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Issue with Installing Tahoe on an External USB Drive

vincenzo79

vincenzo79

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 17, 2016
121
30
Rome, Italy
Hi,
I wanted to ask if it’s possible to install Tahoe on an external USB drive.
I’ve tried in every possible way, but unfortunately, when I restart with the external drive, it goes through an initial reboot, then shows the Apple logo four times, and finally prompts me to enter recovery mode. At that point, I’m forced to shut down and restart again.
 
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Same thing happens to me. Installed it on external USB3 SSD, it reboots to the Apple logo and a slooowly filling bar, another reboot, and stays on the Apple logo doing nothing.

Forced shutdown after 15 minutes, and boot Sequoia. Went to Settings > Start Up Disk and chose the external.
When I click restart, it says that the external SSD cannot be used to boot and that I should reinstall.

Did it, but the same thing happens again.
 
vincenzo79 said:
Hi,
I wanted to ask if it’s possible to install Tahoe on an external USB drive.
I’ve tried in every possible way, but unfortunately, when I restart with the external drive, it goes through an initial reboot, then shows the Apple logo four times, and finally prompts me to enter recovery mode. At that point, I’m forced to shut down and restart again.
Click to expand...

Install macOS on an external storage device and use it as a startup disk – Apple Support (AU)

If you have an external storage device, you can set it up as a Mac startup disk.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
vincenzo79 said:
Hi
Thanks for you comment, but i think the problem is different.
In my external disk, i installed, a new copy of Mac OS Sequioa, and i install upgrade of Mac OS Tahoe Beta 1, but i have same problem.
I think that this version is not test on MacBook Air M1.
Click to expand...
Then wipe your External Drive, and follow the guidelines, and it should work.
 
Nothing I tried in every possible way but unfortunately there is no way to install it.
The thing that left me perplexed is also the failure to update from a version of Sequioa did not work.
I will wait for the next beta and see what happens.
 
Be careful!!!

This is what happened to me in the end:

I said OK screw it, and created a second volume on the internal disk. I installed the beta on that volume.
Everything went OK, I took Tahoe for a spin, felt really snappy. The new UI really grows on you! I did like it!

I then decided to revert the internal disk to it’s previous state. I deleted the volume.

Now I have a MacBook that’s forever stuck on the Apple Logo, and as a last resort I am trying to revive it via Apple Configurator running on a second Mac…
 
I got it installed and booted from an external disk without problems:

  • MacBook Air M4
  • Thunderbolt NVMe (APFS formatted, GUID)
  • Downloaded installer from Apple site, ran it and choose the external SSD as destination

The installation was very fast, much faster than on my MacStudio M1 Max, although the installation on the MacStudio was an upgrade and no fresh installation. After choosing the internal SSD as start volume, starting macOS Sequoia was without any problems.
 
One thing that may be worth mentioning.

When installing to an external drive, you DO NOT want to use the same USBc port that is used for booting that Mac into DFU mode.

For example, with the m4 Minis, the CENTER USBc port on the back is the "DFU port".
So, don't use that one.

For other Macs, it varies as to which port is the DFU port.
You have to check online for this. Try here:

How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support (IS)

Learn how to find the device firmware update port on your Mac.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
I used the DFU port without problems. But interesting to know, that there is a designated port for DFU.
 
Fishrrman said:
One thing that may be worth mentioning.

When installing to an external drive, you DO NOT want to use the same USBc port that is used for booting that Mac into DFU mode.

For example, with the m4 Minis, the CENTER USBc port on the back is the "DFU port".
So, don't use that one.

For other Macs, it varies as to which port is the DFU port.
You have to check online for this. Try here:

How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support (IS)

Learn how to find the device firmware update port on your Mac.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Could the problem also be related to the fact that I performed the installation with a dock station?
 
DRDR said:
I used the DFU port without problems. But interesting to know, that there is a designated port for DFU.
Click to expand...
I have a Macbook Air M1, and I have identified the DFU port so I can try to do the installation using the other port, but in my opinion it doesn't change anything at all
 
Fishrrman said:
One thing that may be worth mentioning.

When installing to an external drive, you DO NOT want to use the same USBc port that is used for booting that Mac into DFU mode.

For example, with the m4 Minis, the CENTER USBc port on the back is the "DFU port".
So, don't use that one.

For other Macs, it varies as to which port is the DFU port.
You have to check online for this. Try here:

How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support (IS)

Learn how to find the device firmware update port on your Mac.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
Click to expand...
Remember when Macs were simple and easy to use, and you could just plug in an external drive and boot from it? And when you needed to reinstall, you could just put in the disc? Yet now we have certain bad ports which aren't marked and instead you just have to know and then you can't even restore a Mac with an external drive, need ANOTHER Mac, because Apple just can't stop screwing you over for an extra dollar.

I wouldn't be surprised if all this booting trouble from external drives was some poor attempt by apple to steer people into buying their way overpriced soldered storage. Apple's gotta make sure there's enough e-waste.
 
