HELP! Erased Mac, Need to Install X El Capitan

[Tracey84]

I have a 2011 Mac computer that I'm transferring ownership of. I thought I could wipe the drive and reinstall El Capitan. I realize now I should have backed it up to Time Machine first but I can't go back now. When I try to install from internet, I get an error that there's a file missing. I tried to use a DMG on a USB drive but I have no idea what I'm doing and can't get it to work. I'm totally stuck. Is there anyone who can tell me step-by-step instructions of what to do? Help greatly appreciated!

 

[TonyAguila]

I have a 2011 Mac computer that I'm transferring ownership of. I thought I could wipe the drive and reinstall El Capitan. I realize now I should have backed it up to Time Machine first but I can't go back now. When I try to install from internet, I get an error that there's a file missing. I tried to use a DMG on a USB drive but I have no idea what I'm doing and can't get it to work. I'm totally stuck. Is there anyone who can tell me step-by-step instructions of what to do? Help greatly appreciated!

What method did you use to “install from internet”? Do you know how to start in Recovery?

 

[Tracey84]

From a Macbook laptop, I found and downloaded a El Capitan DMG file and saved it to a USB drive. But I don't know what to do with it now. Tomorrow morning I'll let you know the site I downloaded from and the file name for more background.

On the "broken" Mac desktop, I can restart, hold down Command + R and I think that got me to Disk Utility. Not sure what to do after that.

 

[TonyAguila]

From a Macbook laptop, I found and downloaded a El Capitan DMG file and saved it to a USB drive. But I don't know what to do with it now. Tomorrow morning I'll let you know the site I downloaded from and the file name for more background.

On the "broken" Mac desktop, I can restart, hold down Command + R and I think that got me to Disk Utility. Not sure what to do after that.

Is your “2011 Mac computer” an iMac or Mac mini, or other model? It looks like you were able to go into Recovery with the command-R sequence. From there, there should be an option to reinstall macOS, and it will offer the newest version of what your Mac can run. This assumes that you can connect to the internet to perform the installation. I’m not familiar anymore with the interface in that model, but that’s what “Recovery” is supposed to do—enable you to recover from a situation like you’re in. Good luck.

 

[Tracey84]

I have a mid – 2011 Mac computer. I can connect it to the internet. I followed those instructions. After I try to connect it says that I'm missing a file and it cannot download El Capitan.

 

[TonyAguila]

I have a mid – 2011 Mac computer. I can connect it to the internet. I followed those instructions. After I try to connect it says that I'm missing a file and it cannot download El Capitan.

Try using Terminal.app, located inside the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder. Launch Terminal and at the prompt, type in this code:

softwareupdate --list-full-installers

and press return. It will give you a list of the installers available for your particular Mac. Look at the top of the list and make a note of its version number. It should be the one right after “Versions:” El Capitan should start with 10.11 with possibly another number at the end.

Then enter the command:

sudo softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version ##.##.#

the number signs replaced by the version number shown in the previous entry. Press return, type in your admin password and press return again. If everything is working right, it should begin downloading the installer app and indicating the progress of the download. Once it’s completed, you should find the macOS installer file inside the Applications folder. First, make a copy of it anywhere outside the Applications folder, for future use, maybe even to a USB thumb drive. Reboot into Safe Mode by restarting and holding down the Shift key. Open the Applications folder and double-click on the installer file and the process should start. Good luck!

 

[Tracey84]

Awesome. I will try this and let you know the result. Thank you so much for taking the time to try to help me

 

[Tracey84]

Oh, wait. Am I doing this on the "broken" Mac computer? I don't know how I can access any folders. The only things I can access are Disk Utility and Startup Disk, but there's nothing there.

 

[Tracey84]

Oh, I found the Terminal area on the broken Mac. When I type in softwareupdate --list-full-installers I get command not found.

 

[TonyAguila]

Oh, I found the Terminal area on the broken Mac. When I type in softwareupdate --list-full-installers I get command not found.

Now I’m not certain if that code works with older Macs with intel processors. Maybe someone from this forum with an intel-based Mac can try it. My Studio can only go as far back as macOS Monterey. I used to have two 2018 Mac minis but I have already given them away.