Cannot do clean install of High Sierra. Recovery server could not be contacted.

[funckdren]

Hi all. Strange problem, hoping someone can help.

I have a 2018 Macbook Pro. High Sierra is the OS it shipped with. I've wiped the internal hard drive and am trying to do a simple clean install of High Sierra, but EVERYTHING I've tried is not working, giving me a message that "The recovery server could not be contacted." I've actually done this before on this machine, so I don't know what the problem is. Here is what I've tried.

1. First booted into Recovery Mode and wiped internal drive to do clean install. Got the first message that said "The recovery server could not be contacted. Made sure my wifi was working (it is). Checked date in Terminal (it's correct)
2. Booted into Internet Recovery Mode to do clean install. Same problem.
3. Created USB installer on different Mac and booted from that. Same problem.
4. Booted from a USB drive backup of my old internal hard drive and tried to install High Sierra on the now-blank internal disk. Disk is grayed out with a message that says the OS on the disk is newer and therefore cannot install High Sierra, even though that disk is blank.

UGH! I'm out of ideas. I wonder if I need to spoof the date or something? I remember having to do that with El Capitan installs, but I can't find any info on that. Thanks for any advice. Such a pain and taking WAAAY too long.

 

[DeltaMac]

First... erase the internal drive properly:
Boot to your USB bootable installer.
When you get to the Utilities screen, choose Disk Utility.
On THAT window, go to the View menu, and (important), choose "Show All Devices"
Now, select the top item under "Internal", which (by coincidence) will be the top item in the list.
Should show the model number for the drive (probably beginning with "Apple ... "
Erase THAT item. That will assure that everything is removed from the boot drive, not just the boot volume.
If you don't want it to show a name like "Untitled", you can name it whatever you like.
When you are done with that erase, Quit Disk Utility, then reinstall macOS, choosing the drive that you have now successfully prepared for that install.

 

[funckdren]

Thanks, I did that exact thing: Showed all devices, erased the top internal device, which created an internal boot volume called Untitled. Same problem. Went to install High Sierra and got The recovery server could not be contacted.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Hi all. Strange problem, hoping someone can help.

I have a 2018 Macbook Pro. High Sierra is the OS it shipped with. I've wiped the internal hard drive and am trying to do a simple clean install of High Sierra, but EVERYTHING I've tried is not working, giving me a message that "The recovery server could not be contacted." I've actually done this before on this machine, so I don't know what the problem is. Here is what I've tried.

1. First booted into Recovery Mode and wiped internal drive to do clean install. Got the first message that said "The recovery server could not be contacted. Made sure my wifi was working (it is). Checked date in Terminal (it's correct)
2. Booted into Internet Recovery Mode to do clean install. Same problem.
3. Created USB installer on different Mac and booted from that. Same problem.
4. Booted from a USB drive backup of my old internal hard drive and tried to install High Sierra on the now-blank internal disk. Disk is grayed out with a message that says the OS on the disk is newer and therefore cannot install High Sierra, even though that disk is blank.

UGH! I'm out of ideas. I wonder if I need to spoof the date or something? I remember having to do that with El Capitan installs, but I can't find any info on that. Thanks for any advice. Such a pain and taking WAAAY too long.

I had this exact problem, literally <24 hours ago. Also with High Sierra, although I was trying on a Mac Pro 5,1.

Step #3 above is what worked for me. That should work for everything, because the OS authentication happens as part of creation of installation media. When you say you 'created USB installer', did you make an actual boot USB, hold down option key during reboot, and launch from the USB? Then select your SSD as the destination. Steps to create are here https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

 

[funckdren]

Yes, I created an actual USB installer. But I did it with a version of High Sierra that had been sitting in my Applications folder, so it may have been too old. I will download the latest 10.13 and create a new USB installer. Sorta relieved to hear you had the same issue, and that I'm not crazy.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Yes, I created an actual USB installer. But I did it with a version of High Sierra that had been sitting in my Applications folder, so it may have been too old. I will download the latest 10.13 and create a new USB installer. Sorta relieved to hear you had the same issue, and that I'm not crazy.

Yeah those USB installers only seem valid for a few weeks at most. Good luck!

I was about to lose my mind ha. I always prefer internet recovery for fresh installs, but it just plain wouldn't work.

I also ran into an issue during initial setup with signing into iCloud. I had to skip, then I signed in later.

So there might indeed be something wrong at a broader level with Apple's servers.

