total dead end

[musomaniac]

ive never had an apple computer before so i have no idea as to what i have done !
i have been given an old 2008 imac , and i wanted to factory reset it , as it still had around 240gb of files still on it , but it seems in my ignorance i have now totally wrecked it

it seems that in the disc utility , i cannot erase the Macintosh HD drive , every time i try the 240gb used is still there , i cant re-install the operating system either because even though i set up an apple ID , and password , and follow the on screen instructions , it gets as far as a message stating " AN UNEXPECTED ERROR OCCURRED WHEN SIGNING IN ... AMD AUTHENTIFICATION : SP "

Apparentley i need the original Apple ID , but its never been used for years and the original owner doesnt know it , ive tried another way using icloud but the browser never brings it up ,the screen just has a little dotted circle going around and around forever

so have i trashed it , or is there a way to re-install the system

many thanks

 

[musomaniac]

ive never had an apple computer before so i have no idea as to what i have done !
i have been given an old 2008 imac , and i wanted to factory reset it , as it still had around 240gb of files still on it , but it seems in my ignorance i have now totally wrecked it

it seems that in the disc utility , i cannot erase the Macintosh HD drive , every time i try the 240gb used is still there , i cant re-install the operating system either because even though i set up an apple ID , and password , and follow the on screen instructions , it gets as far as a message stating " AN UNEXPECTED ERROR OCCURRED WHEN SIGNING IN ... AMD AUTHENTIFICATION : SP "

Apparentley i need the original Apple ID , but its never been used for years and the original owner doesnt know it , ive tried another way using icloud but the browser never brings it up ,the screen just has a little dotted circle going around and around forever

so have i trashed it , or is there a way to re-install the system

many thanks

I now get a message stating " THIS ITEM IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE "

 

[MBAir2010]

you need the previous users password and user name.
just a quick question, who's 240GB files are those since you never had an apple computer?

if you cant start over, power on the iMac, what does the computer do?
how far does the booting go?

 

[musomaniac]

you need the previous users password and user name.
just a quick question, who's 240GB files are those since you never had an apple computer?

if you cant start over, power on the iMac, what does the computer do?
how far does the booting go?

The files belonged to the person i got the computer off , as i said its never been used for years , when i power the imac on it shows the apple logo then a loading bar underneath , this lasts for around 3 mins until a language screen pops up , then the osx utilities pops up , giving 4 options

option 1 -- restore from time machine backup
option 2 -- re-install OS X
option 3 -- get help online
option 4 -- disc utility

i have tried the disc utility to erase the MAC HD but it doesnt seem to erase anything , the used disc space is still there . from there i have tried Re-Install OS X , it asks for an apple ID and a PASSWORD , i have tried the Apple ID i created but then the message THIS ITEM IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE pops up

this is all the computer will do , nothing else , i dont have to hold command + r at the beginning either , if i turn the computer off and press the power button , it automatically loads the first screen i mentioned earlier

 

[Apple_Robert]

The files belonged to the person i got the computer off , as i said its never been used for years , when i power the imac on it shows the apple logo then a loading bar underneath , this lasts for around 3 mins until a language screen pops up , then the osx utilities pops up , giving 4 options

option 1 -- restore from time machine backup
option 2 -- re-install OS X
option 3 -- get help online
option 4 -- disc utility

i have tried the disc utility to erase the MAC HD but it doesnt seem to erase anything , the used disc space is still there . from there i have tried Re-Install OS X , it asks for an apple ID and a PASSWORD , i have tried the Apple ID i created but then the message THIS ITEM IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE pops up

this is all the computer will do , nothing else , i dont have to hold command + r at the beginning either , if i turn the computer off and press the power button , it automatically loads the first screen i mentioned earlier

You need the Apple ID and password that the previous owner used, because it sounds like the Mac is still tied to his Apple ID. He needs to remove the activation lock from the Mac by properly signing out of the Mac (signing out of messages, FaceTime and Apple ID). Once he does that for you, you should be able to set up the Mac properly.

 

[musomaniac]

You need the Apple ID and password that the previous owner used, because it sounds like the Mac is still tied to his Apple ID. He needs to remove the activation lock from the Mac by properly signing out of the Mac (signing out of messages, FaceTime and Apple ID). Once he does that for you, you should be able to set up the Mac properly.

ok i'll try again thank you

 

[MBAir2010]

the good thing about Macs are they are very protected.
after getting the user name you should be good to go.
since the Imac is from 2008, you will need the Snow leopard disks that can with the Imac as well.
then you might want to create a time machine back up incase you cant get the original OSX discs.

 

[Fishrrman]

Does the old iMac still boot now?
Or... have you "done enough" to it so that it's "un-bootable" at the moment?

If it's totally un-bootable, you need one of the following:
- An OS install DVD with an OS that is capable of booting and running that iMac
or
- A USB flashdrive that has a copy of the OS installer on it and is BOOTABLE.

