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Macbook Pro Restore DVD's LOST!

K

KooX

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 10, 2009
7
0
Hi,

I have a question. I lost my restore DVD's (doh!) for my MBP. It's the generation before the newest one (before Oct 2008), 2.5 C2D 2GB 250GB. I need to reformat it.
What are my options?
If I buy Leopard fresh, will it work on my machine? without the need of ANY other CD's? drivers etc..?

Any way to get restore discs? will restore discs from a 2.0ghz core duo old MBP from 2006 work?

thanks...need to know ASAP:D
 
Yes but I am in a hurry and can't really wait for replacements to show up.

Will a fresh leopard disc (that I can purchase) work without the need of other drivers or cd's?
 
koox if you need the restore disc to bootup and repair your drive you can just stop by the apple store and they'll do it for you.
 
KooX said:
Yes but I am in a hurry and can't really wait for replacements to show up.

Will a fresh leopard disc (that I can purchase) work without the need of other drivers or cd's?
Click to expand...
No, you won't be able to boot from the retail leopard disk. You need to get replacement disks for your model. I believe they're around $25. You'll need to prove ownership, of course.
 
Thank you both for your answers, however the situation is a little more complicated than it seems. It's too long and complicated to explain...
All I need to know is if a Leopard Install Disc purchased from Apple Store will restore a laptop, without the need for the drivers, or the restore discs.

EDIT: saw your post, thank you for your answer.
 
KooX said:
Thank you both for your answers, however the situation is a little more complicated than it seems. It's too long and complicated to explain...
All I need to know is if a Leopard Install Disc purchased from Apple Store will restore a laptop, without the need for the drivers, or the restore discs.

EDIT: saw your post, thank you for your answer.
Click to expand...

Apple designs it that way, to prevent someone from stealing a Mac and just buying a retail copy of Leopard to get up and running. I'm glad they do!
 
Ah! makes sense...

are repair discs usually in stock at Apple Store for all the models?
 
Cool - if they don't have the restore discs, I'll go for the retail.
Did it require any drivers from another CD to work totally?
 
Great.
If someone could confirm it'd be great as some people have said it doesn't work to prevent robberies in this thread... don't want to blow 200 bucks on nothing
 
KooX said:
Great.
If someone could confirm it'd be great as some people have said it doesn't work to prevent robberies in this thread... don't want to blow 200 bucks on nothing
Click to expand...
I haven't tried it myself, but many have told me it doesn't work, and it's been posted in forums that it doesn't work. I'd certainly ask at the Genius bar or call Apple to be certain before buying. Plus, it's much cheaper to spend $25 on the replacement disks. They shouldn't take much time at all to send. Your call.
 
The thing is I can't live without my laptop for university. Something went horribly wrong while trying to install Windows and now it's just stuck. If they take like 3-4 days I could wait. More than that, no way especially that I have midterms now...
I can spend the 200$ but only if it serves me. I don't like to piss away money :) I'll go down to the Apple Store tomorrow morning and sort it out. thanks for all your inputs!
 
I am going to bet 100% and say again that I am sure you can reinstall Leopard from the retail Leopard discs.
Think about it, what happens when Snow Leopard comes out and you buy the retail copy, its going to be assumed and required that you can reinstall the OS as many times as you need, boot up from it and do other things, etc.
Same applies here, just because you dont have the "original discs" that came with your computer, a retail copy will be all you need. It just wont come with iLife preinstalled as it would with the original discs.

Go buy them at the Uni store, here they sell it for 69.99
and give apple a call, im pretty damn sure theyll say the exact thing im saying
 
Yes leopard retail is usable as a fresh instal. Even on a virgin hard drive.
The only thing is you wont get iLife or Apple hardware test. Those are only on the disks that came with your mac.
Go to the apple store. Talk to a genius, and ask to borrow the install disks for your mac. They will let you do it right their in the store. Then call Apple and order replacements. Don't buy leopard now. Snow leopard should be here soon.
 
The only cases where a retail leopard disc will not work, is if the computer is newer than the retail disc's build is designed for. ie, a unibody will only work with retail 10.5.6 discs, not below due to the drivers needed etc.
if the computer pre dates leopard, then any retail leopard disc will work.

