Sonoma USB Installer on M3 Max

[CylonGlitch]

I have an M3 Max, trying to build a USB Installer for Sonoma.

1. Acquire Sonoma
   1. Downloaded from the App Store
   2. Downloaded using this : https://swcdn.apple.com/content/dow...kimzad55ogcomovjo5pzb32d/InstallAssistant.pkg
      1. Extracted the package and it builds the "Install macOS Sonoma" in the Applications Directory
2. Formatted external USB drive
   1. Tried just about every combination I could be it APFS, GUID, MBR, etc...
3. Run this command : sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sonoma.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled
4. Obtain the following results

Password:

Ready to start.
To continue we need to erase the volume at /Volumes/Untitled.
If you wish to continue type (Y) then press return: y
Erasing disk: 0%... 10%... 20%... 30%... 100%
Copying essential files...
Copying the macOS RecoveryOS...
Making disk bootable...
Failed to extract AssetData/boot/Firmware/Manifests/InstallerBoot/* from update bundle
The bless of the installer disk failed.

No matter what I do, doesn't seem to work. Any thoughts? Oh, I also gave terminal full disk access, no change.

Anyone have any luck / or ideas on what to try?

 

[Bigwaff]

Download and install MIST. It will download and create bootable installer for just about any version of macOS released in the last 10 years.

GitHub - ninxsoft/Mist: A Mac utility that automatically downloads macOS Firmwares / Installers.

A Mac utility that automatically downloads macOS Firmwares / Installers. - ninxsoft/Mist

github.com

 

[chabig]

I feel obligated to point out that there is no reason to have a bootable installer any more, as there are already two bootable recovery operating systems on each Apple Silicon machine.

 

[DeltaMac]

However, if you really think you need a bootable installer:
That kind of error, in my experience, may be a problem with the space available on the destination drive.
How large is that "untitled" volume?
(I make all kinds of Mac bootable installers, proabably 15 or 20 every week).
Good format for a bootable USB installer should always be Mac OS Extended format, with GUID scheme.
The setup that you have appears to be OK.
Remember that the installer, as a first step, erases the destination drive.
But, I like to make sure that the drive is completely cleared, by using Disk Utility, choosing to erase the device, and not just the volume on the drive. (Erase the line with the manufacturer's info, not the line with the name of the volume (in your example, "untitled") I will usually make an unusual name for the volume, so I then know that the drive is erased.

 

[DeltaMac]

I just tried the same installer (which is the correct one, only for the M3 Macs)
Doing a standard setup to make a bootable installer, which I correctly setup in terminal...
It failed with the error you reported, even though space was NOT an issue, and, in fact, files had only started to copy.

Were you trying to make the installer from a different Mac (not an M3 Mac)?
I don't have an M3 Mac to make an installer, and used my normal intel Mini. Perhaps it requires an M3 Mac to run the createinstallmedia command? I also had the most recent version of the installer, newer than yours, only available today (Sonoma version 4.1.2), and that version, also for M3-only, failed with the same error. The OTHER Sonoma 4.1.2 installer, for other, non-M3, Macs, made a USB installer with no problem.

 

[RoombaBiden]

Been having the same problem M3 Max. Now running 14.1.2. Was able to make an installer of 14.2 beta 3, and that's it. That's off the servers now, and get the bless error on 14.2 beta 4 and 14.1.2.
This also being discussed on the apple.com forums at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255284538?page=1
Definitely an issue.

Also, as for why have USB? When I re-install, I like to drop all of the partitions and re-install totally phresh. That is the whole point of booting USB. Not just to wipe a volume, but nuke the whole thing back to the origin of the species.

 

[chrfr]

This seems to be a problem with the forked OS installers that Apple releases when they release new Macs. You'll just have to wait until 17.2 is released, or if something causes you to need to reinstall, you'll have to do so using the internet.

 

[CylonGlitch]

I have kept an OS USB for every MacOS build I've used and they have saved me a ton. I know the M line is different (this is my first M line machine) but it seems like others have done it with the M1 and M2's.

The USB I am using is a 64GB brand new, same model I have used before so that's not the problem.

Seems like a problem of the Installer and others are reporting it to Apple, so I'll just wait and see what happens.

Thanks everyone.

 

[RoombaBiden]

I haven't seen this explained anywhere yet:
So, on an Apple Silicon mac, does it work like this:
Hold down the power button on boot, and go to options.
Run Disk Utility.
And DELETE ALL of the partitions, including all volumes etc. Completely nuke the drive.
Then do a fresh install of the latest release version of the OS.

This is possible, right?

 

[DeltaMac]

Possible, yes...
But, the old reasons to do that, such as the idea that some of the system files might be corrupted, or parts of the system can be modified improperly, etc., particularly to delete everything/"nuke" the drive, is highly unlikely to ever be needed.
To put this another way--Silicon Macs should not ever need that full "nuke 'n pave". The old reasons to do that no longer apply, as the system itself is protected, and basically cannot be modified.
The full "Erase All Content and Settings", which you can do from within the system, is sufficient.
Look at the steps here : https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212749