I just recently purchased a 08 macbook pro. The previous owner opted to use windows only. I would like to install mountain lion, and keep the windows 8. If it's not possible to keep the windows 8 and install lion that's fine;I could always use bootcamp to install windows 8 later . I have looked for a solution to my dilemma, but have not not found any solutions. To install mountain lion on my mbp would I need to follow the same procedures as with a pc or is the process different? Any help is highly appreciated. Thanks
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How do I install Mountain Lion on windows only macbook pro?
- Thread starter BusyApe
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Is there no OS X partition on the hard drive at all? If that's the case, you would need to find someone with a DVD or USB drive with ML on it. If the original installation discs are available, you can get those, install it, then update to Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and purchase Mountain Lion that way.
@JustPerry No, I do not have the original installer discs.
@Saturnotako There isn't an osx partition. I have a Mountain Lion disc. I restarted mbp and pressed the option key, and attempted to load the disc from there.When I tried to load Mountain Lion with the computer booted it didn't show. While writing this, I just realized that the person who uploaded windows 8 didn't install the drivers. This could be the reason why the disc isn't showing, right? I have a macbook air. Can I download drivers from bootcamp using my air?
@Saturnotako There isn't an osx partition. I have a Mountain Lion disc. I restarted mbp and pressed the option key, and attempted to load the disc from there.When I tried to load Mountain Lion with the computer booted it didn't show. While writing this, I just realized that the person who uploaded windows 8 didn't install the drivers. This could be the reason why the disc isn't showing, right? I have a macbook air. Can I download drivers from bootcamp using my air?
You don't need any drivers, the drivers are on the disc, but I think you got the ML disk illegally, how can you get a ML disk without Having first installed Snow Leopard.
And, if it is an older ML disk it might not load because before it was machine dependant.
Also, you have to hold the Option key until the boot manager arrives.
I downloaded ML through the app store on my macbook air, and made my own disc. It is a older ML, 10.7 , I think. Also, I did load to the boot manager. But it wouldn't load the disc.
Replace your current HDD with a blank one and see if it will load the manager drives?
10.7 is Lion, not Mountain Lion.
Now, how did you make the Disc, oh, and a CD, MBAirs don't have an optical drive so how did you make a DVD, most likely with an external.
Now, you could also use a USB stick, but it is more or less the same, you need to restore it to USB or DVD.
Also, be aware you need to restore the ESDInstall.dmg to the DVD/USB
Link how to do this, part of it, you already downloaded it, skip the download part.
Create a bootable Lion install drive for newer Macs
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The boot manager is in the Firmware, it does not need a clean drive, also partitions formats won't matter, even non readable formatted Volumes, they can be partitioned later on.
Yes i know but in case all above solution doesnt trigger the bootable manager! I never had someone with this issue before.
If you take it to an apple store and explain your situation, they will load whichever OS originally shipped with it on there for you.