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Resolved "A required download is missing" message when resetting Mac OS X to default setting

G

Gingerale

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 12, 2011
8
1
After erasing the hard disk and retuning to the primary "Mac OS Utilities" I chose "Install OS X" (El Capitan) and contiued. It went to the screen "OS X El Capitan" then when I clicked continue I received a message that read "A required download is missing".
Does anyone know what I can do to reinstall OS X El Capitan?
 
junkw said:
and if you try with cmd-opt-r?
Click to expand...
I will retry using cmd-opt-
Thank you for responding. I will have to use my ethernet cable that's attached to this computer to connect to the Mac I'm restoring to factory settings. I may not be back on the forum tonight. Hopefully this will work. Again thanks
 
Last edited:
One other trick to try (no promises):
"Set back" the Mac's internal clock. It sounds illogical, but try it.

How to do this:
a. Open the date and time pref pane.
b. UNCHECK the box "set date and time automatically"
then
c. Set your clock back to Jan 1, 2017.
d. Reboot

NOW try the install over again.
Any difference?

IF it works, you can get set up, and then GO BACK to date and time and put things back where they were previously...
 
Last edited:
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Fishrrman said:
One other trick to try (no promises):
"Set back" the Mac's internal clock. It sounds illogical, but try it.

How to do this:
a. Open the date and time pref pane.
b. UNCHECK the box "set date and time automatically"
then
c. Set your clock back to Jan 1, 2017.
d. Reboot

NOW try the install over again.
Any difference?

IF it works, you can get set up, and then GO BACK to date and time and put things back where they were previously...
Click to expand...
Yes, this worked.
Apparently using an old OS on a current / future time causes this hangup - possibly due to certificate expiration ?

I tried this for both El Cap, Sierra, High Sierra by turning the date back to when it was released.

I used the terminal command to change time and date....
 
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Fishrrman said:
One other trick to try (no promises):
"Set back" the Mac's internal clock. It sounds illogical, but try it.

How to do this:
a. Open the date and time pref pane.
b. UNCHECK the box "set date and time automatically"
then
c. Set your clock back to Jan 1, 2017.
d. Reboot

NOW try the install over again.
Any difference?

IF it works, you can get set up, and then GO BACK to date and time and put things back where they were previously...
Click to expand...

Any more tips for step a. ? With the disk erased I'm not sure how to get to system preferences to access the date and time preferences page. Thanks.
 
"With the disk erased I'm not sure how to get to system preferences to access the date and time preferences page."

Can you boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R

If you are booted to internet recovery, open terminal and enter:
date 010112002019
(there is a space character between "date" and the number)

Now close terminal and try re-installing the OS.
 
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Command-R works for me.
Command-Opt-R does did not work for me initially. (get a circle with X in it and nothing else.)

After booting in with Command-R I went to terminal. I typed in "date 010112002019". No error with message indicating day set to Jan 1. I exited terminal and tried to install the OS again (without rebooting) and ultimately received the same error. "A required download is missing".

For kicks I tried Internet Recovery again holding down Command-Option-R keys when booting up and now I'm at a different place. Spinning globe with message "this may take a while". Thanks for your help. IF this doesn't end up with the result I want I'll bring the macbook in to my local apple store. Thanks again for your help. I appreciate it. Godspeed.
 
Fishrrman said:
"With the disk erased I'm not sure how to get to system preferences to access the date and time preferences page."

Can you boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R

If you are booted to internet recovery, open terminal and enter:
date 010112002019
(there is a space character between "date" and the number)

Now close terminal and try re-installing the OS.
Click to expand...


You know what....You are a genius, its works, thanks a lot
 
Propoleo said:
You know what....You are a genius, its works, thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Fishrrman said:
"With the disk erased I'm not sure how to get to system preferences to access the date and time preferences page."

Can you boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R

If you are booted to internet recovery, open terminal and enter:
date 010112002019
(there is a space character between "date" and the number)

Now close terminal and try re-installing the OS.
Click to expand...
I don't know what kind of witchcraft this was, but thank you so much! I've been trying to figure this out for the longest!
 
Fishrrman said:
"With the disk erased I'm not sure how to get to system preferences to access the date and time preferences page."

