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Had an issue with the document folder with question mark Did the following Changed the HDD cable ( took all precautions) also upgraded to Samsung SSD still can’t install OSX 1- LIon - won’t see the hard drive 2- Mojave via USB - application could not be installed 3- Catalina via cmnf option R - application could not be installed error reset PRAM time is also up to date on terminal . In UTC ( am in EST)) still it’s accurate not sure what else to do here the old hard drive I had works fine if used externally the cable was replaced cause there were a couple of instances when the drive didn’t show up in disk utility and I was told that these old laptops are prone to this error now am not sure what else to do how can I install a OS - any OS really please help and advise
You’re hitting a known issue within Apples OS installers. Each version has a certificate which over time expires. When that happens the installer won’t install! Depending on the release version Apple does offer updated installers, otherwise we need to fake-out the installer making it think its back in time! If you’ve got an old macOS install image, it will probably stop working today Your systems works best with HFS+ file system as such you should stick with Sierra as the highest version. Yes, High Sierra, Mojave & Catalina all will work as well but your systems SATA interface makes them run poorly with APFS which is required with them. If you had a PCIe interface like a retina model that would make a big difference! OK, so going with Sierra here the needed installer How to upgrade to macOS Sierra Jump down to Step 4 to get the needed installer link. Using a fresh USB thumb drive formatted with GUID and a journaled file system (HFS+) follow this guide to create a bootable OS installer How to create a bootable macOS Sierra installer drive to use to setup your new drive.