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!!! said:
Remember when Macs were simple and easy to use, and you could just plug in an external drive and boot from it? And when you needed to reinstall, you could just put in the disc? Yet now we have certain bad ports which aren't marked and instead you just have to know and then you can't even restore a Mac with an external drive, need ANOTHER Mac, because Apple just can't stop screwing you over for an extra dollar.

I wouldn't be surprised if all this booting trouble from external drives was some poor attempt by apple to steer people into buying their way overpriced soldered storage. Apple's gotta make sure there's enough e-waste.
Click to expand...
Look, I don't think this is the problem.
In the end I made several attempts and Sequioa for example can be installed without problems.
The problem in my opinion is Tahoe that with this first Beta, they didn't do complete tests.
I'm confident in the second beta, or in the first Public Beta.
In the meantime I continue to investigate what the problem could be.
 
OP:

I may have missed this, but...
The external USB drive you are using...
Is it an SSD?
Or is it a platter-based hard drive (HDD)?

I don't think that HDD's will work any more ... just too slow.
 
OP:
This is an m1 MacBook air that's giving you problems?
Is this correct?

According to this page:

How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support (IS)

Learn how to find the device firmware update port on your Mac.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
... Facing the left side of the laptop, the "leftmost" USB port is the DFU port.
DO NOT USE THIS PORT to create or boot from the external drive.

Use the RIGHTmost port.

I have read that trying to create an external boot drive connected to the DFU port may fail (Apple warning about this).

Finally...
If none of the above helps, I suggest you move the SSD from the thunderbolt enclosure into a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure and try that instead.
 
Fishrrman said:
OP:
This is an m1 MacBook air that's giving you problems?
Is this correct?

According to this page:

How to identify the DFU port on Mac - Apple Support (IS)

Learn how to find the device firmware update port on your Mac.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
... Facing the left side of the laptop, the "leftmost" USB port is the DFU port.
DO NOT USE THIS PORT to create or boot from the external drive.

Use the RIGHTmost port.

I have read that trying to create an external boot drive connected to the DFU port may fail (Apple warning about this).

Finally...
If none of the above helps, I suggest you move the SSD from the thunderbolt enclosure into a USB3.1 gen2 enclosure and try that instead.
Click to expand...


Ok, so some clarifications:

1. I tried to create the installation both using the Macbook Air port directly and using the USB port of my docking station but the result does not change.

2. I also tried with a disk that is not thunderbord but the exact same result.

The problem is this.
The Mac shuts down and then shows the screen with the apple logo and the progressive bar.
Then the Mac restarts, and progressive bar again.
After that the Mac restarts for 4 times and then gives me the screen with the recover url.

I think it is an installation problem because if I try to install Sequoia with the same system the problem does not occur and it starts without problems.
 
The problem is definitely your MacBook. I also tried to install macOS Tahoe Beta on an external drive on my MacBook Pro M1 (2020). I had the same issues.
I also have another MacBook Pro with an M1 Max from 2021 and there the installation on the external drive has worked fine.
 
mariusb73 said:
The problem is definitely your MacBook. I also tried to install macOS Tahoe Beta on an external drive on my MacBook Pro M1 (2020). I had the same issues.
I also have another MacBook Pro with an M1 Max from 2021 and there the installation on the external drive has worked fine.
Click to expand...
More than a problem with my Macbook, I think it's a problem with Beta 1, because installing Sequoia the problem didn't happen, so I guess the problem is the version.
Have you tried using the external disk with the Mac where you had the problem?
Does it work for you?
 
Yes, I meant that the problem is the MacBook with M1 processor in use with Beta 1. I also tried to install Sequoia on the MacBook Pro with M1 on an external drive and this has worked fine for me as well.

I have tried to install the Beta 1 to the external drive, while it was connected to the MacBook Pro with M1 (2020 Model) --> This has not worked and has resulted in the same issue as you

Than I have tried to install the Beta 1 to the external drive, while the drive was connected to my other MacBook (also a MacBook Pro with M1 Max processor - from 2021) --> This has worked without any problems
 
mariusb73 said:
Yes, I meant that the problem is the MacBook with M1 processor in use with Beta 1. I also tried to install Sequoia on the MacBook Pro with M1 on an external drive and this has worked fine for me as well.

I have tried to install the Beta 1 to the external drive, while it was connected to the MacBook Pro with M1 (2020 Model) --> This has not worked and has resulted in the same issue as you

Than I have tried to install the Beta 1 to the external drive, while the drive was connected to my other MacBook (also a MacBook Pro with M1 Max processor - from 2021) --> This has worked without any problems
Click to expand...
Yes I understood this, the only attempt that must be made is to use the external disk where it was installed on Tahoe and check if it works.
If it works I solved it, at least for now
 
So for me it works on the 2021 MacBook Pro, which is my Company MacBook. The other one is my daily MacBook and I would prefer to use this over the company MacBook for the daily stuff.
After Beta 2 is available I will give it another try on the 2020 MacBook
 
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