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!URGENT! Cannot wipe macbook pro

D

DryEyez

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 21, 2010
314
0
UK
I have a macbook pro 2010 i5 15", the dvd drive is fully working and when I'm on the desktop it will recognise the disc, I have tried my snow leopard disc in two other macs just to check that it isn't the disc. I've tried different dvd to check that it isn't my copy of snow leopard. I also tried a friend's copy of snow leopard just to check as well.

So, my problem, I cannot boot up into the OSX disc in order to get to disk utility to delete everything off the mbp and wipe it clean and give it a fresh install. No idea why this isn't working but any help is very much appreciated. It's very urgent so please reply :)
 
Try the discs that came with your Mac. Or alternatively hook your comp up to another Mac and boot it from target disk mode then erase it that way.

I also have had a mixed record with retail DVDs / homemade SL USBs and booting the computer.
 
DryEyez said:
I have a macbook pro 2010 i5 15", the dvd drive is fully working and when I'm on the desktop it will recognise the disc, I have tried my snow leopard disc in two other macs just to check that it isn't the disc. I've tried different dvd to check that it isn't my copy of snow leopard. I also tried a friend's copy of snow leopard just to check as well.

So, my problem, I cannot boot up into the OSX disc in order to get to disk utility to delete everything off the mbp and wipe it clean and give it a fresh install. No idea why this isn't working but any help is very much appreciated. It's very urgent so please reply :)
Click to expand...

Try using an external DVD drive for the time being until you get a replacement ODD (assuming its broken).

Run the regular PRAM and SMC resets as well as the hardware te-.... no wait, thats on the disc as well, LOL. I know the apple store uses an external drive for hardware tests.... try finding a way to do it that way before you replace the drive itself.
 
FWIW it sounds like it is more of a problem with SL DVDs not liking his config for whatever. What version of OSX did you computer originally come with?
 
Thanks for the quick reply snow, didn't realise I could hook up two macs and do it that way. Not sure how to do it but that's what google is for...saying that, my concern with this would be, if I wiped my mac from another mac, what if I cannot install OSX again on it as it won't boot into the disc still. What then?
 
DryEyez said:
...if I wiped my mac from another mac, what if I cannot install OSX again on it as it won't boot into the disc still. What then?
Click to expand...

Been there, done that :x

Worst case scenario is pulling the drive, putting it in a known-good computer and then installing OSX+(IMPORTANT) combo updater to the latest version, which I have had to do a few times.

I am pretty the installer will work with the discs that came with your Mac. It depends on when your machine came out; there is a 10.6.3 SL disc out there, if the original version was earlier than that then you are in luck.
 
gullySn0wCat said:
Been there, done that :x

Worst case scenario is pulling the drive, putting it in a known-good computer and then installing OSX+(IMPORTANT) combo updater to the latest version, which I have had to do a few times.

I am pretty the installer will work with the discs that came with your Mac. It depends on when your machine came out; there is a 10.6.3 SL disc out there, if the original version was earlier than that then you are in luck.
Click to expand...

I have a retail 10.6.3 SL disc. Just not sure what to do now.
 
It worked for me once. I tried to boot an iMac off an SL DVD and had the same problem you did. Went and did something else for ~1h, came back and BOOM!:cool:
 
DryEyez said:
What will that do exactly. Will it work?
Click to expand...

You're trying to install a version of OS X that is older than what the computer came with, hence why you're not able to boot from it. Try and find your original DVD or borrow someone's DVD who has the same(or a later) generation you do.
 
snaky69 said:
You're trying to install a version of OS X that is older than what the computer came with, hence why you're not able to boot from it. Try and find your original DVD or borrow someone's DVD who has the same(or a later) generation you do.
Click to expand...

Wait so, I went out and bought a retail copy of SL due to the fact I lost the dvd that came with it. 10.6.3 and you're saying that because this is a version older than the mbp came with it's useless. That sounds like such a con by apple...
 
Welcome to the fun world of Apple ;)

They conned one of my noobie friends into buying a second copy of SL (they needed a disc for whatever reason and he had left his at home). I found that quite disgusting.
 
gullySn0wCat said:
Welcome to the fun world of Apple ;)

They conned one of my noobie friends into buying a second copy of SL (they needed a disc for whatever reason and he had left his at home). I found that quite disgusting.
Click to expand...

Looks like my only option is to upgrade to Lion then...which also sounds dissapointing, go to the trouble of putting it on flash drive or dvd myself just so I can do a fresh install :confused:
 
gullySn0wCat said:
Well I have booted a 2010 iMac off a 10.6.3 disc (as described before).
Click to expand...

I guess it could just have been one version up...10.6.4 perhaps. I know my 13" mbp 2010 accepts the 10.6.3 disc but my 15" mbp 2010 will not. Surely confuzzled. In either case, I'm downloading Lion, chucking it on a disc and upgrading. Thanks apple...I still love you, just not as much.

Edit - I'll let you know how that goes .. :p
 
Well I have burned Lion onto a disk and my mbp is now erasing everything on the machine. I guess that shows that there was no hardware fault, merely apple forcing me to buy Lion and discs that don't work. Let this be a warning to anyone else who didn't know like me. Damn 'genius' didn't even ask me what mbp I had and sold me a dvd that isn't compatible.
 
Well, I upgraded to Lion...love it. 16 desktops...love it. I guess it wasn't so bad leaving Snow Leopard behind.
 
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