How can I get El Capitan on a 2009 MBP that boots up to the Question Mark folder?

[HappyDude20]

I erased my SSD drive on a different Mac using disk utility and used the Mac journaled option with guid partition option as well.

When I installed that SSD back into my 2009 MBP I get the blue question mark folder and can’t get past it.

I want to have my 2009 MBP working again but can’t figure out how to do it.

I tried using the snow leopard disc but I’ll include a photo of the error message displayed on the MBP screen.

I have a usb drive that I tried installing El Capitan so I could then connect it to the MBP but the blue question mark folder persisted. I can’t even get any options when booting up the Mac, always only seeing the blue question mark folder.

 

[||\||]

I can't read the error message you posted. The photo is too small. Have you tried booting into Recovery Mode (command + R), formatting the SSD and reinstalling the OS from there? The question mark means the system can't find a boot disk.

 

[LuisN]

With the Mac you used to format the SSD, download El Capitan from here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886

extract the installer by double clicking the dmg package and create a bootable usb installer from the El Capitan installer app that is now in the Applications folder. Boot your 2009 Mac from the usb installer pressing the option/alt key and chose the usb installer. Press enter

 

[HappyDude20]

I can't read the error message you posted. The phot is too small. Have you tried booting into Recovery Mode command + R and formatting the SSD from there?

Thank you for replying.

Time and time again nothing happens when pushing on command + R, but I do have access to disk utility when I pop in the snow leopard dvd.

Great username btw.

I’ll include a photo in this reply, Huber quality.

I do have a 2018 MBP I use daily that works fine and am using to connect the 2009 MBP SSD as an external in attempts to format it correctly. Am using GUID Partition option.

 

[HappyDude20]

With the Mac you used to format the SSD, download El Capitan from here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206886

extract the installer by double clicking the dmg package and create a bootable usb installer from the El Capitan installer app that is now in the Applications folder. Boot your 2009 Mac from the usb installer pressing the option/alt key and chose the usb installer. Press enter

I have to admit and am embarrassed to do so that this part is confusing for me when I attempt to do so.

I’ve downloaded the file from the Apple site, El Capitan, and then I open the .dmg file and connect my 8GB USB flash drive to my 2017 MBP. Then I don’t really know what to do.

I tried to just drag and drop the .dmg file and the contents within into the usb flash drive with no overall success.

I also tried to use ‘restore’ In disk utility using the .dmg file as the source and copying it into the usb flash drive, all with disk utility but have yet to be successful. That’s even if that is the correct way to approach it.

 

[LuisN]

I have to admit and am embarrassed to do so that this part is confusing for me when I attempt to do so.

I’ve downloaded the file from the Apple site, El Capitan, and then I open the .dmg file and connect my 8GB USB flash drive to my 2017 MBP. Then I don’t really know what to do.

I tried to just drag and drop the .dmg file and the contents within into the usb flash drive with no overall success.

I also tried to use ‘restore’ In disk utility using the .dmg file as the source and copying it into the usb flash drive, all with disk utility but have yet to be successful. That’s even if that is the correct way to approach it.

you have to double click over the dmg. The dmg file will install the El Capitan installer.app inside the Applications folder. Follow the instructions here:

How to create a bootable USB masOS installer

Make a macOS installer with createinstallmedia and install Monterey or another macOS on multiple Macs, do a clean install, or access a faulty Mac.

www.macworld.com

Boot your computer from the usb pressing alt/option key while powering on. Follow the procedure for installation.

The reason your actual pen doesn't work is because it was created with an outdated version of El Capitan with expired certificates.

 

[HappyDude20]

you have to double click over the dmg. The dmg file will install the El Capitan installer.app inside the Applications folder. Follow the instructions here:

How to create a bootable USB masOS installer

Make a macOS installer with createinstallmedia and install Monterey or another macOS on multiple Macs, do a clean install, or access a faulty Mac.

www.macworld.com

Boot your computer from the usb pressing alt/option key while powering on. Follow the procedure for installation.

The reason your actual pen doesn't work is because it was created with an outdated version of El Capitan with expired certificates.

Thank you for replying.

The DMG file opens up to a pkg file but upon opening it it says it can't be installed. I'll attach a photo. AM running Catalina on my 2017 MBP btw.

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Also, I have 2 dmg files on my desktop at the moment. One with El Capitan and the other w/ Snow Leopard. Am focusing on the one w/ El Capitan.

 

[LuisN]

Thank you for replying.

The DMG file opens up to a pkg file but upon opening it it says it can't be installed. I'll attach a photo. AM running Catalina on my 2017 MBP btw.

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Also, I have 2 dmg files on my desktop at the moment. One with El Capitan and the other w/ Snow Leopard. Am focusing on the one w/ El Capitan.

I guess your computer is too new to let you run that installer. Use another computer, if you have access to one OR install a Virtual Machine using, perhaps, VMware Fusion in trial mode. That way you can run the installer and get the installer app to create the bootable installer. VMware Fusion can use the recovery partition to install macOS inside the Virtual Machine

 

[HappyDude20]

Okay so update:

I was able to get snow leopard installed via the snow leopard disc, onto my external hard drive. It took a few hours but was successful.

I can keep this external hard drive connected to my 2009 MBP and it works fine. I’m currently at the time of typing this downloading the last version of Snow Leopard so I can have access to the Mac App Store and jump to El Capitan.

Problem is, when I take my hard drive out of the external enclosure bay and pop it inside of the MBP, upon booting on the Mac, it states there was an error and I that I have to restart the computer.

It seems I cannot use this MacBook normally but instead have to use one of the usb outlets to connect the external HDD that has Snow Leopard installed.

Leading me to believe the issue could be with the Hard drive connector inside the MBP; which is odd considering it looks fine and has barely even been touched since owning this MBP for 11 years.

 

[LuisN]

Okay so update:

I was able to get snow leopard installed via the snow leopard disc, onto my external hard drive. It took a few hours but was successful.

I can keep this external hard drive connected to my 2009 MBP and it works fine. I’m currently at the time of typing this downloading the last version of Snow Leopard so I can have access to the Mac App Store and jump to El Capitan.

Problem is, when I take my hard drive out of the external enclosure bay and pop it inside of the MBP, upon booting on the Mac, it states there was an error and I that I have to restart the computer.

It seems I cannot use this MacBook normally but instead have to use one of the usb outlets to connect the external HDD that has Snow Leopard installed.

Leading me to believe the issue could be with the Hard drive connector inside the MBP; which is odd considering it looks fine and has barely even been touched since owning this MBP for 11 years.

Maybe the ribbon cable that connects your internal drive to the logic board is defective. It's a common problem with those unibody MacBook Pros. That would also explain the folder with question mark. You'll find plenty searching for "macbook pro mid 2009 hard disk cable" in EBAY for about 10 USD

 

[Superhai]

I’ll include a photo in this reply, Huber quality.

I do have a 2018 MBP I use daily that works fine and am using to connect the 2009 MBP SSD as an external in attempts to format it correctly. Am using GUID Partition option.

In the menu above should be option Window or Utilities (I don't remember which) and an item called setup log or something similar, open it and look at some of the last lines, there should be a hint to why the install fails.