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I some how deleted my OS

Not sure what to do next.

My computer starts up in recovery mode only.

Repair and verify disks seems to work but when I attempt to restart with start up there isn't anything there. When I attempt to reinstall OS I get "error message please try again" and repeating does nothing.


If I have another OS on a flash drive how do I go about install it when I can not even get to any functions only the repair/recovery selections?

Thank you for your help! I am unsure what operating system I had but my MacBook Pro is from 2010 so I assume Moutain Lion. The option to reinstall indicates OS-X but that's about it.


This set of steps does no good for me since I can not reinstall Mac OS option


  1. Start up your Mac pressing Shift-Option/Alt-Command-R.
  2. Once you see the macOS Utilities screen choose the Reinstall macOS option.
  3. Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.
  4. Select your startup disk and click Install.
  5. Your Mac will restart once the installation is complete


MacBook

Posted on Jul 10, 2019 11:32 AM

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Posted on Jul 10, 2019 12:12 PM

Depending on when in 2010 you purchased your Mac, it may have shipped with Snow Leopard or Lion. If it came with a set of gray DVDs, then it's Snow Leopard.


I mention this because if it came with Snow Leopard, your Mac won't even have the ability to boot into Internet Recovery Mode.


  1. If it did ship with Snow Leopard, put disk 1 in the drive. When you get the option to install the OS, launch Disk Utility from the menu bar. The idea here being; does the internal hard drive even appear in the left column? If not, the drive has died. Though it may still appear (Disk Utility sees it), but it otherwise isn't functioning.
  2. If it shipped with Lion, you should be able to do an Internet Recovery startup of Command+Option+R. The Mac boots to the firmware rather than trying to find a system on a drive. Once again, use Disk Utility from the menu bar to see if the Mac even sees the disk.

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Jul 10, 2019 12:12 PM in response to jillfromhoughton

Depending on when in 2010 you purchased your Mac, it may have shipped with Snow Leopard or Lion. If it came with a set of gray DVDs, then it's Snow Leopard.


I mention this because if it came with Snow Leopard, your Mac won't even have the ability to boot into Internet Recovery Mode.


  1. If it did ship with Snow Leopard, put disk 1 in the drive. When you get the option to install the OS, launch Disk Utility from the menu bar. The idea here being; does the internal hard drive even appear in the left column? If not, the drive has died. Though it may still appear (Disk Utility sees it), but it otherwise isn't functioning.
  2. If it shipped with Lion, you should be able to do an Internet Recovery startup of Command+Option+R. The Mac boots to the firmware rather than trying to find a system on a drive. Once again, use Disk Utility from the menu bar to see if the Mac even sees the disk.
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Jul 11, 2019 10:57 AM in response to jillfromhoughton

Did you check the App Store Purchase tab?


Does the El Capitan link work? You can also try High Sierra depending on when in 2010 your computer is from. To make a bootable USB with newer OS versions, try the programs below.


El Capitan


How to get macOS High Sierra   


Bootable USB Flash Drive – Diskmaker X      Disk Creator   or use Apple’s method       Create a bootable installer for OS

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Jul 12, 2019 1:36 PM in response to jillfromhoughton

Snow Leopard from where? The $20 disk directly from Apple? That's not something I would have suggested spending the money on until we knew which of possibilities, one or two I mentioned above was correct.


Even it it shipped with Snow Leopard, that isn't an assurance the version 10.6.3 disk will boot that Mac. I have a 2010 Mac Pro that shipped with 10.6.4. The retail 10.6.3 disk will not boot that Mac.


Go to this site. Enter the serial number for your MacBook Pro (it should be printed on the bottom) in the field of the linked page and click Lookup. Your exact model will be shown. As part of the description, it will list what version of the Mac OS it shipped with. You can simply tell us what is was, or post a link to the page here.

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Jul 10, 2019 11:41 AM in response to jillfromhoughton

Do you have access to another Mac computer where you can sign into the App Store using your Apple ID and download the OS. Then quit the installer.  You can make a bootable USB stick to install using these free programs which will do all the work for you. Boot the computer with the option/alt key held down and select the USB drive. Run Disk Utility and select Repair Disk. Then re-install the OS.


Make a Bootable OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion USB Install Drive

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Jul 12, 2019 1:26 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Hey Kurt,


I received my new OS Snow Leopard from FedEX and attempted to load it.

I really am clueless and wish there was a Mac authorized repair center near me. The closest is GeekSquad 100 miles south.

I am unsure about what to do next. My harddrive (Fuji) shows up in list under disk utility and it runs without error.

Not sure why my computer will not find it's start up boot...and just keeps starting in recovery mode.

So you think I need to get a bootable installer for this new OS Snow Leopard since loading it in my disk drive doesn't do anything?

Like I mentioned I am completely clueless about all of this. I thought my computer would recognize the disk and run the installer but I still get the error message when the HD drive pops up with a yellow triangle with question mark.


Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help!

I may end up requesting a Geek Squad appointment and driving 100 miles but if it's not repairable I don't want to put any more money into it.


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Jul 12, 2019 2:05 PM in response to jillfromhoughton

That's considered a 2009 model. Apple dates models by when they were first released, not when they were discontinued.


However, if yours was built in 2010, it may have shipped with Snow Leopard. 10.6.3 was released in April of 2010. But, being so close together, those gray disks would very likely be machine specific. Meaning, the drivers for your Mac didn't get incorporated into the retail disk before it went into production. So even though it's 10.6.3, it still won't boot that Mac. Only the gray disks it came with will.


It all depends on when your MacBook Pro was built if the retail SL 10.6.3 disk would work.


When you put the disk in the drive, you must restart and hold down the C key. This tells the Mac to boot to whatever is in the optical drive, if it can.

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Jul 16, 2019 7:01 AM in response to Kurt Lang

Thank you Kurt for your help and advice.

I believe the MacBook to be unrepairable since I can't seem to find the start up disk.

Not sure I want to put any more time or money into it.

It's frustrating but I get that the disk I ordered is not meant for it. I don't want to put the effort into obtaining a bootable version. I may have the original disks that came with it but when I think about it, I seem to think I turned the computer on and it started up. With internet access I was good to go. I don't recall having to install anything.

Thank you again for your help.


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