I just did a search at everymac.com and it says a 2008 can boot up to OS 10.11.x "El Capitan".
That's what I'd try to use to get it going.

El Cap doesn't come on a DVD.
There ARE folks on ebay who can sell you a bootable USB flashdrive with a copy of the El Cap installer ready-to-go. Will cost about $20.

Normally, you could make one yourself. But if you've done enough damage to make it unbootable, you can't really do it without access to another Mac...

 

[musomaniac]

i have managed to get the original owners apple id and password , i got as far as the verification code which she supplied to me via text , but im still getting the " THIS ITEM IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE " message popping up ,

 

[musomaniac]

Does the old iMac still boot now?
Or... have you "done enough" to it so that it's "un-bootable" at the moment?

If it's totally un-bootable, you need one of the following:
- An OS install DVD with an OS that is capable of booting and running that iMac
or
- A USB flashdrive that has a copy of the OS installer on it and is BOOTABLE.

I just did a search at everymac.com and it says a 2008 can boot up to OS 10.11.x "El Capitan".
That's what I'd try to use to get it going.

El Cap doesn't come on a DVD.
There ARE folks on ebay who can sell you a bootable USB flashdrive with a copy of the El Cap installer ready-to-go. Will cost about $20.

Normally, you could make one yourself. But if you've done enough damage to make it unbootable, you can't really do it without access to another Mac...

it will only boot to the ops x utilites options window

 

[musomaniac]

it will only boot to the ops x utilites options window

os x i should have said lol

 

[Altis]

I had similar issues with a 2010 MacBook Pro -- it wouldn't do anything, and the Disk Utility wouldn't format the disk properly.

I ended up removing the drive, mounting it on a Windows PC, formatting it there, then putting it back in. I was then able to reinstall macOS without further issue.

That's what I would try. I have no idea why it's such a mess to reinstall things... I also recently had a big headache trying to upgrade a 2013 MBA to Big Sur that involved having to first wipe and install OSX Mountain Lion. Nothing easy about it at all.

 

[musomaniac]

I had similar issues with a 2010 MacBook Pro -- it wouldn't do anything, and the Disk Utility wouldn't format the disk properly.

I ended up removing the drive, mounting it on a Windows PC, formatting it there, then putting it back in. I was then able to reinstall macOS without further issue.

That's what I would try. I have no idea why it's such a mess to reinstall things... I also recently had a big headache trying to upgrade a 2013 MBA to Big Sur that involved having to first wipe and install OSX Mountain Lion. Nothing easy about it at all.

its rediculous , i have all the required information and still nothing , as you say mine will not erase the disc either

 

[profcutter]

Was the last owner able to use it before you got it? Maybe this is the reason you got it for free! I Think you May be best off booting from a USB drive and formatting that way

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"i have all the required information and still nothing , as you say mine will not erase the disc either"

You cannot erase the entire internal drive unless you boot from an EXTERNAL source.

That means:
- boot from an OS install DVD
or
- boot from a bootable USB flashdrive installer

The "recovery partition" (assuming there is one) can re-install a fresh copy of the existing OS "over" the one that is there, but it CANNOT "erase" the entire drive.

Having said this, if the OS installer is throwing up error messages, a workaround may be possible to make it run anyway.

YOU MUST PRINT OUT THE INFORMATION that follows:

This assumes you can boot to the recovery partition.
If you can, can you open the "terminal"?

If you can, then you can try setting the iMac's internal clock back with this command:
date 010112002019

Then... close the terminal.
Important ... there is a "space character" after "date" and before the number.
(as you can see you need to print this out so that you can remember!)

What this does is "set the clock back" -- in some cases the installer won't run because the official Apple "certificate" has expired (I can't really explain much further than that).

So, I would suggest you boot to the recovery partition, set the clock back, and try the OS installer again.

No promises...

 

[musomaniac]

OP wrote:
"i have all the required information and still nothing , as you say mine will not erase the disc either"

You cannot erase the entire internal drive unless you boot from an EXTERNAL source.

That means:
- boot from an OS install DVD
or
- boot from a bootable USB flashdrive installer

The "recovery partition" (assuming there is one) can re-install a fresh copy of the existing OS "over" the one that is there, but it CANNOT "erase" the entire drive.

Having said this, if the OS installer is throwing up error messages, a workaround may be possible to make it run anyway.

YOU MUST PRINT OUT THE INFORMATION that follows:

This assumes you can boot to the recovery partition.
If you can, can you open the "terminal"?

If you can, then you can try setting the iMac's internal clock back with this command:
date 010112002019

Then... close the terminal.
Important ... there is a "space character" after "date" and before the number.
(as you can see you need to print this out so that you can remember!)

What this does is "set the clock back" -- in some cases the installer won't run because the official Apple "certificate" has expired (I can't really explain much further than that).

