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PC Savy - Mac Noob W/ Question(s)

R

RELiG

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 2, 2012
17
0
Just like the title states, Ive had PC desktops and laptops my whole life (25). Right now I have a used MacBook Air. I want to completely restore it to factory settings. Since it has no disc drive, I dont know where to begin the process. Can someone link me or explain the steps I need to do in order to reformat it?

TIA!
 
Which operating system does the Macbook air have?

You can find this in the apple menu --> about this mac just under where it says Mac OS X you should see version 10.x.x

Once we know this we can help you.
 
Which operating system does the Macbook air have?
Click to expand...
Im not sure Im at work and havent really even messed with it.

If it has Lion or Mountain Lion
Click to expand...
Is this the name of the OS? How do I check?


I knew who ever helped me would need this information, but Im at work and will be here till tomorrow night. Ill post up its specs when I get home. Thanks for replying so fast :)
 
Click the Apple icon at the top left of the screen and select "About this Mac". Then tell us what version you see.
 
There's a restoration process I beleive if you hold down the option button upon boot. You will need an internet connection. Mine came with Lion installed and I upgraded to ML. Not sure if the restoration will be to the old Lion or the new ML.

Would be really convenient to be able to have a copy of ML on a USB stick and go from there.
 
You will need an internet connection. Mine came with Lion installed and I upgraded to ML. Not sure if the restoration will be to the old Lion or the new ML. Would be really convenient to be able to have a copy of ML on a USB stick and go from there.
Click to expand...

I have internet, so no problem there. The only thing I know is this is an OLD model. Probably like 2005 or close.

How large are Mac OS's?
How much can they be had for?
How hard is it to upgrade OS?
Once restoration is complete, do programs like 'garage band' come with factory OS's?
 
RELiG said:
I have internet, so no problem there. The only thing I know is this is an OLD model. Probably like 2005 or close.

How large are Mac OS's?
How much can they be had for?
How hard is it to upgrade OS?
Once restoration is complete, do programs like 'garage band' come with factory OS's?
Click to expand...

The first macbook airs were released in 2008. Are you sure you have a macbook air?
Mac OS in recent years have been about between 3-5gb
OS X can be had for anywhere from 20$ to 100$ depending on the version (in recent years the os has been cheaper)

Once we know which OS you have it will be easier to address the restoration process.
Programs like garage band come with iLife a separate suite of software then the OS.
 
The first macbook airs were released in 2008. Are you sure you have a macbook air?
Click to expand...
Are there any models other than the Air that dont have a disc drive? Yea Im pretty positive its a Air, maybe its a 2008 then. I just know its older and my friend has had it for like 3yrs that I know of.

Once we know which OS you have it will be easier to address the restoration process.
Click to expand...
Gotcha

Programs like garage band come with iLife a separate suite of software then the OS
Click to expand...
After I restore will there be programs on it? I can maybe get a hold of some software. I was going to use the computer for recording music purposes only. So if it doesnt have all the bloat, thats fine with me
 
I'm not so sure about the 2008 air but all new macs come with the ilife suite as part of the os. This gives you access to photo, video, and music editing/recording suites.

Edit: to clarify these programs are called, iphoto,I movie and garageband. You can read more about them on apples website or wikipedia :)
 
If I could I wish I could like trade it in towards a newer model. I dont want to mess with selling it outright. I have a Acer that I use to take to work with and was just gonna use the Air for Music purposes. This older 1 will work for what I want it to do. Just gotta get it cleaned off 1st.

If your wondering why I wanna delete everything, its because the friend that gave it to me owed me money. At the time his aunt was using it and made herself the admin + set a password. I can use the Mac, but when I try to connect to Wi-Fi or something it asks for a password. She told my friend that she doesnt remember the password, so this is where I stand. Its just been sitting around for like 5-6 months, but I think Im ready to get it going.
 
as others have said if you the machine is running click the apple in the top left corner of the screen. click about this mac and then click more info. right below the apple logo on that window it opened it will say OS X and have a version number for example 10.6 if its not showing that (it could say build XXXX or serial number) just click on the text thats showing and it will switch thru the info.

