Mac mini M4 install after formatting internal drive (SOLVED)

[StormLord]

Hi, I got a M4 mini and wanted to migrate from my previous very old mini. I created a setup account logged in, disabled security in startup option on recovery boot and then I migrated my user via migration assistant.
Something went wrong because of the software I had or something, and I thought to format the disk and start clean.
I booted to a usb installer that I created from my MacPro with sequoia and formatted the internal drive, it asked me to reboot and after that I have no screen, neither a way to boot from the installer.
Anyone knows how to fix this situation?

 

[Honza1]

I do not think formatting internal drive is by now really supported option. You are not supposed to format anything, just delete the user account... Different world now. Formatting these new SSD systems is no-no.
Unless you followed some tested instructions, this looks like you really tried to destroy the system SSD setup and successfully worked around all Apple protections ;-)
I think you need to restore the system as if you would replace the SSD. I was recently checking this https://expandmacmini.com/ and they have explanation movie how to replace the SSD. At the end they explain how to restore the boot ability of that SSD since it does not have the (heavily protected) system partition anymore. I suspect that is what you need to do. Good luck with that.

 

[PaulD-UK]

If you have erased the internal SSD completely you have totally erased your Mac’s sense of ‘self-identity’.

You have to use Recovery to connect to Apple’s servers to let it reinstall its essential boot software, and then do an internet MacOS install.

Depending on your access to Apple’s servers this is likely to take ‘some time….’
Here in the UK, a direct Ethernet connection is much faster than WiFi, but still hours rather than minutes when an older Mac is involved… 😵‍💫

“First, restart your Mac and hold Command-R during startup the Start button to boot into Recovery Mode. Then, use Disk Utility to erase the SSD and format it to APFS. Finally, select "Reinstall macOS" from the Recovery menu and follow the on-screen prompts.”

EDIT: '...shut down your Mac, then press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears. Click "Options" and then "Continue".'

Use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon

Learn how to use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon.

support.apple.com

Apple’s ’correct’ way to do what you wanted to do:

Erase your Mac

Use Erase Assistant on a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip to remove all content and settings.

support.apple.com

 

[rm5]

“First, restart your Mac and hold Command-R during startup to boot into Recovery Mode. Then, use Disk Utility to erase the SSD and format it to APFS. Finally, select "Reinstall macOS" from the Recovery menu and follow the on-screen prompts.”

This does not apply, because the OP is using an Apple Silicon Mac.

@StormLord, you may need to try DFU mode, which requires a second Mac. Instructions for this are here.

 

[PaulD-UK]

Yes, I realise - I copied it direct from Google's search AI instructions without checking - I was rushing to do something else....

 

[russell_314]

Hi, I got a M4 mini and wanted to migrate from my previous very old mini. I created a setup account logged in, disabled security in startup option on recovery boot and then I migrated my user via migration assistant.
Something went wrong because of the software I had or something, and I thought to format the disk and start clean.
I booted to a usb installer that I created from my MacPro with sequoia and formatted the internal drive, it asked me to reboot and after that I have no screen, neither a way to boot from the installer.
Anyone knows how to fix this situation?

Are you still within your 14 day return period? This may be your best option. Just tell Apple you didn’t know what you were doing and it froze up. They will either fix it with some sort of specialized hardware they have or give you a new one. Even if you’re outside of the 14 days I would still take it into the Apple Store. If anyone can undo this, it would be them.

I’m not sure how you manage to do all that but for future reference, don’t try to disable these protections.

 

[JUMA55]

Wait a minute! I have an iMac M4 that's a couple of months old. For various reasons, I've formatted the internal drive and reinstalled Sequoia without a hitch several times.

Power down the system. Held down the power button until I went to Options, formatted the internal with Disk Utility, then reinstalled the OS. Same basic deal I used to do with a USB key, except this time everything is inside the machine.

There's no reason to send the Mac back.

