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Cannot install macOS from recovery mode

I am working to restore my Mid 2010 Macbook. I already erased the hard drive and am trying to install the OS. I was able to successfully install an older operating system (10.6) from a disk but am unable to update.


If i download the installer from my purchased downloads on the app store, i get an error saying that the installer maybe corrupt or has been tampered with.


So instead of that, I tried installing from recovery mode (restart > Command + R). There I have the option to install MacOS Sierra. However, during installation, the progress bar gets stuck on "About -399 seconds remaining"



MacBook, macOS 10.12

Posted on May 18, 2023 7:33 AM

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6 replies

Jul 10, 2024 2:05 PM in response to sofariu

sofariu wrote:

Hi, did you manage to make it work?, Thanks!

Assuming you have the exact same situation as the OP where you have successfully installed macOS 10.6, then you would need to download the macOS 10.11 installer from Apple and upgrade to El Capitan first since the macOS 10.11 installer is available outside of the App Store and can be downloaded by any computer or OS capable of accessing the Internet. You then transfer that downloaded .dmg file to your older Mac and extract the real installer by following the directions in the Apple article very carefully.

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support


Once you have gotten macOS 10.11 El Capitan installed, then you should be able to access the App Store in order to download later versions of macOS.


This all assumes your Mac is even compatible macOS 10.11 El Capitan and any later versions of macOS.


An even better option would be to boot into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R (Intel Macs only from Late-2009 to 2020) to attempt to access the online installer for the most recent version of macOS compatible with your particular Mac. Unfortunately, some Macs may only boot to the online installer for the older OS which originally shipped with the Mac from the factory.


For those people with access to another Mac compatible they can instead create a bootable macOS USB installer:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support





Jul 10, 2024 7:11 PM in response to sofariu

sofariu wrote:

the thing is that I have the option in recovery mode only to install Mac OS Sierra, but I still get stuck at -405, -22 seconds left, and it crashes and doesn't install anymore, even if I emptied the entire hard drive and put another one in the same way, should I boot with a newer version of OS?

For about a year people have reported issues trying to install older versions of macOS on older Macs through Internet Recovery Mode. While I think Apple finally fixed most of those issues, I still see reports from time to time although it is hard to know if the issue is with Apple, a computer hardware issue, or some sort of network issue (home LAN, ISP, Internet). It is best to go with the online installer for the most recent supported version of macOS if you can by using Command + Option + R.


Otherwise a bootable macOS USB installer is the next best option, but you need access to another Mac. Both Macs must be compatible with the OS you are creating although the other Mac can be running any version of macOS 10.6+.

Cannot install macOS from recovery mode

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