Empty/New Harddrive - can't install Snow Leopard

[wurstsalat]

Hi,

I am a competent PC user but have very little idea about the nuances of the mac-world. I am running into some rather strange issues with a macbook pro that I second-hand purchased for my girlfriend.

I installed a new/empty/unpartioned ssd drive in the macbook and I purchased a Mac OSX Snow Leopard disc. When trying to boot from the disk I get the apple logo but then continuous 3 beeps. I imagined I would be able to boot from the disc into the disc manager/utility and prepare the drive for installation, then install Snow Leopard and end up with a new/fresh setup.

For some reason that would be too simple apparently - what am I missing? How can I install a new OS on this macbook? How can I make the harddrive work? Some people seem to suggest that Snow Leopard is not going to work because it needs Lion, but I dont understand how the macbook even "knows" what OS it had installed before, the drive is not even partioned so holds no information of any previous system that might have been run on the machine before I second hand purchased it.

All very strange, I would appreciate your guys help, many thanks

 

[davidlv]

Hi,

I am a competent PC user but have very little idea about the nuances of the mac-world. I am running into some rather strange issues with a macbook pro that I second-hand purchased for my girlfriend.

I installed a new/empty/unpartioned ssd drive in the macbook and I purchased a Mac OSX Snow Leopard disc. When trying to boot from the disk I get the apple logo but then continuous 3 beeps. I imagined I would be able to boot from the disc into the disc manager/utility and prepare the drive for installation, then install Snow Leopard and end up with a new/fresh setup.

For some reason that would be too simple apparently - what am I missing? How can I install a new OS on this macbook? How can I make the harddrive work? Some people seem to suggest that Snow Leopard is not going to work because it needs Lion, but I dont understand how the macbook even "knows" what OS it had installed before, the drive is not even partioned so holds no information of any previous system that might have been run on the machine before I second hand purchased it.

All very strange, I would appreciate your guys help, many thanks

In order to get help on this issue, I believe you should post what model MBP you are talking about. Some models will require Lion or even Mountain Lion, because they have hardware that was not supported in Snow Leopard. When you bought the used laptop, did you get any installation disks?
Maybe someone with experience / knowledge of how to do an internet recovery could contribute here? Is that the Option-Command R key combo? See this page: http://www.apple.com/osx/recovery/

 

[derbothaus]

Each OS disc is finite in what HW it can boot. Chances are the Macbook is newer than the 10.6 disc and as a result can't be booted by the disc. If the Mac came with zero discs it shipped with 10.7 or 10.8 and will require those to run. Those also were not distributed on disc so you need to get an OS image or download of the OS and apply to a thumb drive or HDD to install to your new HDD. It is a bit easier when you have an image of an existing system and an external HD.

 

[jalf991]

sounds like a RAM issue. take it out and re-seat it.

 

[Ccrew]

Each OS disc is finite in what HW it can boot. Chances are the Macbook is newer than the 10.6 disc and as a result can't be booted by the disc. If the Mac came with zero discs it shipped with 10.7 or 10.8 and will require those to run. Those also were not distributed on disc so you need to get an OS image or download of the OS and apply to a thumb drive or HDD to install to your new HDD. It is a bit easier when you have an image of an existing system and an external HD.

Well, a lot of typing for what is unfortunately not the problem.

3 beeps and no boot, jalf991 is probably right. Bad, or poorly seated RAM. Even a machine that doesn't support SL will try to at least boot from the disc and then kernel panic when it tries to initialize the hardware.

Once the OP gets into a setup screen though, have to jump into Disk Utility and partition the new SSD before trying to install.

 

[derbothaus]

Misread the beeps part of their issue.
The rest should be directed to OP not me. I really wish I could learn stuff from these nitpicking "you're wrong because..." posts. Oh well.

 

[wurstsalat]

It is not a RAM issue. The computer was running fine a few days ago when it had another harddrive (with the sellers OS etc) installed. This is only happening since the new empty harddrive has been installed.

sounds like a RAM issue. take it out and re-seat it.

