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User profile for user: iggyfire
iggyfire Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Bootable USB from a DMG (Sierra 10.12). Sierra.app was taken down by apple...

Hi, I am trying to freshly install a copy of Sierra on my Late 2010 iMac. I wanted to install a fresh copy of Sierra. I have done this many times before but this has got to be the worst I've stuck in mud. The first paragraph is the detailed step by step on how I got myself stuck. The second and foregoing paragraphs is where I am stuck now.


To make a fresh copy of Sierra I would need to delete the partition on my SSD. Once I did that I was to proceed to reinstall Sierra using the recovery mode. This was the first error as recovery mode did not connect to the wifi and displayed an error. I googled the error and noticed that my iMac disconnected from the wifi and could not download Sierra. So I logged back in my wifi network but the recovery window was gone. I restarted the computer and the issues began. First the spinning globe appeared on the screen (recovery mode using the internet). About 15 minutes went by until the iMac rebooted and was left for 10 minutes in an apple logo grey screen. So I turned the iMac and once again I was back to the spinning globe. To bypass this recovery mode you must press Cmd+Opn+R or something like that. This is so you override the automatic internet recovery mode. Now a "do not enter" logo appeared. By this point I noticed that I had damaged the recovery option as a whole.


Having the damaged recovery option I am left with installing the OS through a bootable USB. I read apples guides on how to make a bootable installer for Mac OS https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202. In the guide it says to download Sierra through Apples App Store. This is not possible since my Mac OS Catalina Macbook, through which I am writing this, thinks that I want to downgrade her OS to Sierra. It displays the following error "Update not found: The requested version of macOS is not available". Cool, ****, now I am in deeper trouble.


Since Apple App Store will not allow me to download Sierra I then googled "Sierra Installer" hoping that I could find an installer (that is not an update). This led me to this guide https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372. The guide provides a link to download Sierra Installer. Though it is called "InstallOS.dmg". This is a huge problem since the Terminal code to make a bootable USB needs the actual application and not the DMG file. In other words the sudo command does not recognize "InstallOS.dmg". Its looking for "Install Mac OS High Sierra.app" and to make it a bootable image on my journaled-formatted USB drive.


So this is where I am stuck at. I cannot find Sierra.app installers anywhere in the net. I am thinking that apple deliberately does this so people get tired and take their computers into their Geniuses. As I am finishing writing this I am on the phone with customer service to see if they can give me a Sierra installer.


I have spoken with an customer customer rep named "Hope". She was clueless. They do not have the resources to help us. She guided me back to the Internet Recovery Mode (with the spinning globe). I skipped this step because it seemed stuck at the apple logo. She said that some people wait for a few hours before the recovery menu is once again available. This is exactly where I am now. Waiting.


If this doesn't work Hope suggested that I deal with the my local Geniuses. I asked her if she thought they would be humane enough to hand me a copy of the OS. I swear to god, if they want to charge me a cent I will go apeshit. Apple does this in order for you to get tired and buy a new computer. Apple also does this so that you cannot install a new SSD on older Mac versions (MacBooks, Macs, iMacs, Mac mini, you mame it). Overall I think its a bitchslap on everybody's faces. I have been reinstalling Mac OS for a very long time now and this is the first time this has happened. Before you could download the OS as a .app. Now it offers it to you as a .dmg.


If anyone is interested in finding out if the Internet Recovery Mode finally made it, please comment and ask.

Posted on Jul 31, 2020 7:17 PM

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User profile for user: iggyfire
iggyfire Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Posted on Aug 1, 2020 9:38 AM

SOLUTION:


As I said before, the .DMG file that Apple provides does not work for the sudo code. Please go to this link http://dosdude1.com/highsierra/ to download the Mac OS High Sierra patcher. You will only use it to download the OS.


After the .app OS (see picture below) is downloaded drag it o your application folder. This is so the sudo code on the terminal can work. And from now you may follow instructions https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372. I copied the Sudo code below to show everyone that the code is looking for a certain name. In this case it looks for "Install macOS High Sierra.app" which will be mounted to "MyVolume" or what the name your formatted USB drive has. What I am trying to say is that the "InstallOS.dmg" is useless for the code. I also tried changing its name but its in a different format altogether. 


sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume


When the terminal is finished creating the bootable USB drive, properly eject the USB drive, plug it into a USB port for the Mac you wish to format, press the power button (as you would normally do to turn on your Mac), finally press the Option key. This will give you the choice on where to boot the OS from (the hard drive or the USB drive)...chose the USB. This will lead you to the install window for Mac OS.


  1. If you're installing a SSD for the first time: select disk utility and format your new SSD; after this is done (should be quick), go back to the main menu and select install Mac OS X; then choose your new and formatted SSD.
  2. If you're formatting your drive and want to wipe it clean: normally you would press cmd+R on boot up. Then you would choose disk utility, delete the partition, go back to the main menu and select install Mac OS X on your clean drive.
    • Note: since I made the mistake to close the installer window, out of desperation I turned off my Mac and then the installer window was gone. This then led me to the "Internet Recovery Mode" and to this whole story.
    • Note 2: If you're reinstalling the OS you may do so by using command+R. For some reason the Mac disconnects from the wifi. When you try to install the OS on your clean drive, an error pops up saying something like it cannot connect to the server. This is because Recovery Mode reinstalls the OS by downloading it. But I swear you will google the message that the error displays only to find out that you must log back into your wifi.


