Can't erase SSD

[TonyAguila]

I created the command in Notes and cut and pasted it into my posts here and in Terminal, because I suspected I didn't understand everything you were saying. So here's another guess about what I'm supposed to paste:

sudo Install /Volumes/Users/howardjbrazee/macOS Big Sur/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install macOS Big Sur

This is my best guess:

sudo /Volumes/Users/howardjbrazee/macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur

Notice the “\” before the spaces? The only spaces that shouldn’t have the backslash are those before and after “--volume”. Anyway, if you want to paste the above line directly into Terminal, make sure the backslashes do not get doubled by Terminal. If you use the arrow keys and delete key, you can edit the text in Terminal. As far as I can see, you just need to delete “install ” and add “\” before the spaces except for the spaces around “--volume” and it should work (I hope).

I think “.app” after macOS Big Sur is missing because you don’t have “Show all filename extensions” unchecked in Finder Preferences. And from the download, I think the installer file name should be “Install macOS Big Sur.app” unless you deliberately renamed the downloaded file. Begin by opening Finder Preferences -> Advanced and check the option to Show all filename extensions.

 

[Howard Brazee]

I do have "Show all filename extensions" checked in Finder Preferences.
I tried your best guess (it doesn't look like anything happened):



Last login: Sat Mar 19 11:03:00 on ttys000

howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ % sudo /Volumes/Users/howardjbrazee/macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur

Password:

sudo: /Volumes/Users/howardjbrazee/macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found

howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ %

 

[TonyAguila]

I do have "Show all filename extensions" checked in Finder Preferences.
I tried your best guess (it doesn't look like anything happened):



Last login: Sat Mar 19 11:03:00 on ttys000

howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ % sudo /Volumes/Users/howardjbrazee/macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur

Password:

sudo: /Volumes/Users/howardjbrazee/macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found

howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ %
View attachment 4273

You don’t have that preference in Finder? This is what I get,

I’m testing the Terminal command that I use myself. After the process is done I will post the Terminal window with the result.

 

[TonyAguila]

To make sure, I created another installer USB thumb drive. It worked, again. I give these out to my clients who need a simpler method of installing macOS, so I have done this numerous times.

My installer file in named: Install macOS Monterey.app
The destination drive is: Install macOS Monterey
Hope this helps.

 

[Howard Brazee]

Hmm, I can't cut and paste from your image. What is that diamond in your command?
I wonder if there are different installation files for M1 and Intel computers.
The program that I needed using an old version of MacOS has been fixed, so I really could install Monterey instead of Big Sur, but being able to boot to an older OS is something that may come in useful in the future.

 

[TonyAguila]

Hmm, I can't cut and paste from your image. What is that diamond in your command?
I wonder if there are different installation files for M1 and Intel computers.
The program that I needed using an old version of MacOS has been fixed, so I really could install Monterey instead of Big Sur, but being able to boot to an older OS is something that may come in useful in the future.

No need to worry about that part of the text because it’s part of the path to my installer file. And the diamond is an actual character, ◊, which is part of the folder name, “◊~install”.

If you want the actual text of the terminal command, here it is,

sudo /Volumes/Lisbeth/resources/◊\~install/\~macOS/12.x\ installer/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Monterey

Again, if you simply pasted that in, the spaces will have additional “\” characters added before them.

Try this, in Terminal first type “sudo ” then from the Finder window with your installer file present, with the pathbar showing, select the installer file, then right-click on it on the pathbar and select “Copy “…” as Pathname” to load it in your copyboard. Go back to Terminal and with the cursor after “sudo ” paste in the information you previously copied. The source file information should now be there.

Afterwards, paste in this text: /Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume

There should be a space after “volume” and Terminal should not automatically add the backslash.

Then open a Finder window to show your computer (cmd-shift-C). Highlight the volume where you want to create the installer, and again copy the path from the pathbar.

Now paste in that information to the end of the code. Remember, the target drive should have been formatted as HFS+. Anything on it will be erased by this process. Press return and see what happens.