If its got 10.7 you can download it via internet recovery. If its anything older there are a couple different ways of going about it.

if you'd like to identify the machine thats pretty simple. Either click the more info button in the about this mac window. Or snap a picture and upload it. I'm sure somebody here can help you identify what kind of machine it is
 
I have Mac OS X Version 10.6.4 ... 1.8 GHz. Intel Core 2 Duo
 
Also I tried to do the command R and nothing happened. Do you have to hold the power button down with command R? I pressed the power button and saw a light flash indicating power then immediately held command R till I saw the apple logo. It just loaded the regular folders/files as normal.

I was reading and it said you had to have a Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection. Well it has no place for Ethernet plug in and I can't turn "Airport" on because it will ask for a password. :( this is so annoying!
 
RELiG said:
Also I tried to do the command R and nothing happened. Do you have to hold the power button down with command R? I pressed the power button and saw a light flash indicating power then immediately held command R till I saw the apple logo. It just loaded the regular folders/files as normal.

I was reading and it said you had to have a Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection. Well it has no place for Ethernet plug in and I can't turn "Airport" on because it will ask for a password. :( this is so annoying!
Click to expand...

yea the command R portion will only work with 10.7 or 10.8 which your machine does not have yet.

a usb to ethernet adapter will give you ethernet. If you can make a install flash drive of snow leopard, lion or mountain lion then you can boot to that and wipe the hard drive so its a fresh machine with your own user account and password.
 
a usb to ethernet adapter will give you ethernet
Click to expand...
Im about to order 1 off amazon now

If you can make a install flash drive of snow leopard, lion or mountain lion then you can boot to that and wipe the hard drive so its a fresh machine with your own user account and password
Click to expand...
Yes thats what Im wanting to accomplish. How do I put the install on a flash drive? I understand the concept of what your saying, but Ive never done it with Mac.

If I was going to buy an OS X, which would you suggest?
Also once I do get the software, is it as simple as drag & drop items onto flash drive like Windows?
 
RELiG said:
I have Mac OS X Version 10.6.4 ... 1.8 GHz. Intel Core 2 Duo
Click to expand...

It sounds like an early 2008 model. That was the only one that used a 1.8GHz Core 2 Duo. The late 2008 - late 2010 models used a 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo. Unfortunately, you won't be able to order Mountain Lion (10.8) since it won't run on that model, and you can no longer download 10.7 (Lion) from the Internet.

Your best bet may be to purchase a USB restore key, which was included with the 2010 MacBook Airs. Here is a link to an eBay sale.

If you can get your hands on a restore CD, you can use any USB CD/DVD drive with the MacBook Air, not just the one that Apple sells for $79.

----------
RELiG said:
If I was going to buy an OS X, which would you suggest?
Also once I do get the software, is it as simple as drag & drop items onto flash drive like Windows?
Click to expand...

I'd stick with 10.6 (Snow Leopard), which is what is on there now. Lion will install, but it is a bit slow on the older MacBook Airs.
 
Your best bet may be to purchase a USB restore key
Click to expand...
Nice, didnt know they made those.

So what steps do I need to follow once this comes in the mail?
How do I get it to boot from flash drive?
 
RELiG said:
Nice, didnt know they made those.

So what steps do I need to follow once this comes in the mail?
How do I get it to boot from flash drive?
Click to expand...

Put it in, and hold down the option key while you restart it. It will give you an option as to what drive to boot from. Boot from the Restore key, and it should open up into the OS X installation screen. You can run Disk Utility from the menu, where you can format the hard drive, and then reinstall the OS.
 
Ok. I put the USB in and and got to the screen where you choose option, but I dont see the option to choose USB. It just has the picture of the Mac HD.
 
You need to hold down the option key throughout the entire boot process. Eventually it should give you a screen that shows the Macintosh HD, as well as an external media (I don't recall if it looks like a CD drive or a USB key). In any case, whatever the other choice is, click on that and it should boot up using the key.

If it doesn't make sure that the key actually has data on it. Note that it plugs into the bottom half of the USB port (it's half-height). Try booting into OS X normally, and then seeing if it recognizes the key when you plug it in.
 
You need to hold down the option key throughout the entire boot process
Click to expand...
I did and still the only option I have is MAC HD. Idk whats going on, but its annoying. I press 'option' a split second before I hit 'power'. and hold it all the way untill the MAC HD is pictured.

I guess either:
1) My USB port doesnt work
2) USB I bought is a phony
 
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