Bootable Installer Says "EFI Boot". Odd stuff after 10.13.6 Install

[Aguymac]

1. I searched and read through three other "bootable usb" threads in this forum. None I found addressed this specifically. But one had an interesting answer in the second post: https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...sierra-from-high-sierra.2100848/post-25704224 (I just made a bootable installer for High Sierra 10.13.6, and I'm on Sierra 10.12.6. So, I duno.) @CoastalOR

2. I searched "EFI Boot" in this forum and didn't find anything that appeared to be related (it was windows related stuff, or hackintosh, from what I could see.

So,
I'm on a late 2011 mbp, running macOS Sierra 10.12.6, on the original HDD - which I've been running in a caddy for the optical drive replacement. I have a samsung EVO SSD in the...main Drive space - the SSD has 10.12 on it as well (I can't remember if 10.12.6 or earlier.)
To re-familiarize myself with the process I watched a few videos, mainly this one:

I successfully downloaded a copy of High Sierra 10.13.6 via the apple site's link (it wouldn't work until I used safari to navigate there and download it. Then it opened in the app store and downloaded it). It's 5.42GB in "get info"; it seems to be the full file.

I prepared the usb drive following the instructions (chose macos extended journaled, etc.). I successfully used terminal and the commands from apple site to actually create the bootable usb. No errors, and everything seemed fine. It launched the installer, I chose quit installer. The thumbdrive icon on the desktop is now called "Install macOS High Sierra" (as opposed to the MyVolume it was prior. I'm just giving as much detail as I can think of.)

I restarted the mac, holding down option, and what came up for the usb was something titled "EFI Boot", or similar. But it appeared to have the image of the high sierra installer. I'm scared to select it though, because shouldn't it say "Install macOS High Sierra" or something to that effect?

What should I do? Try and create the bootable installer over again? Should I re-download the os again before? Or is this...normal?

Any help appreciated.

Edit: Just searching "EFI boot" with other terms like macos, etc., I came across thread like this: https://www.wikigain.com/create-macos-high-sierra-bootable-usb-installer-windows-10/ some of the posts scared me a little (use find command to look for efi boot), talking about white screens, and failures, etc. but, it's windows related...?

 

[Aguymac]

Correction:
-Above where I said "I restarted the mac, holding down option, and what came up for the usb was something titled "EFI Boot", or similar. But it appeared to have the image of the high sierra installer." The icon that said "EFI Boot" did not have the macOS high sierra image, it just had the orange "drive" symbol with the arrow(s) on it.

And please, if I'm being too wordy, or not specific enough (or using terms that are way off) - let me know. Apologies for the long winded posts.

So, I didn't try to use that thumb drive after. I did the whole operation of making the bootable usb installer through terminal over again. I used a different usb thumb drive; an 8GB lexar usb 2.0 drive. The terminal operation was successful. I restarted the mbp, and before the chime I held the key combo to reset PRAM (for no reason). Then, after the chime for the PRAM reset, I held Option key and waited to see what the options were.
I had my HDD, my SSD, and another one (the thumb drive) now named properly as "Install macOS High Sierra", but the icon was slightly different; it was just plain orange (no arrow(s) on it), and again no image/picture.
I went ahead with the install. First I used disk utility to erase the SSD (I can't remember if the top, or if there was one under the drop down arrow in the hierarchy tree. Either way, same as videos show I think.). Note: I chose APFS, whenever that option was there - previously this SSD was MacOSX Extended Journaled.
Then exited disk utility, and went to "install mac os", and installed High Sierra onto the SSD. That seemed to have went fine. And the actual OS setup went fine.

Upon booting to the SSD with clean 10.13.6 install, I noticed a kind of...short hiccup as the desktop loaded, hard to describe. And then again, when I went to restart. I went to startup settings and set the SSD as the boot drive. I chose restart, and as the computer went to restart (after that countdown where you re-select "restart") it kinda hiccuped again, and the screen went black. I could still see and move my cursor around the black screen. I waited some time (2-4 minutes maybe?) and it stayed that way, so I shutdown using the power button.

