Issues with Reinstalling macOS on MacBook Pro 2011 via Internet Recovery

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Level 1

4 points

Issues with Reinstalling macOS on MacBook Pro 2011 via Internet Recovery

I’m having trouble reinstalling macOS on my MacBook Pro 2011. I’ve tried both Internet Recovery and a bootable USB (created with TransMac on Windows), but neither has worked.

Here are the issues I’ve encountered:

1. Internet Recovery gives errors like “An error occurred while preparing the installation” or connection issues with Apple servers.

2. The bootable USB isn’t recognized in the startup disk selection menu.

3. I’ve reset NVRAM/PRAM and set the correct date and time via Terminal, but the issue persists.

I would appreciate your guidance on resolving this.

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Oct 20, 2024 11:13 AM

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Answer 1

HWTech

Level 9

60,758 points

Oct 20, 2024 12:14 PM in response to sobirjonov_k

The only reliable way of creating a bootable macOS USB installer is by using another compatible Mac and the instructions in the following Apple article:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

To create a bootable macOS USB installer will require access to another compatible working Mac from 2007 to mid-2018. Which bootable macOS USB installer you can create with the other compatible Mac depends on its exact model. Generally you need:

macOS 10.13 -- a Mac from Late-2009 to mid-2018
macOS 10.11 -- a Mac from 2007 to 2015

You can use the information in the following article to confirm which versions of macOS are compatible with various Apple hardware.....the other compatible Mac can currently be running any version of macOS:

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility

As far as Internet Recovery Mode, try using Command + Option + R to attempt to access the online High Sierra installer. Unfortunately over the last few years Apple has not been keeping their older online macOS installers working....sometimes they are fine, other times people are unable to use them. Here is an article which may help with one of those errors (see Fix#3):

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

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