Can anyone help me creating a Parallels macOS High Sierra VM

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Level 2

294 points

Can anyone help me creating a Parallels macOS High Sierra VM

I have a bootable USB, but I can't seem to create a working Parallels VM out of it. I've tried instructions that I could find, but it simply doesn't work and I've asked on the Parallels forums (https://forum.parallels.com/threads/how-to-create-a-macos-high-sierra-vm-on-sonoma-running-parallels-16.366367/) but no luck so far. I'm running out of time for this one (I was working with Apple support on a problem for which I need access to an old Mac mini server running OS X High Sierra, but an update of that machine made it inoperable (stuck in update, it does boot in Safe mode, there is no Apple Hardware Test support for that machine so I do not know if t here is a hardware problem, but it ran a year ago (I have to start it once a year)), so now the idea is to create another High Sierra and restore it form Time Machine.)

A working macOS High Sierra VM is my only option left.

Posted on Jan 21, 2025 12:30 AM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

245,873 points

Jan 21, 2025 4:28 PM in response to Gerben Wierda

If all else fails...

https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-fix-the-recovery-server-could-not-be-contacted-error-high-sierra-recovery-is-still-online-but-broken/

High Sierra “The Recovery Server Could No… - Apple Community

Use http:// instead of https://

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouNQS36dIBw&t=95s

The formula for caos: APFS+macOS High+EFI… - Apple Community

How to recover a Deleted Hard Drive durin… - Apple Community

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Answer 2

Jan 22, 2025 8:51 AM in response to Gerben Wierda

In the end I was able to create a Mac OS X High Sierra VM by:

Taking a Mac OS X Mountain Lion VM I already had and make a clone of it

Get an installer for MacOS Sierra (the last one you can download without having to use the App store mechanism, which often doesn't work if the machine is too new)

Upgrade the clone Mountain Lion VM

Then use the VM itself to upgrade from Sierra to High Sierra

That's sort of how I did it. Officially, Parallels 11 (which is what I need in Mavericks) will only go as far as Sierra for guest Mac OS. So I copied my Sierra VM, then when in the VM used the App Store to get and install High Sierra as an upgrade.

As my 2011 iMac only goes as far as High Sierra natively, it runs ok as a VM.

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Answer 3

Jan 21, 2025 10:55 AM in response to Gerben Wierda

See if obtaining High Sierra (10.13.6) from this source: How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

is allowed by Sonoma on your Intel Mac. If that Intel Mac shipped with an operating system newer than High Sierra, the Mac App Store may block you downloading an older operating system to this Mac.

If it allows you to download it, then tell Parallels you want to build an Other guest and let it sniff out the location of that High Sierra installer. Point the guest location at your external drive (consider isolating the guest in an arbitrarily named "Parallels Guests" folder. I suggest choosing to do the guest configuration prior to the installation so you end up with a guest installation using those parameters.

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

245,873 points

Jan 22, 2025 6:50 AM in response to Gerben Wierda

Se if thiswoksfor certs...

Go on the Apple certificate page:

Apple PKI - Apple

Download the Apple Intermediate Certificates

Apple IST CA 2 - G1 Certificate (direct download)

Double click the downloaded certificate to install it in Keychain Access.

You should see it now, in login certificates.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251211674?answerId=253087027022&page=1

Thanks to Roger Wilmut1…

how to renew certificates expired on 2011… - Apple Community

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Answer 5

Gerben Wierda Author

Level 2

294 points

Jan 22, 2025 6:38 AM in response to VikingOSX

VikingOSX wrote:

Did you try to use the link I provided above that would have taken you to the High Sierra installer in the Mac App Store? That would drop the Install macOS High Sierra.app in your Applications folder.

No, it doesn't because macOS High Sierra cannot be installed on my 2019 iMac so it refuses to download it. And when I had created an image from another download, the install process got stuck.

In the end I was able to create a Mac OS X High Sierra VM by:

Taking a Mac OS X Mountain Lion VM I already had and make a clone of it
Get an installer for MacOS Sierra (the last one you can download without having to use the App store mechanism, which often doesn't work if the machine is too new)
Upgrade the clone Mountain Lion VM
Then use the VM itself to upgrade from Sierra to High Sierra

Maybe I could have started with a clean build and the Sierra installer that is downloadable directly.

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Answer 6

Jan 21, 2025 12:52 AM in response to Gerben Wierda

Are you using an Intel-based Mac?

On an Intel-based Mac, Parallels VMs can only run Intel-based operating systems. On an Apple-Silicon-based Mac, Parallels VMs can only run ARM-based operating systems. That would rule out running High Sierra, because it was Intel-only.

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Answer 7

Gerben Wierda Author

Level 2

294 points

Jan 21, 2025 2:02 AM in response to Servant of Cats

Yes, I am all Intel. The host is a x86 iMac runnning macOS Sonoma and Parallels 16. I need to get a VM running with macOS High Sierra (I actually have one VM with OS X Lion (I tried to clone that one and update it, but that did not work), and one with OPENSTEP...)

I tried to create the VM but it gets stuck halfway (see thread on parallels forum)

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Answer 8

Gerben Wierda Author

Level 2

294 points

Jan 21, 2025 3:46 PM in response to VikingOSX

I've comes as far as finding a CDN download link that has gotten me a 8GB InstallMacOSX.dmg straight from Apple (so safe): http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2019/cert/061-41424-20191024-218af9ec-cf50-4516-9011-228c78eda3d2/InstallMacOSX.dmg

Now, on Sonoma, this pkg cannot be installed. So, how do I go from there to creating an ISO that Parallels can work with?

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Answer 9

Jan 22, 2025 5:38 AM in response to Gerben Wierda

Did you try to use the link I provided above that would have taken you to the High Sierra installer in the Mac App Store? That would drop the Install macOS High Sierra.app in your Applications folder.

Parallels will sniff for that Apple installer app and show it to you in a dialog where you select it. Unlike Linux or Windows guests, Parallels will build the High Sierra guest directly from that installer app without any need for an ISO image.

After the High Sierra Guest is built, the original Apple installer remains in the Applications folder and you can then remove it to conserve storage.

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Answer 10

Gerben Wierda Author

Level 2

294 points

Jan 22, 2025 6:42 AM in response to BDAqua

BDAqua wrote:

If all else fails...

https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-fix-the-recovery-server-could-not-be-contacted-error-high-sierra-recovery-is-still-online-but-broken/

This one saved my broken Mac Mini Server, which is now again running thanks to the NVRAM 'http' change. I should not install the last security update as that bricks the machine (WindowServer won't start at boot because of a signature problem).

Now I'm back to a working Mac mini server running macOS High Sierra + Server.app. What doesn't work (which is why I got into this mess in the first place) is updating the Server.app certificate. Apple has changed things in the backend and thus updating that certificate now fails with error -80010.

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Answer 11

Gerben Wierda Author

Level 2

294 points

Jan 21, 2025 4:04 PM in response to Gerben Wierda

Turns out that is a link for El Capitan... Now further looking for a High Sierra link

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