Reinstall Mac Os X Catalina

How to fix macOS Catalina boot problems. If you've installed macOS Catalina, but your Mac won't start, then restart your Mac and hold down Command, Option, P and R, which will reset the NVRAM (non. This article guides you through the process of performing a clean installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina using the bootable USB drive method, rather than upgrading your Mac using Apple's standard. Set the Format type to APFS (SSDs only) or Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Apply button, then wait for the Done button to activate and click on it. Quit Disk Utility and return to the Utility Menu. Select Install OS X and click on the Continue button. This will install the version of OS X you had installed.

Jul 05, 2021 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

There are many issues that people may encounter while installing the macOS update. One of the common problems is that the recovery server could not be contacted. When trying to install macOS High Sierra, Mojave, or Catalina, there is an error message popping up: The recovery server could not be contacted.

If your macOS update is also stopped by this error, you will find this post helpful. From this post, you will learn why the recovery server could not be contacted and how to fix it.

What Does It Mean When the Recovery Server Could Not Be Contacted?

When installing a macOS update with a macOS installer, your Mac needs to reach the Apple server. When it says 'the recovery server could not be contacted, it means that your Mac failed to build a connection with the Apple server.

There are multiple culprits behind this issue.

Your Mac is disconnected from the network. A stable network connection is required for your Mac to successfully contact the Apple server.
The date and time on your Mac are not properly synced with the Apple recovery server.
The Apple server is overloaded with too many users trying to installing the new update at the same time. Whenever there is a macOS update recently released, the Apple server usually experiences a busy time.

Solution 1: Check Network Connection on Mac

Firstly, you need to check if your Mac is connected to a proper internet connection. If your Mac is on a wired internet connection, you can re-plug the Ethernet cable to check.

If your Mac is using a Wi-Fi, you can access the Wi-Fi option from the top right corner of your screen to check it is connected to a stable Wi-Fi network.

The faster the internet, the quicker you can access the Apple recovery server.

Solution 2: Sync your Mac' Date and Time to Apple Recovery Server

If your Mac's date and times are not synced to the Apple recovery server. You can update these settings by utilizing these steps;

Step 1: First of all, close the error. This will open the macOS Utilities window.
Step 2: Next, you are required to choose the option 'Utilities' on the top menu bar.
Step 3: You will see the option 'Terminal', double click on it.
Step 4: Then type the following command line: 'ntpdate -u time.apple.com' and press enter.
Step 5: The above step might take some time. Once the process is completed, you can try reinstalling the macOS update again. Hopefully, your problem will be solved.

Also if the 'ntpdate -u time.apple.com' command-line failed to fix the recovery server could not be contacted on your Mac, you can try the following command.

Open Terminal.
Enter date. And hit Enter key. This will show the date of your Mac.
If the date and time are wrong, you should enter the current time with the following command line: date mmddhhssyy. For example, if it is July 20, 09:00 am, 2020, you should enter: date 0720090020 (July 20, 09:00 am, 2020,).
After that, quit Terminal and click Reinstall macOS to run the Catalina/Mojave installer again.

Solution 3: Install the Full Version of Mojave/Catalina Installer

Some users found that when they try to install a macOS update with the update installer from App Store, it just showed the error message 'the recovery server could not be contacted. However, after downloading a full version of the macOS installer, the installer can run without any error. Here is how you can get a full version of the macOS Catalina update.

Step 1Run Terminal.

Step 2For example, to download the full version of the macOS Catalina 10.15.3 Installer Application, enter the command line as below.

softwareupdate --fetch-full-installer --full-installer-version 10.15.3

Step 3The installer will be downloaded in the Application folder.

Step 4Run the installer to install the macOS without the recovery server error.

Solution 4: Erase Your Disk and Reinstall macOS

In case you have utilized all the above methods and have not received any good results. Only then, you can erase your hard disk and reinstall macOS. You can enter the recovery mode to erase the hard disk. After that, reinstalling macOS can solve your problem. Follow the steps properly erase your hard disk and reinstall macOS;

Step 1Firstly, you need to restart your Mac.

Step 2When the Mac is starting, you need to press and hold CDM + R keys to enter the recovery mode.

