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borgward

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 8, 2021
61
8
How much bandwidth do I need to reinstall Mac OS on Mid 2011 Aluminum iMac?
 
I'd recommend at least 10 Mb/s if you don't want frustration. Obviously faster is better though :)

Alternatively you can download the full installer and then use the createinstallmedia tool to copy it to a USB drive, avoiding the need for an Internet connection during the actual installation.
 
Don't think I can use the installer tool as the only Mac available is Mid 2006 iMac running OS X 10.6.8
Max download here is 10 Mb/s. I may try reinstalling over the internet. The 2011 iMac has OS X Base system 10.13.3. What do I need to download the OS?
 
Don't think I can use the installer tool as the only Mac available is Mid 2006 iMac running OS X 10.6.8
Max download here is 10 Mb/s. I may try reinstalling over the internet. The 2011 iMac has OS X Base system 10.13.3. What do I need to download the OS?

1. Ethernet cable connecting the iMac and the modem/router.
2. Follow the below instruction. If you are unlucky enough, the download of High Sierra would take forever.... (It had taken me 4 hours before I gave up and use the USB installer)

Internet Recovery Mode on Intel and M1 Mac Explained
Completely shut down your Mac.
Press the power button or Touch ID button and immediately hold down Command + Option + R or Command + Shift + Option + R key combination.
Hold the keys until you see a spinning globe appears on the screen with the message " Starting Internet Recovery. This may take a while ."
Select a Wi-Fi and enter your Wi-Fi password if asked when a Wi-Fi menu appears. ...
Wait until the Mac boots to Internet Recovery. It may take minutes or even hours depending on your Internet speed, so make sure your Mac is fully charged.
 
OP:

Instructions in reply 5 above are what you need.

One more thing:
Is there anything on the internal drive that needs to be saved?
Or... are you willing to "wipe it clean" and start over?

IF you want to clean it off and start brand-new, do this:
a. Boot to internet recovery as above
b. When the utilities are loaded, open disk utility
c. VERY IMPORTANT STEP: check to see if there's a "view" menu.
If there IS, you MUST go to it and choose "show all devices".
d. Look at "the list on the left". The topmost item is the physical drive inside.
e. Click on the drive to select it, then click "erase"
f. Choose "Mac OS extended, journaling enabled, GUID partition format"
g. Erase the drive and quit disk utility.
h. NOW click the installer. Start clicking through the install.
i. The Mac will reboot one or more times, and the screen will go dark for a minute or more with no other indication of activity. Be patient.
j. When done, you should see the initial setup screen (choose your language).

Good luck.
 
there was hardly anything on the drive . Since I did not need to save anything, I though the simplest thing to do would be to reinstall over the Internet. My connection is 10Mbps max. Took about an hour and I was up and running w/19.13.6
 
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