How to set up a used MacBook Pro from 2012-2013 ?

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How to set up a used MacBook Pro from 2012-2013 ?

I bought a used MacBook Pro and am struggling to set it up. For some reason, I thought this would be easy, but it isn’t. Not for me, anyway. When I charged it up and turned it on, I got a gray image of a circle with a bar through it.

FWIW, the unit’s serial No. elicits these specs at everymac.com:

MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.3 15" Mid-2012 2.3 GHz Core i7 (I7-3615QM)

Intro. June 11, 2012 Disc. October 22, 2013

Order MD103LL/A Model A1286 (EMC 2556*)

Family Mid-2012 15" ID MacBookPro9,1

RAM 4 GB VRAM 512 MB*

Storage 500 GB HDD Optical 8X DL "SuperDrive"

Complete MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.3 15" Mid-2012 Specs

Unfortunately, the seller included no discs or password. Being a dummy, I didn’t realize I should ask about them. I’d appreciate any help that forum members can give me in bringing back to life what is now an inert object.

The online searches I’ve done about how to proceed have been instructive but not specific enough to my situation to get me out of this bind of my own making. Thanks.

Posted on Sep 19, 2019 12:48 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

dwb

Level 7

33,106 points

Sep 19, 2019 5:36 PM in response to Queries4u

Like a lot of experienced computer users here, I’m not a big fan of the pre-built external drives you can find online and at big box stores. They tend to have cheap enclosures with chipsets of unknown provenance, cheap unshielded cables, and a hard drive sourced from who knows where. For this reason I prefer enclosures made by OWC (macsales.com), IcyDock, and more recently Sabrent. The latter two would require you buy a bare drive from another source and build your own which is mostly about sliding the drive into the enclosure and closing the enclosure. (A few screws might be required.) You can purchase a fully built drive from OWC. The resulting drive will cost a bit more than what you get at the big box store but you’ll have a drive of known quality from vendors that stand behind their product.

On the other hand, I know plenty of people who are happy with the drives they bought at Target, BestBuy, etc. I just strongly recommend that you stay away from Western Digital externals. I quite like their bare drives but I’ve had no luck with them personally or professionally.

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Answer 2

Queries4u Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2019 2:47 PM in response to dwb

So, I chose Disk Utility and got a box with a list at left of several choices:

The first is labeled 500.1 GB Apple HDD T ...
Second, indented, is DiskOs2
Third, flush left again, is an icon of a CD, labeled SuperDrive, followed by a separation line
Fourth is another CD icon labeled Disk1
Then, indented, is a weird square icon labeled Mac OS X Baase System

When I click on each of them, a fairly detailed screen appears at right with info and further choices to make. Interestingly, The first choice (500.1 GB...) is the only one where the text of the label is in red. When I click on it, the box at right bears the ominous message, “This drive has a hardware problem that can’t be repaired.” I hope that’s not the one I’m supposed to choose.

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Answer 3

dwb

Level 7

33,106 points

Sep 19, 2019 6:53 AM in response to Queries4u

What happens when you restart holding command R?

Assuming you have Internet access, what happens when you restart holding Command option R?

The first will start the computer in Recovery mode assuming the hard drive has a recovery partition. From there you can erase the drive (run DIsk Utility) and download the OS. The second will start the computer in Internet Recovery allowing you to do the same thing.

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Answer 4

Queries4u Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2019 12:27 PM in response to dwb

Thanks! I followed your instructions to restart with command R, then chose the option to download Sierra OS, and the countdown began.

After waiting a cupla hours for the OS to download, I now see that the MBP screen has gone dark. I’m afraid to try anything for fear it’ll be the wrong thing. What shall I do next?

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Answer 5

dwb

Level 7

33,106 points

Sep 19, 2019 1:26 PM in response to Queries4u

Press any letter key or the space bar. The display will turn itself off after a period of inactivity (on your part, the computer is still working). After the download finishes it will launch but then wait for you to initiate it. While waiting for you, the computer probably (hopefully) went to sleep. If it doesn’t wake up, hold the power button for a long 10 count, then press it again. The long press is a force quit and the 2nd press will restart the computer.

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Answer 6

Queries4u Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2019 2:17 PM in response to dwb

Here goes ... I hit the space bar, and a box appeared on a textured background. So far, so good. It’s entitled Mac OS X Utilities and offers these choices:

-Restore from time machine backup (you have a backup of your system you want to restore).

-Reinstall Mac OS X (set up and install a new copy of Lion).

-Get help online (browse Apple support website).

-Disk utility (repair or erase a disk).

Another option is Continue, but when I click on it, nothing happens. Which choice do you suggest I select?

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Answer 7

dwb

Level 7

33,106 points

Sep 19, 2019 2:22 PM in response to Queries4u

Hmm. Choose disk utility and select erase. Quit disk utility and select download. I don’t know why the download you initiated failed. There are lots of possible reasons but one is that the drive needs to be erased.

