Cannot install 10.7 or later on MacBook Pro Early 2008

[sfpqi]

I cannot boot into any installer of 10.7, 10.8, 10.9 or 10.10. I am always stuck at DSMOS has arrived. SMC and NVRAM has been reseted, I have also tried Safe Mode for the installers, they won't work either . I have Snow Leopard running fine.
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.5 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP41.00C1.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.27f3
Serial Number (system): xx
Hardware UUID: xx
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

 

[snaky69]

My 4,1 is now being used by my girlfriend and is on Mavericks, so you SHOULD be able to boot at least the 10.9 installer.

Now, those MBP's GPU has a known manufacturing defect that causes them to fail. The dying GPU can cause all sorts of problems.

Mine died in that same model. Weirdly, the computer was having symptoms of a bad hard drive. Apple diagnosed my failing graphics card, changed my logicboard and the problem went away. I never had any graphic artifacts or similar occurrences.

 

[sfpqi]

My 4,1 is now being used by my girlfriend and is on Mavericks, so you SHOULD be able to boot at least the 10.9 installer.

Now, those MBP's GPU has a known manufacturing defect that causes them to fail. The dying GPU can cause all sorts of problems.

Mine died in that same model. Weirdly, the computer was having symptoms of a bad hard drive. Apple diagnosed my failing graphics card, changed my logic board and the problem went away. I never had any graphic artifacts or similar occurrences.

Hello, thanks for replying, I do not think I have a GPU fault right now. I am typing this with the MBP, and it works flawlessly with 10.6.8;however, I have to wait ten minutes after boot to use trackpad to click stuff. I can always use screen sharing to control the mac. I can run Photoshop with GL and CL acceleration. My fan keeps running although it is only 41℃. I run through apple hardware test, there was no problem. SMC reseted, PRAM reseted but i still get stuck booting the installer.

 

[snaky69]

Hello, thanks for replying, I do not think I have a GPU fault right now. I am typing this with the MBP, and it works flawlessly with 10.6.8;however, I have to wait ten minutes after boot to use trackpad to click stuff. I can always use screen sharing to control the mac. I can run Photoshop with GL and CL acceleration. My fan keeps running although it is only 41℃. I run through apple hardware test, there was no problem. SMC reseted, PRAM reseted but i still get stuck booting the installer.

Like I said, mine showed no symptoms of a problem with the graphics card, everything pointed to a dying hard drive such as major slowdowns, the spinning beachball, taking ages to boot up, etc.

If you have an Apple Store near you I'd take it there, they have a specific test for that particular failure, which doesn't always show up in the hardware test.

Can't hurt to try?

 

[sfpqi]

Like I said, mine showed no symptoms of a problem with the graphics card, everything pointed to a dying hard drive such as major slowdowns, the spinning beachball, taking ages to boot up, etc.

If you have an Apple Store near you I'd take it there, they have a specific test for that particular failure, which doesn't always show up in the hardware test.

Can't hurt to try?

My installers are usb sticks, so I am not really suspecting the hard drive which works like a charm. I do not know the difference between 10.7 and 10.6 installers, which I restored to the same usb stick. Also, I contacted Apple Online support, they said they never met this before.

 

[sfpqi]

I would like to fix it myself, but I camn determine the broken parts. It is very unlikely that I would spend couple hundred dollars in Apple Store on this "noisy guy". It is just for typing at school. I just want iMessage working to text, that was all I was expecting for the old MBP. I do have a ivy bridge hackintosh to try out continuity and etc.

 

[snaky69]

I would like to fix it myself, but I camn determine the broken parts. It is very unlikely that I would spend couple hundred dollars in Apple Store on this "noisy guy". It is just for typing at school. I just want iMessage working to text, that was all I was expecting for the old MBP. I do have a ivy bridge hackintosh to try out continuity and etc.

I was thinking more of the Apple Store as a way to diagnose (and possibly rule out) any problems. That doesn't mean you can't take your computer back from them and fix it yourself after they've diagnosed it. The diagnosis is free.

 

[liya1201]

My installers are usb sticks, so I am not really suspecting the hard drive which works like a charm. I do not know the difference between 10.7 and 10.6 installers, which I restored to the same usb stick. Also, I contacted Apple Online support, they said they never met this before.

Do you confirm your USB sticks with 10.7 (or above) installers are bootable, for example, if they can boot other similar MBPs?

 

[sfpqi]

Do you confirm your USB sticks with 10.7 (or above) installers are bootable, for example, if they can boot other similar MBPs?

I can boot 2009 MB but i dont have similar models to test.

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I was thinking more of the Apple Store as a way to diagnose (and possibly rule out) any problems. That doesn't mean you can't take your computer back from them and fix it yourself after they've diagnosed it. The diagnosis is free.

i will possibly give a shot someday since i live out of city . i think that will be the ultimate solution