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Terminal command not working to make bootable installer

C

CharlesMumford

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 25, 2019
4
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I just got the "“This copy of the Install macOS Mojave.app application is damaged, and can’t be used to install macOS.”
error when trying to install OS 10.12.6 off a bootable installer.

After doing some reading, the solution that appealed to me most was downloading a new installer from the App Store that didn't have an expired certificate. So I did.

I tried to make a new bootable installer with Install Disk Creator but it keeps giving me "error encountered".

Never say die, so I decided to use Terminal to make the installer drive.

I am using the method from the official Apple site here:

https://support.apple.com/hr-hr/HT201372

Specifically, this command is being copied and pasted into Terminal:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app

I changed the name of my flash drive to MyVolume to exactly match the syntax.

I get the error

/Volumes/MyVolume is not a valid volume mount point.

Any suggestions at this point?
 
Insert your USB flash drive, then post the output of this Terminal command:
Code: 
mount

Please copy and paste the actual output (use drag-select in the Terminal window).
 
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/dev/disk0s2 on / (hfs, local, journaled)


devfs on /dev (devfs, local, nobrowse)


map -hosts on /net (autofs, nosuid, automounted, nobrowse)


map auto_home on /home (autofs, automounted, nobrowse)


/dev/disk1s1 on /Volumes/MyVolume (hfs, local, nodev, nosuid, journaled, noowners)
 
I have exactly the same issue, your not alone. How can this be fixed? All the other installers work fine with the same type of command and the same USB drive. so it has something to do with the installer or some settings? Eagerly waiting for a fix..
 
I scoured Google and I believe this is an expired installer issue.

Why does Apple put an expiration date in their installers? Anyway...

I found a link to download an official 10.13.6 installer (sorry, I don't have it handy, but a Google search ought to reveal it) that works. I couldn't find a 10.12.6 installer that still works.

I have been told that, if you boot into recovery off the bootable installer that you have (whether the installer still works or not) and enter Terminal, you can enter the following command:

date (MMDDHHMMYYYY) (without parentheses)

which will reset the date on the Mac you're trying to re-image. So, pick a date in the past, back when the installer used to work. I am told this will allow the install to continue, but I don't know if this works or not.
 
CharlesMumford said:
I scoured Google and I believe this is an expired installer issue.

Why does Apple put an expiration date in their installers? Anyway...

I found a link to download an official 10.13.6 installer (sorry, I don't have it handy, but a Google search ought to reveal it) that works. I couldn't find a 10.12.6 installer that still works.

I have been told that, if you boot into recovery off the bootable installer that you have (whether the installer still works or not) and enter Terminal, you can enter the following command:

date (MMDDHHMMYYYY) (without parentheses)

which will reset the date on the Mac you're trying to re-image. So, pick a date in the past, back when the installer used to work. I am told this will allow the install to continue, but I don't know if this works or not.
Click to expand...

That is true, you can use the terminal command: date 1013202519 for example and it will set the date back to October 13 and it will work with the old installer that has the expiration date on the certificate at around 26th of October. However Apple supplied us with new download links and the Sierra installer with the new fresh certificate is not usable to make a bootable USB drive from trough terminal, it keeps giving the message: .... is not a valid mount point. I hope someone or Apple will solve this asap.
 
You can also download the full Mojave installer (6 GB) from the App Store with the new certificate. Here is a link to Mojave at the App Store:

I downloaded this weekend and got a working installer without needing to change the date.

OP:
I was unable to download a working Sierra full installer app so far. The upgrade to Sierra Apple page only has a link to download a dmg in Step 4;
"use this link: Download macOS Sierra. A file named InstallOS.dmg will download to your Mac".

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.
support.apple.com support.apple.com

The direct Sierra App Store link resulted in the full installer with an expired certificate:
 
Last edited:
CoastalOR said:
You can also download the full Mojave installer (6 GB) from the App Store with the new certificate. Here is a link to Mojave at the App Store:

I downloaded this weekend and got a working installer without needing to change the date.
Click to expand...

Yes they have solved that issue, they provided new download links for the new installers with new certificates and they don't give the ''damaged .. ...'' error anymore but the new problem is the 10.12 macOS Sierra installer, it's impossible to create a bootable USB drive with this installer because terminal gives the message ''MyVolume (or any other name you gave the command line and USB) is not a valid mount point''. This must be a fault inside the installer because the old Sierra with the expired certificate does work (with ''work'' I mean creating a USB trough terminal from the installer).
 
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McLover66 said:
Yes they have solved that issue, they provided new download links for the new installers with new certificates and they don't give the ''damaged .. ...'' error anymore but the new problem is the 10.12 macOS Sierra installer, it's impossible to create a bootable USB drive with this installer because terminal gives the message ''MyVolume (or any other name you gave the command line and USB) is not a valid mount point''. This must be a fault inside the installer because the old Sierra with the expired certificate does work (with ''work'' I mean creating a USB trough terminal from the installer).
Click to expand...
Understood. See my edit update to the OP that I was typing while you were posting. Currently, the only way I found was to use the expired installer with changing the date. If anybody finds the full Sierra installer with a new certificate then let us know.
 
CoastalOR said:
Understood. See my edit update to the OP that I was typing while you were posting. Currently, the only way I found was to use the expired installer with changing the date. If anybody finds the full Sierra installer with a new certificate then let us know.
Click to expand...

