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Huntn

macrumors Core
Original poster
May 5, 2008
23,396
26,521
The Misty Mountains
My guess this subject has been covered several times around here. If there is a good link, please direct me...

I usually keep my Mac about 3 years and then sell them for a new one. I'm currently using a MBP (see signature). It came with Snow Leopard and I am considering upgrading it to Mountain Lion.

My question is when I buy an OS upgrade from the App store and apply it to my MBP, when the time comes to sell, can I leave Mountain Lion on it and person who buys has a way to reinstall Mountain Lion from scratch? Or until they buy it for themselves, would they have to revert back to Snow Leopard on the original install disk?

Thanks!
 

kensic

macrumors 6502
Jan 11, 2013
362
28
My guess this subject has been covered several times around here. If there is a good link, please direct me...

I usually keep my Mac about 3 years and then sell them for a new one. I'm currently using a MBP (see signature). It came with Snow Leopard and I am considering upgrading it to Mountain Lion.

My question is when I buy an OS upgrade from the App store and apply it to my MBP, when the time comes to sell, can I leave Mountain Lion on it and person who buys has a way to reinstall Mountain Lion from scratch? Or until they buy it for themselves, would they have to revert back to Snow Leopard on the original install disk?

Thanks!

After you install ML, the computer creates a recovery image of ML. So there's no way the new buyer can go back to Snow Leopard *unless they use the SL disc*

the new buyer can just boot from the recovery image and reinstall ML.
 

Huntn

macrumors Core
Original poster
May 5, 2008
23,396
26,521
The Misty Mountains
After you install ML, the computer creates a recovery image of ML. So there's no way the new buyer can go back to Snow Leopard *unless they use the SL disc*

the new buyer can just boot from the recovery image and reinstall ML.

Thanks for the fast reply. So can I assume that the answer is to burn the recovery image to a DVD and give that to the new owner? However, I'd want to be sure they are getting a clean copy, not something with my data on it.
 

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,073
15,497
California
My question is when I buy an OS upgrade from the App store and apply it to my MBP, when the time comes to sell, can I leave Mountain Lion on it and person who buys has a way to reinstall Mountain Lion from scratch? Or until they buy it for themselves, would they have to revert back to Snow Leopard on the original install disk?

If the new owner does a command-r boot to recovery to reinstall the OS, they are going to be asked for your AppleID (that you used to purchase from the App Store), and of course they won't have that and will be stuck.

You could make them a USB key installer and give that to them if they ever need it. Although this does violate Apple's EULA.
 

Huntn

macrumors Core
Original poster
May 5, 2008
23,396
26,521
The Misty Mountains
If the new owner does a command-r boot to recovery to reinstall the OS, they are going to be asked for your AppleID (that you used to purchase from the App Store), and of course they won't have that and will be stuck.

You could make them a USB key installer and give that to them if they ever need it. Although this does violate Apple's EULA.

No, I'll just have to sell it with Snow Leopard and they'll have to spend the $20 for ML. Thanks.
 

Huntn

macrumors Core
Original poster
May 5, 2008
23,396
26,521
The Misty Mountains
After purchasing and downloading Mountain Lion, I assume it's a file that can be burned to DVD for future reinstalls?

I read a blurb online by a customer who said that updating to Mountain Lion from Snow Leopard seriously impacted battery charge time on a MBP. Any confirmation on that?
Thanks!
 
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MagnusVonMagnum

macrumors 603
Jun 18, 2007
5,193
1,442
After you install ML, the computer creates a recovery image of ML. So there's no way the new buyer can go back to Snow Leopard *unless they use the SL disc*

the new buyer can just boot from the recovery image and reinstall ML.

There's a very simple way. You use CCC to make a bootable clone of your Snow Leopard setup on an external drive before you upgrade. If you don't like Mountain Lion, boot from the external drive and restore it onto your internal drive using CCC once again. It's what I plan on doing with my 2008 Macbook Pro.

My problem is that so far I cannot download Mountain Lion. I successfully purchased it from the App Store from that computer, but when I go to download, it gets to 10.3 MB and then resets back to zero and starts again and then resets again always at 10.3 MB downloaded and eventually gives up with an error questioning my Internet connection (the same one that downloaded Angry Birds and other games from the same App Store on the same computer earlier). I tried Safe Mode. I tried cleaning my /var/apple.com caches and plists in the local Library. NOTHING makes any difference so far (console logs showed a few things popping up that I corrected, but apparently they were unrelated as it gives no errors except an initial data check complaint and then nothing. It just keeps resetting the download. I'll have to contact Apple and if they can do nothing, request a refund.

Edit: Somehow my DNS alternate settings got wiped. Apparently, the local ISP was somehow screwing it up. I added 3rd party DNS servers (like Google's and OpenDNS) and it now appears to be downloading correctly. Amazing how regular sites can load but Apple's update got zonked (and ONLY the Mountain Lion download; other things downloaded fine).
 
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