New OS X Lion installation issues, please help

[snerkler]

Hi,
I've just swapped my HDD for a SSD and am trying to install Lion Recovery from a USB drive (Installed from the Apple recovery site). I've turned the power on, held the alt key, chose my wifi and click on the recovery drive option on the USB. I've then gone to disk utility and partitioned the drive, using the Mac journaled option. I've then quit this and clicked on install and agreed to all the terms. However, instead of taking about 30 mins to install it's telling me I have 6 hours 40 mins remaining Why is this, what's gone wrong?

I'd be very grateful if someone could help asap as it's driving me mad

 

[simsaladimbamba]

The USB flash memory thumb drive has probably abysmal read speeds?
Can you test the read speed via Mac OS X, if you canceled the installation?

 

[snerkler]

The USB flash memory thumb drive has probably abysmal read speeds?
Can you test the read speed via Mac OS X, if you canceled the installation?

How do I do that as I don't have any OS installed? Would it be quicker to recover the OS from the internet recovery then that Apple now offer?

 

[PlaceofDis]

are you saying that the recovery partition is what is on the USB drive, or the contents of Lion's install from the app store download? if it is only the recovery partition that is on there then it is most likely downloading Lion from Apple's servers.

 

[snerkler]

are you saying that the recovery partition is what is on the USB drive, or the contents of Lion's install from the app store download? if it is only the recovery partition that is on there then it is most likely downloading Lion from Apple's servers.

I used the lion recovery assistant http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1433 and saved a lion recovery on the USB

I followed this video, see from about 1.24 in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kdenB6gKo4&list=FLZOYvqhBuwsU9fg093BloCQ&index=4&feature=plpp_video

 

[snerkler]

I used the lion recovery assistant http://support.apple.com/kb/dl1433 and saved a lion recovery on the USB

I followed this video, see from about 1.24 in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kdenB6gKo4&list=FLZOYvqhBuwsU9fg093BloCQ&index=4&feature=plpp_video

I've just noticed that when I click on the lion installtion a pop up comes up saying "To download and restore Mac OS X, your computer's eligibility will be verified with apple". Why is it saying it will download if it's on the USB?

 

[snerkler]

The USB flash memory thumb drive has probably abysmal read speeds?
Can you test the read speed via Mac OS X, if you canceled the installation?

Just looked up my USB drive specs and it says that the read speed is 15MB/s and write speed 10MB/s, is this good or bad?

 

[heisenberg123]

I've just noticed that when I click on the lion installtion a pop up comes up saying "To download and restore Mac OS X, your computer's eligibility will be verified with apple". Why is it saying it will download if it's on the USB?

the OS is not on the USB, just the recovery tool

USB bootables versions are $79.00 from apple not free, if you had one of these it would install fast

what you have is the equivilant to the built in recovery on newer macs, the usb version is for people who got their macs prior to apple putting it on the macs

you can make a bootable DVD or USB your self and not pay apple $79 but in order to make it you need the install.dmg file that you extract from the downloaded file from the mac store so either way your going to have to download lion once

 

[snerkler]

the OS is not on the USB, just the recovery tool

USB bootables versions are $79.00 from apple not free, if you had one of these it would install fast

what you have is the equivilant to the built in recovery on newer macs, the usb version is for people who got their macs prior to apple putting it on the macs

you can make a bootable DVD or USB your self and not pay apple $79 but in order to make it you need the install.dmg file that you extract from the downloaded file from the mac store so either way your going to have to download lion once

So can I not install it this way, or I can but I'm dependant on the internet recovery and so it could take a long time?

Why does it say on that youtube clip it only takes 30 mins then if they did this the same way?

My mac came preinstalled with lion, will I not have an install.dmg file?

 

[squeakr]

Your version relies on the internet to download the file, so yes it will be slow depending on your download speed. If you would have looked the recovery file was really quite small. The install you would make from the .dmg will be about 6-8 GB.

