Removing Monterey Recovery Image after Reverting back to Big Sur?

[16bitplus]

Quick question, does anyone know how to get the Monterey Beta Recovery image off your SSD after reverting back to Big Sur?

Even with Big Sur reinstalled (reinstalled fresh from a bootable USB Image) the Monterey Recovery Image is still on the SSD. So if I go to reinstall Mac OS it prompts “Reinstall MacOS Monterey Beta” and not Reinstall Big Sur.

Thanks!

 

[Mike Boreham]

Quick question, does anyone know how to get the Monterey Beta Recovery image off your SSD after reverting back to Big Sur?

Even with Big Sur reinstalled (reinstalled fresh from a bootable USB Image) the Monterey Recovery Image is still on the SSD. So if I go to reinstall Mac OS it prompts “Reinstall MacOS Monterey Beta” and not Reinstall Big Sur.

Thanks!

You have to use Apple Configurator 2 from another Mac to restore the Big Sur Recovery image and firmware. Lots of articles and YouTube vids around. Look at Mr Macintosh..

 

[16bitplus]

You have to use Apple Configurator 2 from another Mac to restore the Big Sur Recovery image and firmware. Lots of articles and YouTube vids around. Look at Mr Macintosh site.

So I am basically stuck unless I can get a second machine to do this? Or otherwise I assume I need to head out to the Apple Store to do this?

 

[Mike Boreham]

So I am basically stuck unless I can get a second machine to do this? Or otherwise I assume I need to head out to the Apple Store to do this?

Correct, but second machine can be Intel.

 

[agoodpub]

Correct, but second machine can be Intel.

Can it be a VM? I only have 1 physical Mac now since others got stolen, but I have several VMware macOS vms.

 

[Fishrrman]

This suggestion won't help you now.
It's intended for... "next time":

Next time...
... DON'T install a beta/experimental copy of the OS onto your internal drive. Things may go wrong, or you may not like it, and you'll be left with "no easy way to get back".
Which is where you are now.

Instead, install it onto a small external SSD that you keep for purposes of experimentation.
Now you can "play away" to your heart's content, and your working internal drive will be "left alone".

 

[Mike Boreham]

This suggestion won't help you now.
It's intended for... "next time":

Next time...
... DON'T install a beta/experimental copy of the OS onto your internal drive. Things may go wrong, or you may not like it, and you'll be left with "no easy way to get back".
Which is where you are now.

Instead, install it onto a small external SSD that you keep for purposes of experimentation.
Now you can "play away" to your heart's content, and your working internal drive will be "left alone".

With M1 Macs, installing Monterey on an external will still put the Monterey firmware and the all-essential "1TR" ... one True Recovery on the internal. So unfortunately your once good advice doesn't hold for M1 Macs and wouldn't have avoided the OP's situation.
However it is probably still good thing to do because the internal can still run Big Sur even with the Monterey firmware and Recovery as the OP found. So if Monterey is a lemon for you, you still have your Big Sur installation.

 

[Mike Boreham]

Can it be a VM? I only have 1 physical Mac now since others got stolen, but I have several VMware macOS vms.

I have no idea but a quick Google found this so I wouldn't rule it out....which was my first instinct. But I haven't really studied that so may be off target.

If you mean a VM running on the same machine (which re-reading your post it must be) I think that is a no! It wipes the drive completely on the target machine.

 

[Fishrrman]

Mike wrote:
"With M1 Macs, installing Monterey on an external will still put the Monterey firmware and the all-essential "1TR" ... one True Recovery on the internal. So unfortunately your once good advice doesn't hold for M1 Macs and wouldn't have avoided the OP's situation."

Hmmm....
I have a 2018 Mini (obviously, not an m1).
I've installed Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey on external drives, just to fool with.
I'm sure the firmware on the Mini has received updates, as well.

When I'm done with my foolin', I go right back to Mojave on the Mini, my "daily driver".
Never skips a beat, runs as expected.

I realize that things may have changed completely with the m1.
Perhaps that's why I'm avoiding them for now.
Intel Macs are fine with me!

 

[Mike Boreham]

I realize that things may have changed completely with the m1.

Take out the word "may" from your sentence and it about sums it up

Howard Oakley has written many articles about M1 Macs. A browse through these will show how much.

 

[MrMacintoshBlog]

@16bitplus What did you end up doing?

What @Mike Boreham said was correct, on M1 the only way to downgrade recovery is with a DFU Erase/Restore.

Keep in mind, if you do not have access to a 2nd Mac the Apple store should be able to help.

Also it will not hurt the mac to be on Monterey Recovery. Once you eventually upgrade to Monterey, recovery will get updated to a production version.

 

[agoodpub]

I have no idea but a quick Google found this so I wouldn't rule it out....which was my first instinct. But I haven't really studied that so may be off target.

If you mean a VM running on the same machine (which re-reading your post it must be) I think that is a no! It wipes the drive completely on the target machine.

No, I mean a VM on a separate device. I have various MacOS VMs running on a windows PC.

 

[Mike Boreham]

No, I mean a VM on a separate device. I have various MacOS VMs running on a windows PC.

Ah OK I have no idea I am afraid. I haven't used Apple Configurator 2 personally but people who have say that it is not difficult and quick, and that you can set it up without committing it. If it gets that far I would expect it to work.

 

[At Sea]

I'll soon be getting a second M1 Mac mini (this time with 16GB as half of that isn't quite enough for me) and depending if Monterey final isn't out by the time I'm ready to sell the original I want Big Sur on the recovery portion, will my new mini serve as a 2nd Mac?