Reinstall Mac Os Catalina From Recovery Mode

Step 3In the Recovery mode, click Disk Utility and erase the Macintosh HD volume. This will delete all your data on your Mac so make sure you have backed up your important data.

Step 4After erasing your disk, you can reinstall macOS. This time, you won't see the recovery server could not be contacted error.

If you have important data missing after the macOS update, you can get it back by using Recoverit Data Recovery software. The program is designed to recover photos, documents, videos, emails, etc. from the Mac computer after the data are deleted mistakenly or lost because of macOS reinstallation, factory reset, or virus.

Lost data can be recovered in 3 simple steps by Recoverit: select the drive of lost data, scan the drive, recover the files.

Download the free trial version of Recoverit Data Recovery to scan and find your needed files.

Conclusion

Many users complained about the recovery server could not be contacted error. Every error is solvable, only if you apply proper solutions. And to tackle the incidents that may happen in the macOS update, you need to back up your data before implementing any of the steps. In case your data is lost, you can recover it using Recoverit Data Recovery.

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If you have installed Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave or earlier versions, you may have to reinstall macOS for following reasons:

Reinstall When There is New macOS Version Available

How do i wipe my mac and reinstall catalina

Apple keeps working constantly to fix bugs, make performance tweaks, add new features or enhance coding. Therefore, doubtless, there will be new versions of macOS available to upgrade and reinstall.

Your Mac is Running Slow

As we all know, for no specific reason, system reinstallation can magically solve a slow Mac in most cases.

Your System Keeps Crashing or Works Improperly

When you continuously see error messages appear on your mac, or your programs randomly crash/freeze for no reason, like FaceTime won't work, Contacts or Calendar shows a delay or mess, blue teeth or WiFi won't connect…Then, you have a good reason to reinstall macOS.

You are Going to Sell the Mac

In the case that you want to sell your mac, besides erasing all your personal data and traces on the mac, you will need to reinstall macOS as well.

It is not complicate to reinstall macOS Big Sur or Catalina, but if you want to reinstall macOS without losing data, there are 3 steps you must follow.

Recover Files after macOS Reinstall

Recover data lost due to macOS reinstallation, upgrade, downgrade
Recover data lost due to accident deletion, formatting, etc.
Restore data from both internal and external storage device
Recover videos, audios, images, documents, and other 200+ files
5 recovery modes to find files back easily
High recovery rate
Support Big Sur, Catalina, Mojave and earlier

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3 Steps to Reinstall macOS Big Sur or Catalina without Losing Data

We all save tons of data on our Mac, so when we decide to reinstall macOS Big Sur/Catalina, the top concern always goes to “will I lost everything if I reinstall macOS”. In fact, reinstallation of macOS doesn’t necessarily cause lost data, it just create a new copy, your existing files and data saved in programs won't be altered or deleted. But just in case of bad luck, we need to do some work on BACKUP, this is crucial for macOS reinstallation without losing data.

Step 1. Prepare Your Mac for Reinstallation.

Make enough room for Big Sur or Catalina reinstallation, at least 36GB, so the reinstallation process won't pause or stopped for insufficient space.
Also, quit all apps or programs under work, so your Mac is fully geared to reinstall.
Check drive conditions. Open Disk Utility and perform the Frist Aid on your hard drive where to reinstall the macOS to make sure your drive is in good condition for reinstallation.

Step 2. Backup All Your Files for macOS Install (Crucial)

Backup is an indispensable step involved in the macOS reinstallation, here are several options to backup your data.

Option One: Using Time Machine

Go to Finder>Application, launch Time Machine and choose “Set Up Time Machine”.
Click “Select Backup Disk” to choose an external hard drive to back up the files.
Then Check the box before “Back Up Automatically”. Also, you can adjust the backup setting in menu “Options”.

If this is the first time you use Time Machine to backup, wait patiently for Time Machine to complete the backup, it will prompt the notification once finishes.

Option Two: Using Hard Drive

Connect your hard drive to Mac.
Open Finder to check if your hard drive is present under “Devices”.
Create a new folder, copy and paste or directly move the items you want to save from Mac to this folder.
Finally, eject your hard drive.

Option Three: Using iCloud Service (Backup Desk and Documents Folders)

Go to Finder>System Preference, click on “iCloud” to bring up its main interface.
Click the “Options” button for “iCloud”, and check the box before “Desktop and Documents Folders”, then click on “Done”.

