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Mac OS won’t install after erase

what do I do to get my old Mac to reinstall the OS after it was erased?

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Aug 7, 2021 2:46 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 7, 2021 3:23 PM

Usually by restoring your backups, but one of the more common causes for folks to be re-installing is failing hardware, and corruptions caused by failing hardware.


Here’s the official details ➡️ How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support


Here’s another recent thread on El Capitan in an older Mac, but some of the links there will also provide info on other versions ➡️

Impossible to install Mac OS X - Apple Community


Which iMac model year?


5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 7, 2021 3:23 PM in response to sirbrianthelion

Usually by restoring your backups, but one of the more common causes for folks to be re-installing is failing hardware, and corruptions caused by failing hardware.


Here’s the official details ➡️ How to reinstall macOS - Apple Support


Here’s another recent thread on El Capitan in an older Mac, but some of the links there will also provide info on other versions ➡️

Impossible to install Mac OS X - Apple Community


Which iMac model year?


Aug 7, 2021 8:13 PM in response to MrHoffman

It’s a 2011, so 10 years old. Not the latest tech, I know.


I found a way to use Carbon Copy Cloner5 to make a copy of the OS on a Mac Airbook with El Captain and then used that to boot the old iMac and used CCC 5 again to put the same image on the iMac HD. It’s still a work in progress. I’m rebooting the iMac now with the new image on the Internal HD, so I’ll let you know if it works.

Mac OS won’t install after erase

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