macOS installation problem happens all the time. After downloading the macOS installer, you try to install the macOS Catalina/Mojave, macOS Sierra or High Sierra but the installation get stuck. The progress bar has been stuck at 40% or something, showing: 'Installation is in progress. Calculating time remaining...'
- To Download And Restore Macos Your Computer's Eligibility A Required Download Is Missing
- To Download And Restore Macos Your Computer's Eligibility Loading Installation Information
- To Download And Restore Macos Your Computer's Eligibility Stuck
If your macOS update also get stuck at 'Installation is in progress. Calculating time remaining...' Here shows you how to confirm if the installation is still going on and how to complete the update successfully.
The OS X Utilities window appears. Select Reinstall OS X, and click Continue. The OS X Mountain Lion splash screen appears. A sheet appears informing you that your computer’s eligibility needs to be verified by Apple. Click Continue to begin the process of installing or reinstalling OS X. May 31, 2019 Although macOS works well, it’s not always perfect. When you experience setbacks, see if the issue can be resolved by simply turning your computer off and on again. If not, you’ll want to backup your computer. At this point, you can recover, restore and reinstall your macOS. However, this is not always needed.
- Hi, This morning I decided to factory reset my macbook pro via Internet recovery (command-opt-r security options erase). And when I tried to reinstall the OS X, I get to the 'to download and restore OS X, your computer's eligibility will be verified with Apple' part, click continue, and the colourful spinning wheel would come up before I get the 'request timed out' message.
- Aug 10, 2020 macOS Recovery makes it easy to reinstall the Mac operating system, even if you need to erase your startup disk first. All you need is a connection to the Internet. If a wireless network is available, you can choose it from the Wi-Fi menu, which is also available in macOS Recovery.
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1.Check If the Install is Still Going on
Sometimes, it just takes a very long time for you MacBook or iMac to install the macOS Sierra or High Sierra update. So it doesn't necessarily mean that the macOS installation is frozen when the Mac stay at “20 minutes remaining” for two hours. And forcing restarting a Mac during OS installation may cause data loss. Therefore, before taking further action, press Command + L , which will open the log file and shows you if the installation is still going on and the amount of time left.
If you confirm that the installation is frozen, try the following methods to fix.
2. Force Restart Your Mac
Hold down the power button to power off the Mac. Then restart the Mac. After the Mac reboots, try to install the macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra again.
If the installation get stuck when you try to update the Mac from Mac App Store, you may download macOS software from Apple website, which is the Combo updater which includes all the files required to update the macOS.
3. Install macOS in Safe Mode
Another way to install Catalina, Mojave, Sierra or High Sierra successfully is to install the macOS in safe mode. To get your Mac into Safe mode:
As you Mac start up, hold down the Shift key until the Apple logo appears.When you Mac is in Safe mode, go to App Store and get the High Sierra update.
4. Reset the NVRAM
If the Sierra or High Sierra installation is still won't complete in Safe mode, you can try to reset the NVRAM. NVRAM is a memory section on your Mac that store data like volume settings, screen resolution.
To reset the NVRAM on Mac, restart Mac and hold down Command + Option + P + R.The Mac will restart with options in NVRAM resetting. Now try to update your Mac.
5. Reinstall macOS in Recovery Mode
This will help you to install macOS Sierra or High Sierra and newer versions, without data loss.
Restart your mac and hold down the Command + R to boot your Mac into Recovery mode.
Click Disk Utility and choose First Aid for your startup drive.
Restart the Mac again when this time, press Command + Option + R to get your Mac in Internet Recovery mode.
Choose Install a new copy of MAC OS and wait for the installation to complete.
If you have a Time Machine backup, restore your Mac from the backup in Recovery mode. After the restoration, try to install the macOS again.
6. Clean Install from External Drive
To Download And Restore Macos Your Computer's Eligibility A Required Download Is Missing
If none of the above methods work for your Mac, you can try to clean install the macOS Sierra or High Sierra from external drive. Here is the complete guide of how to clean install macOS High Sierra on Mac.