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In order to get help on this issue, I believe you should post what model MBP you are talking about. Some models will require Lion or even Mountain Lion, because they have hardware that was not supported in Snow Leopard. When you bought the used laptop, did you get any installation disks?
Maybe someone with experience / knowledge of how to do an internet recovery could contribute here? Is that the Option-Command R key combo? See this page: http://www.apple.com/osx/recovery/

Thank you - According to the serial number it is a

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011)

I dont think Recovery can work simply because the HDD is new/empty so contains no data.

- I didnt get any installation disks, I simply bought a MAC OSX Snow Leopard Installation disc directly from apple. One would have thought that being an installation dics I would be able to boot and install from it ... ?!

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Each OS disc is finite in what HW it can boot. Chances are the Macbook is newer than the 10.6 disc and as a result can't be booted by the disc. If the Mac came with zero discs it shipped with 10.7 or 10.8 and will require those to run. Those also were not distributed on disc so you need to get an OS image or download of the OS and apply to a thumb drive or HDD to install to your new HDD. It is a bit easier when you have an image of an existing system and an external HD.

So this kind of behaviour is hardwired into the macbook itself or a limitation of the OS that I am running? Because the information can't be on the harddrive as it is empty. Wow, talking about closed system!

Regardless, it sounds like maybe Lion will make all this pain go away, however are you implying that I can't actually buy a disc that I can boot from and which will partition and format my empty HDD to the required specifications?

Many thanks!

 

[davidlv]

The problem is that:
1. Your MBP needs 10.6.6 or later to boot up, and that OS Install DVD is 10.6.0 or 10.6.3.
See the attached screen shot from the free soft Mactracker. So call Apple and ask if they can help you with that.
2. Use a friend's Mac to install the OS, SL or ML on an external disk, update it to at least 10.6.6 - and then use that as a boot up disk to use Disk Utility to initialize your new SSD and install the OS. (need to clone the OS if you don't have a SL 10.6.6 Install DVD, so download CCC to use in demo mode)
3. You may be able to use the Command + R keys to boot up in the Internet Recovery mode, haven't actually had to try that ....

 

[wurstsalat]

The problem is that:
1. Your MBP needs 10.6.6 or later to boot up, see the attached screen shot from the free soft Mactracker. So call Apple and ask if they can help you with that.
2. Use a friend's Mac to install the OS, SL or ML on an external disk, update it to at least 10.6.6 - and then use that as a boot up disk to use Disk Utility to initialize your new SSD and install the OS. (need to clone the OS if you don't have a SL 10.6.6 Install DVD, so download CCC to use in demo mode)
3. You may be able to use the Command + R keys to boot up in the Internet Recovery mode, haven't actually had to try that ....

Thank you - that helps a lot. Only question I have is ... won't I be able to simply purchase 10.6.6 or later disc and boot from it into disk utility, then do the formating/hdd prep from there? Why do I need to pre-install the OS via another macbook first?

Will try Command + R now ... something appears to be happening, curious.

 

[davidlv]

Thank you - that helps a lot. Only question I have is ... won't I be able to simply purchase 10.6.6 or later disc and boot from it into disk utility, then do the formating/hdd prep from there? Why do I need to pre-install the OS via another macbook first?

Will try Command + R now ... something appears to be happening, curious.

Yes You can do that if you have a 10.6.6 Install DVD, which you should be able to get from Apple or maybe on ebay. Trouble is all? most? of the retail disks are 10.6.0 or 10.6.3, at least mine was 10.6.3, not 10.6.6
You really should have asked the original owner, he got that DVD with the machine when he bought it.
Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Ccrew]

A 2011 MBP will still boot a retail SL disc. It'll just kernel panic.

You can't buy a 10.6.6 retail disc, highest ever produced for retail was 10.6.3. If you need 10.6.6 pretty much stuck with trying to install from another machine via target disc mode.

 

[wurstsalat]

I find this all very peculiar and incredibly restrictive but I am trying to not jump onto the Apple-vs-PC bandwagon.

