HELP!! Deleted Macintosh HD on 2015 Macbook Air

[laurenwashh]

I accidentally deleted my Macintosh HD disk , trying to factory reset my macbook air 13.3” 2015. I am now unable to install Mac OS X El Capitan and need some urgent help. I created a new Macintosh Disk as instructed by apple support but now it says it has less gb available than what I need to install Mac OS and my Recovery HD disk says it’s locked.

 

[Nermal]

Can you please take a screenshot/photo of Disk Utility? (available via the recovery menu)

 

[laurenwashh]

it shows APPLE SSD SM0128G Media and 4 subcategories

 

[Nermal]

Please click on the Apple SSD entry. There normally won't be any Untitled volumes so something's not right...

 

[laurenwashh]

Please click on the Apple SSD entry. There normally won't be any Untitled volumes so something's not right...

 

[MBAir2010]

please say you backed up your MacBook air
please say you backed up your MacBook air

What i would do is tell us how this happened
did you partition the drive?
also did you run first aid or anything in disk utilities?
can you restart the MacBook air?
does the main HD (the one that has all your data, stuff) appear?

the simplest solution is to recover this with a back up copy on an external drive.
What you need to do is install the Time machine or CCC backup and reinstall that on your MacBook air.
you will lose what was not saved tho.
let us know if you need help with that.

since there is indication that the data is there that is a good sign
just getting to that is the focus now.

 

[laurenwashh]

yeah so at first i was trying cmd + R and nothing was working so I did partition it

I can restart it but the same things i sent in the previous image comes up

The main Hd does not appear, only the Apple SSD as shown in the previous picture i sent

Yes I would need help with the external drive

 

[MBAir2010]

Yes I would need help with the external drive

Okay, do you have a back up copy like "time machine" on an external drive?

 

[laurenwashh]

no i don’t

 

[StoneJack]

create USb installer
boot from USB
reformat the internal drive
install OS

 

[MBAir2010]

no i don’t

okay, would you be willing to lose all your data?
what you can try to do is delete this partitions in disk ulitly
see if that works first since you have nothing to lose, expect those partitions

create USb installer
boot from USB
reformat the internal drive
install OS

that will erase the drive, and will delete all the data.
there has to be some hope.....

 

[collin_]

Is there another Mac anywhere in your physical proximity? If it's like... 2018 or newer, I think you could just restore the system really easily using Apple Configurator 2.

 

[MBAir2010]

before doing any erasing, get an external hard rive and SEE if that will copy your MacBook air
either Carbon Cloner C or time machine, which is on your system.

 

[StoneJack]

okay, would you be willing to lose all your data?
what you can try to do is delete this partitions in disk ulitly
see if that works first since you have nothing to lose, expect those partitions

that will erase the drive, and will delete all the data.
there has to be some hope.....

u did not do any backups.
thats your fault.
your hard drive is already hosed if the partitioning went wrong.
choose your data or mac.

 

[laurenwashh]

u did not do any backups.
thats your fault.
your hard drive is already hosed if the partitioning went wrong.
choose your data or mac

I don’t mind losing my data

 

[laurenwashh]

Is there another Mac anywhere in your physical proximity? If it's like... 2018 or newer, I think you could just restore the system really easily using Apple Configurator 2.

yes I have another mac

 

[MBAir2010]

I don’t mind losing my data

just try the time machine back up we hav noting to lose and data to feel if that works
then you can reboot (cmd-option) then reinstall Elcap via internet recovery

 

[StoneJack]

I don’t mind losing my data

then just reformat and reinstall, don't waste time

 

[MBAir2010]

Take your time,
I'm deleting files (400GB) and mostly movies from 4 external hard drives,
and have 2 more hours of back up allotted today.

 

[laurenwashh]

Is there another Mac anywhere in your physical proximity? If it's like... 2018 or newer, I think you could just restore the system really easily using Apple Configurator 2.

yes I do have another mac

 

[laurenwashh]

just try the time machine back up we hav noting to lose and data to feel if that works
then you can reboot (cmd-option) then reinstall Elcap via internet recovery

so this is what it’s showing but normally it says unable to install cause the total gb say like 58.95 but then the available gb says 58.5 so it doesn’t allow me to install

 

[laurenwashh]

u did not do any backups.
thats your fault.
your hard drive is already hosed if the partitioning went wrong.
choose your data or mac.

yeah i don’t mind losing the data i already have everything set up on another mac

 

[laurenwashh]

okay, would you be willing to lose all your data?
what you can try to do is delete this partitions in disk ulitly
see if that works first since you have nothing to lose, expect those partitions

that will erase the drive, and will delete all the data.
there has to be some hope.....

 

[StoneJack]

Yes, it happens if the disk utility itself is located on the Mac drive, in simple words it can't destroy the location on which it itself is operating.

In order to reformat properly, the disk utility should be from the USB installer. So back to my advice,
make USB installer, boot from it and reformat the drive from there.

 

[MBAir2010]

Here are some useful tips to make a bootle drive for El Capitan
-elcap
OSXdaily elcap

i always refer to any information regarding installing systems and repairs on my macs.
there is always a simple step someone can overlook that could ruin a drive.

i hoped this helped and good luck!