 

[Honza1]

I believe that procedure basically fakes the reformat as it only formats the Data drive, not the system drive. OP disabled security and then formatted from USB key. Best guess he/she wiped out everything on SSD, including the protected system partition.
Check on line the description how the structure of current drives in Macs looks like. There are some really good descriptions and it makes you head spin. I suspect Apple DiskUtility fakes the formatting into removing specific container and recreating it, just to keep the old timers happy

 

[StormLord]

I do not think formatting internal drive is by now really supported option. You are not supposed to format anything, just delete the user account... Different world now. Formatting these new SSD systems is no-no.
Unless you followed some tested instructions, this looks like you really tried to destroy the system SSD setup and successfully worked around all Apple protections ;-)
I think you need to restore the system as if you would replace the SSD. I was recently checking this https://expandmacmini.com/ and they have explanation movie how to replace the SSD. At the end they explain how to restore the boot ability of that SSD since it does not have the (heavily protected) system partition anymore. I suspect that is what you need to do. Good luck with that.

It is an option, as the migration totally destroyed the system, I have also the setup account that even that was not able to login because of the other user migration. So formatting was the only option to get clean system.
I've found out that when there is no system on the internal disk there is no ability to boot from external (which is why I disabled security options).
Finally the problem was that my 2 screens that I had didn't have HDMI and I used with adaptors, 1st with DVI to HDMI and second screen with VGA to HDMI adaptor. But for some reason they didn't display the recovery options after I formatted the disk. Getting the mini on my TV with an HDMI connector managed to display the recovery and download a new system from internet.

 

[StormLord]

If you have erased the internal SSD completely you have totally erased your Mac’s sense of ‘self-identity’.

You have to use Recovery to connect to Apple’s servers to let it reinstall its essential boot software, and then do an internet MacOS install.

Depending on your access to Apple’s servers this is likely to take ‘some time….’
Here in the UK, a direct Ethernet connection is much faster than WiFi, but still hours rather than minutes when an older Mac is involved… 😵‍💫

“First, restart your Mac and hold Command-R during startup the Start button to boot into Recovery Mode. Then, use Disk Utility to erase the SSD and format it to APFS. Finally, select "Reinstall macOS" from the Recovery menu and follow the on-screen prompts.”

EDIT: '...shut down your Mac, then press and hold the power button until "Loading startup options" appears. Click "Options" and then "Continue".'

Use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon

Learn how to use macOS Recovery on a Mac with Apple silicon.

support.apple.com

Apple’s ’correct’ way to do what you wanted to do:

Erase your Mac

Use Erase Assistant on a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip to remove all content and settings.

support.apple.com

well as I respond to another fellow, the problem was that mini didn't display recovery options on the 2 screens I've had nearby, but moving it to my TV solved that and everything is OK now.
btw, apple is doing everything to their power to make these systems not workable or repairable if something inside broke down. SSD is a crucial one, it should be able to boot from external disks as older intel and PPC Macs

 

[StormLord]

I believe that procedure basically fakes the reformat as it only formats the Data drive, not the system drive. OP disabled security and then formatted from USB key. Best guess he/she wiped out everything on SSD, including the protected system partition.
Check on line the description how the structure of current drives in Macs looks like. There are some really good descriptions and it makes you head spin. I suspect Apple DiskUtility fakes the formatting into removing specific container and recreating it, just to keep the old timers happy

Happiness would only come if you could boot from external disks, as this is no go when there is no system nothing can be happy, just miserable apple tactics

 

[StormLord]

Wait a minute! I have an iMac M4 that's a couple of months old. For various reasons, I've formatted the internal drive and reinstalled Sequoia without a hitch several times.

Power down the system. Held down the power button until I went to Options, formatted the internal with Disk Utility, then reinstalled the OS. Same basic deal I used to do with a USB key, except this time everything is inside the machine.

There's no reason to send the Mac back.

well it was a display problem after all, mini didn't want to display boot options on neither of the 2 screens that I was using with adapters, even though it was displaying it when there was system installed in the disk. changing the display with a TV with HDMI connector solved it.

 

[rm5]

Happiness would only come if you could boot from external disks, as this is no go when there is no system nothing can be happy, just miserable apple tactics

It is possible to boot from an external drive. You just need an OS on the internal drive first so you can set it up. I'm glad you solved the issue!

