of course it would delete the system too. However, I did not think this was the case, and selected cancel.
Next, I manually deleted the system and data partitions, before adding a new system partition and firing up the MacOS installer. I chose the disk, and then selected next. This is where the problem came.
On selecting next, it said that to continue, I would need to erase the mac. This seemed wrong as I was aware that I had already done so, but selected erase mac. Immediately, an error came up. "Erase mac failed. There are no users left on this volume to recover."
I later found out that this was because, for security, the system volume had to be tied to a user account on erase, I suppose just to make sure that it is you erasing, and not someone who stole the mac? However, I was stuck on this.
I researched this error for hours, finding nothing. I then opted to contact Apple and explained the situation. They advised me to do things I had already done. Try again, and also try using my bootable USB that I had created to help me with the installation.
When I said that none of that had worked, they stated that I would have to take the mac into an apple store near me, and so I did, the next day. I had seen that you could hook the mac up to another and use Apple Configurator to restore the system, but an hour after my mac was taken in the store, I got a call. They stated that my mac was not being detected in Apple Configurator, meaning that there was a problem with the drive. I tried explaining that I had deleted some partitions and also tried using terminal commands to disable volume ownership to try and get the system reinstalled before taking the mac in, but it was said that Apple Configurator would detect and fix such problems. However, it wasn't there at all.
This meant that the logic board needed replacement. Thankfully, I don't need to pay for this, but that is where I currently am, waiting for my mac to be ready for collection.
I know, in hind sight, that it was a silly decision to go and delete partitions. However, apart from the apple support website, basically every other guide states that you should delete the partitions and add again. By the time I had seen the Apple Support page, it was too late. I had already wiped the disk completely clean.
If you just skip to the bottom of this very lengthy post, all I will say is this. Please, whatever you do, do not delete your system and data partitions when you want to erase your mac. It will completely brick it and you will need a replacement. Instead, just go into Disk Utility, find your system volume and select erase. Select erase volume group, then erase mac. This will avoid all the issues that I have had.
I hope this is useful to anyone who reads this, and please feel free to call me an idiot for not reading all of the manuals before undertaking this process as I had done it so many times before, or be it years before when the system was completely different.
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