[Hidden-tech] MacBook Air help needed re: Issues with updating MacAir

[B. Kimo Lee]

Hi Gary,

I recently upgraded an Early 2014 11” MacBook Air from Yosemite to Big Sur for my significant other. The initial problem was that there wasn’t enough space on the drive to accommodate the 35 GB Big Sur OS plus the extra 10% minimum free space required. 

I’d imagine that you wouldn’t have gotten as far as you did without getting a message saying there isn’t enough free space on the drive to install the OS. So maybe space isn’t your issue?

Anyway, for what’s it’s worth, because of the space issue, I purchased an 1.0TB Aura Pro X2 SSD Upgrade (Blade Only) for Select 2013 & Later Macs
$229.00
https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/S3DAPT4MB10/ 

I downloaded and created a bootable installer on an USB thumb drive with High Sierra on it. (I actually made two USB Installers, one with High Sierra, and the second with Big Sur on it).

HOW TO CREATE A BOOTABLE INSTALLER FOR MAC OS:
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372

I took a Time Machine backup to an external drive.

I installed the new SSD drive into the Air and booted from the USB installer and installed the OS that way. I’m pretty sure I ended up installing High Sierra first and then upgraded to Big Sur. For some reason I vaguely recall that Big Sur wouldn’t install. Not clear on that. Anyway, you can always reformat using the utilities on the USB boot drive and try installing again.

Then I transferred the files from the Time Machine backup to the new drive. 

Seems to me that if you have the space, you could reformat your current SSD and do the same process — assuming you took the Time Machine backup first.

Hope this helps somehow. Good luck.

Best,
Kimo

PS: The Air runs awesome now on Big Sur.



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On Nov 30, 2021, at 5:07 PM, bluemoon--- via Hidden-discuss <hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net> wrote:

> I am trying to help my son with updating his computer. I have spent many, many hours working with Apple support and for some reason his MacBook Air, circa 2014, running Yosemite, simply will not accept an OS update. I've figured out all kinds of things to try. I've tried going back to El Capitan all the way up to Big Sur. The versions prior to High Sierra (El Capitan and Sierra) have directly downloadable DMGs which I have downloaded AND attempted to install both. I follow the steps and it gives me the message that it was successfully installed but it actually isn't.
> 
> I've gone to the Apple store and attempted to download High Sierra and others and get an error message telling me the service is not available and to try again later after clicking on "Get."
> 
> I've done internet recovery two or three times and various other things accessed through various reboot options, i.e. option command r for internet recovery mode, Shift for safe mode, command r, etc. including Disk Repair, reinstall OS, and none of them work to resolve the issue. I've tried reinstalling Yosemite and that isn't working either because it is already installed.
> 
> Apple Support says it needs to go to Apple store for possible hardware issue which I suspect will cost more than it's worth both for such an old machine or than he might be able to get a replacement used one for, which he already can't afford.
> 
> Anyone else ever run into this and have any suggestions? It's frustrating as all heck!
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Gary
> Posted on Nov 30, 2021 9:39 AM
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