Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

2010 MacBook Pro no disk to install Mac OS X

Hi all,


The Apple team said they can't help as my machine is too old. Can someone help me please:


I can turn my Mac on and get the screen 'Install Mac OS X' but there are no disks to install it to. I have explored Disk Utility but cannot erase anything as the only disk there is 'OS X base system'.


Thanks in advance,

Nathan

MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.12

Posted on May 12, 2020 9:56 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 12, 2020 10:43 AM

Hi,

Resetting NVRAM could resolve the issue.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063

If it doesn't help, run Apple Hardware Test if it reports something related HDD.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201257


4 replies

May 12, 2020 6:20 PM in response to NathM8

Looks like your hard drive has failed. You can try replacing the hard drive with an SSD to improve performance a bit if you feel it is worth investing money into this laptop. A Crucial MX500 SSD or an OWC Mercury Electra 3G SSD would be good choices. You need to be careful with the SSD you choose because some SSDs don't auto-negotiate the SATA link speed with a SATA II controller which your laptop uses. I would stay away from the Crucial BX500 SSD as it can be as slow as a hard drive since it is a budget economy model which cuts some corners to lower cost.


However, I wouldn't run macOS 10.6 Snow Leopard on this computer when using an SSD since Snow Leopard doesn't really support SSDs properly. If you upgrade the OS to macOS 10.13 High Sierra, then it should be Ok.

2010 MacBook Pro no disk to install Mac OS X

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.