How to restore or recover old imac

[martingale2024]

Have this old imac from 2009, now stuck at this disk utility , don't remember login already , and have made a Bootable usb from transaction, what shall I do now?
Tried select reinstall os x but said no network connection, where can I set wifi password ?
Or shall I erase the macHDD, but then what is next step ?

 

[martingale2024]

I manage to connect to wifi, now there's this error now

 

[Ben J.]

A google search quickly shows that it's a common error simply telling you that the server has denied you access.

I have a theory why this might be happening to you; a couple of years ago, I wanted to restore a 2010 MBP to an early, compatible macOS, and I found that apple had implemented a scheme where they would deny the online installation of macOS on models over a certain age. Setting back the clock on the mac would not work, because the clock would be reset when connected to the apple server.

So, the solution was simply:
Disconnect any internet connection. wifi or cable.
Set back the clock a few years, maybe ten, doesn't matter.
Install the macOS from a bootable usb drive - it will think it's dec 2014 and allow the installation.

This worked for me, and it's mentioned many times online, but is a bit tricky search to find it.

 

[martingale2024]

A google search quickly shows that it's a common error simply telling you that the server has denied you access.

I have a theory why this might be happening to you; a couple of years ago, I wanted to restore a 2010 MBP to an early, compatible macOS, and I found that apple had implemented a scheme where they would deny the online installation of macOS on models over a certain age. Setting back the clock on the mac would not work, because the clock would be reset when connected to the apple server.

So, the solution was simply:
Disconnect any internet connection. wifi or cable.
Set back the clock a few years, maybe ten, doesn't matter.
Install the macOS from a bootable usb drive - it will think it's dec 2014 and allow the installation.

This worked for me, and it's mentioned many times online, but is a bit tricky search to find it.

Thanks for help, but when I power up whole holding down option key, the Bootable usb icon was not shown up , only the hdd icon was there , does this mean my Bootable usb was not created correctly? I did it using transMac in windows , and no error, maybe a bad img fole used ?

 

[Ben J.]

Thanks for help, but when I power up whole holding down option key, the Bootable usb icon was not shown up , only the hdd icon was there , does this mean my Bootable usb was not created correctly? I did it using transMac in windows , and no error, maybe a bad img fole used ?

Sounds like it. Here's Apple Support guide:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

You can use a USB flash drive or other secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install the Mac operating system. These steps are primarily for system administrators and other experienced users who are familiar with entering commands in Terminal.

support.apple.com

It's really just a matter of having the MacOS installer file in the Apps folder, inserting the pen drive or volume, or whatever you want to install it on, copy/paste the command in Terminal, and entering your password.

It can be a usb drive or a partition on any drive, only requirement is that it's formatted as Mac OS Extended (HFS+). If you use a partition, a size of 20-30GB should suffice.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Bootable usb was not created correctly? I did it using transMac in windows , and no error, maybe a bad img fole used ?"

The problem is that you're using TransMac. Chances of success using it (on a PC) are... well... they ain't so good. It works for some. Not for others.

Use A MAC to create the bootable USB.
If access to another Mac is impossible, you can go on ebay and buy USB installers with the OS of your choice for about $25 or so.

A 2009 Mac cannot do "internet recovery". That came later.

It can run from 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard) to 10.13.x (High Sierra).

What OS version do you want to install?
(actually, I would install ANY version of the OS that works).

Also, to advise you further, we need to know WHAT MAC you might have access to, to create the flashdrive installer.

Is it an older Mac?
What OS is it running?
Is it a NEWER Mac?
What OS is that one running?

Yes, lots of questions.
But can't offer specific help without specific answers.

Final thoughts...
How long has the iMac been sitting and not running?
I'm guessing that it has a platter-based hard drive in it.
The drive may be failing... or failed.

How badly do you NEED this data?
How much $$$$ is it worth to you?
May not be worth the trouble of spending too much to "get to it".

If you're not going to use the iMac again, you could open it up and remove the drive.
Then put it into a USB docking station, and see if it could be accessed that way.

 

[martingale2024]

OP wrote:
"Bootable usb was not created correctly? I did it using transMac in windows , and no error, maybe a bad img fole used ?"

The problem is that you're using TransMac. Chances of success using it (on a PC) are... well... they ain't so good. It works for some. Not for others.

Use A MAC to create the bootable USB.
If access to another Mac is impossible, you can go on ebay and buy USB installers with the OS of your choice for about $25 or so.

A 2009 Mac cannot do "internet recovery". That came later.

It can run from 10.6.1 (Snow Leopard) to 10.13.x (High Sierra).

What OS version do you want to install?
(actually, I would install ANY version of the OS that works).

Also, to advise you further, we need to know WHAT MAC you might have access to, to create the flashdrive installer.

Is it an older Mac?
What OS is it running?
Is it a NEWER Mac?
What OS is that one running?

Yes, lots of questions.
But can't offer specific help without specific answers.

Final thoughts...
How long has the iMac been sitting and not running?
I'm guessing that it has a platter-based hard drive in it.
The drive may be failing... or failed.

How badly do you NEED this data?
How much $$$$ is it worth to you?
May not be worth the trouble of spending too much to "get to it".

If you're not going to use the iMac again, you could open it up and remove the drive.
Then put it into a USB docking station, and see if it could be accessed that way.

yes. it's a very very old imac 2009 A1224.
it's definitely worth less than $100, i'm just reluctant to see things so nice and neat in the trash bin. so give it a try to make it reusable. for kids whatever.

i'll try to create a bootable usb from my macbook then.

 

[chown33]

We have a forum dedicated to Early Intel Macs, and it seems to me that your 2009 iMac qualifies as one.

Early Intel Macs

Core 2 Duo, Core Duo, Core Solo machines

forums.macrumors.com

You may find existing threads there on how to revive this old iMac.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Can you boot back to the "utilities" screen you showed us above?

Go there, and open disk utility.

What happens if you click on the internal [physical] drive (Toshiba...) and then click "first aid"?
Do this first, and then...
What happens if you click on the logical drive underneath that (MacHD) and then click "first aid"?