How can I avoid an error preparing macOS Monterey installation on a Mac with an OWC Aura Pro x2 SSD?
I may have a workaround to share that got me going...
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253296956?answerId=256166114022#256166114022
I ran into the same issue and contacted OWC to see if they had a firmware update available for my SSD. Talking to support, they said that it isn't the SSD that requires the firmware update, but the MacBook Pro itself, which requires an EFI update that won't be installed unless there's an Apple SSD installed. They recommended that I reinstall the original Apple SSD, then install Monterey to get the EFI update, then replace the Apple SSD with the OWC SSD, and upgrade from Big Sur 11.6.1 to Monterey. According to OWC, they've tested this fix in their lab and it works.
No me too ... I tried a fresh install also fails during boot time of Monterey.
First did an install from Big Sur also an error when trying to shut down.
Put back the original SSD, installed Monterey succesfully ;)
Then placed the OWC Aura X2 pro back, the upgrade to Monterey did succeed, so also for me the procedure described in this chat worked.
So for everyone that still has the original SSD... this solves the issue ;)
Use the original SSD.
I confirm the following worked great for me on my 2015 MacBook Pro 15".
- Installed original SSD.
- Installed fresh copy of Monterey via the USB stick onto the original SSD (it rebooted a bunch of times, indicating a firmware update).
- Put the new SSD back in.
- Booted off USB stick and upgraded to Monterey without a hitch.
It sucks if you don't have your original SSD but maybe you can get a cheap one off of the interwebs. Doesn't have to be big. Likely doesn't even have to be the same one that came with your unit. Most likely just any genuine Apple SSD.
Good luck.
Swapping out my OWC drive for original Apple drive on my 13 inch early 2015 MBP did allow the update to complete. Once that was done I reinstalled the OWC drive and had no problems upgrading to Monterey.