 

[nad23]

Yes, I created an actual USB installer. But I did it with a version of High Sierra that had been sitting in my Applications folder, so it may have been too old. I will download the latest 10.13 and create a new USB installer. Sorta relieved to hear you had the same issue, and that I'm not crazy.

Yeah those USB installers only seem valid for a few weeks at most. Good luck!

I was about to lose my mind ha. I always prefer internet recovery for fresh installs, but it just plain wouldn't work.

I also ran into an issue during initial setup with signing into iCloud. I had to skip, then I signed in later.

So there might indeed be something wrong at a broader level with Apple's servers.

Hi, I have similar problem like this with my iMac late 2009. Can you pls give me the link where to download macOS High Sierra? I'm using my MacBook Pro 2021 to download it and it didn't allow me as it's Ventura. thanks

 

[BeatCrazy]

Hi, I have similar problem like this with my iMac late 2009. Can you pls give me the link where to download macOS High Sierra? I'm using my MacBook Pro 2021 to download it and it didn't allow me as it's Ventura. thanks

You can download it here, but you can't create an installer for it unless your machine natively supports it.

Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 - Apple Support

The macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 update improves the security, stability, and reliability of your Mac.

support.apple.com

 

[jlc1978]

You can download it here, but you can't create an installer for it unless your machine natively supports it.

Download macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 - Apple Support

The macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 update improves the security, stability, and reliability of your Mac.

support.apple.com

I am in the same boat. I want to donate an old MBP to a local shelter but cannot get High Sierra reinstalled. The d/l you reference appears to be an update. If I go to the App Store it will le me see High Sierra but not d/l it.

Using Recovery Mode just yields the "The recovery server could not be contacted." WiFi is working, can't check date because it boots into a flashing folder / circle with slash.

 

[BeatCrazy]

I am in the same boat. I want to donate an old MBP to a local shelter but cannot get High Sierra reinstalled. The d/l you reference appears to be an update. If I go to the App Store it will le me see High Sierra but not d/l it.

Using Recovery Mode just yields the "The recovery server could not be contacted." WiFi is working, can't check date because it boots into a flashing folder / circle with slash.

Use a Mac natively capable of installing High Sierra, and create a bootable installer. You can get the full version from the Mac App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12

 

[jlc1978]

Use a Mac natively capable of installing High Sierra, and create a bootable installer. You can get the full version from the Mac App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?mt=12

Thanks, but the problem is the one Mac I have that can do that is the one that needs HS installed in order to boot, so there is no way to d/l HS from the App Store.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Thanks, but the problem is the one Mac I have that can do that is the one that needs HS installed in order to boot, so there is no way to d/l HS from the App Store.

Yeah you’re going to need to find a friend w/a different Mac to help you out. I dunno why internet recovery for High Sierra has been broken for so long.

 

[newtomacbookpro]

Bought a beautiful MCP 17" late-2011 on facebook for virtually peanuts. Previously clean installed Catalina on a MCP mid-2012 so thought I knew what I was doing. My problem is exactly the same as described in this thread and resolved by bootable USB method. Thank you for such good information and breathe life into classic MCPs.

 

[jlc1978]

Yeah you’re going to need to find a friend w/a different Mac to help you out. I dunno why internet recovery for High Sierra has been broken for so long.

Found an old H/D with HS and booted to
It then did install on Mac HD. Glad I save old disk drives.

 

[SaxnFlutman]

The problem is some small glitch in the code Apple's programmers used to create the internet recovery process, and they apparently won't fix it, meaning we, likely thousands of us, must tear our hair out, having to jump through all these hoops, just to do what should've been a five minute procedure! I got all the way to the last step, and instead of "update", it was "The recovery server could not be contacted." bs, sabotaging the entire process...
So I need to create a bootable usb drive, then install it from that?
Does anyone know how one can update to another OS beyond High Sierra, even though the Macbook is suppoed to "only be able to" use High Sierra? I've seen articles where they say it can be done.

 

[elitistjerk]

this is an "easy" fix.

you have to change the server that the installer contacts for it to work, because 10.13 cannot resolve the modern ssl link

i just ran high sierra recovery a couple of weeks ago when i was getting my HFS mojave build on my imac.

read Fix #3 Change the NVRAM Software Update URL here: https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-fix-...h-sierra-recovery-is-still-online-but-broken/

it works fine after you change the nvram url.