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Installation fails for me after modifying the combo updater. I wonder if having tried to install the app store update may have something to do with it. It goes through the entire installation process, but then ends with an "Installation Failed" error. I followed the instructions exactly and replaced one of the board IDs with mine (MBP 5,5) and also removed it from the unsupported machines list.
 
@Czo

You mentioned the need to edit a Bluetooth p.list and a .kext file to allow AirDrop to work. I searched, but could not find actual instructions on how to proceed with said edit. Can you point me at relevant post, or share the infomation ?

Thanks for any pointers.

Mid 2009 MacBook Pro 5,2 -17 inch, running 10.13.5 (first beta in 10.13.5 release sequence)
 
Installation fails for me after modifying the combo updater. I wonder if having tried to install the app store update may have something to do with it. It goes through the entire installation process, but then ends with an "Installation Failed" error. I followed the instructions exactly and replaced one of the board IDs with mine (MBP 5,5) and also removed it from the unsupported machines list.
What was the error message you got, was it any more enlightening than installation failed. Have you had a look at your install.log to see if there are any clues there.
Run http://etrecheck.com and post the results back here.
 
From /private/var/log/install.log:

2018-04-05 18:27:17-04 MacBook-Pro installd[12446]: PackageKit: Install Failed: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=112 "An error occurred while running scripts from the package “Modified.pkg”.} {
NSFilePath = replaceRecovery;
NSLocalizedDescription = "An error occurred while running scripts from the package \U201cModified.pkg\U201d.";
NSURL = "file://localhost/Users/briandeuel/Desktop/Modified.pkg#macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.RecoveryHDUpdate.pkg";
PKInstallPackageIdentifier = "com.apple.pkg.macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.RecoveryHDUpdate.17E199";
}

Something to do with the Recovery partition update, it seems. Etrecheck didn't give any useful info.

EDIT: I decided to just download the latest HS Install Patcher and do a clean install, as this MBP has been through upgrade installs (never a clean install) since Snow Leopard, not counting the clone job to an SSD. It was time, and everything works fine.
 
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You can find them in post 3005

It helps if you're command-line savvy.
Obviously, where it says 10.13.3 you'll be using 10.13.4

There's a spurious space character before 10.13.3 in the "pkgutil --expand" command.
You can use TextWrangler instead of BBedit.
When it says "Move new Distribution file to expanded package", you can do it in the Finder or using "mv" in Unix.

Edit: Sorry got the link wrong. You need post number 3005.

Modifying the Combo Updaters for High Sierra.

Download Combo.

Open Combo.

Move Combo .pkg to desktop.

Open Terminal.

Enter pkgutil --expand ~/Desktop/macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg ~/Desktop/Expanded

Open Distribution file in BBEdit or Text Wrangler

Change Distribution file change Board iD to <your board id>

Go to nonSupportedModels and remove <your Mac model>

Save As .xml file on the Desktop

In Terminal chmod +x ~/Desktop/distribution.xml

Remove .xml extension

Move new Distribution file to expanded package

In Terminal pkgutil --flatten ~/Desktop/Expanded ~/Desktop/Modified.pkg

Using the .pkg extension is crucial.
Thanks! I'm just about to start trying this. When you guys enter the board ID, first, where did you find your board ID? I'm looking at my system info and don't see any mention of board ID. I did find a random post online somewhere where it had this code (Mac-F2218EC8) for an iMac 9,1 - do I just use that code? And second, the board ID strings that are already in the distribution list are way longer, do I need to add certain characters to make it the same length?
 
Thanks! I'm just about to start trying this. When you guys enter the board ID, first, where did you find your board ID? I'm looking at my system info and don't see any mention of board ID. I did find a random post online somewhere where it had this code (Mac-F2218EC8) for an iMac 9,1 - do I just use that code? And second, the board ID strings that are already in the distribution list are way longer, do I need to add certain characters to make it the same length?
[doublepost=1522996352][/doublepost]Mr Ploppy gave you the Terminal command to identify your Board ID in an earlier post, please read posts thoroughly. When you find your Board ID just take one of the ones in the distribution file list and replace it with yours.

Forgot to say - you'll need to find your Board Id.

I found mine by running (from Terminal)
ioreg -lp IOService | grep board-id
[doublepost=1522997330][/doublepost]Ye
From /private/var/log/install.log:

2018-04-05 18:27:17-04 MacBook-Pro installd[12446]: PackageKit: Install Failed: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=112 "An error occurred while running scripts from the package “Modified.pkg”.} {
NSFilePath = replaceRecovery;
NSLocalizedDescription = "An error occurred while running scripts from the package \U201cModified.pkg\U201d.";
NSURL = "file://localhost/Users/briandeuel/Desktop/Modified.pkg#macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.RecoveryHDUpdate.pkg";
PKInstallPackageIdentifier = "com.apple.pkg.macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.RecoveryHDUpdate.17E199";
}

Something to do with the Recovery partition update, it seems. Etrecheck didn't give any useful info.