I waited and powered the mbp on again. I think I booted to the SSD again, just to see if that odd failed restart messed anything up. It booted into it again, but didn't seem smooth again - at the desktop loading part.
I restarted and optioned to boot into HDD, where I wanted to check disk utility or something. When I looked at disk utility I was really confused at what I see there now, 1. Hitachi HTSblahblah Media (with drop down containing Macintosh HDD), 2. Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB Media) - I think this one might have used to say "Macintosh SSD"?, and 3. AppleAPFSMedia (with a drop down containing four items; Macintosh SSD, Preboot (greyed out), Recovery (greyed out), and VM (greyed out).

I didn't/don't know what to do, so I tried first aid on the "AppleAPFSMedia" to see what I could see. It said "first aid found corruption that needs to be repaired" and that I had to do that from recovery (restart, hold command+R), so I did that. I also ran first aid on my HDD while I was there. The first aid operations were "successful".
I checked a few more things while I was in recovery, and took screenshots of all this stuff I'm mentioning. The space available and used might have seemed odd? But while "Macintosh SSD" under the total space icon on the top right of disk utility (in recovery) it says "Shared By 4 Volumes" (yet it doesn't show the others that I listed above, like it did when the system/os is actually running - you know?).

I checked if SSD was still default startup disk while there. Then I restarted into SSD. Upon checking the disk utility I think it only showed "Macintosh SSD" (with NO dropdowns, not even on the Macintosh HD...). I took pics, like I said, of anything I thought might aid someone who has the time and know-how to hopefully assist me, or help me understand what's going on.
I almost don't wanna post the pics, in case this is... not something people want to get into?? I duno.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

 

[Aguymac]

230 Views in less than five days, and not a single reply.
Is it a "stupid question" or something? Now I'm curious why people are even looking at this thread.

Finder shows both Macintosh HD and Macintosh SSD, but it has the HD listed as "startup volume", and the SSD is listed as "local volume".
Yet when I open system preferences, and go to startup disk, it says "You have selected macOS, 10.13.6 on the disk 'Macintosh SSD." (which is what I chose here in 'startup disk' menu).

I'd appreciate if someone would at least tell why I'm not getting any responses?

(Side note: I just took out my fans for a disassembly and cleaning today. While I had it open, I decided to redo the thermal paste on the GPU and CPU. It was my first time ever doing it, so I really took my time. Seems to have gone well, so far.)

 

[KeesMacPro]

I'd appreciate if someone would at least tell why I'm not getting any responses?

I can only speak for myself but your posts are extremely long and with loads of (irrelevant) details and links to other threads /websites etc.
Personally at a first view this doesnt really encourage me to read it...
TBH it takes quite a while to read it and while reading I feel obliged to distinguish what's relevant and what's not....

So as a recommendation , I'd post a very brief outline of the issue you're dealing with , nothing more, nothing less e.g:

-what Mac device, installed OSes and on what drive (including model and brand)
-what you're trying to achieve
-the issue(s) you're running into

This can be described in a few phrases and will give the reader a clear outlined view on the topic.
Just my point of view... best intentions; )

 

[Aguymac]

I can only speak for myself but your posts are extremely long and with loads of (irrelevant) details and links to other threads /websites etc.
Personally at a first view this doesnt really encourage me to read it...
TBH it takes quite a while to read it and while reading I feel obliged to distinguish what's relevant and what's not....

So as a recommendation , I'd post a very brief outline of the issue you're dealing with , nothing more, nothing less e.g:

-what Mac device, installed OSes and on what drive (including model and brand)
-what you're trying to achieve
-the issue(s) you're running into

This can be described in a few phrases and will give the reader a clear outlined view on the topic.
Just my point of view... best intentions; )

No offense taken. Thank you for your honesty, and for taking the time to reply.