Can you boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R

If you are booted to internet recovery, open terminal and enter:
date 010112002019
(there is a space character between "date" and the number)

Now close terminal and try re-installing the OS.
Click to expand...
I tried this (and practically everything else except restoring my drive because I don't want my files to be deleted) but either get a "required download missing" prompt or, after trying this, it's "can't upgrade this version because a newer version is installed"
I tried updating my os x and it got stuck halfway after the install reset my computer. Nothing else has worked so far.
 
Fishrrman said:
"With the disk erased I'm not sure how to get to system preferences to access the date and time preferences page."

Can you boot to INTERNET recovery?
Command-OPTION-R

If you are booted to internet recovery, open terminal and enter:
date 010112002019
(there is a space character between "date" and the number)

Now close terminal and try re-installing the OS.
Click to expand...
(I responded to the wrong post lol this message was meant for you)

I tried updating my os x and it got stuck halfway after the install reset my computer.

I tried this (and practically everything else except restoring my drive because I don't want my files to be deleted) but either get a "required download missing" prompt or, after trying this, it's "can't upgrade this version because a newer version is installed"
Nothing else has worked so far.
 
Fishrrman said:
One other trick to try (no promises):
"Set back" the Mac's internal clock. It sounds illogical, but try it.

How to do this:
a. Open the date and time pref pane.
b. UNCHECK the box "set date and time automatically"
then
c. Set your clock back to Jan 1, 2017.
d. Reboot

NOW try the install over again.
Any difference?

IF it works, you can get set up, and then GO BACK to date and time and put things back where they were previously...
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for your input. However, after I set the time and restarted my computer it still says a required download is missing . What else can I do ?
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all of your posts. I'm in the same situation (tried to reset my 2011 iMac but after erasing and trying to reinstall I got the message that "a required download is missing) and am trying command-opt-r. Globe is spinning. I think the bar is moving and there's a 24:00 underneath.

Edit: I tried changing the date and that didn't work either.
Edit 2: Restarted the internet recovery and it made it through but it hangs up after starting to install OS X Lion and says "can't download the additional components needed to install Mac OS X.

Guess I'll try to create a USB start up?
 
Last edited:
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I’m in the exact same situation and have no idea what to do next. Anyyyyy help would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance
 
dancingontheground said:
How does one do that?
Click to expand...

*Disclaimer* This was my first time working with Terminal, so if I can do it you can do it too! haha

Changing the dates did not work for me.

https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201372

I followed this link on Apple site to create the bootable USB. Since I was only running El Capitan on my other Mac, you have to add in an extra few lines of code (See Asterisk on the apple page). You can use my code if you want to download High Sierra from a computer running El Capitan:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app

Replace MyVolume with the name of your properly formatted USB name.

I thought it wasnt working when I ran this code because it took so long running in the terminal, but when I woke up this morning it had completed. (Took over 10 hours!)

However, even when I plugged the USB into my computer, I couldnt seem to select the USB as the startup disk. Whenever I went to startup disks it was blank. I then did these steps:
  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. ...
  3. Press and hold the ⌘ + Option + P + R keys immediately after you hear the startup sound.
  4. Hold these keys until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for a second time.
  5. Release the keys.
When it rebooted after this, it asked for my language again which was something I had not seen before. Then I was able to select the USB as my startup disk. The computer reset itself once more, and when it loaded back up, I was able to install OS High Sierra. I am not sure if this is the proper way at all, as I was a bit lost after creating the bootable USB, but it all seemed to work so I wanted to share my steps. Goodluck :)
 
Last edited:
I have a mid 2011 iMac that was running Mavericks, I erased the disk to do a clean install to whatever the latest OS X version is, and I have gotten stuck on this same “required download is missing” message. The date trick did not work.

I do not care to keep anything on this computer. In a perfect world, I would download a file and do a complete reinstallation. Is there a way to do this? I’ll pay for it if I have to.

Help.
 
I can not boot into internet recovery, it just boots into recovery. I do not have another Mac. Only windows. This is a Mac book air 2010 was on Yosemite 10.10.
 
Chris Kilps said:
I can not boot into internet recovery, it just boots into recovery. I do not have another Mac. Only windows. This is a Mac book air 2010 was on Yosemite 10.10.
Click to expand...

I posted earlier in this thread when I was in a similar situation.

I did exactly what this said to do and things worked out perfectly:


The 8gb OS to download to a USB drive was not available in the App Store so I downloaded it as mentioned at that link.
 
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