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Installing OS X on 2011 Macbook Pro

E

elisamal428

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 24, 2014
45
0
Houston, Texas
First of all, I am not the most computer savvy girl around but I get by and can usually do what I need to do with help from the internet.

I have a Early 2011 MacBook Pro that runs Windows 8.1 via bootcamp. I was thinking of selling it so I was looking how to format and reinstall OS X to get it ready for sale.

I found directions on Apple's support site and booted up the computer using command R. The directions said to format the partition that OS X is on so I did that.

However, when I go to reinstall Mavericks I can not. It said that my computer needs to be verified by Apple and then it just kicks me back out to the menu.

I understand the problem now is that I am supposed to reinstall Snow Leopard, since that is what my computer had preinstalled on it. I do not have a Snow Leopard disk anymore. I have moved three times in the last three years and somehow that disk got misplaced.

What is my best option now? Can I bring the computer to the genius bar and would they be able to help me out?

I no longer wish to sell it, I want to keep using it since there is really nothing wrong with it and I have upgraded it to an SSD and added more RAM. I just want OS X back! Thanks for any advice!
 
Apple still sells Snow Leopard installation disks. $19.99+tax

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

That being said, try command+R again, but be connected to the Internet when you do so. Using a hardwire/Ethernet cable generally works the best, so plug your computer directly into your router. If that's not an option, you should be able to connect through WiFi using the icon in the upper right part of the menu bar, as you would normally in OS X.

Good luck.
 
elisamal428 said:
However, when I go to reinstall Mavericks I can not. It said that my computer needs to be verified by Apple and then it just kicks me back out to the menu.
Click to expand...

When you get to that screen you need to enter the AppleID you used in the App Store to "purchase" the free Mavericks upgrade. Then it will allow you to complete the download.
 
saturnotaku said:
Apple still sells Snow Leopard installation disks. $19.99+tax

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard

That being said, try command+R again, but be connected to the Internet when you do so. Using a hardwire/Ethernet cable generally works the best, so plug your computer directly into your router. If that's not an option, you should be able to connect through WiFi using the icon in the upper right part of the menu bar, as you would normally in OS X.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

I am connected to the internet when I do command+R.
 
Don't buy a retail Snow Leopard disc from Apple. Those will not work in your machine as it is too new. If you want Snow Leopard on it, you will have to use the restore discs that came with your machine. If you do not have those, you will have to contact Apple so that they can send you a set.
 
Intell said:
Don't buy a retail Snow Leopard disc from Apple. Those will not work in your machine as it is too new. If you want Snow Leopard on it, you will have to use the restore discs that came with your machine. If you do not have those, you will have to contact Apple so that they can send you a set.
Click to expand...

Thanks. But I do not want Snow Leopard on my machine. I want Mavericks. Is the only way to get Mavericks back to install Snow Leopard first?
 
elisamal428 said:
Thanks. But I do not want Snow Leopard on my machine. I want Mavericks. Is the only way to get Mavericks back to install Snow Leopard first?
Click to expand...

No... if you still have the Mavericks recovery partition on there, just do what I said.

When you command-r boot do you get this screen?

Xm7rMyl.png


It sounds like you already erased the disk, so just click on reinstall OS X there then enter your AppleID used to purchase Mavs and you will be good to go.
 
Intell said:
Read post #3. It details how to get 10.9.
Click to expand...

Yeah sorry I thought I responded to that. It never asks me for my ID and password.

----------
Weaselboy said:
No... if you still have the Mavericks recovery partition on there, just do what I said.

When you command-r boot do you get this screen?

Xm7rMyl.png


It sounds like you already erased the disk, so just click on reinstall OS X there then enter your AppleID used to purchase Mavs and you will be good to go.
Click to expand...

Yes I get that screen. When I click on reinstall OS X it tells me that it's verifying my computer with Apple, and then after a few moments it kicks me back to that screen. Never asks me for my ID.
 
elisamal428 said:
Yes I get that screen. When I click on reinstall OS X it tells me that it's verifying my computer with Apple, and then after a few moments it kicks me back to that screen. Never asks me for my ID.
Click to expand...

I think Bruno is onto something. Start Disk Utilty from that recovery screen and tell us what you see there as far as partitions.
 
elisamal428 said:
When I start Disk Utility from the recovery screen I see:

256.06 GB Samsung SSD
Macintosh HD
BOOTCAMP
SuperDrive

disk1
OS X Base System
Click to expand...

Okay... from that recovery still in Disk Utility select the Samsung part at the top and go to the partitions tab. Then select the bootcamp partition and click the minus at the bottom to remove it. Now resize the Macintosh HD partition to fill the space as shown in this article.

Once that is done and you are back to one large Macintosh HD partition go to the erase tab and select Macintosh HD the pick Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in the dropdown and apply that change.

Then quit Disk Util and try the OS install again.
 
Weaselboy said:
Okay... from that recovery still in Disk Utility select the Samsung part at the top and go to the partitions tab. Then select the bootcamp partition and click the minus at the bottom to remove it. Now resize the Macintosh HD partition to fill the space as shown in this article.

Once that is done and you are back to one large Macintosh HD partition go to the erase tab and select Macintosh HD the pick Mac OS Extended (Journaled) in the dropdown and apply that change.

Then quit Disk Util and try the OS install again.
Click to expand...

When I select the BOOTCAMP partition and click the minus, a box pops up that says "Partition failed. Partition failed with the error: Couldn't unmounts disk."
 
I think you will need to boot from an external drive to be able to erase your internal drive.

You can boot from a clone, or a Time Machine backup, or a USB installer.

Do you have any of these ?
 
elisamal428 said:
When I select the BOOTCAMP partition and click the minus, a box pops up that says "Partition failed. Partition failed with the error: Couldn't unmounts disk."
Click to expand...

You need to start up from Internet Recovery. Hold down command-option-R (the option key is critical.)
You'll then be able to repartition the entire disk and install whatever version of OS X shipped with your computer.
From there a buyer can upgrade for free to Mavericks.
 
chrfr said:
You need to start up from Internet Recovery. Hold down command-option-R (the option key is critical.)
You'll then be able to repartition the entire disk and install whatever version of OS X shipped with your computer.
From there a buyer can upgrade for free to Mavericks.
Click to expand...

That should work, but I was afraid to try that. It sounds like this machine came with Snow Leopard then if the firmware upgrades were applied one could use Internet recovery to get to Lion if Lion was purchased and she has the AppleID used for that. But if she does not have that and erases the whole disk and kills the Mavs recovery partition she will be in a pickle. Of course, might be there now anyway.
 
Weaselboy said:
That should work, but I was afraid to try that. It sounds like this machine came with Snow Leopard then if the firmware upgrades were applied one could use Internet recovery to get to Lion if Lion was purchased and she has the AppleID used for that. But if she does not have that and erases the whole disk and kills the Mavs recovery partition she will be in a pickle. Of course, might be there now anyway.
Click to expand...

chrfr said:
You need to start up from Internet Recovery. Hold down command-option-R (the option key is critical.)
You'll then be able to repartition the entire disk and install whatever version of OS X shipped with your computer.
From there a buyer can upgrade for free to Mavericks.
Click to expand...

This appears to be working! It prompted me for my Apple ID and password and now is downloading and installing Lion!
 
Weaselboy said:
But if she does not have that and erases the whole disk and kills the Mavs recovery partition she will be in a pickle. Of course, might be there now anyway.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it sort of seems like she's stuck now. Worst case, I'd figure a visit to the Apple Store will fix it up.
EDIT: I guess it's working.
 
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