EDIT: I decided to just download the latest HS Install Patcher and do a clean install, as this MBP has been through upgrade installs (never a clean install) since Snow Leopard, not counting the clone job to an SSD. It was time, and everything works fine.
Yes it seems to be a thing that the RecoveryHD sometimes doesn't get updated thus getting this error. It might
help if this happens again to boot up to your High Sierra Patch installer and re apply the recovery HD patch in the post install patch. There was also a post earlier on with the same problem and they mounted the RecoverHD partition in Disk Utility and were able to open it to manipulate the platform support plist to include their Mac. Unmount the Recovery HD, restart, and then try the update again. But has you have done a clean install you got there.
A clean install every now and again is a good thing to do.
 
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Mr Ploppy gave you the Terminal command to identify your Board ID in an earlier post, please read posts thoroughly. When you find your Board ID just take one of the ones in the distribution file list and replace it with yours.

Ah, can't believe I missed that. It's been one of those days.

I just installed the modified non-Combo 13.4 update and it went smoothly this time, no errors, and it's showing the 13.4 update as installed under software installations list.

Thanks again.
 
@Czo

You mentioned the need to edit a Bluetooth p.list and a .kext file to allow AirDrop to work. I searched, but could not find actual instructions on how to proceed with said edit. Can you point me at relevant post, or share the infomation ?

Thanks for any pointers.

Mid 2009 MacBook Pro 5,2 -17 inch, running 10.13.5 (first beta in 10.13.5 release sequence)

Try https://github.com/dokterdok/Continuity-Activation-Tool first.
 
[doublepost=1522996352][/doublepost]Mr Ploppy gave you the Terminal command to identify your Board ID in an earlier post, please read posts thoroughly. When you find your Board ID just take one of the ones in the distribution file list and replace it with yours.


[doublepost=1522997330][/doublepost]Ye

Yes it seems to be a thing that the RecoveryHD sometimes doesn't get updated thus getting this error. It might
help if this happens again to boot up to your High Sierra Patch installer and re apply the recovery HD patch in the post install patch. There was also a post earlier on with the same problem and they mounted the RecoverHD partition in Disk Utility and were able to open it to manipulate the platform support plist to include their Mac. Unmount the Recovery HD, restart, and then try the update again. But has you have done a clean install you got there.
A clean install every now and again is a good thing to do.

I've seen this random failure of the RecoveryHD update despite always having the RecoveryHD post patch installed prior to the software update. The most confusing part is the randomness of the failures. I've had two drives identically installed and updated in parallel only to find that the Software Update succeeds on one and fails on the other.
 
I've seen this random failure of the RecoveryHD update despite always having the RecoveryHD post patch installed prior to the software update. The most confusing part is the randomness of the failures. I've had two drives identically installed and updated in parallel only to find that the Software Update succeeds on one and fails on the other.
Yes I have had sort of on off success with the Recovery HD being updated or not when new updates to the OS have been released (not in Sierra though). It may be a thing in High Sierra because it is not the best release of Mac OS X/ macOS from Apple, or it can also be that we are using unsupported machines and we are very lucky to be able to upgrade them at all. Thanks to dosdude1 and his sterling work, also a nod to Foxlet who helped in the early days, and all those who have helped me along the line too. I am using a Mac Pro 3.1 that just passed its tenth birthday and the only thing that has ever gone wrong with it was its original Nvidia GeForce GT 8800, which lasted 7 years. So I am pretty chuffed with it, and really pleased I can still run the latest OS too.
 
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MacBookPro 5,4 (mid-2009, Intel Core Duo 2.53GHz, 8GB RAM, 480.1GB "OWC Electra 3G" SSD).

Congrats to @dosdude1 on a fine piece of engineering. I'm sure an update that fully supports 10.13.4 will be forthcoming - but a recommendation in the app's homepage to use the app's internal MacOS download link might save users a lot of hunting around in threads like this one.


+1

@dosdude1 has done some great work for us with both Sierra and High Sierra. He's saved me a lot of money by allowing me to continue rocking my 10-year-old iMac. I highly recommend sending some skrillah his way via his PayPal account that he lists on his website. I'd love to see him rolling in the dough and knowing how much we all appreciate his work!
http://dosdude1.com/highsierra/
 
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Hi,
I saw earlier in that thread that : to install a combo update you have to expand it, modifying the distribution file, and flatten it.
That method generates an error when updating the recovery partition. It's because, since High Sierra, pkg file can be mounted. Apple did that by adding a koly header (the same that you find in dmg) at the end of the pkg file. This header allows EmbeddedOSFirmware.pkg/RecoveryHDMeta.dmg to be mounted. It's needed to flatten the package without compression with xar instead of pkgutil. I made a utility that restore that header. If anyone interested, I can give more explanation and details.