I do agree that waiting for snow leopard right now might be better though if it can be done.
 
ggjstudios said:
No, you won't be able to boot from the retail leopard disk. You need to get replacement disks for your model. I believe they're around $25. You'll need to prove ownership, of course.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely incorrect; what would be the purpose of even selling a retail version of the OS if it's not "loadable" onto previously purchased Macs? That's just absurd. If you want your machine working today, go buy Leopard from the Apple Store or torrent a copy while you wait for your replacement discs to arrive in the mail.

~E
 
Hey OP, get the reinstall discs from Apple; I think they were only $17 about 2 years ago and they shipped within 2-3 days right to my front door. Also, go to the nearest Apple Store and ask if they can reinstall the OS for you at the store. I've seen people having this done, for being locked out of their MacBook or having lost their reinstall discs...:cool:
 
They are $16 each (so $32) for both disks.

What a rip off. Plus the disks looks like I could have burned myself. The letters are all bleeding and crap and the works are just messed up.

And you can't use retail DVDs. The retail store let me try one of their's and it didn't work. That even includes 10.5.6
 
For those who may have purchased refurbished MacBook Pros without restore discs read the following:

I had just bought a refurbished MacBook Pro from Micro Center here in Duluth, GA. Although I got the computer at a really great deal, it didn't come with restore DVDs. The sales rep at Micro Center said that I could probably have the Apple Care team send them out to me.

So I gave Apple Care a call today, while on the call the rep had me scan and email a copy of my purchase receipt to prove my date of purchase, and that I was the owner of this MBP.

After she input the new purchase data into their system, she stated that she would have the restore DVDs mailed to me the following business day at no charge since I never received restore media for this computer.
 
alphaod said:
They are $16 each (so $32) for both disks.

What a rip off. Plus the disks looks like I could have burned myself. The letters are all bleeding and crap and the works are just messed up.

And you can't use retail DVDs. The retail store let me try one of their's and it didn't work. That even includes 10.5.6
Click to expand...

jayolay said:
For those who may have purchased refurbished MacBook Pros without restore discs read the following:

I had just bought a refurbished MacBook Pro from Micro Center here in Duluth, GA. Although I got the computer at a really great deal, it didn't come with restore DVDs. The sales rep at Micro Center said that I could probably have the Apple Care team send them out to me.

So I gave Apple Care a call today, while on the call the rep had me scan and email a copy of my purchase receipt to prove my date of purchase, and that I was the owner of this MBP.

After she input the new purchase data into their system, she stated that she would have the restore DVDs mailed to me the following business day at no charge since I never received restore media for this computer.
Click to expand...

Both of these are correct and apply to the individual situation. If the OP can't wait, just drop by the Apple Store and they'll take care of you. If you can wait, then just order the discs from Apple...
 
alphaod said:
They are $16 each (so $32) for both disks.

What a rip off. Plus the disks looks like I could have burned myself. The letters are all bleeding and crap and the works are just messed up.

And you can't use retail DVDs. The retail store let me try one of their's and it didn't work. That even includes 10.5.6
Click to expand...

I really don't understand why yours did not work with a Retail Leopard disk, particularly a 10.5.6 version. I just finished up a clean install of a 10.5.4 retail disk on a MacPro 2x2.8's replacement blank disk about an hour ago and it is already done installing the Software Update items and I am typing this response on it to test the net connection!

I'm just wondering why a Retail disk would offer the choices of "Erase and Install" and "Install Mac OSX" (if it is a formatted blank disk like the system I was working on was) if they were not able to do a fresh install on a previously used or fresh disk successfully?
 
sickmacdoc said:
I really don't understand why yours did not work with a Retail Leopard disk, particularly a 10.5.6 version. I just finished up a clean install of a 10.5.4 retail disk on a MacPro 2x2.8's replacement blank disk about an hour ago and it is already done installing the Software Update items and I am typing this response on it to test the net connection!

I'm just wondering why a Retail disk would offer the choices of "Erase and Install" and "Install Mac OSX" (if it is a formatted blank disk like the system I was working on was) if they were not able to do a fresh install on a previously used or fresh disk successfully?
Click to expand...

It didn't work on the unibody MacBook Pro; for some reason they 10.5.6 disk did not have the correct drivers for the computer, so when it got to the kext loading, it stops and reboots.
 
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