Problem updating latest High Sierra with Fusion drive

I Am told that I have the latest release candidate on my iMac. It won't install because I have a fusion drive. I have followed the "advanced" instructions using disk utility to get the fusion drive back together and then start the Install


The process installed Sierra, not High Sierra. Of course, I cannot now get back to my Time Machine backup as it won't install over Sierra.


So how do I re run this process again such that I get a High Sierra basic install so that I can get my TM backup onto my Mac?

David

Accepted Reply

I am not realy sure what your problem is? You mean creating a bootable driver like discribed here:https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/apfsfusion

Or something else?

Replies

Did you ensire all local copies of any MacOS Sierra or High Sierra installs where deleted? If it detcts one - it installs it, clue is the App Store High Sierra page shows 'Open' on the install button instead of 'Download'. Remove the installers and it will change the label and do the needful...

there cant be any installs left as the process of rebuilding the fusion drive pair , as warned in the instructions, deletes all content and reinitialises the drive pair.

I am not realy sure what your problem is? You mean creating a bootable driver like discribed here:https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/apfsfusion

Or something else?

I am guessing you might need to enroll your Mac in the beta software program again, to be able to download the macOS High Sierra GM.

I am following the instructions to get my fusion drive running. Apple have sent me to some instructions where I have to do the following:

Start the iMac using Internet Recover

Use Diskutil to create a fusion drive (this process erases my hard disk).

Choose the re-install macOS option and select the newly formatted fusion drive.

It then says that "After install completes, you'll be brought to Setup Assistant. When asked if you'd like to migrate data, choose my Time macine backup.


However - process installed a copy of Sierra NOT High Sierra and my Time Machine will not overwrite that installation.


I rather assumed that the install would use the latest High Sierra but it didn't.


I am left with a computer that now has a fusion drive (which I had lost from earlier High Sierra betas) but is back running Sierra and I am unable to recover from Time Machine.


I have tried to download the latest High Sierra beta but, when I log into my beta account, I cannot see this as a download option.


I guess my only way forward is to wait until Monday when the release High Sierra is available.

I am guessing you are right, strange tho that you got 'normal' Sierra via Internet Recover...

I did the other version (bootable USB drive with High Sierra on it) but I can't erase my HD to HFS+ only 4 other APFS options, so I am stuck 😟


Btw for other users that want to make a bootable High Sierra USB disk, the terminal input is wrong on the Apple site, it should be this (if you named that USB disk "MyVolume" first}: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra\ Beta.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra\ Beta.app

So I am in this position


If you installed a beta version of macOS High Sierra, the Fusion Drive in your Mac may have been converted to Apple File System. Because this configuration is not supported in the initial release of macOS High Sierra, we recommend that you follow the steps below to revert back to the previous disk format.


So I just went through the process by using the first option (creating a bootable USB drive) as listed here to revert back to MacOS Extended

https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/apfsfusion


The step for creating the bootable drive for me was...


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


Followed all the subsequent steps - re-formatted the Fusion drive - converted from APFS back to MacOS Extended. Restored Time Machine backup only to find APFS was reinstated....back where I started!


Seems as if the installer re-instated the APFS...Maybe I picked the wrong High Sierra Beta installer?

Are you sure you were able to erase the APFS and go back to HFS+ (MasOS Extended)? I couldn't do that, just 4 APFS versions, so I stopped. Maybe you fiound a different route?

In truth I am not sure! But I followed the instructions in steps 5,6,7 and 8 and it seemed to work. Even created a new Volume called CoreStorage Fusion with Journaled HFS+

Just concerned that the installer converted back to APFS again!

So I eventually got this to work (after a few attempts)


The secret it seems is to create the bootable drive then remove the file from the Applications directory


Using the beta GM candidate it seemed to re-format my drive back to APFS

Using the High Sierra Release - it would not Migrate the data - insisted I create a new user


Now have my Fusion Drive formatted macOS Extended (Journaled) and running High Sierra


Just cant mount my LaCie 5 Big 2 drive now...next problem 😟

I eventually went for the Internet Recovery because the macOS High Sierra Installer version gave me no options besides those four APFS versions to revert to.

And what you and I was afraid for happend to me; after Internet Recovery I had to convert back to Sierra (10.12) and before I could put back my Time Machine back up I had to upgrade to High Sierra. At this point I am doubting myself, but I could swear it was still HFS+ after the update...

So I waited for 8 hours for Time Machine to put all my stuff back and it did that very good, but only to find out that my HD was back to APFS again 😟


At this point I'm just leaving it at that and wait for Apple to fix this, because I'm not putting more hours in this mess, especcialy if you can't access your TM backup...

The same decision for me. I tried the first option of the https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/apfsfusion

Therein I found errors with the files to be used, I corrected them. For later problems in the procedure I could not find a solution. So I gave it up. The second option of the procedure seemed too risky because I expected problems again. As far as I got it, one is risking a data loss.


The problem has been made by Apple - they should remove it!


Brigitte

I am in the stuck with my fusion drive with tha last update of 17A362a. I can not update past here. Even to get back to public update of 10.13. I keep getting as far as getting the link that shows creating bootable external drive. When I do all that I get APFS as an option to format the drive not MacOS journaled. I am stuck and Apple has not been of any assistance when I tried to call. Feeling frustrated and stuck!!!

In order to get this working again for everyone, I made a list of what I found out to get your Fusion drive up and running again on a macOS Extended (Journaled) iMac running High Sierra. With great help from this forum!


1. The first thing you should do is unenroll your machine from the Beta High Sierra software https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/unenroll

2. Make sure you have a good backup, preferably a Time Machine backup, so you will get all your settings etc like you want them.

3. Have your iPhone, iPad or whatever internet device at hand and go to https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/apfsfusion On that page scroll down to Using Internet Recovery. And go to this page where my/this explanation is https://forums.developer.apple.com/message/272368

4. Restart your computer and use Internet Recovery (hold Option + Command + R keys).

5. Make sure you have a keyboard and mouse with wires! Because Bluetooth won’t work for a while.

6. Go through the steps and commands as listed on https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/apfsfusion the Using Internet Recovery part. I know they seem a bit difficult, but hey, your Mac is stuck anyway. Just make sure you type those commands exactly the same even the spaces are important!

7. The first command you will type is “diskutil list internal” now you see a list of disks connected to your Mac. Look for the internal disks (disk0 and disk1 in the example, but they could be different numbers in your case!) and write them down. They are the ones labeled (internal) and (internal, physical).

8. In step 5 use “diskutil unmount force /Volumes/APFS_Fusion_Volume” command, just to be sure.

9. In step 6 and further make sure you use the disk numbers you wrote down!

10. If all goes well you can choose the "Reinstall macOS" option and select the "CoreStorage Fusion" volume as the target. But I didn’t choose to migrate my data just yet and created a new user with a different name as the name I had on the iMac.

11. After starting up (as a new user) with a clean and fresh iMac, I first checked if it was HFS+ and the Public Beta option wasn’t activated (a bit unnecessary but after so many fails I just had to know).

12. Now I updated to the latest version of High Sierra and made a new (super)user with the same name and password I had on my 'old' account.

13. I restarted, logged in to my ‘old’ account, removed the one I made and used Migration Assistant to get my TM backup on my iMac again.

14. After several hours I had my iMac back again, with everything in place and blazing fast! 🙂


Note: If anybody sees a fault in my steps let me know, I will correct my faults so nobody will get into trouble…


Cheers and hope everybody gets their Fusion iMacs back!