 

[snerkler]

Your version relies on the internet to download the file, so yes it will be slow depending on your download speed. If you would have looked the recovery file was really quite small. The install you would make from the .dmg will be about 6-8 GB.

Will I have the .dmg file somewhere on my factory HDD?

 

[heisenberg123]

So can I not install it this way, or I can but I'm dependant on the internet recovery and so it could take a long time?

Why does it say on that youtube clip it only takes 30 mins then if they did this the same way?

My mac came preinstalled with lion, will I not have an install.dmg file?

i cant watch youtube at work, maybe his internet speed is fast i can downloaded a 1.7GB file from apple last night (OSX 10.7.3 Combo) and it only took about 15 minutes so its possible, sometimes apples servers are slow though

not the install.dmg disapears after install is complete

 

[squeakr]

No. You will have to download it from the internet. It does the check as your version came preinstalled and it needs to verify your available to download.

 

[snerkler]

Ok thanks forge replies, looks like I just need to be patient then. I was worried something had gone wrong to be honest. Apple servers are always painfully slow in the UK

 

[snerkler]

I'm go into have to leave this running overnight as it's nearly 9pm UK time. The screen keeps going to sleep and at the moment I can keep waking it up. The whole system won't go to sleep/shut down will it if I leave it overnight?

 

[PlaceofDis]

I'm go into have to leave this running overnight as it's nearly 9pm UK time. The screen keeps going to sleep and at the moment I can keep waking it up. The whole system won't go to sleep/shut down will it if I leave it overnight?

if its downloading the file it shouldn't go to sleep at all. the screen will dim and/or turn off most likely but thats just a normal setting.

 

[snerkler]

if its downloading the file it shouldn't go to sleep at all. the screen will dim and/or turn off most likely but thats just a normal setting.

Thanks. Yes the screen dims and then turns off, which I know is normal but Didn't know if it would then go to sleep. The download will have finished during the night though is there a risk the computer will shut down then and interrupt the installation process, or will it stay on during the whole installation process whether it's downloading or not?

 

[PlaceofDis]

Thanks. Yes the screen dims and then turns off, which I know is normal but Didn't know if it would then go to sleep. The download will have finished during the night though is there a risk the computer will shut down then and interrupt the installation process, or will it stay on during the whole installation process whether it's downloading or not?

as long as you're plugged in then it shouldn't go to sleep at all while it is downloading and it should stay awake still waiting for installation to process. i've never really had to wait for something like this before so its kind of new territory, but you should be in good shape leaving it plugged in and sitting overnight.

 

[snerkler]

Thanks for the replies guys. Looks like I needn't have stressed about it as it's all up and running this morning

 

[jekyoo]

For future reference, just make a bootable usb/dvd properly, this will save you from future headaches.

 

[snerkler]

For future reference, just make a bootable usb/dvd properly, this will save you from future headaches.

The trouble is I don't know how to do this? As far as I'm aware I don't have a install.dmg file and other than copying this to a USB I don't know what to do. And I'm not prepared to pay Apple $79 for a bootable USB when I think you should be supplied with a hard copy bootable disc with your computer. God knows you pay enough for them

 

[HBP]

The trouble is I don't know how to do this? As far as I'm aware I don't have a install.dmg file and other than copying this to a USB I don't know what to do. And I'm not prepared to pay Apple $79 for a bootable USB when I think you should be supplied with a hard copy bootable disc with your computer. God knows you pay enough for them

There are guides to extract and save the install.dmg online. Check it out.

 

[jekyoo]

The trouble is I don't know how to do this? As far as I'm aware I don't have a install.dmg file and other than copying this to a USB I don't know what to do. And I'm not prepared to pay Apple $79 for a bootable USB when I think you should be supplied with a hard copy bootable disc with your computer. God knows you pay enough for them

google 'bootable usb mac lion" and you'll get dozens of guides on how to do so. you'll have to redownload the install.dmg