7. Recover Mac Files When Catalina/Mojave/High Sierra Installation Is Stuck
After fixing the frozen macOS installation issue, you may found some files missing on your Mac. If so, you can use FonePaw Data Recovery to recover the deleted data from Mac. The program can restore the missing documents, photos and more from hard drive, SD card, USB drive on Mac and Windows PC. Download the Mac version of FonePaw Data Recovery to have a try.
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Step 1. Run the program.
Step 2. Select one or all categories: photos, videos, audio, documents, email or others. Then select the hard drive of your Mac. Click Scan.
Step 3. Once the scanning is stopped, you can view the deleted files and choose the needed one to recover to your Mac.
If the macOS installation on your Mac is still stuck or frozen, describe the problem below.
Did macOS update such as Catalina or Mojave update deleted everything on your Mac? If yes, don't worry. You can follow this post to easily recover files after macOS Catalina or Mojave, etc., from Time Machine backup, iCloud backup, APFS snapshot, or using EaseUS Mac file recovery software.
Have you encountered the frequently happening issue that Mac update deletes everything? Don't worry. This page has solved the problem with four workable solutions:
Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
---|---|
Fix 1. Recover Lost Data with Software | Download EaseUS file recovery software > select the location > scan...Full steps |
Fix 2. Restore from Time Machine Backup | Step 1. Open up Launchpad on Mac, click 'Others'. Step 2. Find and enter Time Machine...Full steps |
Fix 3. Recover from iCloud Backup | Open Cloud.com > Go to Settings > Select 'Restore Files' under Advanced...Full steps |
Fix 4. Recover from APFS Snapshot | Restart Mac and hold Command + R > Recovery Mode > Select 'Restore from Time Machine Backup'...Full steps |
New Features of macOS Catalina 10.15
After Mojave, the latest version of macOS - Catalina is now available to download. Most Mac users have their macOS from Mojave 10.14 to Catalina 10.15. It’s free and worthwhile to upgrade your Mac and enjoy the new features of Catalina.
- 1. Remove iTunes: Beginning with Catalina, iTunes is expected to be replaced by Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Podcasts.
- 2. Support Second Screen: Catalina also offers second screen support for utilizing iPads as a companion second screen from Mac computers.
- 3. Sidecar - use your iPad as drawing tablet: After connecting the iPad through Sidecar, users can use Apple pencil to draw and annotate things to iPad.
- 4. Screen Time: Screen Time allows users to set App Limits across all of your Apple devices, not just your Mac.
- 5. Updated Photos App: The Photos app curates and features your best photos, removing poor-quality photos and duplicate shots.
However, during the upgrading process, you be faced with data loss problems. Back up your Mac data before you take action. If you have lost data, see the following part.
Mac Update Deleted Everything
'I updated my Mac to Catalina 10.15 and lost everything. My entire hard drive has been wiped. Nothing on my desktop, documents, mail, folders etc. The applications are there, but that's it. My mail is gone, my profile appears as though it has been newly created. Is there any way I can restore the lost files or am I screwed...'
To most Mac users who lost data during macOS update, they all have three questions on their minds: 1. Why macOS update deleted everything? 2. Is lost data recoverable? 3. How to get the new features and get back lost data?
As a matter of fact, very few Mac users know the causes of data loss after macOS updates. To start Mac data recovery due to macOS update, check the causes first and learn why your data can be restored.
Why macOS update deleted everything
Generally, a subsequent major release of macOS won't erase or touch user data. Pre-installed apps and configurations will also be kept in the upgrade. However, you should be cautious and be responsible for the sanity of your data. Upgrades doesn't negate the possibility of going wrong, and in the unlikely case, you may lose access to data due to the following causes:
- Hard drive failure or file system error
- Unfinished macOS update, macOS update failure, or OS crash
- Not enough space on the hard drive for OS update
Is lost data recoverable?
To Download And Restore Macos Your Computer's Eligibility Loading Installation Information
In fact, lost files can be recovered. When a file is accidentally or intentionally deleted from Mac, only the pointer to it is deleted, not the actual file. The data is not physically deleted from the system until it is overwritten with new data.
If you find your files missing after mac update, stop using the device to avoid writing any new data on the hard drive. Then follow the solutions below to recover lost data after the macOS 10.15 update.
