[HELP] "Media is damaged and need to download again"

[QBox-GHub]

Prerequisites

• I have read the README.md
• I have searched existing issues and discussions
• I've starred the repo ⭐ (or will star it later!)

macOS Version

macOS 13 Ventura

System Info

Host: Proxmox 9.1.5
Hardware:
Architecture:                x86_64
  CPU op-mode(s):            32-bit, 64-bit
  Address sizes:             39 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
  Byte Order:                Little Endian
CPU(s):                      8
  On-line CPU(s) list:       0-7
Vendor ID:                   GenuineIntel
  Model name:                Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8650U CPU @ 1.90GHz
    CPU family:              6
    Model:                   142
    Thread(s) per core:      2
    Core(s) per socket:      4
    Socket(s):               1
    Stepping:                10
    CPU(s) scaling MHz:      65%
    CPU max MHz:             4200.0000
    CPU min MHz:             400.0000
    BogoMIPS:                4199.88
    Flags:                   fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush d
                             ts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx pdpe1gb rdtscp lm constant_tsc 
                             art arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid aperfmperf pn
                             i pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx smx est tm2 ssse3 sdbg fma cx16 xtpr pdcm p
                             cid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic movbe popcnt tsc_deadline_timer aes xsave avx f16c rdran
                             d lahf_lm abm 3dnowprefetch cpuid_fault epb pti ssbd ibrs ibpb stibp tpr_shadow f
                             lexpriority ept vpid ept_ad fsgsbase tsc_adjust bmi1 avx2 smep bmi2 erms invpcid 
                             mpx rdseed adx smap clflushopt intel_pt xsaveopt xsavec xgetbv1 xsaves dtherm ida
                              arat pln pts hwp hwp_notify hwp_act_window hwp_epp vnmi md_clear flush_l1d arch_
                             capabilities
Virtualization features:     
  Virtualization:            VT-x
Caches (sum of all):         
  L1d:                       128 KiB (4 instances)
  L1i:                       128 KiB (4 instances)
  L2:                        1 MiB (4 instances)
  L3:                        8 MiB (1 instance)
NUMA:                        
  NUMA node(s):              1
  NUMA node0 CPU(s):         0-7

VM Config or QEMU cmdline

agent: 1
allow-ksm: 0
balloon: 0
bios: ovmf
boot: order=ide2;virtio0;net0;ide0
cores: 4
cpu: Skylake-Client-v4
efidisk0: DS916-CIFS:103/vm-103-disk-0.qcow2,efitype=4m,size=528K
ide0: DS416-ISO:iso/macOS_Ventura_13.7.1_22H221.iso,media=cdrom,size=14848M
ide2: DS416-ISO:iso/LongQT-OpenCore-v0.6.iso,media=cdrom,size=15682K
machine: q35
memory: 8192
meta: creation-qemu=10.1.2,ctime=1770823580
name: Ventura
net0: virtio=BC:24:11:15:EA:82,bridge=vmbr1,tag=23
numa: 0
ostype: l26
scsihw: virtio-scsi-single
smbios1: uuid=6f8b24d1-ce6d-430a-866a-f66e3cfc81ed
sockets: 1
virtio0: DS916-CIFS:103/vm-103-disk-1.qcow2,backup=0,iothread=1,size=100G
vmgenid: 806985e7-8350-46cb-84fb-e1ff2bc90d6d

Problem Description

Hello, I'm trying to create a MacOS VM. Tried from Monterey to Sequoia with no success.
All fail with message Media is damaged and need to download again.

I have tried all possible options changing CPU / SCSI Controller / VM type / GPU passthrough, all end with same message at same point. Config has 4x CPU, 8GB RAM.
Tried as well changing date / disconnect. Message is always the same.

Is there any specific info I can provide to help solve this and proceed with install please? Thanks a lot

What You've Tried

No response

Additional Context

No response

[LongQT-sea]

The README.md says to get the macOS installer from: https://github.com/LongQT-sea/macos-iso-builder

Do it and try again using a high-quality macOS installer image.

[QBox-GHub]

Hi Tieu Long,
Thanks for your reply. I created the Full Image for macOS_Sequoia_15.7.3.iso on Dec 30 and no luck. That's why I tried older releases. I will try again and update here in case. Thanks

[LongQT-sea]

You should try putting the macOS installer ISO image on Proxmox VE internal storage (local) instead of DS916-CIFS.

[QBox-GHub]

Excellent suggestion. This was on my list to try and I forgot.!
Also, if it makes any difference , the disks for EFI and OS are in qcow2 format on a SMB share available to PVE Host.
I will update here with results.

[QBox-GHub]

Hi Tieu Long,
Looks like it is a no go. I have tried again with full Sequoia image generated.
This time I included both Installer and Recovery logs using Skylake-client-v4 first and Host later (logs starting with 2)
Would appreciate if you manage to find something from these logs
Link to download folder

[LongQT-sea]

It looks like it’s almost at one-third. Now use this macOS Recovery ISO instead of the full installer image, it will download the full installer directly from Apple and install it.

https://github.com/Maciox55/macos-iso-builder/actions/runs/21879880170

[QBox-GHub]

Hello Tieu Long,
Thanks to your suggestion I made some progress. With Recovery ISO now writes about 29.6 GiB on disk and then fails with message about error loading update. Screenshot and Installer logs attached. I would appreciated if you have a chance to look at these. Thanks a lot.
Link

[LongQT-sea]

At this point, it’s either an unreliable disk operation or a RAM issue.

For RAM: reboot your Proxmox host. At the GRUB bootloader menu, select memtest86+ and run a full memory test.

For disk: try installing using a local qcow2 disk stored on Proxmox’s internal storage (either local or local-lvm) instead of network or external storage.

[QBox-GHub]

Hi Tieu Long,
I would like to express my gratitude for all your work. After so many days/weeks trying to sort it, is now resolved.

It turns out the Memtest86+ revealed issues with memory. After changing them (luckily I had other one available), the Recovery install worked fine. I'm now testing the VM and works like a champ! Really appreciated!

Next item I would like to solve is the iGPU on Intel NUC. This is a UHD 620 and I tried the IGDs for Skylake/Comet/Universal with no luck. The MacOS VM is starting but VNCProxy console error shows up all the time.

BTW, I'm using the Skylake-Client-v4 and performance are great, all considering. Also, fresh install of Sequoia is just over 18 GB on disk! That's awesome :)

Do you think is there anything else I could check? Thanks a lot for all your kind support and this incredible work!

Thanks

[LongQT-sea]

Thank you very much for the kind words — I truly appreciate it.

Regarding the RAM problem: sometimes memory errors can be caused by oxidation or poor contact. In some cases, removing the modules, cleaning the contacts carefully with isopropyl alcohol (IPA), and reseating them can resolve the issue. However, if Memtest86+ reports consistent errors, it is often a genuine hardware failure, and replacement is the correct solution. Good thing you had spare modules available.

About the iGPU passthrough on the Intel UHD 620:

Please follow this guide carefully:
https://github.com/LongQT-sea/intel-igpu-passthru

Important notes:

• When using Legacy mode passthrough, you must set the virtual display to none. In this configuration, noVNC (VNCProxy console) will not work.
• Instead, use real monitor or use macOS built-in Screen Sharing (VNC) or Chrome Remote Desktop to access the VM.
• Next, test iGPU passthrough with a Windows or Linux VM first to confirm the passthrough itself is working correctly. This helps isolate whether the issue is macOS-specific.
• For macOS, make sure to read the macOS_README.md thoroughly.
• If your macOS VM is running headless (no physical monitor connected to the NUC), you will need an HDMI dummy plug.