 

[Howard Brazee]

Ok. My USB memory card is "/Volumes/Install MacOS Big Sur".
My installation program is /Users/howardjbrazee/Install macOS Big Sur.app

So my installation command should be:

sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install MacOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur

Does that look right?

 

[TonyAguila]

Ok. My USB memory card is "/Volumes/Install MacOS Big Sur".
My installation program is /Users/howardjbrazee/Install macOS Big Sur.app

So my installation command should be:

sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install MacOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur

Does that look right?

You could have tried it to see if there were errors. Anyway, I think it should be:

sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur

I just added \ before the spaces in “macOS Big Sur.app” in your source filename. You should be able to use the arrow keys to edit the command line. First hit the up arrow to bring up the previous command on the screen. Not sure, but maybe bringing up the last command could correct the spaces—but probably not.

 

[Howard Brazee]

Last login: Sat Mar 19 15:01:30 on ttys000


howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ % sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur


Password:


sudo: /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found


howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ % sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install MacOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur


sudo: /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install: command not found


howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ %

 

[TonyAguila]

Last login: Sat Mar 19 15:01:30 on ttys000


howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ % sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur


Password:


sudo: /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found


howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ % sudo /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install MacOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big Sur


sudo: /Volumes/howardjbrazee/resources/Install: command not found


howardjbrazee@Howard-Brazees-M1-iMac ~ %

It might be better to follow the instructions from this article:

Creating a bootable external disk with an M1 Pro in Monterey

Want to create a bootable external disk for your M1 Mac? Here’s how to do it in full detail, from erasing the volumes through to how to remove it safely.

eclecticlight.co

even if “M1 Pro” is specified.

And an Apple Support page for doing the same:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

You can use a USB flash drive or other secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system. These steps are primarily for system administrators and other experienced users who are familiar with entering commands in Terminal.

support.apple.com

that assumes the installer file is located in your Applications folder.

 

[Howard Brazee]

I started off that way, and it would start installing the OS (I first tried with Big Sur, later with Monterey). It would work for a while, then reboot—into the internal drive. Somehow I would get a partial install. Erasing and trying again got the same result.

 

[TonyAguila]

I started off that way, and it would start installing the OS (I first tried with Big Sur, later with Monterey). It would work for a while, then reboot—into the internal drive. Somehow I would get a partial install. Erasing and trying again got the same result.

I can’t think anymore of what other issue is causing the failure aside from your Mac being an M1. I tried creating another installer with the source file in my Applications folder and it worked again. This time I named the destination drive “Install macOS Big Sur” and again formatted as HFS+.

Here is the text of the code:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur

There are no pointers specific to my system because /Applications only means it is a folder named Applications in the top level of the drive, so it should work for you if the installer file Install macOS Big Sur.app is located there. The target drive is called Install macOS Big Sur and is connected to my Mac, HFS+ formatted.

 

[Howard Brazee]

Thanks for all your work.

 

[TonyAguila]

Thanks for all your work.

You’re welcome. It keeps me on my toes. Looking closely at the code, I realized that createinstallmedia is not a built-in command in Terminal. Instead, the first part of the command invokes that command which is embedded in the macOS installer, so all Terminal is doing is triggering that command for within the installer. This means that if the installer file is somehow damaged, it might not work correctly. When you downloaded the file from the Apple Support site, it could have been damaged. Other than that, the process is fairly straightforward. All of the subsequent steps are coming from the macOS installer itself, not from Terminal.

Or maybe the M1 Mac is not capable of recognizing the installer. If you had a Monterey installer, maybe it can work. When my order for the Mac Studio arrives, this is going to be one of the first things I will try.

 

[Howard Brazee]

Hmm. I've tried running both Install macOS Big Sur.app and macOS Monterey.app directly. It runs for an hour then reboots into my main MacOS, only partially installed. I'll try downloading them again. Maybe I got the Intel versions.