GOOD LUCK


PS: Its a good idea to keep a copy of High Sierra or what ever old Mac OS you get your hands on. They deliberately have taken down all the downloads. They offer you that "InstallOS.dmg" but it only works if you're reinstalling it on a functional drive. This does not work if you want update your HDD to an SSD. Nor does it work if your Recovery Mode is damaged (like it was for me).


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User profile for user: iggyfire
iggyfire Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Aug 1, 2020 9:38 AM in response to iggyfire

SOLUTION:


As I said before, the .DMG file that Apple provides does not work for the sudo code. Please go to this link http://dosdude1.com/highsierra/ to download the Mac OS High Sierra patcher. You will only use it to download the OS.


After the .app OS (see picture below) is downloaded drag it o your application folder. This is so the sudo code on the terminal can work. And from now you may follow instructions https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372. I copied the Sudo code below to show everyone that the code is looking for a certain name. In this case it looks for "Install macOS High Sierra.app" which will be mounted to "MyVolume" or what the name your formatted USB drive has. What I am trying to say is that the "InstallOS.dmg" is useless for the code. I also tried changing its name but its in a different format altogether. 


sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume


When the terminal is finished creating the bootable USB drive, properly eject the USB drive, plug it into a USB port for the Mac you wish to format, press the power button (as you would normally do to turn on your Mac), finally press the Option key. This will give you the choice on where to boot the OS from (the hard drive or the USB drive)...chose the USB. This will lead you to the install window for Mac OS.


  1. If you're installing a SSD for the first time: select disk utility and format your new SSD; after this is done (should be quick), go back to the main menu and select install Mac OS X; then choose your new and formatted SSD.
  2. If you're formatting your drive and want to wipe it clean: normally you would press cmd+R on boot up. Then you would choose disk utility, delete the partition, go back to the main menu and select install Mac OS X on your clean drive.
    • Note: since I made the mistake to close the installer window, out of desperation I turned off my Mac and then the installer window was gone. This then led me to the "Internet Recovery Mode" and to this whole story.
    • Note 2: If you're reinstalling the OS you may do so by using command+R. For some reason the Mac disconnects from the wifi. When you try to install the OS on your clean drive, an error pops up saying something like it cannot connect to the server. This is because Recovery Mode reinstalls the OS by downloading it. But I swear you will google the message that the error displays only to find out that you must log back into your wifi.


GOOD LUCK


PS: Its a good idea to keep a copy of High Sierra or what ever old Mac OS you get your hands on. They deliberately have taken down all the downloads. They offer you that "InstallOS.dmg" but it only works if you're reinstalling it on a functional drive. This does not work if you want update your HDD to an SSD. Nor does it work if your Recovery Mode is damaged (like it was for me).


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User profile for user: samtenor
samtenor
User level: Level 4
1,756 points

Jul 31, 2020 7:56 PM in response to iggyfire

I just went to Apple's instruction -- however, High Sierra only (not Sierra) was in the entry.


Therefore, the terminal needs to be:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume


If you format the USB drive as "untitled" --> then the terminal command should be: (case sensitive --> untitled)

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/untitled


Do not worry about the "dmg" name.. Just make sure the dmg file is located in "Applications" folder.


Good luck

Edited:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202


Sierra's download link still exists... see below (extracted from the link)


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User profile for user: HWTech
HWTech
User level: Level 9
60,092 points

Aug 1, 2020 4:52 PM in response to iggyfire

iggyfire wrote:

SOLUTION:

As I said before, the .DMG file that Apple provides does not work for the sudo code.

Apple removed the macOS 10.12 download page because the installer was broken when trying to create a bootable USB installer. Instead of actually fixing the broken installer which only needed a simple change in one character, they removed the article and link to download it. Apple has known about this issue for almost a year now.


Now that Apple has the macOS 10.11 and 10.12 installers available for download outside of the App Store these installers are now downloaded as a .dmg file. Within this .dmg file is an .pkg "installer" file which will extract the contents & build the actual installer into a full fledged app in the "Applications" folder. Only then can you use the Terminal command line to create the bootable USB installer. Here is the Apple article describing how to download and "install" the 10.12 installer:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208202


I'm glad Apple is starting to allow the macOS installers to be downloaded from outside the App Store, but it would be even nicer if the resulting image/file could be made platform neutral so any OS can be used to create the actual USB installer. Not everyone has another compatible Mac that can actually download the installers from the App Store and not everyone has another Mac to use for creating the bootable USB.

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User profile for user: samtenor
samtenor
User level: Level 4
1,756 points

Aug 1, 2020 6:00 AM in response to iggyfire 

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/untitled


The sudo line is quite long -- use copy and paste will work better.

If not, copy and pate on any word processing program for reference -- if you have to manually type it.

Make sure to differentiate "/" and "\"

SPACE also needs to be indicated -- such as "sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS ......" there is a space between "install\" and "macOS"

The ":" right behind "sudo" needs to be removed..

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Bootable USB from a DMG (Sierra 10.12). Sierra.app was taken down by apple...

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