Solutions to Recover Files After macOS Catalina/Mojave Update
When Mac update deletes everything on your computer, try the following solutions to recover all missing files.
If you have backups, you can retrieve data from the backup. If you have no backup, you must use professional Mac data recovery software to get back data as soon as possible.
Solution 1. Recover Lost Data with EaseUS Data Recovery Software for Mac
EaseUS Mac data recovery software - Data Recovery Wizard for Mac can recover lost data after macOS 10.15 update. Besides, if you are faced with the following problem, you can also use this data recovery software to regain the deleted or missing data.
To Download And Restore Macos Your Computer's Eligibility Stuck
Let's see how to recover lost data and missing files after Mac update:
Step 1. Where was data lost after operating system update? Choose the location and click Scan.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.
Step 3. After the scan, select the target files that were unknowingly lost during or after the update and click Recover Now button to get them all back.
Solution 2. Restore macOS Catalina/Mojave Data from Time Machine Backup
This method works well only if you have Time Machine backups. You can easily get deleted, lost, or missing data back by following these steps:
Step 1.Open up Launchpad on Mac, click 'Others'.
Step 2. Find Time Machine icon and click it to enter Time Machine.
Step 3. Use the up and down arrow to scroll the timeline to browse the backups.
Step 4. After finding the files that you want to recover and click 'Restore' to recover those lost data from Time Machine on macOS Catalina/Mojave.
Solution 3. Recover Missing/Lost Files from iCloud Backup
Some Mac users have the habit of backing up their data and files to iCloud. To these Mac users, it seems to be good news when their files are missing or lost after macOS update.
Here are the steps to bring lost Mac files from iCloud backup:
Step 1. Go to iCloud.com in your Mac browser and log in with your Apple ID.
Step 2. Go to Setting and scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Step 3. At the bottom left, click on 'Restore Files' under Advanced.
Tips: To restore contacts, bookmarks, calendars, and reminders from iCloud, click the corresponding option under Advanced.
Step 4. Check the files you want to restore or click 'Select All' if you really need to restore everything. Click the Restore button to recover them.
Solution 4. Restore Files from APFS Snapshot using macOS Recovery
Being similar to System Restore in Windows OS, macOS like High Sierra, Mojave, and Catalina also enable users to use macOS Recovery feature to restore files from APFS snapshot. It only works on macOS Catalina, Mojave, and High Sierra.
A snapshot will automatically be taken once the install or update of your macOS starts. You need to agree to the license terms so to enable snapshots to start. A snapshot contains the current state of the target disk, including files, macOS version, etc. Also note that snapshots are a feature of APFS, and if the target drive is not formatted with APFS no snapshot will be saved.
If you don't want to revert macOS Catalina or Mojave to the previous state, go back to solution 1 and let reliable Mac file recovery software help.
If your Mac hard drive is with APFS, you can accept the result of restoring files from APFS snapshot, bringing macOS to the previous state, follow the steps below:
Step 1. Restart Mac and hold Command + R in the meantime to boot into Recovery Mode.
Release these keys when you see the Apple logo.
Step 2. Select Restore From Time Machine Backup and then click the Continue button.
Step 3. Disks connected to your Mac that contain APFS snapshots will be listed. Select the Mac startup disk and click 'Continue'.
Step 4. A list of snapshots will be displayed sorted by date with the created image of macOS version. Select the snapshot you wish to restore from, then click 'Continue'.
You will see a process bar, and your Mac will reboot automatically when the recovery is over. After Mac reboots, you can see and access your lost files on your Mac with the previous macOS. If you still want to update to the latest macOS, back up your Mac data and try again.
Conclusion
This page covers 4 practical files to help Mac users to restore missing or lost files due to macOS update. If macOS Catalina or Mojave update deletes everything from your Mac, you can restore lost files from your backup:
Time Machine Backup, iCloud Backup, APFS Snapshot.
If you have no backup, don't worry. You still have a chance by the help of professional data recovery software, like EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. It will fully scan and find all your lost Mac files deleted by macOS update in only three steps.