Help, Erased iMac HDD volume drive trying reset my iMac to factory conditions

[trueq]

Hi, I would be very greatful if some one could help me.

I am looking for some advice or resolution please as i have stupidly deleted my mac hd internal hard drive.

I was trying to reformat my whole imac and start again from a fresh and erased the volume mac drive which appears in the disk utility. It now longer appears as a drive after i deleted it. As a newbie i didnt have a partition created so i have no back up.
I have the installation disks and booted the imac up after deleting the drive as i can no longer use the imac as it seems to have been wiped. When i try to run the boot disk it wants me too select a drive to reinstall but no drive appears as its been deleted so i cannot see what i can do to reinstall my mac as it keeps asking for a drive to apply the reinstall to but i cant as its no longer there as i deleted it.

I did do a time machine back up of my files on my external hard drive via time machine beforehand but not sure if this has worked but as when i try to create a new drive via disk utility at the boot screen it is greyed out when i access my external hard drive and browse the files on it.

All i wanted to do was to reinstall my imac to its factory condition but in short deleted the hd volume and cannot reinstall as it wants me to select a drive to apply the reinstall to but it not there.

Any help i would be really greatful as i seemed too have truely deleted the drive it wants me to reinstall too.

many thanks Craig

 

[mossy]

Power off the computer.
Turn it back on and hold down 'cmd' key and 'r' key together at the same time.
See if it boots into recovery mode.

What model is your computer btw?

 

[trueq]

Hi,

thanks for the reply , i have tried this previously it does go in boot recovery mode but when i try to restore it wont let me as when you go through the steps of setup like you would for a new mac i.e 1) select language then 2) agree to the terms and conditions it then asks for you to select a drive to restore , but i cannot do this as no drive appears as i gather i deleted it. Thats my problem i erased the drive and dont now how to proceed.

I think thats my problem as it will boot to recovery mode. ut thats it, it will let me progress though the recovery mode but only for the forst few steps, because no drive is there to apply the recovery process too. Anyhelp would be appreciated.

My mac was bought brand new 4 years ago it has the aluminuim body runs on 10.6

many thanks for all you help anyone

Craig

 

[antonis]

After booting from the recovery partition, load disk utility and create a new partition on your hd (allocate all the remaining space on this new partition). Then, the installer will be able to recognize it and let you install OS X on it.

Just make sure that when creating the new partition you choose the following characteristics:

format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled)
partition map scheme: GUID

 

[trueq]

Hi,

Thanks i inderstand what you are saying but I didnt create a partition before i deleted the drive so i cannot boot from the partition, i can get into disk recovery when i boot up but i have no drive to select to create a new partition.

Have i totally messed it up maybe erasing the drive and not partitioning it.

all the best

craig

 

[Nismo73]

Hi,

Thanks i inderstand what you are saying but I didnt create a partition before i deleted the drive so i cannot boot from the partition, i can get into disk recovery when i boot up but i have no drive to select to create a new partition.

Have i totally messed it up maybe erasing the drive and not partitioning it.

all the best

craig

If you haven't seen this, or maybe it might help.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

 

[trueq]

Hi ,

Thanks i did see this but the options here dont seem to work as i am always asked to select a disk thats not there as its been erased, i think thats my main problem in not having a hd disk to put a new os x install into, so somehow need to get one recognised but there is no option i can see to do this as i did not create a partition, but i guess seurly there has to be a way?

thanks Craig

 

[marzer]

Hi, I would be very greatful if some one could help me.

I am looking for some advice or resolution please as i have stupidly deleted my mac hd internal hard drive.

I was trying to reformat my whole imac and start again from a fresh and erased the volume mac drive which appears in the disk utility. It now longer appears as a drive after i deleted it. As a newbie i didnt have a partition created so i have no back up.
I have the installation disks and booted the imac up after deleting the drive as i can no longer use the imac as it seems to have been wiped. When i try to run the boot disk it wants me too select a drive to reinstall but no drive appears as its been deleted so i cannot see what i can do to reinstall my mac as it keeps asking for a drive to apply the reinstall to but i cant as its no longer there as i deleted it.

