Resolved Updating To Monterray Continually Hangs: Help Please

[Robert4]

Hello,

Big problem, please.
Really need help; bad.

Did the update to Monterray.
Big mistake.

Continually hangs with the msg of "less than 1 minute"
After waiting over an hour I rebooted, and it started again with "28 minutes to go"

Hangs up every time around 1 minute.

What do I do please to get a working system ?
Going back would be fine to the older system, Sierra I think, but I can't even seem to do this.

What should I do please ?

This is sort of a lifeline for me as I'm 85 now and really need my Mac.

No idea what to try next, as restarting, or anything I do, just reverts to the 28 minute countdown, and the hangup with a minute to go.

Suggestions,
please.

Much thanks; really appreciate the help,
Bob

 

[tensixturtle]

To start with, are you able to boot into the other operating system that you have on the computer? Or does the computer not start up at all?

I might try these steps and try installing the update (directly from this thread).
1. Shutdown Router. Shutdown computer and disconnect all External Drives. Restart Router.
2. Connect to Router via Ethernet Cable. (if you have one)
3. Restart computer in Safe Mode (hold shift key at startup). Will load slowly - Normal.
4. Once Logged in - open Apple Apps Store and Get the Full Version of Monterey.

If those steps do not work or you can't start up the computer, you can boot into recovery mode (hold command-R at startup). You can click on Reinstall macOS and you won't lose data. This might help. Please let me know if it works.

 

[appltech]

I don't know your Mac exact model, but I can admit that the update process can take about ~2 hours on some computers
If you had a data backup, that's not a problem
Turn your Mac off, then turn it back on, holding 2 buttons: "Command" and "R"
When the Apple icon is shown, you can release them.
Then you should see a new window called macOS Recovery or something similar to that
From the top right corner, there should be a Wifi icon to make sure that you're connected to your Wifi network.
If you don't know about backups, select there "reinstall macOS" and proceed with instructions

If you have backups, then choose "Disk Utility" –> select the top disk from the list (left-hand side) and Find the option "Erase"
Then turn back to "macOS Recovery" (Top left corner of your screen, there should be Apple icon and near it you will find Disk Utility, click on it and from the dropdown window choose "Quit") and select "reinstall macOS"

As abovementioned, that also may be a problem with the connection but not all Macs can work with Ethernet (Internet) cables directly

 

[MajorFubar]

If it really won't install then hopefully you followed the common advice of undertaking a Time Machine backup to an external drive prior to the update, from which you can do a full system restore.

 

[Robert4]

Hi All,
Great Forum and folks on it.
Truly appreciate all the help now, and All the past help.

Seems like I'm pretty much all set now.

Problem was, and they should really fix it as I doubt I'm the only one, was that when it finally
got down to: "less than a minute now," it is a vastly inaccurate message.
I waited a good 20 minutes after, and finally went to bed.
But in the morning it was up and running correctly, and updated.
Probably needed a good hour or so more, rather than "less than a minute remaining" !

So, a big thanks again.

Will probably have a few general update questions:
Here's the first"

Re the "bar at the very top (not sure what the correct name is for it), it is Very narrow now.
With my "elderly" eyesight these days, makes it rough to see and use.

How do I make it wider, like it was before ?

And, any way of making the Mail App look Exactly like it did before ?
Usable, but a bit "convoluted" compared to the previous.

Best regards, and thanks again, really nice of you folks to take the time.
Am 85 now, and I miss many of the nuances these days, it seems,
Bob

 

[tensixturtle]

Re the "bar at the very top (not sure what the correct name is for it), it is Very narrow now.
With my "elderly" eyesight these days, makes it rough to see and use.

How do I make it wider, like it was before ?

You can go to System Preferences > Display > Scaled and then click on one of the two boxes to the left to make things on the screen bigger generally. This decreases the display resolution which means that it will be the same size as the previous resolution, but on a smaller screen, so on the same screen it appears zoomed in. Here is a good article that goes into detail some other ways to make certain things bigger on the screen.

And, any way of making the Mail App look Exactly like it did before ?
Usable, but a bit "convoluted" compared to the previous.

Unfortunately, I don't believe so. It took me a few days to get used to the new look but the main idea should be the same.

I'm glad the update worked!

 

[KaliYoni]

Much thanks; really appreciate the help,

I'm glad you find the forums here helpful. BTW, I don't think you need to worry about your age when posting or view it as a handicap to using your Apple gear easily; Apple has made its products non-intuitive and convoluted for pretty much everybody now. Apple's obsession with minimalism and change for the sake of change may win design awards from designers but has been terrible for "the rest of us".

 

[tensixturtle]

Apple has made its products non-intuitive and convoluted for pretty much everybody now. Apple's obsession with minimalism and change for the sake of change may win design awards from designers but has been terrible for "the rest of us".

I agree with @KaliYoni. I still use Tiger (2004) and Snow Leopard (2009) often for this reason, sometimes Mavericks (2013) or at least pre-Big Sur (2020). They cut down on all the clear icons over time and made a bunch of unclear black and white shapes. When I use Big Sur or Monterey, I feel like things became so lightweight and lost so much substance that it is practically going to blow away!

However, I have no doubt that you will learn to use Monterey very quickly. It's still a solid operating system with security updates and new app support, and for sure it's much easier than using Windows. Good luck