2013 MacBook Air can't connect to internet

[CtCarl]

Hello everyone, trying to help a relative who recently picked up an old MacBook Air for basic browsing.

Its a 2013 with an i7 and 8GB RAM, running OS X 10.8.5, and Safari 6.0.5.

Been trying for hours to get online, but no matter what I do, I can't connect with Safari ("Safari can't open this page") or the AppStore ("Internet connection is required").

I can connect to wi-fi with no problems, all the connection "lights" are green and OS X reports "you seem to be connected to the internet". I can log into and administer my router. IP, DNS, and DHCP all seem correct on the MAC's network settings.

The only obvious problem I can see is that when I try to connect to my phone's hotspot, the connection defaults to "WPA2 Enterprise" when it should be "WPA2 Personal". I found instructions for manually changing the security type, but they don't seem to work with this really old OS. For the other (all known working) wi-fi networks I've tried, there's no problem with the security type.

My very limited MAC experience tells me that I should make a bootable USB and upgrade to Big Sur (or possibly something newer) and the latest supported version of Safari. But I don't have access to another MAC, so I'd have to find a source for a downloadable ISO or bootable USB creator I can download and create on a PC.

Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Boot with Command-Option-R, it should boot into Internet Recovery mode (globe spinning). See if it'll log in & get to the recovery mode there; should be 4 options including Disk Utility and Reinstall.

If it's working there, you should be good to go. You can either select Reinstall to update to the latest supported version, or you could use Disk Utility to erase & then do a clean install.

 

[adrianlondon]

I believe OSX 10 doesn't have the necessary certificates to connect to most of the internet.

You'll need to find a way to manually install newer certificates, install Big Sur*, or OCLP and "hack" in a more modern OS version.

If Big Sur is the latest available, it should be presented as an option automatically when you do as @FreakinEurekan suggests above.

 

[CtCarl]

Thanks for the assistance, guys.

I was able to boot into Internet Recovery mode and select "Install Big Sur". Unfortunately, it returned an error message, "An Internet connection is required to install macOS".

 

[Mrbobb]

Assuming what u really need is an OS update......

1. Use your smartphone as hotspot to the Internet, and attach phone to Old Mac via an USB cable.

2. Use a thunderbolt to RJ45 adapter to gain access to the Internet hard wire fashion.

 

[adrianlondon]

For (1), Bluetooth could also work.

One could also try to download the installer (on another Mac) and then use local WiFi or a portable drive to copy it over.

macOS Big Sur Full Installer Database. Download Directly from Apple!

You can now download Beta & Final versions of macOS Big Sur 11 my new database! Every available version of Big Sur listed for quick download!

mrmacintosh.com

 

[FNH15]

Hello everyone, trying to help a relative who recently picked up an old MacBook Air for basic browsing.

Its a 2013 with an i7 and 8GB RAM, running OS X 10.8.5, and Safari 6.0.5.

Been trying for hours to get online, but no matter what I do, I can't connect with Safari ("Safari can't open this page") or the AppStore ("Internet connection is required").

I can connect to wi-fi with no problems, all the connection "lights" are green and OS X reports "you seem to be connected to the internet". I can log into and administer my router. IP, DNS, and DHCP all seem correct on the MAC's network settings.

The only obvious problem I can see is that when I try to connect to my phone's hotspot, the connection defaults to "WPA2 Enterprise" when it should be "WPA2 Personal". I found instructions for manually changing the security type, but they don't seem to work with this really old OS. For the other (all known working) wi-fi networks I've tried, there's no problem with the security type.

My very limited MAC experience tells me that I should make a bootable USB and upgrade to Big Sur (or possibly something newer) and the latest supported version of Safari. But I don't have access to another MAC, so I'd have to find a source for a downloadable ISO or bootable USB creator I can download and create on a PC.

Appreciate any help. Thanks in advance!

Big Sur is the final supported OS version - OCLP will let you install newer OSes.
Download Firefox ESR - http://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/45.9.0esr/mac/
That will let you get online and download the dmg for Big Sur. You can also go through internet recovery by using command+option+r as the Air boots which should serve you Big Sur and let you wipe + reinstall macOS.

Hope that helps. Good thing you have 8GB of RAM!

 

[CtCarl]

Thanks all for the helpful responses!

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect using USB tethering with my Android phone. Apparently that involves using HoRNDIS, and I can't download anything on the MacBook, nor do I have another Mac to download anything on, only PCs.

I can't use Bluetooth tethering, either. I can connect the phone and MacBook, but when I check "Bluetooth PAN", the amber "light" is on, and I get, "No IP Address", "Status: Unknown State", and "The status of your network connection cannot be determined".

As mentioned upthread, I was able to boot into Internet Recovery mode and select "Install Big Sur". Unfortunately, it returned an error message, "An Internet connection is required to install macOS".

I haven't tried @Mrbobb's suggestion, since I don't have a thunderbolt 2 to RJ45 adapter, but there are a few on that big auction website.

Sorry for the ignorant question, but, can I use Recovery mode to install Big Sur over an ethernet connection?

 

[Mrbobb]

Is been a while but am pretty sure you can set up WIFI WITH NO SECURITY, open access, just long enough to do your business then get out.

 

[CtCarl]

Is been a while but am pretty sure you can set up WIFI WITH NO SECURITY, open access, just long enough to do your business then get out.

Good idea. I did try two different Wi-Fi networks with no security but no joy. I think that's a good way to get around the "security type" issues on the phone hotspot, but still no internet connectivity.