I did do a time machine back up of my files on my external hard drive via time machine beforehand but not sure if this has worked but as when i try to create a new drive via disk utility at the boot screen it is greyed out when i access my external hard drive and browse the files on it.

All i wanted to do was to reinstall my imac to its factory condition but in short deleted the hd volume and cannot reinstall as it wants me to select a drive to apply the reinstall to but it not there.

Any help i would be really greatful as i seemed too have truely deleted the drive it wants me to reinstall too.

many thanks Craig

Boot into your installation disks. From the Utilities menu, run Disk Utility. Select your internal drive and create your partition scheme. Exit Disk Utility, your internal disk should show as an install/restore option.

P.s. You can't "truly" delete a physical disk. If it doesn't show up in disk utility, there is most likely something physically wrong with the disk drive.

 

[trueq]

thanks,

i do have a disk i can view in the disk utility but on clicking in the partiontion tab within that disk every option is greyed out in there and it does not allow me to create or manipulate anything.

Can you advise what option i should be selecting in the partition tab, although every option is greyed out.

cheers

 

[Weaselboy]

thanks,

i do have a disk i can view in the disk utility but on clicking in the partiontion tab within that disk every option is greyed out in there and it does not allow me to create or manipulate anything.

Can you advise what option i should be selecting in the partition tab, although every option is greyed out.

cheers

Try this. Plug your Time Machine (TM) backup disk in and option key boot to that disk. This should get you the same recovery screen, however it will be running off the TM disk now. Start Disk Utility and select the drive name at the very top (like Seagate 1TB or whatever) then try to erase the entire drive in Mac OS Extended format. Once that is done close Disk Util and click reinstall OS.

If you cannot erase like that, tell me what it says when you select the drive name at the top? Can you go to the file menu and select unlock drive?

If that does not get you anywhere, start Terminal from the Utilities menu in recovery and run the command "diskutil list" (without the quotes) and tell me what the output is.

 

[trueq]

thanks i will give this a go and let you know how i get on

 

[trueq]

Finally all sorted thanks for your help.

Oone i press the option key the boot as you said listed my external drive and also the recovery dosk that it was not showing in the original boot. So the option key boot had more options for me to use to reinstall. The recovery drivewastheir and i just backed up from the internet recovery and it all put itself back together by a fresh install.

Thankyou very much for all your help.

 

[Weaselboy]

Finally all sorted thanks for your help.

Oone i press the option key the boot as you said listed my external drive and also the recovery dosk that it was not showing in the original boot. So the option key boot had more options for me to use to reinstall. The recovery drivewastheir and i just backed up from the internet recovery and it all put itself back together by a fresh install.

Thankyou very much for all your help.

Excellent! Glad it worked out.

 

[Christiantt]

Maybe I can have some help to?? I have the same problem, but I still can't change anything :-/
When write diskutil list it shows:

 

[Weaselboy]

Maybe I can have some help to?? I have the same problem, but I still can't change anything :-/
When write diskutil list it shows:

It looks like you have a core storage volume there that is stopping you from using Disk Utility to manipulate the drive.

Run the command below in Terminal then post up the output so we can help you.

diskutil cs list

Also, explain exactly what it is you are trying to do.

 

[Christiantt]

I tried to make 2 partitions on my SSD. But something went wrong, so it deleted the HDD :-/
I have a Time Machine disk with a back up from 1 min before my mistake

 

[Weaselboy]

Yup... you goofed.

Option key boot to your TM disk then go the the Utilities menu and start Terminal. Then enter the command below. That will blow off that core storage volume you have there. Make sure you do it just like I have it including the quotes.

