I bought a used macbook with os x on it, so i went to restore it, cleaned all the hard drives, then went to choose install a fresh os x, and it told me to enter my apple id and i did, and it tells me that i did not purchase os x, so now i am stuck on a utilities screen and have no idea what to do now, i currently downloaded a os x off my windows pc onto a flash drive, is there a way i can install it with a flash drive to get out of the utilities screen? If so how?
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How can I buy os x on my apple id so i can later install it on my macbook?
- Thread starter arctyler
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The issue is Mountain Lion was purchased as an update by the previous owner, so you won't be able to install without his AppleID.
However, if you have the full installer DMG, you can use Disk Utility from that recovery screen you were in to make a USB key installer that will not ask for the AppleID. Just follow this guide to make the USB installer.
However, if you have the full installer DMG, you can use Disk Utility from that recovery screen you were in to make a USB key installer that will not ask for the AppleID. Just follow this guide to make the USB installer.
How can I buy os x on my apple id so i can later install it on my macbook?
I bought a second hand macbook, and i restored the hard drive, and went to reinstall the os x but i dont have a apple id that has bought os x, so how would i be able to boot this back up?
I bought a second hand macbook, and i restored the hard drive, and went to reinstall the os x but i dont have a apple id that has bought os x, so how would i be able to boot this back up?
Do you have access to the Apple ID you used to purchase OS X?
If not, see if a friend would let you make bootable USB of whatever OS X you'd like.
Or, you could contact Apple and purchase the Snow Leopard retail disk for 19.99.
Edit: I guess it would be silly to buy a Snow Leopard retail disk because then you'd have to purchase OS X ML again, but you could consider this a worst case scenario situation.
Hope this helps!
If not, see if a friend would let you make bootable USB of whatever OS X you'd like.
Or, you could contact Apple and purchase the Snow Leopard retail disk for 19.99.
Edit: I guess it would be silly to buy a Snow Leopard retail disk because then you'd have to purchase OS X ML again, but you could consider this a worst case scenario situation.
Hope this helps!
Would there be a way to buy osx for 20 and then someway just install it back onto my laptop with the re-install osx?
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Also what is basesystem.dmg? i went to macintosh hd, clicked image, then recovery hd, then theres something that says exactly com.apple.recovery.boot then theres a file that says basesystem.dmg that i can add to the menu, is there a way i can use this?
It contains minimal booter files and kernel, and at /com.apple.recovery.boot/BaseSystem.dmg, a disk image with a stripped-down and tweaked copy of OS X. The booter mounts this volume (it attaches as /dev/disk1), and transfers to OS X running on it. This is the Mac OS X Base System.
so i pretty much ****ed myself over? Is there anything i can really do? I added this to my usb and i tried to use it to run, selected my usb at boot, and it just brought me back to the same utility screen....
I wouldn't go as far as saying you ********d yourself over 
Do you have an Apple store close by? Maybe bring it in to the store and see if they can help you out, or you can always buy the Snow Leopard install disk.
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Here is a guide for what I believe you're talking about doing.
Do you have an Apple store close by? Maybe bring it in to the store and see if they can help you out, or you can always buy the Snow Leopard install disk.
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Here is a guide for what I believe you're talking about doing.
I wouldn't go as far as saying you ********d yourself over
Do you have an Apple store close by? Maybe bring it in to the store and see if they can help you out, or you can always buy the Snow Leopard install disk.
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Here is a guide for what I believe you're talking about doing.
Thats the problem, I dont want to buy a snow leopard for 20 bucks then buy 10.8 for another 20, when i mainly just want to resell this giant POS
EDIT: Also that guide might work except the part where i cant use my macbook to make it...
Why is it a POS? Because you did something outside of your knowledge? Not trying to be rude, I understand you're probably very frustrated, I would be too if I were in that situation.
I misread at first too, I thought you had purchased a second MacBook, which is why I suggested using Lion Diskmaker (which works very well by the way).
Do you have a friend with a MacBook that you could download the app on and create a bootable USB? That's probably your best bet at this point, it will save you the $40.
Do you have another Mac other than the extra one you bought ?
If so then here are the steps I would suggest.
1. Go pick up a cheap 8GB USB Drive (my local Staples has some for $8-12)
2. Download LionDiskMaker Here
3. Download Mountain Lion from the App Store.
4. Plug in your USB Drive.
5. Once downloaded ML will ask to install, now you open LionDiskMaker and it will ask if you want to create a DVD or USB install disk.
It will also notice that ML has been downloaded and will ask if you want to use this to create the boot disk.
6. Click Yes to use ML and Choose the new flash drive.
Lastly LionDiskmaker will create a ML bootable USB drive that you can use to install ML on ANY Mac capable of running ML without having to enter any AppleID info.
If so then here are the steps I would suggest.
1. Go pick up a cheap 8GB USB Drive (my local Staples has some for $8-12)
2. Download LionDiskMaker Here
3. Download Mountain Lion from the App Store.
4. Plug in your USB Drive.
5. Once downloaded ML will ask to install, now you open LionDiskMaker and it will ask if you want to create a DVD or USB install disk.
It will also notice that ML has been downloaded and will ask if you want to use this to create the boot disk.
6. Click Yes to use ML and Choose the new flash drive.
Lastly LionDiskmaker will create a ML bootable USB drive that you can use to install ML on ANY Mac capable of running ML without having to enter any AppleID info.
Did you read the link I posted? From your first comment it sounds like you were able to access the recovery screen yes? You also said you have the full OS X installer available on your PC yes?
Copy that installer DMG onto a USB key on the PC. Now plug that USB key and a second 8GB blank USB key into the Mac and access Disk Utility from the recovery screen and follow the directions at the link I gave you to make a USB key OS X installer. Once that is done just option key boot to the USB installer and install the OS.
If you are unable to do that, can you access someone else's Mac? Just login to the App Store on their machine with your AppleID and buy Mountain Lion, then logout of the App Store without downloading OS X. Now go to your machine and start recovery again and enter your AppleID when prompted during the install. It will now work since you have purchased Mountain Lion with your AppleID.
Thanks for the help alot man, I just managed to get it working a second ago, but for future reference, if anyone is ever stuck at the utilities screen with no os, what you do for windows is download transmac, open up the contents of your os x download, that you can find anywhere, then go to the actual file called installesd.dmg inside of the contents, then save it to your computer which took mine 3 hours, next what you want to do is right click on your flash drive in transmac and restore with disk image, then put the installesd.dmg on there, takes about a hour, then plug in your flash drive in your mac, then hold option when your booting, select the usb, then you just click reinstall osx, which is all you have to do, mine is booting back up right now....