Most of our mac users prefer to backup all files but apps. So, to save you from troubles of lost data due to macOS reinstallation, you are recommended to keep records of what apps you have installed, the account and password, also, you can take screenshots of the settings.

Step 3. Reinstall macOS Big Sur or Catalina without Losing Data.

Option #1: Reinstall macOS without Losing Data From Internet Recovery

Click the Apple icon>Restart.
Hold down the key combination: Command+R, you will see the Apple logo.
Then choose “Reinstall macOS Big Sur” from utilities window and click “Continue”.
Select your hard drive, click “Install” and wait for end of reinstallation.

Option #2 Reinstall macOS without Losing Data From USB

Reinstall Mac Os Catalina

Download the macOS Big Sur install from Mac App Store onto your Mac;
Then connect the USB flash drive to your Mac;
Open Disk Utility program on your Mac, choose the USB flash drive and click Erase to have a clean drive for the reinstallation;
Open Terminal, copy and paste sudo /Applications/Install macOS Big Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia;
Then add the volume of usb flash drive: --volume /Volumes/MyVolume, replace MyVolume with your usb flash drive name, mine is Untitled;
Press Enter, input password and wait for the process to finish;
Quit Terminal, restart your Mac, hold Command+R when starting Mac until you see the apple logo;
Login into your Mac with password, go to the menu bar>Utilities>Startup Security Utility, enter password again;
Choose Medium Security under Secure Boot and allow booting from external media;
Restart your Mac, in the same time, hold the Option key;
Choose Install macOS Big Sur, click Next and input password, choose Install macOS, continue to finish mac reinstallation from usb.

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What if You Lost Data After macOS Big Sur Reinstallation?

However, losing data after reinstallation still happens. It may result from a interrupted installation (power-off/poor internet connection), corrupt setup, insufficient space or improper actions. Then, what to do if you lost data after reinstallation? Here are 2 methods.

Method 1: Use Cisdem Data Recovery to Recover Data

In the case you didn’t do backup before reinstallation, you will need a dedication data recovery program to find the lost data for you.

Here we recommend Cisdem Data Recovery, a powerful mac program allowing users to recover lost/deleted/corrupted/formatted files from a wide range of external or internal storage devices, no matter the file is lost due to human errors, power-off, reinstallation, upgrade, virus attack or disk crash.

Main Features of Cisdem Data Recovery

Recover files lost due to OS reinstallation, upgrade, downgrade;
Recover deleted, formatted and lost files;
Restore files from internal and external hard drive, USB, SD Card, flash drive, etc.;
Restore videos, audios, images, documents, archives, 200+ types;
5 recovery modes: Basic, External Drive, Formatted Drive, Trash, Advanced;
Preview files before recovery;
Fast scanning and recovery;

How To Erase And Reinstall Macos Catalina

Steps to Recover Lost Data after MacOS Reinstallation

Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery on Mac.
Free Download
Choose a Recovery Mode according to your need.
If you want an efficient recovery, choose “Basic Data Recovery”, if you want to recover files with a higher success rate, try “Advanced Data Recovery”.
Select the hard drive where you originally stored the files on mac. Then click “Scan”.
Check and preview files found by Cisdem Data Recovery.
Select files to recover.
Check the box before files that you want to recover, then click “Recover” to find back the lost data caused by reinstallation.

Method 2: Use Time Machine to Recover Data with Backup

If you have backed up your files on mac, you can use Time Machine to restore the lost data.

Step1. Go to Finder>Applications>Time Machine, launch it and choose “Enter Time Machine”.
Step2. In the popped-up window, use the arrows and timeline to browse the local snapshots and backups.
Step3. Find the deleted files, then click “Restore” to recover the lost data caused by reinstallation.

Reinstall Mac Os X Catalina

Conclusion

The key to reinstall mac OS Big Sur, Catalina or Mojave without losing data is the backup, since no one can guarantee all data will be perfectly maintained after macOS reinstallation. However, if we unfortunately lost files after macOS reinstallation, Time Machine or Cisdem Data Recovery is helpful to recover them back.

How To Reinstall Mac Os X Catalina

So, do you have any other tips to reinstall macOS without losing data? Please share with more of our mac users.