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Clean install and migration from encrypted Time Machine

O

Olfromnor

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 1, 2014
6
0
Hi,
My MBP fails to boot (folder icon with question mark). I have tried all I could from the information available on various forums but I can't repair the HD and the only alternative I get from the recovery mode is to install Lion, which was originally shipped with the laptop. I suspect this comes from the fact that the HD is encrypted (filevault2).

I would like to make a clean install of maverick (wipe out everything) and to migrate (manually?) my applications and data from my (encrypted) Time machine back up.

I suspect that this will not be straightforward because both the MBP and the TM backup are encrypted... Anyone know the steps to follow?
 
Last edited:
Boot to Internet Recovery with Command-Option-R

In Disk Utility, partition the disk to one partition, called Macintosh HD

Then "Reinstall OS X" which will put Lion on

Then go into App Store and install Mavericks

Then move in your data
 
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about doing that but I thought that this would be a simple update? would that be the same as a clean install? I mean of Maverick?
 
Olfromnor said:
Thanks for the advice. I was thinking about doing that but I thought that this would be a simple update? would that be the same as a clean install? I mean of Maverick?
Click to expand...

Not exactly because you would be installing Mavs over top Lion... but pretty close to a clean install.

Let's backup though. Have you replaced the drive in MBP? If you have not, no amount of reinstalling things is going to fix this.

I would suggest putting in a new drive then option key boot from your Time Machine disk and select the recovery partition there to start from. Then use Disk Util to erase the new disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) then click restore. You will be asked for the password you used to encrypt TM. This will put the OS and all your apps and data onto the new drive.
 
Thanks for this.
I have not replaced the drive, OSX was running slow (I don't know why, I had upgraded to Maverick a long time ago) and I tried to repair the disk. I got an error message saying it could not do it "live" and when I tried to restart it would not boot anymore...

I really hope that I don't need to replace the drive and that it is only a firmware/software issue.
 
Olfromnor said:
Thanks for this.
I have not replaced the drive, OSX was running slow (I don't know why, I had upgraded to Maverick a long time ago) and I tried to repair the disk. I got an error message saying it could not do it "live" and when I tried to restart it would not boot anymore...

I really hope that I don't need to replace the drive and that it is only a firmware/software issue.
Click to expand...

That really sounds like a bad drive. Unless you just installed some software that caused this, a software issue would not just spontaneously cause the drive not to boot like this. I see a new hard drive in your future. :(

You might try a command-r boot to recovery and see if you can repair the disk from there, but it really sounds like that disk is toast.
 
I didn't install anything suspicious I think. I suspected that attempting the disk repair on an encrypted disk created a bug (dunno if this is possible). The only unusual thing I did before it became slow is to lend the laptop to my wife, using the guest account with safari only.

I have tried command-R, this is how I tried the disk repair initially. I even tried command-alt-R to get the option to install Maverick directly but nope, I can only reinstall Lion...

I got a little scared from your post. I will try the internet recovery with Lion straight away...

----------

Did not go very far... In the beginning of the process I am asked to unlock the disk but the HD icon remains frayed out after that, I cannot select it to do the install... When I try again I get a message saying that the install is not possible because a newer version is already installed. Doesn't make sense this system.
 
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It will be a bit different since you have FV2 on. Do the command-option-r boot to get to Internet recovery, the start Disk Utility and I believe it is in the File menu you can select unlock then enter your PW to unlock the disk. Then try a Disk Repair.

If this fails try reformatting the entire disk by selecting the physical disk itself (above Macintosh HD) and erase the entire disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Then quit Disk Util and click install OS. This will get you to the OS that came from the factory.

I would not hold out much hope this will fix it though.
 
Ok. Erased the HD, made an install USB key for Maverick and so far the installation process is going as planned. Anyone knows something about difficulties to back up files from an encrypted time machine HD?
 
Olfromnor said:
Ok. Erased the HD, made an install USB key for Maverick and so far the installation process is going as planned. Anyone knows something about difficulties to back up files from an encrypted time machine HD?
Click to expand...

Do you mean restore from an encrypted TM backup? Just run the setup assistant to import at the end of the Mavs install and select the encrypted TM partition as the data source and you will be prompted for the password you gave Time Machine when you first turned on encrypted backups.
 
Thank you all for your support.

I am now writing from the MBP, everything went well and, fortunately, the HD was not damaged (at least it does not look like it).
 
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