The “error while installing” expecting value message usually comes up whenever you turn on your Mac. Here in this article, you will learn what causes the Mac error message and also how to fix errors while installing expecting value on Mac.
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One of the common ways to fix errors while installing expecting Value on Mac is to start up in safe mode, although it may require a longer time to start up it’s worth the try.
What is “Error while Installing Expecting Value” on Mac
Many Mac users usually come across a sudden warning message that states “Expecting value line 1 column 1 (char 0)” which might make them feel a bit perplexed.
Although this error can be an ideally legitimate one that occurs at times after installation of one of the big macOS updates.
What Causes Error while Installing Expecting Value Message?
Wondering what could be causing the Mac error message you keep getting each time you power it on? Well, one of the most common causes is the presence of a PUP (i.e Potentially Unwanted Program) or a malware threat on your system. The third-party app or malware could also be responsible for this error message.
Even though most users never usually download PUPs willingly as these types of apps provide false features or are barely even functional. For this particular reason, PUPs rely on suspicious distribution tricks to spread themselves without even alerting the user.
The 2 most prolific types of PUPs that have been attacking Apple users, and more specifically Mac users, are browser hijackers and adware. Both are considered low risk as they do not cause a direct threat to the system they are being installed on, but their presence still usually leads to a significant increase in the security risks encountered by the user.
How to fix Error while Installing Expecting Value
There are several ways to fix error while installing expecting value on Mac, follow the steps below:
Enable Safe Mode Boots for your Mac
You won’t get any message when booting on safe mode on your Mac. It is interesting how the malware and even the error message do not make themselves visible once the Mac is in the safe mode boots.
Unfortunately, the safe mode boot is only a temporary solution, because once you boot the Mac normally again, the error message will reappear. Even though the system works perfectly, the message displayed here and there after booting from the Mac is quite annoying in the real sense of it.
Create a New Backup via Time Machine
It’s always essential to back up your Mac before you install a major macOS update because these updates edit the basic files in your operating system. Therefore, if anything goes wrong you might need to completely delete your Mac to fix it.
You can connect an external drive and use Time Machine to back up your Mac. Time Machine is the easiest way to protect all your data in progressive backups. This will allow you to restore files from specific dates instead of keeping only the most recent version of everything.
Use Malwarebytes or other Malware-tracking Software
Although the error message will be gone once you do a clean install. However, if you import a Time Machine backup, then you will activate the malware back into the system. Therefore, it’s better to use Malwarebytes or other malware-tracking software to fix the issue. The malware and adware can be quarantined by Malwarebytes, the error will stop being displayed while booting.
Scan your Computer System with Anti-Malware products
If you are still seeing the ‘Expecting value line 1 column 1 (char 0)’ error, you are strongly recommended to scan your computer system with a reputable anti-malware product. It will help to immediately remove every detected threat.
Try macOS Recovery
Another way you can fix an error while installing expecting value on Mac is to try macOS recovery since Recovery uses a different macOS Startup volume. This will give you an insight into whether it’s a software or hardware issue.
Reinstall macOS
In case you were able to completely start up in Recovery, then you might want to reinstall the macOS and you can do this without deleting your data. 
Can’t fix Error while Installing Expecting Value? Try these Fixes!
If the above steps didn’t work for you, try these simple steps first before performing the more complex fixes. Follow the steps below:
- Wait for a few seconds.
- Reboot the Mac.
- Ensure that Mac is online and connected to the internet.
- Ensure that MacOS is not enrolled in Beta updates.
- Try to download the macOS installers directly.
This should fix this Mac error message, however, if it doesn’t don’t hesitate to proceed to the steps below:
- Restart your Mac and retry the installation process.
- Ensure your Mac is set to the correct time and date.
- Create sufficient space for macOS to install.
- Download a newer version of the macOS installer.
- Reset the PRAM and NVRAM which stores different settings and preferences on your Mac such as sound volume, brightness, and display resolution.
- Run First Aid on your Startup Disk.
- Delete your Mac and restore from a Backup.
All of the above steps should have fixed the Mac error message while installing expecting value. Feel free to drop your comments in the section below and let us know if you were able to fix the Mac error message.