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eperrine

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 17, 2011
21
0
I recently bought a second hand MBP.

When I turn it on, it's at the start up page. I click "Re-install Mountain Lion". After a few steps, it asks for the seller's apple ID. Although I could ring him and ask for it

1. I don't want his apple ID to be in my purchased Macbook anyway.
2. I don't want to keep ringing him for his password again and again.

Is it possible for me to go the app store, purchase Mountain OS X Lion with MY apple ID, and then use that ID to log in for the re-install? Or will it reject it because the OS X Lion that HE purchased and put into the Macbook is still there?

Sorry, I'm bad at explaining things. It's just super frustrating.
 

Xgm541

macrumors 65816
May 3, 2011
1,098
818
I recently bought a second hand MBP.

When I turn it on, it's at the start up page. I click "Re-install Mountain Lion". After a few steps, it asks for the seller's apple ID. Although I could ring him and ask for it

1. I don't want his apple ID to be in my purchased Macbook anyway.
2. I don't want to keep ringing him for his password again and again.

Is it possible for me to go the app store, purchase Mountain OS X Lion with MY apple ID, and then use that ID to log in for the re-install? Or will it reject it because the OS X Lion that HE purchased and put into the Macbook is still there?

Sorry, I'm bad at explaining things. It's just super frustrating.

You can go to the app store and purchase osx mountain lion (not lion, although they probably dont sell it anymore) and put your information in.
 

blueroom

macrumors 603
Feb 15, 2009
6,381
26
Toronto, Canada
Unless the machine came with ML when purchased you'll need to install the OS via recovery partition or DVDs with your own Apple ID and purchase it.

Best bet is a clean ML install.
 

Xgm541

macrumors 65816
May 3, 2011
1,098
818
Unless the machine came with ML when purchased you'll need to install the OS via recovery partition or DVDs with your own Apple ID and purchase it.

Best bet is a clean ML install.

Oh that is true! You cannot purchase Lion anymore, so you need his Lion purchase username/password and then purchase mountain lion via your own itunes account.

Alternatively you can go to the Apple store and purchase a ML USB install (although those are expensive) and plug it in.
 

Crzyrio

macrumors 68000
Jul 6, 2010
1,587
1,110
Just Sign in to Mac App Store using your Apple ID and buy Mountain Lion and install.
 

ThirteenXIII

macrumors 6502a
Mar 8, 2008
843
276
if you purchase Mt Lion from the App Store, you can sign in when it prompts with your user information
 

Nermal

Moderator
Staff member
Dec 7, 2002
20,637
4,036
New Zealand
If you have access to another Mac then as discussed above you can buy ML from the App Store then enter your own account details on the MBP.

If this is your only Mac then reboot while holding Cmd-Opt-R at the boot chime. A globe should appear, after which you'll be able to erase the hard drive through Disk Utility and install Lion without an Apple ID. This will only work on systems that originally shipped with Lion; if it's older than that then you'll either need to buy ML or find the original restore DVDs.
 

Cuechick

macrumors 6502
May 30, 2010
258
37
So Cal
Why not just call him, write the info down so you don't have to call him again and then change it all, once you update? If you really did buy it, I don't see why this would be a problem? He should have given it to you to begin with... sorry but sounds pretty fishy to me. :(
 

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
Why not just call him, write the info down so you don't have to call him again and then change it all, once you update? If you really did buy it, I don't see why this would be a problem? He should have given it to you to begin with... sorry but sounds pretty fishy to me. :(
Actually no, people should not be selling or giving away their Apple IDs when they sell their old Macs.

----------

...
Is it possible for me to go the app store, purchase Mountain OS X Lion with MY apple ID, and then use that ID to log in for the re-install? Or will it reject it because the OS X Lion that HE purchased and put into the Macbook is still there?
...
You should be able to log into the Apple Store and buy Mountain Lion. And then use your Apple ID during the OS X reinstall.
 
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