They have uploaded a new Sierra installer with a new certificate, but it has an issue where it gives the ''is not a valid mount point'' error in terminal while making a bootable USB.
 
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McLover66 said:
They have uploaded a new Sierra installer with a new certificate, but it has an issue where it gives the ''is not a valid mount point'' error in terminal while making a bootable USB.
Click to expand...
I just did a test using the link posted above:
to a Yosemite booted external. It downloads the full Sierra installer app. The installer automatically launches after download and I get the damaged error:

Screen Shot 2019-10-28 at 10.49.58.png


So it appears to me, that the full installer from the App Store still has a expired certificate.

Downloading the InstallOS.dmg does work, but Sierra installer can not be used to make a bootable USB installer, but it can be used to install Sierra when the InstallOS.pkg (in the InstallOS.dmg) is run it creates a Sierra installer (Install macOS Sierra) that can be run from the Applications folder, but can not be used to create a USB installer.
 
CoastalOR said:
I just did a test using the link posted above:
to a Yosemite booted external. It downloads the full Sierra installer app. The installer automatically launches after download and I get the damaged error:

View attachment 873086

So it appears to me, that the full installer from the App Store still has a expired certificate.

Downloading the InstallOS.dmg does work, but Sierra installer can not be used to make a bootable USB installer, but it can be used to install Sierra when the InstallOS.pkg (in the InstallOS.dmg) is run it creates a Sierra installer (Install macOS Sierra) that can be run from the Applications folder, but can not be used to create a USB installer.
Click to expand...

Yes, but that's an error because all the other new installers can be made into a USB drive except Macos 10.12 Sierra, so that's whats wrong at this moment.

You can download the new installer from 10.13 high Sierra and make a bootable USB drive from it without any problem, just not the macos Sierra one. Apple needs to solve this.
 
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Is there still no way to create a bootable USB drive trough terminal with the new 10.12 Sierra installer Apple provided? That's insane. All the other new ones work fine just not the 10.12 Sierra.
 
McLover66 said:
Is there still no way to create a bootable USB drive trough terminal with the new 10.12 Sierra installer Apple provided? That's insane. All the other new ones work fine just not the 10.12 Sierra.
Click to expand...
There is a workaround you can use until Apple fixes the problem.

1. Download the old Sierra installer with the expired certificate (see the link I posted in Post #11).

2. Use the old Sierra install app to make a USB installer.

3. Boot from the Sierra USB installer. Use the Terminal to change the Date:
Terminal Command Date Install 10.12.6
“date” command string, where date is in the [mm][dd]HH]MM[yy] format for 10-22-2019 1223:
so enter in Terminal:
date 1022122319
Quit Terminal.

4. Proceed with installing macOS Sierra.

I tested this to install Sierra on a external drive and it worked.
 
CoastalOR said:
There is a workaround you can use until Apple fives the problem.

1. Download the old Sierra installer with the expired certificate (see the link I posted in Post #11).

2. Use the old Sierra install app to make a USB installer.

3. Boot from the Sierra USB installer. Use the Terminal to change the Date:
Terminal Command Date Install 10.12.6
“date” command string, where date is in the [mm][dd]HH]MM[yy] format for 10-22-2019 1223:
so enter in Terminal:
date 1022122319
Quit Terminal.

4. Proceed with installing macOS Sierra.

I tested this to install Sierra on a external drive and it worked.
Click to expand...

I know this is a temp solution but I was wondering if there is a way to make a USB with the new installer, will Apple fix this?
 
Posted elsewhere on another thread was a suggestion by "rickysuper" which I tried and works. Use createinstallmedia on the OLD installer (the one with the expired certificate) to create your bootable USB drive. Once created, open the USB drive and move the installer app "Install macOS Sierra" from the USB drive into the trash and empty trash. Although it will seem like the USB drive is now blank, it isn't. There are a bunch of "hidden" files that will boot the USB drive. Next, use Apple's current installer to put the updated version of "Install macOS Sierra" (with the valid certificate but apparently a non-working createinstallmedia) back into your Applications folder of your computer. Finally, copy that app ("Install macOS Sierra") from your Applications folder onto that USB drive. Believe it or not, this WORKS. It's actually the only solution I've seen anywhere since this mess started, that works. This is only necessary for the Sierra installer. All of the other installers with updated certificates work properly with the createinstallmedia command. To verify the solution, I booted a MacBook with the USB drive prepared as described above, used Disk Utility on the USB drive to reformat the laptop's internal drive, installed macOS Sierra from the USB drive, then booted the MacBook with the USB drive removed, and ran the App Store system updates to verify that everything is working as expected.

As an aside, if you use Apple's current installer (with the valid certificate but non-working createinstallmedia) to create a NetInstall .nbi folder, that works, too. But most people don't run a NetInstall server.

As another aside, I did try moving ONLY the createinstallmedia executable from the old installer to the new installer app (by exposing the innards of the installer app using a right click and selecting "Show Package Contents") but that did not work. You still get the same error message about a bad volume mount point.
 
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Is it really necessary to use Terminal to create the bootable installer drive?
Why couldn't you simply erase the drive using Disk Utility, and copy the installer to it using the Finder?
 
John Frum said:
Is it really necessary to use Terminal to create the bootable installer drive?
Why couldn't you simply erase the drive using Disk Utility, and copy the installer to it using the Finder?
Click to expand...
This won't succeed for making a bootable installer. Using Terminal is the only way to get a Big Sur install disk, but older OS versions can use an app like DiskMaker X.
 
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