However, I still have an error when installing my newly created pkg. With the original pkg on a supported computer, the install is made after reboot. You get "Will do post-logout install for package with trust 501" in the log. The instaler is quick to ask to reboot to continue installation.
With my pkg repacked, I got "Ignoring post-logout for install with trust 100" and the installer doesn't ask for reboot, which seems consistent with message.

How did you manage to install combo update ?

Thanks.
 

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Hi,
I saw earlier in that thread that : to install a combo update you have to expand it, modifying the distribution file, and flatten it.
That method generates an error when updating the recovery partition. It's because, since High Sierra, pkg file can be mounted. Apple did that by adding a koly header (the same that you find in dmg) at the end of the pkg file. This header allows EmbeddedOSFirmware.pkg/RecoveryHDMeta.dmg to be mounted. It's needed to flatten the package without compression with xar instead of pkgutil. I made a utility that restore that header. If anyone interested, I can give more explanation and details.

However, I still have an error when installing my newly created pkg. With the original pkg on a supported computer, the install is made after reboot. You get "Will do post-logout install for package with trust 501" in the log. The instaler is quick to ask to reboot to continue installation.
With my pkg repacked, I got "Ignoring post-logout for install with trust 100" and the installer doesn't ask for reboot, which seems consistent with message.

How did you manage to install combo update ?

Thanks.
I followed the instructions to the letter - download, expand, modify, flatten. Installed by double clicking the modified .pkg. Installed no problem. The install log only shows one error, to do with a bundle id with no name or something. In my case a lot of the components weren't installed because the correct components already existed (maybe because I'd run the 10.13.4 updater from the App Store previously, but per @L Caputo's comment regarding the System Report, I did the combo update). I checked the install log and there were no recovery partition errors - in fact there was no mention of the recovery partition at all. I know in the past when I've updated from the App Store I've had errors in the log to do with the recovery partition, but not this time. I hope that helps but I don't pretend to understand the point you've made in your post.
 
I lost my recovery drive when I did the upgrade.

When I try to boot into it an X comes up on the screen and won't go away until I boot it into the regular drive.

Any fix?
 
I lost my recovery drive when I did the upgrade.

When I try to boot into it an X comes up on the screen and won't go away until I boot it into the regular drive.

Any fix?
Have you tried booting back yo your Install USB and then re applying the Recovery HD parch in the post install dialogue.
 
I did that an hour or so ago and it took 15-30+ mins and it wasn't booted into the Recovery Drive.
So you booted back into your USB installer, yes, went to the post install patch dialogue, yes, checked Recovery HD option, yes, clicked on Reboot, yes. Mac opened up in High Sierra, yes. Restart the Mac and hold the option/ alt key down select Recovery HD and press return, does the recovery drive start up or do you get the 'no file system' graphic.
If that is the case you could try re installing High Sierra again. Or if you can mount the Recovery HD on your Desktop you could alter the platform support list.

Open Terminal

enter diskutil list
from the list you will see on the right under IDENTIFIER the name of your Recovery HD, mine is disk0s3, yours may be different.

enter diskutil mount <IDENTIFIER>
you should get a confirmation and the disk should now be mounted on your Desktop.

Open the Recovery HD, click on com.recovery.boot
Open the PlatformSupport.plist in BBEdit or Text Wrangler.

Now replace one of the Board ID's with your Macs Board ID
Scroll down to the Supported Models list and replace one of the Macs model to your Macs model number.
Save.
Close.
Restart the Mac holding down the option/ alt key then select the Recovery HD.
It should now mount.
 
I followed the instructions to the letter - download, expand, modify, flatten. Installed by double clicking the modified .pkg. Installed no problem. The install log only shows one error, to do with a bundle id with no name or something. In my case a lot of the components weren't installed because the correct components already existed (maybe because I'd run the 10.13.4 updater from the App Store previously, but per @L Caputo's comment regarding the System Report, I did the combo update). I checked the install log and there were no recovery partition errors - in fact there was no mention of the recovery partition at all. I know in the past when I've updated from the App Store I've had errors in the log to do with the recovery partition, but not this time. I hope that helps but I don't pretend to understand the point you've made in your post.
Try hdiutil attach macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg on the original and the modified one. You'll see there is a difference. But I now think that it's not fatal anyway. Maybe it didn't even try to update the recovery because in your case it was already up to date. In my case, I was trying to update from 10.13(0) to 10.13.4.

