El Cap install hangs

[jgelin]

Hello all:
I am currently trying to fix my boyfriends (2015 rMBP) computer as he had an error when booting that was a folder icon with the '?' in it. He doesn't have files stored on the device (mostly using cloud), so I figured I would take the USB installer and wipe the SSD and put a clean copy of OS X on it.
Well now nothing is really working.
I can get through the installer when booted up to the USB and then it restarts and apple logo installation bar runs its course. The it restarts again with my options to input my language, keyboard, and once I was able to get to the network selection process...

However: this is what I keep running into, I get beach ball then all I have is the gray screen and the ball turns into a cursor. I have let it sit now for 25 minutes and it has done nothing. Other times it just does the apple logo, then gives me a O/ symbol like a NO!

I have done PRAM reset and Verified and repaired the disk using first aid to no avail.

Thank you for your help.

 

[BLUEDOG314]

I am going to be very honest, as of late I have lost a lot of confidence in using home made usb installers. I put a SSD in my sisters 2011 MBP, and first downloaded and used terminal to make an installer. Worked without issue. The last three times I have attempted this for friends I have failed even though I did the same process. First of course there was the whole "your installer is corrupt or damaged" thing, which can be corrected by changing system time in terminal due to some expired certificates. Most recently I have had 2 attempts fail at "one second remaining", and one in the exact situation you described.

The one second remaining thing, if you read the install log, has to do with not being able to unpack "noto" font packs. Doing some googling this is a known issue for some. I have heard you can download all of the noto fonts from Google for free and place them in the installer ahead of time, but I have been unsuccessful doing so.

I would recommend one of two things. First and easiest just use internet recovery. Second, you would probably want to make sure the installer was downloaded with your boyfriend's Apple ID, but you could then transfer it to another Mac and run it, and target disk mode install to his computer.

If you ever find out what is actually going on, post in here, I'm curious to hear a solution. I have been failing hard as of late with this process.

 

[jgelin]

I am going to be very honest, as of late I have lost a lot of confidence in using home made usb installers. I put a SSD in my sisters 2011 MBP, and first downloaded and used terminal to make an installer. Worked without issue. The last three times I have attempted this for friends I have failed even though I did the same process. First of course there was the whole "your installer is corrupt or damaged" thing, which can be corrected by changing system time in terminal due to some expired certificates. Most recently I have had 2 attempts fail at "one second remaining", and one in the exact situation you described.

The one second remaining thing, if you read the install log, has to do with not being able to unpack "noto" font packs. Doing some googling this is a known issue for some. I have heard you can download all of the noto fonts from Google for free and place them in the installer ahead of time, but I have been unsuccessful doing so.

I would recommend one of two things. First and easiest just use internet recovery. Second, you would probably want to make sure the installer was downloaded with your boyfriend's Apple ID, but you could then transfer it to another Mac and run it, and target disk mode install to his computer.

If you ever find out what is actually going on, post in here, I'm curious to hear a solution. I have been failing hard as of late with this process.

I am going to be attempting internet recovery now, I figured it would have been smarter to use the USB installer than to use the network but with the amount of issues that I have had I am more than willing to try near anything.
Learned about that pesky certificate issue about 3 hours ago, I deleted the installer I had and redownloaded the one from the MAS so it would be signed (it still did not work) I just want him to be able to use his computer again he has had to use the crappy PC's in the library for the past 2 weeks till he came home.

He told me he spilled some coffee on it but since it passed all the disk checks and has no issues with hardware it seems (the damn thing has been running installers for 6 hrs today, charges fine) I am really relegating it to the installer and software.

He has apple care but I do not know if there are anyway for them to tell if he did spill even the smallest bit and would not help us.

 

[jgelin]

Update: internet recovery did not work
I got as far as ever on the latest USB boot which let me create a user account. I am sadly beginning to suspect it is something that is hardware related even though it has passed all of the Apple Hardware Tests as well as the First Aid process on the SSD from Disk Utility.