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Answer 8

dwb

Level 7

33,106 points

Sep 19, 2019 3:15 PM in response to Queries4u

The first one labeled 500GB Apple HDD is the correct one and that you got an error is what I was suspecting after you reported seeing the Recovery Screen after the OS had supposedly been downloaded. But don’t give up hope. Replacing the hard drive is very simple on the unibody MacBook Pros. Head over to this site: https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

Check out the video for your computer that shows replacing the hard drive. If you decide this is something you want to tackle, come back and I’ll talk you through the drive to buy and a couple other things. If you decide you don’t want to do it yourself, this isn’t an expensive fix. And if you’d rather check to see if the computer is good and worth the additional investment you can connect an external drive to it, format that drive, download the OS to it, and install the OS onto the external. If that works you’ll know the computer is ok and the problem is the drive and/or the SATA cable (which is also easy to replace)

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Answer 9

Queries4u Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 19, 2019 5:23 PM in response to dwb

Dang, I was afraid that was the case.

Since you say it’s doable, and you are generously guiding me through this process, I would like to have a go at replacing the hard drive. I went to the site you linked to for Other World Computing and plan to view the video on how to do this.

It sounds like I should test to see if the computer is worth repairing. Is that the right conclusion. How would you suggest I go about getting an external drive to do this? Is it something I can get at Target or Walmart (the big shopping experiences on Galveston Island) or should I order online? Once again, thanks. Sorry my query is turning out to be such a hassle.

dwb wrote:

The first one labeled 500GB Apple HDD is the correct one and that you got an error is what I was suspecting after you reported seeing the Recovery Screen after the OS had supposedly been downloaded. But don’t give up hope. Replacing the hard drive is very simple on the unibody MacBook Pros. Head over to this site: https://eshop.macsales.com/installvideos/

Check out the video for your computer that shows replacing the hard drive. If you decide this is something you want to tackle, come back and I’ll talk you through the drive to buy and a couple other things. If you decide you don’t want to do it yourself, this isn’t an expensive fix. And if you’d rather check to see if the computer is good and worth the additional investment you can connect an external drive to it, format that drive, download the OS to it, and install the OS onto the external. If that works you’ll know the computer is ok and the problem is the drive and/or the SATA cable (which is also easy to replace)

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Answer 10

Queries4u Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 20, 2019 1:39 PM in response to dwb

Hey DWB,

You have been so helpful to me in my struggles with the used MBP I bought. The whole shebang was a problem of my own making, since I didn’t heed the caveat emptor principle. I should have found a way to test the unit before sealing the deal. I guess I had to be reminded that due diligence is required even in deals arranged with “neighbors” through nextdoor.com.

You have stuck with my problem well beyond any reasonable point that could be expected. I really appreciate that. It made me feel less discouraged to know that, even through I made a less-than-wise purchase, there’s a solution and someone willing to help me through it.

Your advice about how to test the MBP and replace the hard drive were exactly what I needed to know in order to see what my choices were. I slept on it and decided, that my next step should be to let a respected repair shop take a look at it and tell me what they would charge to put things right. I’m still leaving all options open. But I’m trying to bear in mind that my knowledge of the MBP is so razor-thin, even the tiniest problem is enough to stop me in my tracks. I’m hoping for the best.

You are a gem, DWB and a perfect example of why I turn to a user forum when I fail in my independent efforts to solve a problem. The forum is lucky to have you.

That said, I reserve the right to return to the forum on this issue, though I hope it won’t be necessary.

Nice Schnauzer, BTW.

Regards,

Elizabeth

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Answer 11

y_p_w

Level 6

17,702 points

Sep 20, 2019 2:43 PM in response to dwb

dwb wrote:

Like a lot of experienced computer users here, I’m not a big fan of the pre-built external drives you can find online and at big box stores. They tend to have cheap enclosures with chipsets of unknown provenance, cheap unshielded cables, and a hard drive sourced from who knows where. For this reason I prefer enclosures made by OWC (macsales.com), IcyDock, and more recently Sabrent. The latter two would require you buy a bare drive from another source and build your own which is mostly about sliding the drive into the enclosure and closing the enclosure. (A few screws might be required.) You can purchase a fully built drive from OWC. The resulting drive will cost a bit more than what you get at the big box store but you’ll have a drive of known quality from vendors that stand behind their product.

On the other hand, I know plenty of people who are happy with the drives they bought at Target, BestBuy, etc. I just strongly recommend that you stay away from Western Digital externals. I quite like their bare drives but I’ve had no luck with them personally or professionally.

I wouldn't worry too much about the source of the hard drive. There are basically only 3 consumer hard drive manufacturers left in the world - Seagate, Western Digital, and . From teardown videos, it seems that for the most part Seagate is the only one that uses regular SATA drives.

Frankly I prefer a good self-contained drive (and not an enclosure) for various reasons. They're optimized for power while an enclosure might need to account for power hogs. One of my enclosures reserves 900 mA. My Seagate external only reserves about 200 mA from USB, and can even negotiate less when connected to a USB 2.0 hub.

I would hesitate to recommend a WD or Toshiba external bus-powered drive because they use a direct USB to drive controller. If something fails, it wouldn't be possible to extract a SATA drive and use it in an enclosure. As far as I know the only companies with the capability to do this are the companies the directly make the drives. All other external bus-powered drives would use a SATA enclosure.

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How to set up a used MacBook Pro from 2012-2013 ?

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