HELP!! Trying to reinstall Mac OS after erasing hard drive and having problems.

Question

HELP!! Trying to reinstall Mac OS after erasing hard drive and having problems.

So I followed the instructions to erase the hard drive and then reinstall macOS on my old MacBook Pro (High Sierra) so I could sell it. I clicked on Reinstall MacOS and it seemed to be going okay, but obviously I did something incorrectly because I got this message: "Could not create a preboot volume for APFS install."

So I inserted an old MacOS install disk and it did nothing and the disk will NOT eject.

Is there anything I can do at this point? Many thanks in advance.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Feb 8, 2022 4:11 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

DonH49

Level 6

16,710 points

Feb 8, 2022 5:01 PM in response to smartblondegirl

reboot Mac and hold down mouse to eject the disk.

try this for the install but if you erase the internal drive then choose APFS if installing High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur or Monterey. Prior use HFS+

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Answer 2

Feb 9, 2022 7:47 AM in response to smartblondegirl

Perfect. The next owner will use software update to update the 10.6 to its latest version. After applying ALL available updates, at the Apple online store will appear, and they can proceed to UPGRADE to something more modern.

10.11 El Capitan is recommenced as a waypoint before trying to move beyond that point, because fully updated El Capitan contains a more modern Mac App Store that makes going beyond 10.11 easier.

If you were running 10.13, then they can use this article to find and install their own (tagged with their Apple-ID) 10.13:

How to get old versions of macOS - Apple Support

.

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Answer 3

Feb 8, 2022 7:02 PM in response to DonH49

I honestly can't remember exactly how I got the disk to eject (it was 2+ hours ago) but it's out. :-) Then I did the Option + Command + R and it uses internet recovery to run the installation from Apple’s servers. All good to go. Thanks so much!

Quick question: since I erased the hard drive first when I started all this (hopefully), and after doing Option + Command + R finally got the "Welcome" screen--can I assume the hard drive truly is erased and all my data is gone?

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Answer 4

Feb 8, 2022 7:08 PM in response to smartblondegirl

MacOS will NEVER install an older version over a newer version UNLESS the drive is COMPLETELY Erased, so that there is no trace of the old MacOS.

That also means there will be no trace of your files, rest assured.

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Answer 5

Feb 8, 2022 7:14 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks. Since I was running High Sierra before erasing, and my software updates only showed up for iTunes and one other app can I assume that High Sierra was re-installed? Should I log on through the welcome page to see what it is running? If I do that, should I then erase again and reinstall again? My brain is tired......

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Answer 6

Feb 9, 2022 5:50 AM in response to smartblondegirl

Only the "shipped in the box" version (or a replacement Apple designates if really old) will be installed with computer serial number only. You are done.

Any later version is required to be tagged with your Apple-ID, and therefore will be useless to the new owner.

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Answer 7

Feb 9, 2022 6:08 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Okay, hate to be so dense. The Installation DVD I have that came with the laptop says Mac OS X version 10.6.6. So THAT is what installed? I believe that was Snow Leopard. Will a new owner be able to update it, and if so to what?

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Answer 8

Feb 9, 2022 6:08 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

See below

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Answer 9

Feb 9, 2022 8:33 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I had been running 10.13.6 High Sierra. I will include your instructions when I sell it.

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HELP!! Trying to reinstall Mac OS after erasing hard drive and having problems.

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