I think i have tried everything? Ive learned to make a bootable usb on my Windows desktop with Transmac, but cant find the installer for Lion. I was told to install Mavericks, now recently High Sierra? And to also change the date and time.
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Mac Mini 2012 won't reinstall Lion
- Thread starter DJAppleJuice
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Juicy Box
macrumors 604
Have you tried internet recovery mode?
But....
Your 2012 Mac Mini did not come with Lion 10.7, it came with Mountain Lion, 10.8, which I think was the last MacOS version that had to be purchased.
But....
Why do mountain Lion? Why not something newer and free? High Sierra runs great on the 2012 Mac Mini, especially if you install a SSD, or use one externally.
Do you need an older OS for some SW compatibility?
Maybe explain what you are trying to do and why for us to better help you.
This was not a free MacOS, it had to be purchased, and I think you can still buy it from Apple.
But....
Your 2012 Mac Mini did not come with Lion 10.7, it came with Mountain Lion, 10.8, which I think was the last MacOS version that had to be purchased.
Certified Refurbished Products
We test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a one-year warranty.
www.apple.com
But....
Why do mountain Lion? Why not something newer and free? High Sierra runs great on the 2012 Mac Mini, especially if you install a SSD, or use one externally.
Do you need an older OS for some SW compatibility?
Maybe explain what you are trying to do and why for us to better help you.
chrfr
macrumors G5
A 2012 Mac Mini cannot run Lion. It requires a special version of Mountain Lion 10.8.1, or any regular version of 10.8.2 or later. You can reinstall Mountain Lion or Catalina through internet recovery which does not require using a bootable USB drive or any separate utilities beyond what's built into the computer.
thats what im trying to figure out and where i get lost, is how do i install Mountain Lion and or Catlalina? Its doesnt give me the option, only shows Lion in the Uitilites section, and when i click to install, a message comes up that reads, 'this app is not avaialble, try back later'. So i guess my question is, how do i tell the machine to install a different program other than the only option it gives me?
if i where to buy the Mountain Lion for $20, do you think that will fix my problem. not so much to worried about what program i install, just want to get it up and running.Have you tried internet recovery mode?
This was not a free MacOS, it had to be purchased, and I think you can still buy it from Apple.
But....
Your 2012 Mac Mini did not come with Lion 10.7, it came with Mountain Lion, 10.8, which I think was the last MacOS version that had to be purchased.
Certified Refurbished Products
We test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a one-year warranty.www.apple.com
But....
Why do mountain Lion? Why not something newer and free? High Sierra runs great on the 2012 Mac Mini, especially if you install a SSD, or use one externally.
Do you need an older OS for some SW compatibility?
Maybe explain what you are trying to do and why for us to better help you.
Juicy Box
macrumors 604
I don't think so.
I think that is just a digital download for people with older OS versions already installed.
Are you using recovery or Internet Recovery?
What buttons are you pressing to bring up recovery?
If possible, connect with Ethernet prior to doing Internet Recovery.
panjandrum
macrumors 6502a
The Internet Recovery method should work. Throwing a monkey-wrench in, however, is that if you not upgraded this 2012 Mini with an SSD and more than 4GB of RAM then you'll want to stick with the OLDEST OS you can run and still stay reasonably secure (probably High Sierra), for performance reasons.
I just today finished an SSD and RAM upgraded in a late 2012 Mini and it's a fantastic machine again, even when running Catalina. It was practically unusable with the HDD and 4GB of ram (owner had upgraded it to Catalina). With those upgrades it has performance issues whatsoever. And those are cheap easy upgrades in that machine. Very cheap. Very easy.
I'm going to throw everything that I would do at you, which includes a solution to your issue along with my advice on how to make your 9 (apparently I can't do basic math! 😂) year old Mac usable today. iFixit has the guides on how to install the parts, and the parts will cost you slightly over $100 depending on how large an SSD you want. Note that the primary instructions on iFixit go over the top on the drive replacement, it's actually easier than they suggest. Look at the first couple of comments below the instructions:
1) Upgrade to an SSD if you haven't
2) Put in at least 8GB of RAM if you aren't already there
3) Borrow a friend's machine and go to the DosDude1 website. Use the "DoseDude Patcher" to build a USB installer for the version of the OS you have decided to use (you'll need a USB thumb drive, usually at least 8GB, but larger for later operating systems IIRC). NOTE: You will not need to use the patches, you'll just use the patcher to download and build an installer. It's the easiest way to download and build USB installation drives. In other words, you can use the installers this creates on any supported Mac, not just Macs that require special patching. Donate to him if you find it useful. Personally, I would suggest Mojave; you can upgrade to Catalina later if you wish. Mojave is widely regarded as less buggy than Catalina, so IMHO don't move to Catalina until there is a real need to do so.
4) Done
Now you've got a really nice machine.
I just today finished an SSD and RAM upgraded in a late 2012 Mini and it's a fantastic machine again, even when running Catalina. It was practically unusable with the HDD and 4GB of ram (owner had upgraded it to Catalina). With those upgrades it has performance issues whatsoever. And those are cheap easy upgrades in that machine. Very cheap. Very easy.
I'm going to throw everything that I would do at you, which includes a solution to your issue along with my advice on how to make your 9 (apparently I can't do basic math! 😂) year old Mac usable today. iFixit has the guides on how to install the parts, and the parts will cost you slightly over $100 depending on how large an SSD you want. Note that the primary instructions on iFixit go over the top on the drive replacement, it's actually easier than they suggest. Look at the first couple of comments below the instructions:
1) Upgrade to an SSD if you haven't
2) Put in at least 8GB of RAM if you aren't already there
3) Borrow a friend's machine and go to the DosDude1 website. Use the "DoseDude Patcher" to build a USB installer for the version of the OS you have decided to use (you'll need a USB thumb drive, usually at least 8GB, but larger for later operating systems IIRC). NOTE: You will not need to use the patches, you'll just use the patcher to download and build an installer. It's the easiest way to download and build USB installation drives. In other words, you can use the installers this creates on any supported Mac, not just Macs that require special patching. Donate to him if you find it useful. Personally, I would suggest Mojave; you can upgrade to Catalina later if you wish. Mojave is widely regarded as less buggy than Catalina, so IMHO don't move to Catalina until there is a real need to do so.
4) Done
Now you've got a really nice machine.
Last edited:
chrfr
macrumors G5
It sounds like you have a 2011 Mini then. A 2012 won't offer Lion to install, and yeah, the internet recovery version of Lion seems to not work correctly. Try starting up holding command-option-r and then also command-option-shift-r to see if either of those do anything different.