Reformatted MacBook Pro, can't reload OS

[NJFP]

I have an old late 2008 MacBookPro that I erased the disc. I had replaced the HDD with a Crucial SSD some years back, and just wiped it clean. Can't seem to reload OS X, the latest the hardware supports is El Capitan. Is that even still available? It's connected to the internet, and I can get to the download window for El Capitan, but it won't d/l. Is my hardware too old? Thanks

 

[Fishrrman]

As you have discovered, it's not such a good idea to erase a Mac's internal drive UNLESS you have a BOOTABLE backup prepared so you can still boot it if necessary.

Try this link for El Cap:

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Download and install current or previous versions of the Mac operating system on compatible Mac computers.

support.apple.com

 

[clueless88]

Not sure which method you used to install the OS on your 2008 MBP. I installed Mojave on a formatted SSD on a 2012 MBP using a bootable usb flash drive. Some of the articles I read said to use at least an 8GB flash drive, but I would go with a minimum of 16 or 32GB.

Do you have another Mac? I used my MBP with Catalina and downloaded and created the Mojave installer usb stick. I then removed the drive and installed the formatted SSD, then installed Mojave following the instructions. Could be my imagination, but the installation via USB was much faster than when I installed Catalina a few months ago using the internet recovery (it could have been that it was on a failing HD).

Here is a link to create a bootable installation USB stick (they also have links to download the various versions of MacOS)--apple support usb (you can download El Capitan using the link inside--it doesn't make you go through the Mac app store)

Hope this helps.

 

[NJFP]

Tried everything above, nothing works. Can't load the install package on a USB stick, says Mac OS not installed on this device. Can't do a recovery from disk utilities on the laptop, keep getting an error message, unable to perform this function, try again. Tried to D/L the install dmx from Safari, which I can get to on the laptop, and it says not enough space on disk to run the application. Its an empty 512 G SSD! Looks like I bricked my laptop, I give up!!

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

If you go on ebay, there are sellers there who will sell you a USB flashdrive with the OS installer of your choice on it, pre-installed.

Just "boot up" and run the installer against your internal drive.

Will cost about $20 or so.