 

[Honza1]

btw, apple is doing everything to their power to make these systems not workable or repairable if something inside broke down. SSD is a crucial one, it should be able to boot from external disks as older intel and PPC Macs

Yes, this is true. And as everything today, this is done in name of security. Basically, current electronics is designed to be as much as possible useless without proper authentication. Both iOS and macOS devices now can be encrypted and linked to accounts in way which prevents them from being usable by anyone else. This requires that they boot ONLY through internal encrypted and protected source of data (SSD). If they would allow to boot these simply by external drive, it would break this security model completely. Anyone could boot on external drive and ... Therefore, with all of these security protections in place, your system will boot ONLY from internal drive when you prove to the system you are allowed to boot.
It has serious impact on recycling and reuse, obviously... But I suspect it is here to stay.

 

[theorist9]

If you have erased the internal SSD completely you have totally erased your Mac’s sense of ‘self-identity’.

Doesn't apply to this case but, just as a point of interest, that statement is not generally true. Even executing a complete erase (i.e., following the instructions in the "Erase your Mac" link you supplied, and additionally reinstalling the OS) won't get rid of mobile device management (MDM) software. The Mac will still know it belongs to a certain company.

To put it another way, if your device has MDM, you can't restore it to factory (i.e., MDM-free) settings. Only the MDM administrator can do that.

I'm curious where MDM is stored that enables it to survive the "Erase your Mac" procedure. Is it on a protected invisible partition on the SSD that doesn't get erased by Erase your Mac? Or is it stored as firmware, like the BIOS?

Of course, MDM software needs to be non-removable by the computer's user, since otherwise it would lose its anti-theft functionality.

 

[PaulD-UK]

I wrote: "If you have erased the internal SSD completely you have totally erased your Mac’s sense of ‘self-identity’."

@theorist9 "that statement is not generally true. Even executing a complete erase (i.e., following the instructions in the "Erase your Mac" link you supplied, and additionally reinstalling the OS) won't get rid of mobile device management (MDM) software. The Mac will still know it belongs to a certain company."

OK, there a couple of points that need clarity here.
I didn't say 'erased your Mac's identity'.
As you observe, that remains internally embedded the the Mac, in some unerasable form.

By 'sense of self-identity' I meant that a totally erased Mac needs to check Apple's Recovery servers to regain the ability to communicate its locked/unlocked identity.

Secondly: Apple's quoted "Erase your Mac" procedure is NOT the same as the OP's actions.

Quote @StormLord "I booted to a usb installer that I created from my MacPro with sequoia and formatted the internal drive, it asked me to reboot and after that I have no screen, neither a way to boot from the installer.

Apple's 'Erase your Mac' carefully limits the erasure to those partitions on the internal SSD that contain User installable data.

Booting externally and formatting the internal SSD zaps the lot, including the Recovery partition, and any other protected System partition...?

"I'm curious where MDM is stored that enables it to survive the "Erase your Mac" procedure. Is it on a protected invisible partition on the SSD that doesn't get erased by Erase your Mac? Or is it stored as firmware, like the BIOS?"

With Intel T2 Macs this is clearer. The T2 chip is based on the iPhone's A10 SoC, and is packaged in two layers, an A10 CPU directly soldered on top of a BGA NAND SSD chip. So the T2 chip has the same (non-erasable) SSD secure storage as an iPhone 7.

If a MDM-locked Intel Mac has its T2 chip replaced by soldering on a lock-free T2 chip then the lock is (allegedly) removed...

How this was translated to Apple silicon's Secure Enclave I don't know, but functionally it will presumably be the same?

Anyway, what this means is that if you erase the entire internal SSD, you can do nothing even with an external USB installer until the Mac has communicated with Apple's Recovery servers to have any overriding existing Apple ID or MDM locks reapplied (or declared free and unlocked) before any subsequent install of Mac OS.

That's what I was attempting to infer by the words 'sense of self-identity'. 😶

The fact that the OP's problem stemmed from not having a compatible monitor attached to view the Recovery Options screen makes it difficult to draw any definitive conclusions from the experience.

Except: as a post-script, it shows clearly that today's Macs are different from their pre 2017 predecessors by preventing the use of cable adapters.

Because nearly all modern computer cables have embedded ID chips somewhere along the line that MacOS is increasingly checking before allowing connections to be made.

Adding an adapter cable risks preventing the ID handshakes happening... ☹️

 

[JUMA55]

well it was a display problem after all, mini didn't want to display boot options on neither of the 2 screens that I was using with adapters, even though it was displaying it when there was system installed in the disk. changing the display with a TV with HDMI connector solved it.

I'm glad you got it fixed.