Aaanyways, the way forward appears to be the COMMAND-R Internet Recovery mode. Amazingly that works. Well. Up to a point where it only offers me Lion as a install option, which I would be happy with but have not purchased with any of my Apple ID's yet.
I can't purchase it online with a PC, it has to be via a Mac (!!) so I will have to go to an apple store, log into my account via a mac, buy Lion, logout, and then run the Internet Recovery again. That should get me a system setup with Lion.

The fact that a Install Disc is not Installing from Disc is one of the most insane things I have ever experienced in computing.

Thanks everybody for your help

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Yes You can do that if you have a 10.6.6 Install DVD, which you should be able to get from Apple or maybe on ebay. Trouble is all? most? of the retail disks are 10.6.0 or 10.6.3, at least mine was 10.6.3, not 10.6.6
You really should have asked the original owner, he got that DVD with the machine when he bought it.
Let us know how it turns out.

only just saw this ... so 10.6.6 will install from DVD ... hmmmm ... maybe I should get that then. Why does 10.6.6 work but older versions such as 10.6.3 wont ?!

And if the newer one works, why are almost all not the newest?!

 

[davidlv]

I find this all very peculiar and incredibly restrictive but I am trying to not jump onto the Apple-vs-PC bandwagon.
Aaanyways, the way forward appears to be the COMMAND-R Internet Recovery mode. Amazingly that works. Well. Up to a point where it only offers me Lion as a install option, which I would be happy with but have not purchased with any of my Apple ID's yet.
I can't purchase it online with a PC, it has to be via a Mac (!!) so I will have to go to an apple store, log into my account via a mac, buy Lion, logout, and then run the Internet Recovery again. That should get me a system setup with Lion.
The fact that a Install Disc is not Installing from Disc is one of the most insane things I have ever experienced in computing.
Thanks everybody for your help
----------


only just saw this ... so 10.6.6 will install from DVD ... hmmmm ... maybe I should get that then. Why does 10.6.6 work but older versions such as 10.6.3 wont ?!

And if the newer one works, why are almost all not the newest?!

Why? Due to the fast and differing rate of hardware and software (OS) development? In any case, the older versions of the SL install DVDs won't work on your machine, call Apple, tell them you bought a used early 2011 MBP 13" and need the original SL install DVD. If you tell them you already bought the retail version that may help get some action. Can't hurt and its only one call, why not try it? Or make an appointment with a genius, go to thee apple store and ask them to install ML and offer to pay for it. Your plan for getting Lion installed will work too, but then you have to upgrade to ML, Lion is (my opinion) a drag.

 

[Ccrew]

only just saw this ... so 10.6.6 will install from DVD ... hmmmm ... maybe I should get that then. Why does 10.6.6 work but older versions such as 10.6.3 wont ?!

And if the newer one works, why are almost all not the newest?!

SL doesn't have support until 10.6.6 for the chipset supporting Thunderbolt is the primary reason.

 

[snaky69]

SL doesn't have support until 10.6.6 for the chipset supporting Thunderbolt is the primary reason.

What he said, it pretty much all boils down to driver issues.

If you can find someone that bought the same machine as you back when it did ship with SL, you should be able to use their recovery DVD's without issues (the grey discs, not the retail copy).

 

[Ccrew]

What he said, it pretty much all boils down to driver issues.

If you can find someone that bought the same machine as you back when it did ship with SL, you should be able to use their recovery DVD's without issues (the grey discs, not the retail copy).

Yeah, Apple will also sell you replacement recovery discs, but my experience is they're $60

 

[MichaelLAX]

Ignore most of CCrew's posts on this thread; they are misleading at best and wrong at worst!

davidlv has the problem diagnosed correctly and the solution for you, too!

Call Apple (800-MYAPPLE) with your model and serial number and they will sell you a replacement disc for $17. This is the easiest solution.

The other solution is to install the retail snow leopard disc into an external HD connected to another Mac, update it online to 10.6.8 and then clone it over to your MacBook (Carbon Copy Cloner, SuperDuper).