Best way to install Lion on used MacBook

[davidg4781]

I'm looking to purchase a used MacBook off of Craigslist so I can get to Lion/Mountain Lion.

I've seen some that come with Lion preloaded or that have Snow Leopard. Usually I would wipe the drive or maybe even put my own drive in it, but I was wondering if I can use their install of SL, sign onto the MAS, then download Lion and move that to a USB drive.

This would save me the steps of wiping their HDD, installing my SL, updating, downloading Lion, and installing Lion.

I have a Core Duo MacBook so I don't think I can download Lion onto it since I know I can't install it.

 

[palmharbor]

r u kidding?

1) don't buy a computer off Craig's list...I did and the Laptop was defective but I did not find out until I got home and it was too late. Buy a refurb from Apple.

2) There are NO advanages with Lion but plenty of disadvantages such as changes to Mail...limited "save as"

3)I photo is difficult to print now and difficult to delete.

4) Snow leopard was a much better OS and you get back up OS disks...if U have a problem with Lion you have to go the Clouds!

 

[Mal]

I'm looking to purchase a used MacBook off of Craigslist so I can get to Lion/Mountain Lion.

I've seen some that come with Lion preloaded or that have Snow Leopard. Usually I would wipe the drive or maybe even put my own drive in it, but I was wondering if I can use their install of SL, sign onto the MAS, then download Lion and move that to a USB drive.

This would save me the steps of wiping their HDD, installing my SL, updating, downloading Lion, and installing Lion.

I have a Core Duo MacBook so I don't think I can download Lion onto it since I know I can't install it.

I would be wary of signing into the Mac App Store on a machine purchased via Craigslist. The original owner could have installed a keylogger or something similar on the machine and could gain access to your passwords. The first step should always be to wipe a used machine. It may add some steps, but it's a significant security benefit.

1) don't buy a computer off Craig's list...I did and the Laptop was defective but I did not find out until I got home and it was too late. Buy a refurb from Apple.

Agreed. The cost savings won't be quite as much, but the advantages of having a warranty (and being able to purchase AppleCare) are huge. If you do buy from Craigslist, be very careful.

2) There are NO advanages with Lion but plenty of disadvantages such as changes to Mail...limited "save as"

Entirely subjective, and I would say absurdly wrong. I love the changes to Mail (and the old view is still available), and the advantages of Lion are myriad. Let others decide for themselves instead of giving an inaccurate blanket statement like "Lion is bad".

3)I photo is difficult to print now and difficult to delete.

iPhoto is designed for photo management. It works quite well for printing images in a variety of formats, but you can just as easily use Preview. It's also not hard to delete, although I can't imagine any good reasons to delete it other than troubleshooting.

4) Snow leopard was a much better OS and you get back up OS disks...if U have a problem with Lion you have to go the Clouds!

Snow Leopard is a great OS, but being better than Lion is subjective, and for the vast majority of users, especially new to the Mac, it's best for them to go ahead and get the current OS to avoid issues with compatibility. Not having access to the full feature set of iCloud is the #1 reason in my mind for anyone buying a new computer to get one with Lion, barring special circumstances.

jW