New to Apple, OS install struggles

[Jenlyn2600]

Hi,
I picked up a mid-2010 MBP from a pawn shop recently, and it's kicking my behind.

I bought it with all of the previous owners data on it, but the drive was encrypted. I guess they didn't get the password from the guy who pawned it. Probably why I got it so cheap.

I'm new to Mac, but pretty good with tech, so I assumed I would just wipe it, bootleg an OS, boot from a USB and be good.

Dummy.

I boot into disk utility and erase the drive. Reformat as extended, journaled. No problem.

I have not been able to get it to recognize a USB drive. I have tried several times on 2 thumb drives and a Samsung external hard drive. I have used DD in Linux and Rufus in Windows. I have formatted with MBR and GPT. I have copied using ISO and DD methods in Rufus. i have tried both USB ports. I downloaded Linux mint and did all of the above with that ISO as well.

Then I decided to try this internet recovery. Apple ID? OK, I go make one. Says I haven't used it in the app store. Google says this is because I haven't updated shipping and billing info. Do that. No love.

So...What in the name of God and biscuits does a lady have to do to get her new gadget running?

 

[Weaselboy]

You are in a bit of a Catch 22 here. That MacBook has what is called Internet recovery in the firmware. So you can hold command-option-r at boot (all three at once) and after selecting your wifi you will see a spinning globe while the recovery utility downloads. Then the recovery screen will come up. From there you can use Disk Utility to erase the internal disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Can you get that far?

The next part if where you will have trouble. Internet recovery normally installs the OS version that came from the factory. But not so with your MacBook. Your MacBook came with OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.x. There was a firmware update later that came with Lion 10.7 that added this Internet recovery feature, so now you can use Internet recovery to grab Lion. But to do that, you need to use an AppleID that was originally used to purchase Lion, and you don't have one.

Do you have access to another Mac of some sort maybe a friend? What you can do is go to Apple here and but Lion. Apple will email you a code to use. Go to your friend's Mac and login to the App Store application with your AppleID then use that code to purchase Lion. Then you can go back to Internet recovery on your MacBook and when prompted enter your AppleID and it will now let you install Lion over the Internet.

Or... there are some Amazon sellers selling premade Lion USB installers.

 

[CoastalOR]

I agree with Weaselboy.

I do have one comment. If you do have a friend with a Mac and "purchase" a Apple OS, your friends Mac must be able to run the OS in order to download it. If you buy Lion (10.7) and your friends Mac is newer (Late 2012 or newer) then the lowest OS it can run is 10.8 and therefore can not download 10.7.

Your 2010 MBP can run OS 10.6.3 (Snow Leopard) to the latest 10.12.3 (Sierra). i would recommend staying with lower older OS 10.6 - 10.8) with a spinner HDD. Purchasing 10.6 - 10.8 will cost $19.99 each from Apple and you would need access to another Mac. It might be easier to purchase a bootable USB installer from Amazon and not require access to another Mac. Just be advised purchasing the USB installer will not tie the OS to your Apple ID since you did not purchase it from Apple.

Here are the links to purchase from Apple:
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106/os-x-lion
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D...a7dbf78fe3cfb8aebd8493ddc9dc6e6fb6a21e80dfe70

I would recommend OS 10.8.

 

[Weaselboy]

If you do have a friend with a Mac and "purchase" a Apple OS, your friends Mac must be able to run the OS in order to download it.

Yes... thanks for clarifying. I was thinking OP could purchase it on the other Mac, but just not download it. Then download in Internet recovery.

 

[Fishrrman]

You need to create a bootable USB flashdrive installer.

I believe that some (not all) of the mid-2010 MBPro's can do "internet recovery", but ONLY if they have had a firmware upgrade. Not all have had this.

I think Weaselboy made a good suggestion above -- to go to ebay and buy a USB flashdrive with a copy of the installer already on it. This will run you $25-30, but might just be "the easiest way".

Do you have a "brick n mortar" Apple Store anywhere nearby?
Might be worth taking it to them for an evaluation, they might even let you download a copy of the OS.

Coastal made a good suggestion -- stick with 10.8.5 "Mountain Lion" if the MacBook has a platter-based hard drive inside.

Put an SSD into it (cheap and easy to do), and it should run 10.11 "El Capitan" just fine.

