HELP! - Restore a MBP 6,1

[Mazza8292]

I was just given a MacBook Pro by a friend who was over fiddling with it and just upgraded. It seems to have some sort of virus where most programs freeze, especially safari, after a few minutes use. It had a early version of snow leopard, but I upgraded to most current. Anyway, my goal is to restore it to factory conditions but with this model it seems you have to have the snow leopard DVDs to do so, which I do not. What I'm wondering is, is there an easier way to wipe it clean? Or should I just spend the $20 and get the DVDs ordered. OR is there a newer OS I can replace it with? I'm a PC user aside from my iPhone/iPad, so I don't know much about any of this!

 

[CoastalOR]

I was just given a MacBook Pro by a friend who was over fiddling with it and just upgraded. It seems to have some sort of virus where most programs freeze, especially safari, after a few minutes use. It had a early version of snow leopard, but I upgraded to most current. Anyway, my goal is to restore it to factory conditions but with this model it seems you have to have the snow leopard DVDs to do so, which I do not. What I'm wondering is, is there an easier way to wipe it clean? Or should I just spend the $20 and get the DVDs ordered. OR is there a newer OS I can replace it with? I'm a PC user aside from my iPhone/iPad, so I don't know much about any of this!

It will be hard for people to help you without knowing the year of your MacBook Pro. That information should help determine what OS it will support. An easy way to get the information is to go to the upper left corner of the screen, select >About This Mac. What does the new window show?

 

[Mazza8292]

It will be hard for people to help you without knowing the year of your MacBook Pro. That information should help determine what OS it will support. An easy way to get the information is to go to the upper left corner of the screen, select >About This Mac. What does the new window show?

Mac OS X
Version 10.6.5
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

My main use for it is going to be using Photoshop/Lightroom to edit RAW (.nef) files which are pretty hefty, so I'd like to not slow it down with an upgrade, but would like to be as up to date as possible that kept in mind.

 

[T5BRICK]

Mac OS X
Version 10.6.5
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

My main use for it is going to be using Photoshop/Lightroom to edit RAW (.nef) files which are pretty hefty, so I'd like to not slow it down with an upgrade, but would like to be as up to date as possible that kept in mind.

Click "More Info..."

What does it say under model identifier?

If you're running OSX 10.6.5 on the computer I think you're running it on, that may be the problem. The early 2011 MacBook Pro shipped with OSX 10.6.6. Anything prior to that won't work right(shouldn't work at all.)

 

[Gav2k]

Mac OS X
Version 10.6.5
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

My main use for it is going to be using Photoshop/Lightroom to edit RAW (.nef) files which are pretty hefty, so I'd like to not slow it down with an upgrade, but would like to be as up to date as possible that kept in mind.

Early 2011 mbp at a guess which if it is you can use internet recovery (cmd +r on boot) which will install the macs shipping OS X for you

 

[Mazza8292]

Click "More Info..."

What does it say under model identifier?

If you're running OSX 10.6.5 on the computer I think you're running it on, that may be the problem. The early 2011 MacBook Pro shipped with OSX 10.6.6. Anything prior to that won't work right(shouldn't work at all.)

MacBookPro6.1

 

[maflynn]

The SL disks are the only way you can restore it. Later versions of OS X use a recovery partition but Snow Leopard offers no such functionalty. Since you don't have those disks, check out eBay, that's probably going to be the easiest approach imo

 

[MushroomMan]

Is this the computer you have:
(the specs you gave don't seem to match up?)

 

[Mazza8292]

Is this the computer you have:
(the specs you gave don't seem to match up?)
View attachment 602995

Yeah that's it. So what does that mean? Is that why it's not working right?

 

[Mazza8292]

Yeah that's it. So what does that mean? Is that why it's not working right?

The SL disks are the only way you can restore it. Later versions of OS X use a recovery partition but Snow Leopard offers no such functionalty. Since you don't have those disks, check out eBay, that's probably going to be the easiest approach imo

After I do that, is there a different OS I should upgrade to(?

 

[MushroomMan]

You do have a few options, but if you have access to a newer Mac then one simple option may be to:
Get another HD (or pull out your existing one) and do a fresh install of whatever OS you want to run from the newer faster Mac and take it from there.

Otherwise you may be able to find a downloadable version of OSX 10.6.3 to start with....although the current version should still work. i.e.. a clean install of OS X El Capitan onto your HD.

FWIW - I think trying to reinstall an OS on a system which is not working is painful, and usually not that hard to find another Mac to get the job done.

Let us know how you go.

 

[Mazza8292]

You do have a few options, but if you have access to a newer Mac then one simple option may be to:
Get another HD (or pull out your existing one) and do a fresh install of whatever OS you want to run from the newer faster Mac and take it from there.

Otherwise you may be able to find a downloadable version of OSX 10.6.3 to start with....although the current version should still work. i.e.. a clean install of OS X El Capitan onto your HD.

FWIW - I think trying to reinstall an OS on a system which is not working is painful, and usually not that hard to find another Mac to get the job done.

Let us know how you go.

