Users of Mac computers with an Apple M1 installed report that the device crashes after the system is restored. According to the instructions, the computer displays an error message during the reinstallation of the operating system, but cannot restart the previous system, locking the device.
So far there are three similar reports on the MacRumors forums. They report that their attempts to restore the macOS from a new Mac to the factory version (as default format) failed, but were met with a persistent error message: “An error occurred while preparing an update. Custom software update failed. Please try again”.
“I just received my MacBook Pro with M1 and MacBook Air, and since it doesn’t require any of the software that came with it, this is the standard operating system recovery process to get rid of Garage Band and iMovie and the like quickly. RyanFlynn is one of the users in forum posts. That states, “An error occurred during the installation process regarding ‘custom system updates’.
RyanFlynn then contacted Apple Care, the company’s support department, and a few hours later picked up the phone, where the caregiver told him that 75 other people were calling to report the same problem, but they still had no solution. “I was advised to return the device or wait for a solution. Without a valid operating system, future updates cannot be installed. The device is completely unusable. He closed.
Other users who were victims of the problem found a solution to the problem. They recalled the Apple support instructions about reconfiguring devices equipped with Apple M1 – a process that requires the latest version of Apple Configurator 2, a working replacement Mac, and the cables to connect these devices.
This process restores the affected Mac firmware and updates the RecoveryOS to the latest version, uninstalls and installs the macOS version, and deletes all personal data. According to MacRumors, two readers who participated in the forum prevented widespread failure with this solution.