SSD and OS X Internet Recovery?

Zandra with Z said:

1. If I replace the mechanical HDD in my Mac Mini 2011 with a brand new blank SSD, can I just start the computer, press command-r, choose to format the drive via disk utility and then use the OS X Internet Recovery to install OS X Lion?

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Yes, if you have the newest EFI-Update:
http://support.apple.com/downloads/#mac mini firmware update
(or use the software update function in OS X)

I recommend that you install the newest version of Mac OS X, then use the firmware updater, and then use the Internet Recovery. The background is, that some firmware updates “require” newer Mac OS X versions like Lion 10.7.3 and do not work with Snow Leopard or older versions of Lion. You can erase this temporary copy of Mac OS X with Apples Disk Utility, if you install Mountain Lion.

Zandra with Z said:

2. I already bought OS X Mountain Lion via the App Store. Can I somehow install OS X Mountain Lion without first installing OS X Lion via Internet Recovery? Seems pointless to install the OS twice.

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The installation on the SSD is much faster compared to the installation on the HDD (5x faster or more). So even if you install the OS four times on the SSD, the installation on the SSD is still faster, compared to the installation on the HDD. And you do not install the OS every day.

I think Apple asks for your Apple ID, if you use the Internet Recovery feature, so Apple should see that you purchased ML:

apple.com said:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

Requirements for reinstalling OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion

Reinstalling OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion via OS X Recovery requires broadband access to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection. OS X is downloaded over the Internet from Apple when OS X Recovery is used for reinstallation.

OS X Recovery requires that DHCP be enabled on your chosen Wi-Fi or ethernet network, If you bought OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion from the Mac App Store, you will be prompted to enter the Apple ID and password you used to purchase OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion.

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Weaselboy said:

1. Yes... but that will install Lion then you will have to download and install Mountain Lion from Lion.

2. I would redownload Mountain Lion now before installing the SSD and make a USB key installer with a 8GB USB key and this free app. Then after you install the SSD you can boot to the USB key and format the drive and install straight to Mountain Lion. This will avoid two OS downloads and two installs.



No it won't. Internet Recovery to a blank drive will install whatever OS the system shipped with, Lion in the OP's case. This is linked to the serial number.

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This is very good information. I particularly liked the part about Internet Recovery being linked to the serial number of the device and installing the original OS the device shipped with. I was curious about this myself and this has answered my question. Thanks for that!

Weaselboy said:

No it won't. Internet Recovery to a blank drive will install whatever OS the system shipped with, Lion in the OP's case. This is linked to the serial number.

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This doesn't always seem to be the case. I have a 2012 MacBook Pro that shipped with 10.8. A standard recovery reinstalls 10.8.x. A clean Internet recovery, deleting all hard drive contents and booting from Apple's servers results in 10.7.x - a version that has never been on the machine since it was new.

Weaselboy said:

That is not possible.

If a true clean install is giving you Lion then your machine came from the factory with Lion.

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I would normally agree with you, but this was not the case on this machine. I would have thought otherwise myself if I had not seen it.

I can assure you the machine came with 10.8. It was a CTO, and shipped around the first week in August of this year.

When booting to the recovery partition and doing a recovery, it does indeed fetch 10.8.x. When doing Internet recovery and forcing the baseimage.dmg fetch from the Internet, it pulled down a 10.7.x image, and put 10.7.x on the SSD.

It had 10.8.0 when it came out of the box. On the new retail box it came in, it has the 10.8 artwork on it. I am the first and only owner of it, and ordered it straight from Apple.

monkeybagel said:

I would normally agree with you, but this was not the case on this machine. I would have thought otherwise myself if I had not seen it.

I can assure you the machine came with 10.8. It was a CTO, and shipped around the first week in August of this year.

When booting to the recovery partition and doing a recovery, it does indeed fetch 10.8.x. When doing Internet recovery and forcing the baseimage.dmg fetch from the Internet, it pulled down a 10.7.x image, and put 10.7.x on the SSD.

It had 10.8.0 when it came out of the box. On the new retail box it came in, it has the 10.8 artwork on it. I am the first and only owner of it, and ordered it straight from Apple.

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The machine came most probably with 10.8 after it was updated in the shop or at a distribution centre. I bough two MBP'r with retina display one came with 10.7 installed the other with 10.8 installed. The latter was obviously updated days after 10.8 was released. When I go to the recovery process it will install on both machines 10.7. Apple is obviously not always updating their database with serial numbers/ OS's.

deminister said:

The machine came most probably with 10.8 after it was updated in the shop or at a distribution centre. I bough two MBP'r with retina display one came with 10.7 installed the other with 10.8 installed. The latter was obviously updated days after 10.8 was released. When I go to the recovery process it will install on both machines 10.7. Apple is obviously not always updating their database with serial numbers/ OS's.

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What artwork did yours have on the box? I am glad mine does install 10.7.x from the Internet as it gives me OS install options (if needed).