Yosemite - Major issue

Mr_Toad

Starting a new thread as don't want to hijack the other Yosemite thread.

My Macbook Pro is currently borked. :mad:

Upgraded the iMac to Yosemite without any problems. Tried to do the MacBook and got a file cannot be verified error.

Tried a couple more times then decided to use the file on the iMac that I know is OK. I created a bootable USB drive using createinstallmedia on the iMac and it's the same, no go on the MacBook.

Boot to the network Cmd + R and try that, no good. At this point try to install Mavericks again and get an OS X cannot be installed on this machine error. Same for Mountain Lion, Lion and my original Snow Leopard DVD.

AT this point I decide to wipe the HDD and treat it as a new HD install just in case there are files hanging about that are causing the issue. No Joy, still borked.

I'm now wondering if by some weird coincidence I've got some sort of hardware problem, I read on one of the Mac forums that I'm not alone and there are a lot of people having problems. One poster said he'd been into an Apple Store and they'd tried to install Yosemite using a copy that they'd used to update the display models in the shop and had the same problem. Their response was, apparently, that they knew there was nothing wrong with the installer so it must be a hardware problem.

I put a Linux Mint DVD in the MacBook and booted from the DVD without any problems. I have now installed Mint on the MacBook and it's working perfectly so the hardware is fine.

I have run out of ideas as to how to get OS X, of any version, back onto the MacBook.

If anyone has a fix I'd be very happy. Otherwise I plan to leave Mint on there until Apple fix this then try again.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot to mention that I do have backups on my Time Capsule but again when I try and use them I get a message saying that the backups cannot be used on this machine. :mad:

AJXX

I'm a mac certified tech (trained by Apple)

Every single 'issue' I've come across with the install has been remedied by a clean install rather than update existing version.

People on fourms don't understand the ins and outs of how things work, installing a new OS without even checking compatability with existing software then moaning when it goes tits up.

Check the app store reviews, plenty of idiots moaning about how their machines are now slow and blame that on the OS when in actual fact if they did a clean install they wouldn't have these problems at all - but they'd rather have a moan then sort it out.

Anyway I'm just saying that these kinds of 'issues' reported on forums tend to be utter BS.

What you need to do is boot to Internet recovery again (cmd+r) open disk utility > select the VERY FIRST option on the left side (above macintosh hd) go into erase and format it was Mac OS extended (journeled). Quit disk utility and then reinstall OS X

If you get the same message use a completey different Internet connection and repeat the steps above

If you're still getting it phone Apple if you've done what I said above (Inc try another connection) they will help you for free

Mr_Toad

AJXX wrote: »

I'm a mac certified tech (trained by Apple)

Every single 'issue' I've come across with the install has been remedied by a clean install rather than update existing version.

People on fourms don't understand the ins and outs of how things work, installing a new OS without even checking compatability with existing software then moaning when it goes tits up.

Check the app store reviews, plenty of idiots moaning about how their machines are now slow and blame that on the OS when in actual fact if they did a clean install they wouldn't have these problems at all - but they'd rather have a moan then sort it out.

Anyway I'm just saying that these kinds of 'issues' reported on forums tend to be utter BS.

What you need to do is boot to Internet recovery again (cmd+r) open disk utility > select the VERY FIRST option on the left side (above macintosh hd) go into erase and format it was Mac OS extended (journeled). Quit disk utility and then reinstall OS X

If you get the same message use a completey different Internet connection and repeat the steps above

If you're still getting it phone Apple if you've done what I said above (Inc try another connection) they will help you for free

Thanks.

I've done everything you suggest except try this from another Internet connection. I will do this tomorrow and let you know.

securityguy

"I have now installed Mint on the MacBook and it's working perfectly so the hardware is fine."

You don't know that. I've seen hardware which runs OSA but doesn't run OSB, because of some weird failure mode which is timing specific, or triggered by the use of some particular hardware feature, or because there's a bad page of memory somewhere which didn't used to matter as much as it does now. It seems bad a machine would pass POST and then fail later, but POSTs these days are pretty sketchy.

Do you have some spare RAM to hand? It's easy to swap in Macbook Pros, so trying it on some different memory would be interesting. Alternatively, if it's got two sticks in it and one of them is just about big enough, try pulling one and then the other and see if it helps.

Mr_Toad

securityguy wrote: »

"I have now installed Mint on the MacBook and it's working perfectly so the hardware is fine."

You don't know that. I've seen hardware which runs OSA but doesn't run OSB, because of some weird failure mode which is timing specific, or triggered by the use of some particular hardware feature, or because there's a bad page of memory somewhere which didn't used to matter as much as it does now. It seems bad a machine would pass POST and then fail later, but POSTs these days are pretty sketchy.

Do you have some spare RAM to hand? It's easy to swap in Macbook Pros, so trying it on some different memory would be interesting. Alternatively, if it's got two sticks in it and one of them is just about big enough, try pulling one and then the other and see if it helps.

True and I do have spare RAM I can test it with but since m y last post I've been playing about, stressing the hardware and have tried several OS installs.

I have quite a few 2.5 HDDs in the toybox including a couple of SSDs I've had them all the laptop and have a different OS on each including Oracle Enterprise Linux, Mint, Debian, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

All working perfectly but I will swap out the RAM, just in case.

almillar

Have we tried a PRAM reset yet?
My clean install on a 17"MBP quad core was a bit flaky - 'just a few seconds' lasted at least half an hour, and I had to try a couple of times, but got there in the end. Upgrade on a 2011 Mac Mini went just fine.

Mr_Toad

almillar wrote: »

Have we tried a PRAM reset yet?
My clean install on a 17"MBP quad core was a bit flaky - 'just a few seconds' lasted at least half an hour, and I had to try a couple of times, but got there in the end. Upgrade on a 2011 Mac Mini went just fine.

No I haven't done a PRAM reset

How the hell did I forget to try that!!!!

I'll let you know.........

Mr_Toad

Right, a progress update.

I tried the PRAM reset and for a while it looked like things were going to work but no, it failed again.

Having run out of ideas I called Apple support and took them through everything I'd done. It seems that I've done everything they would recommend that I try.

They have booked me in at my nearest Apple store where they are going to sort it out for me.