creating Recovery HD

[knarzie]

Hi,

in my quest to install 'find my mac' I have found out that I don't have a recovery partition. Trying restart with cmd+r has confirmed this.

Is there a simple way to (re) install this or is this going to take hours?

Looked at various links on the web, but since I don't understand computer speak, I am having a bit of trouble understanding any of it.

don't know if this info from terminal helps...

/dev/disk0
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *750.2 GB disk0
1: EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_HFS Herbie 749.8 GB disk0s2

 

[knarzie]

downloaded the recovery hd assistant to try and do it with a USB stick, but it won't even let me install it as it says I need 10.7, when I am actually already on 10.7.4

 

[Weaselboy]

Just reinstall Lion and it will recreate a recovery partition for you. Backup first to be safe, but a simple reinstall with formatting/erasing the disk will not wipe your data.

 

[knarzie]

Just reinstall Lion and it will recreate a recovery partition for you. Backup first to be safe, but a simple reinstall with formatting/erasing the disk will not wipe your data.

How do I reinstall though? Will I have to put Lion on a USB stick first?

I did a time machine backup this .

 

[Mal]

Try Carbon Copy Cloner. It has a feature that will create a Recovery Disk on any drive. Not sure if it requires an existing one or if it can pull from the Installer or even without any external source, but would be the simplest solution if it works for you.

jW

 

[Weaselboy]

How do I reinstall though? Will I have to put Lion on a USB stick first?

I did a time machine backup this .

It sounds like you got Lion from the App Store... yes?

If so, just do an option click on the purchases tab and that will allow you to redownload Lion and just install it. After you download Lion and before you do the install, you may want to stop and make yourself a USB key installer for future use (although you don't have to).

You can use this free tool to assist you in making the USB installer.

Carbon Copy Cloner, mentioned by another user, will not create a Recovery partition if none exists to be copied from (like your situation).

 

[Mal]

Carbon Copy Cloner, mentioned by another user, will not create a Recovery partition if none exists to be copied from (like your situation).

I'm guessing you've tried this, or at least had it confirmed by others? If so, good to know. I'll try to remember that for future reference.

jW

 

[Weaselboy]

I'm guessing you've tried this, or at least had it confirmed by others? If so, good to know. I'll try to remember that for future reference.

jW

Yep. If you go to Disk Center in the latest 3.5b3 of CCC and try to create/restore a Recovery HD it will ask you which drive/partition you want to copy it from. If you don't have one on a drive somewhere to copy from CCC can't create it.

 

[knarzie]

It sounds like you got Lion from the App Store... yes?

If so, just do an option click on the purchases tab and that will allow you to redownload Lion and just install it. After you download Lion and before you do the install, you may want to stop and make yourself a USB key installer for future use (although you don't have to).

You can use this free tool to assist you in making the USB installer.

Carbon Copy Cloner, mentioned by another user, will not create a Recovery partition if none exists to be copied from (like your situation).

yes I did buy it on the app store. Thanks for the advice.

 

[knarzie]

So.

I've re-downloaded Lion and reinstalled it. Only took 35 mins, should I have wiped the harddrive first or something?

Also, My iCloud problem has gone (so there must now be a recovery partition) but I can't see the recovery partition in disk utilities. SHould I be able to see it there?

 

[knarzie]

Well even though I can't see it, there is a recovery HD now. I managed to restart with command r and get into disk utility, and it repaired whatever issues there were.

 

[Weaselboy]

So.

I've re-downloaded Lion and reinstalled it. Only took 35 mins, should I have wiped the harddrive first or something?

Also, My iCloud problem has gone (so there must now be a recovery partition) but I can't see the recovery partition in disk utilities. SHould I be able to see it there?

No, the Recovery HD is hidden in Disk Utility. If you open Terminal app and type in "diskutil list" (without the quotes) you will see it listed there.