So I can upgrade to current OS without purchasing snow leopard? Will it wipe the computer? This is all so confusing to me. Lol. I want to do whatever is cheapest that I don't have to wait for a delivery/help to do.

 

[maflynn]

After I do that, is there a different OS I should upgrade to(?

You could but SL is a solid version. I'd say stick with that until you feel comfortable and you can confirm everything is working as you expect it too.

 

[3568358]

Mac OS X
Version 10.6.5
2.3 GHz Intel Core i5
4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

My main use for it is going to be using Photoshop/Lightroom to edit RAW (.nef) files which are pretty hefty, so I'd like to not slow it down with an upgrade, but would like to be as up to date as possible that kept in mind.

make sure in lightrooom / photoshop settings you adjust how much ram the app can use. this is mostly for 3d and rendering and such, but still. Make sure you settings look something like this.
Make sure the the 'use graphics card' box is checked.



in the last image you can see that i set the ram to about 5 gigs.

 

[3568358]

So I can upgrade to current OS without purchasing snow leopard? Will it wipe the computer? This is all so confusing to me. Lol. I want to do whatever is cheapest that I don't have to wait for a delivery/help to do.

Yes, you can upgrade to every single new version. It will not wipe the computer.

 

[CoastalOR]

Here is a link ti the everymac web page MushroomMan showed in his post:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-2.53-aluminum-17-mid-2010-unibody-specs.html

My recommendation is you need the Snow Leopard DVD. That is the best way to recover your model. You can boot from the Snow Leopard disk, install the OS, upgrade to 10.6.8 via Apple support, then you have more options for updates. The Snow Leopard disks will have the Apple Hardware Test available on them. Apple only distributed Snow Leopard (OS 10.6) via disks. Here is a link to where you can buy the Snow Leopard disks from Apple:
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...9a887c237a21201df35e1849d869006e6fe6a83823544

 

[3568358]

you do only have 4 gigs of ram so it will always be slightly slightly slightly sluggish, but not too bad. Most computers now a days come with at least 8. So don't get too excited about a quick fix.

 

[Mazza8292]

make sure in lightrooom / photoshop settings you adjust how much ram the app can use. this is mostly for 3d and rendering and such, but still. Make sure you settings look something like this. View attachment 603010
Make sure the the 'use graphics card' box is checked.

View attachment 603012
View attachment 603013
in the last image you can see that i set the ram to about 5 gigs.

Thanks for that advice, I never knew there was a way to change that!

 

[Mazza8292]

Seems like I would be better off selling this one and getting a better one

you do only have 4 gigs of ram so it will always be slightly slightly slightly sluggish, but not too bad. Most computers now a days come with at least 8. So don't get too excited about a quick fix.

ems

 

[3568358]

Here is a link ti the everymac web page MushroomMan showed in his post:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...-2.53-aluminum-17-mid-2010-unibody-specs.html

My recommendation is you need the Snow Leopard DVD. That is the best way to recover your model. You can boot from the Snow Leopard disk, install the OS, upgrade to 10.6.8 via Apple support, then you have more options for updates. The Snow Leopard disks will have the Apple Hardware Test available on them. Apple only distributed Snow Leopard (OS 10.6) via disks. Here is a link to where you can buy the Snow Leopard disks from Apple:
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/M...9a887c237a21201df35e1849d869006e6fe6a83823544

You can activate Apple Hardware Test without the disk. I think it should work without the disk any how, heres the link
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257

 

[3568358]

Seems like I would be better off selling this one and getting a better one

ems

I promise you, you will not regret buying a new Retina Macbook Pro. It is definitely worth it. TRUST ME, I came from the same spot you're in.

Im a designer as well, and I use photoshop and illustrator frequently. I upgraded to a Retina Macbook Pro 13 inch. Love it. SOOOO much better!

 

[3568358]

Thanks for that advice, I never knew there was a way to change that!

Sure thing! Always check the settings of every app!!
Again, when using apps that use much ram, don't run many other apps at the same time, obviously.

 

[Mazza8292]

Yes, you can upgrade to every single new version. It will not wipe the computer.

How would I go about making it "mine" without wiping it? She does have Microsoft office installed so I'd be happier to not wipe completely, just wanna change the name on it to mine and restore settings to default so I can start from scratch

 

[3568358]

How would I go about making it "mine" without wiping it? She does have Microsoft office installed so I'd be happier to not wipe completely, just wanna change the name on it to mine and restore settings to default so I can start from scratch

It would be MUCH easier to restore. The easiest way is to go to settings and change the account name to yours. You want to remove all documents from the documents folder, remove all photos from the photos folder. You want to delete caches and applications support files. You're going to want to remove applications you don't want safely. If you private message me I would love to help. This is sorta my field!

 

[CoastalOR]

You can activate Apple Hardware Test without the disk. I think it should work without the disk any how, heres the link
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257

No you can't. Read the "Using Apple Hardware Test on computers with OS X v10.7 and earlier" section in your linked Apple support article. The OP has OS 10.6 installed and the Mac shipped with 10.6.