Let's move to another difference : my repacked pkg doesn't do a post logout install and fail at the end. Although when you reboot the version number is updated, I think there's a lot a file not copied.
When you installed a repacked pkg, did it do a post-logout install like on supported hardware ?
In other words, did you have "Will do post-logout install for package" in your log, or "Ignoring post-logout for install" ?
If you or someone, next time you install or reinstall a combo update, could save the installer log, it'll be nice.

Thanks.
 
Try hdiutil attach macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg on the original and the modified one. You'll see there is a difference. But I now think that it's not fatal anyway. Maybe it didn't even try to update the recovery because in your case it was already up to date. In my case, I was trying to update from 10.13(0) to 10.13.4.

Let's move to another difference : my repacked pkg doesn't do a post logout install and fail at the end. Although when you reboot the version number is updated, I think there's a lot a file not copied.
When you installed a repacked pkg, did it do a post-logout install like on supported hardware ?
In other words, did you have "Will do post-logout install for package" in your log, or "Ignoring post-logout for install" ?
If you or someone, next time you install or reinstall a combo update, could save the installer log, it'll be nice.

Thanks.
I had a "Ignoring post-logout for install with trust 100" entry in the install log. It's towards the start of the installation process.
 
I had a "Ignoring post-logout for install with trust 100" entry in the install log. It's towards the start of the installation process.
But I guess that the installer said successful, right ?

For me, it said failed and in the log I have :

Apr 6 11:33:09 1013-apfs-3 installd[486]: PackageKit: Install Failed: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=110 "An error occurred while extracting files from the package “macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg”." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=An error occurred while extracting files from the package “macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg”., NSURL=file://localhost/Users/jief/Desktop/macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg#macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg, PKInstallPackageIdentifier=com.apple.pkg.update.os.Combo10.13.4.17E199, PKInstallPackageSHA256Digest=5594820d40d007a31dafd0065138976276d24872107334a01cffa7c4f5e49206, NSUnderlyingError=0x7f9bb7e9b800 {Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=2 "No such file or directory" UserInfo={NSFilePath=Scripts}}} {
NSLocalizedDescription = "An error occurred while extracting files from the package \U201cmacOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg\U201d.";
NSURL = "file://localhost/Users/jief/Desktop/macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg#macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg";
NSUnderlyingError = "Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=2 \"No such file or directory\" UserInfo={NSFilePath=Scripts}";
PKInstallPackageIdentifier = "com.apple.pkg.update.os.Combo10.13.4.17E199";
PKInstallPackageSHA256Digest = 5594820d40d007a31dafd0065138976276d24872107334a01cffa7c4f5e49206;
}

I didn't add or remove and file from the pkg. I checked in the expanded folder, there is a "Scripts" folder in the folder macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg.
 
But I guess that the installer said successful, right ?

For me, it said failed and in the log I have :

Apr 6 11:33:09 1013-apfs-3 installd[486]: PackageKit: Install Failed: Error Domain=PKInstallErrorDomain Code=110 "An error occurred while extracting files from the package “macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg”." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=An error occurred while extracting files from the package “macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg”., NSURL=file://localhost/Users/jief/Desktop/macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg#macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg, PKInstallPackageIdentifier=com.apple.pkg.update.os.Combo10.13.4.17E199, PKInstallPackageSHA256Digest=5594820d40d007a31dafd0065138976276d24872107334a01cffa7c4f5e49206, NSUnderlyingError=0x7f9bb7e9b800 {Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=2 "No such file or directory" UserInfo={NSFilePath=Scripts}}} {
NSLocalizedDescription = "An error occurred while extracting files from the package \U201cmacOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg\U201d.";
NSURL = "file://localhost/Users/jief/Desktop/macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg#macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg";
NSUnderlyingError = "Error Domain=NSPOSIXErrorDomain Code=2 \"No such file or directory\" UserInfo={NSFilePath=Scripts}";
PKInstallPackageIdentifier = "com.apple.pkg.update.os.Combo10.13.4.17E199";
PKInstallPackageSHA256Digest = 5594820d40d007a31dafd0065138976276d24872107334a01cffa7c4f5e49206;
}

I didn't add or remove and file from the pkg. I checked in the expanded folder, there is a "Scripts" folder in the folder macOSUpdCombo10.13.4.pkg.
It depends what you mean by "installer said successful". I got the normal progress bar when installing and when it finished the machine rebooted itself (at least I think that's what happened - I don't recall needing to restart manually, or hit a "Restart" button on a dialog, but I may be wrong). Either way, the install log said "Displaying 'Install Succeeded' UI." somewhere towards the end. Then there's a bunch of cleanup stuff. I notice the reference to apfs in your extract above - I'm not using apfs, but don't suppose that matters.
 
I've just tried with High Sierra installed on HFS : same result.
screen-shot-2018-04-07-at-07-17-18-png.757308
 

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