Editorial rant:
One has to be older, but I remember a time when various versions of the Mac OS were freely downloadable and "installable" for anyone -- no Apple ID needed, nothing special needed. Just download and install.
That was back in the "Classic Mac OS" days.
In fact, one can STILL download those old copies of the Mac OS.
This was until Apple decided to make things more involved.
Today, it's literally "become a struggle" to obtain an older version of the OS if one needs it. Often, the only choice is to "go to the torrents". I have no problems with that and freely use them, if no other pathway is available.
Apple: make it easier again!
End of Editorial rant

 

[Jenlyn2600]

H'okay....lets see...
1. The "Macintosh HD" is erased and formatted journaled, extended. It's ready for OSX.

2. I know I need a bootable USB. I have tried 2 different flash drives and an external HD. I have used Rufus in win7 on all three - tried both ISO and dd, MBR and GPT. I have used dd in terminal in Linux on all three disks. I have tried an ISO of Sierra, a dmg of El capitan, and as a last ditch resort, tried to boot with a Linux mint USB. The MBP didn't recognize the drive I'm any of these trials.

When that failed, I attempted to use internet recovery. It wants to install El capitan. It prompts me for an Apple ID, than tells me I haven't used it in the App Store. It never says it's not the correct Id for the MBP.

If I could log in to the App Store with my ID, would it work?

Why do the usb drives from amazon work, but not mine? If I can buy I've from amazon that will work, than I should be able to create one that will work as well, right?
If I burned the ISO to a DVD would it be more likely to work?

It's no wonder anti apple people are so vitriolic. This is an absurd pile of Sisyphiusisn balogna.

 

[OLDCODGER]

Might be a silly question, but have you tested the USB ports themselves?

 

[Jenlyn2600]

Might be a silly question, but have you tested the USB ports themselves?

As much as I can - I have tried my flash drives in all of them, and at the very least I know they are all getting power. But since there;s no OS to respond to anything I plug in, Im not sure how else I could test them...ooo a mouse, that would work,ldn't it?

 

[OLDCODGER]

As much as I can - I have tried my flash drives in all of them, and at the very least I know they are all getting power. But since there;s no OS to respond to anything I plug in, Im not sure how else I could test them...ooo a mouse, that would work,ldn't it?

Yes, mouse or keyboard would test for power and data, as would a live Linux distro. Good luck.

 

[Weaselboy]

If I could log in to the App Store with my ID, would it work?

No. Your AppleID does not have a macOS install purchase attached to it so it will never work unless you purchase a macOS version on another Mac as I explained.

If it is trying to install El Capitan, you are not in Internet recovery, but rather command-r boot regular recovery.

Why do the usb drives from amazon work, but not mine?

Because they were made under macOS. You are never going to be able to get a macOS bootable USB key made in Linux so do not waste your time trying. There is a Windows app called TransMac some people have had success using to make the USB key from the macOS DMG file.

I outlined your options in post #2. Anything else you are just spinning your wheels.

It's no wonder anti apple people are so vitriolic. This is an absurd pile of Sisyphiusisn balogna.

As I explained, your MacBook is a bit of an odd duck that never had Internet recovery and had it added later. All the models since then you would be able to command-option-r boot to Internet recovery and get the factory OS installed with no AppleID very easily.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Just to throw a wrench in the works, I'd say that if you're actually "pretty good with tech" you should upgrade the RAM in that MBP to 8GB (if it hasn't been done already) and swap out the hard drive for an SSD.

Having said that, you should probably first confirm that the computer functions using the above posted suggestions.

 

[matixryder]

H'okay....lets see...
1. The "Macintosh HD" is erased and formatted journaled, extended. It's ready for OSX.

2. I know I need a bootable USB. I have tried 2 different flash drives and an external HD. I have used Rufus in win7 on all three - tried both ISO and dd, MBR and GPT. I have used dd in terminal in Linux on all three disks. I have tried an ISO of Sierra, a dmg of El capitan, and as a last ditch resort, tried to boot with a Linux mint USB. The MBP didn't recognize the drive I'm any of these trials.

When that failed, I attempted to use internet recovery. It wants to install El capitan. It prompts me for an Apple ID, than tells me I haven't used it in the App Store. It never says it's not the correct Id for the MBP.

If I could log in to the App Store with my ID, would it work?

Why do the usb drives from amazon work, but not mine? If I can buy I've from amazon that will work, than I should be able to create one that will work as well, right?
If I burned the ISO to a DVD would it be more likely to work?

It's no wonder anti apple people are so vitriolic. This is an absurd pile of Sisyphiusisn balogna.

Macbook won't recognize the NTFS formatted USB. Try to make it into a FAT16.