Then quit Terminal and start Disk Util and reformat to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Then quit Disk Util and click restore and drink an adult beverage while everything gets put back in place.

diskutil cs delete "Macintosh HD"

 

[Christiantt]

Yup... you goofed.

Option key boot to your TM disk then go the the Utilities menu and start Terminal. Then enter the command below. That will blow off that core storage volume you have there. Make sure you do it just like I have it including the quotes.

Then quit Terminal and start Disk Util and reformat to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Then quit Disk Util and click restore and drink an adult beverage while everything gets put back in place.

diskutil cs delete "Macintosh HD"

This is awsome!! It works!!
Thank you so much

As a note I can tell that i've only owned a Mac for 2 weeks

 

[Tumbleweed666]

This is awsome!! It works!!
Thank you so much
As a note I can tell that i've only owned a Mac for 2 weeks

Yeh but you did the main thing, a backup before messing around, so, not so IT newbie

 

[Christiantt]

Yeh but you did the main thing, a backup before messing around, so, not so IT newbie

And I am thankful for that!!!

 

[Zorana71]

Try this. Plug your Time Machine (TM) backup disk in and option key boot to that disk. This should get you the same recovery screen, however it will be running off the TM disk now. Start Disk Utility and select the drive name at the very top (like Seagate 1TB or whatever) then try to erase the entire drive in Mac OS Extended format. Once that is done close Disk Util and click reinstall OS.

If you cannot erase like that, tell me what it says when you select the drive name at the top? Can you go to the file menu and select unlock drive?

If that does not get you anywhere, start Terminal from the Utilities menu in recovery and run the command "diskutil list" (without the quotes) and tell me what the output is.

Hi, I did the exact same thing and then came across this and followed the instructions. Though my problem is now that my hardrive is on my external disk 'seagate 1TB' and my laptop doesn't work with out it plugged in. Before all this happened I did back up my mac with time macine to this same external disk... But this was erased when i was doing the above. What should I do?

 

[Weaselboy]

Hi, I did the exact same thing and then came across this and followed the instructions. Though my problem is now that my hardrive is on my external disk 'seagate 1TB' and my laptop doesn't work with out it plugged in. Before all this happened I did back up my mac with time macine to this same external disk... But this was erased when i was doing the above. What should I do?

So you can boot to the Seagate drive with the OS installed on there? And the internal drive is blank then?

 

[Zorana71]

Yes, that's correct

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So you can boot to the Seagate drive with the OS installed on there? And the internal drive is blank then?

Yes, that's correct!

 

[Weaselboy]

Yes, that's correct!

Okay gotcha. So we just need to copy the contents of the Seagate disk back to the internal. Option key boot to the Seagate (sounds like you already did that). Then use Disk Utility to erase the internal to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

Then go to the restore tab of Disk Utility. Drag the external OS volume (whatever it is named) into the source field and the internal volume into the destination field and click restore in the lower right. That will clone the external to the internal and you will be back in business.

Once you reboot to the internal, go to System Prefs and in the startup disk pane set the internal as the boot disk.

The only catch here is this won't work if the external disk volume size is larger than the destination. If it is you will need to use Disk Util to sharing down the external volume to a size slightly smaller than the destination volume. See this.

 

[Zorana71]

Okay gotcha. So we just need to copy the contents of the Seagate disk back to the internal. Option key boot to the Seagate (sounds like you already did that). Then use Disk Utility to erase the internal to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format.

Then go to the restore tab of Disk Utility. Drag the external OS volume (whatever it is named) into the source field and the internal volume into the destination field and click restore in the lower right. That will clone the external to the internal and you will be back in business.

Once you reboot to the internal, go to System Prefs and in the startup disk pane set the internal as the boot disk.

The only catch here is this won't work if the external disk volume size is larger than the destination. If it is you will need to use Disk Util to sharing down the external volume to a size slightly smaller than the destination volume. See this.

Though my initial problem was that I erased the internal volume, so I have no destination option...