So, I would suggest you boot to the recovery partition, set the clock back, and try the OS installer again.

No promises...

ok i tried that which reset time to 2019 , but now i get a message saying " AN ERROR OCCURRED WHILE PREPARING THE INSTALLATION.TRY RUNNING THE PROGRAM AGAIN " I've tried and tried but the same message pops up over and over again

 

[musomaniac]

so if i'm to try the loaded bootable usb , would anyone know the steps involved to complete the process , would i still require apple id , password ,verication number ect , as this has all been tried with the original owners details and still doesnt work
would jus t like to find out before i go looking for a bootable usb , god wish i'd left it alone , at least it was working before i decided to factory reset it

 

[Fishrrman]

With a bootable USB you should be able to:

1. Boot the Mac

2. ERASE the ENTIRE internal drive (using disk utility)

3. Install a brand-new copy of the OS.

One more time (I've posted this before):
It's not a very good idea to "reset" a Mac (or otherwise attempt to erase it) UNLESS you have first created a BOOTABLE BACKUP on an external drive using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

You could render the Mac unbootable and difficult to get going again!

 

[musomaniac]

With a bootable USB you should be able to:

1. Boot the Mac

2. ERASE the ENTIRE internal drive (using disk utility)

3. Install a brand-new copy of the OS.

One more time (I've posted this before):
It's not a very good idea to "reset" a Mac (or otherwise attempt to erase it) UNLESS you have first created a BOOTABLE BACKUP on an external drive using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

You could render the Mac unbootable and difficult to get going again!

so how would i be able to make a bootable backup if the only screen i can get to is the disc utility , sorry for the questions but i dont have a clue with macs ,

 

[profcutter]

so how would i be able to make a bootable backup if the only screen i can get to is the disc utility , sorry for the questions but i dont have a clue with macs ,

You’ll have to make a bootable usb on a working Mac. If you have a dvd drive, you might find the original install discs somewhere.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

At this point, my guess is you need to get in-person help from someone who knows Macs.

Or...
As I mentioned above, go on ebay and buy a "ready-to-use" bootable USB flash drive with the OS installer you want on it. I suggest El Capitan. The cost will be about $20.

 

[calliex]

Do a google search for how to make a bootable USB flash installer. I have made a couple this way and they have come in handy. Of course you will need a working MAC to do it.

 

[Fishrrman]

Here's a link to a page that says it's possible to create a bootable Mac OS installer on a PC:

How to Create macOS Bootable USB on a Windows PC

You have to create a bootable USB installer if your Mac crashed and not able to get into the desktop. Actually, creating a macOS USB…

williamhartz.medium.com

I have NO IDEA as to whether this works or not.
I don't own PC's.
Just passing the link along...

 

[MacCheetah3]

The files belonged to the person i got the computer off , as i said its never been used for years , when i power the imac on it shows the apple logo then a loading bar underneath , this lasts for around 3 mins until a language screen pops up , then the osx utilities pops up , giving 4 options

option 1 -- restore from time machine backup
option 2 -- re-install OS X
option 3 -- get help online
option 4 -- disc utility

i have tried the disc utility to erase the MAC HD but it doesnt seem to erase anything , the used disc space is still there . from there i have tried Re-Install OS X , it asks for an apple ID and a PASSWORD , i have tried the Apple ID i created but then the message THIS ITEM IS TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE pops up

this is all the computer will do , nothing else , i dont have to hold command + r at the beginning either , if i turn the computer off and press the power button , it automatically loads the first screen i mentioned earlier

Here’s what I found for the “This item is temporarily unavailable” message:

"This item is temporarily unavailable" When Installing Yosemite

I have erased my HD and tried to install OS Yosemite on MacBook Pro mid 2009. But keep getting this message "This item is temporarily unavailable." I've tried many proposed solutions but none seem to

apple.stackexchange.com

Mac: This Item Is Temporarily Unavailable. Please Try Again Later; Fix • macReports

Several users have reported an issue in which they receive the following error message while trying to install / reinstall macOS (or OS X) on their Mac

macreports.com

(Solution #3)

 

[musomaniac]

Here’s what I found for the “This item is temporarily unavailable” message:

"This item is temporarily unavailable" When Installing Yosemite

I have erased my HD and tried to install OS Yosemite on MacBook Pro mid 2009. But keep getting this message "This item is temporarily unavailable." I've tried many proposed solutions but none seem to

apple.stackexchange.com

Mac: This Item Is Temporarily Unavailable. Please Try Again Later; Fix • macReports

Several users have reported an issue in which they receive the following error message while trying to install / reinstall macOS (or OS X) on their Mac

macreports.com

(Solution #3)

i have tried options 2 ,3,and 4 on the second link you provided but none work , when trying option 4 i never get the starting internet recovery screen ,