How to reinstall Lion on 2011 MacBook Pro?

Have you tried using Internet Recovery to install High Sierra?

I believe that if you start up your Mac while holding down the key combination Option-Command-R, you will get the chance to "reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest version of macOS that's compatible with your Mac."

Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

prwood wrote:

Servant of Cats wrote:

Have you tried using Internet Recovery to install High Sierra?

I believe that if you start up your Mac while holding down the key combination Option-Command-R, you will get the chance to "reinstall macOS and upgrade to the latest version of macOS that's compatible with your Mac."

Use macOS Recovery on an Intel-based Mac - Apple Support

Thanks - I wasn't aware of that option, but just tried it. It seems like this method also has issues - after clicking on Continue to install macOS High Sierra, there was a pause of 45 seconds, and then the error message, "The recovery server could not be contacted."

As of approximately June 2023 that is no longer an option.

Unless there are other suggestions, I think my next step will be to try creating a High Sierra bootable installer USB stick on another Mac following the instructions here: Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

That remains an option, perhaps the only one, unless you have a Time Machine backup, and Time Machine no longer backs up macOS itself. Booting from the TM backup will only boot Recovery, and as you are now aware Apple's Recovery servers no longer offer High Sierra.

If your TM backups are extensive enough to have retained a backup of a High Sierra installation, you can restore it.

The App Store still offers High Sierra, but you will need a Mac capable of booting HS to create the "bootable installer".

prwood wrote:

Does this mean it is no longer possible to use Internet Recovery to reinstall MacOS or is there a way around this? I don't have any DVD media for MacOS which is why I'm trying Internet Recovery.

I'm not sure if Lion never came on DVD. You got it either

• Pre-installed on a new Mac,
• As an electronic download from the App Store (required a $20 code purchased at the Apple Store), or
• On a USB flash drive ($79)

If you had a bootable external clone backup of your system, you could start it up from that while working to fix the internal drive.

The various Late 2001 MacBook Pros can run anything up to macOS 10.13.6 (High Sierra). If you can get the Mac back up and running, High Sierra would be preferable to Lion. You'd probably need to upgrade to Sierra (available as a .DMG), then use Sierra's versions of Safari and the App Store to access High Sierra in the App Store.

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

There is a Lion download link in

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

I don't know if the Lion kit there requires a redemption code from the Apple Store (which doesn't seem to carry the codes any more), or if Apple is now offering Lion for free to any Mac owner whose Mac is compatible with it.

But to use that link, you'd need to be able to boot up the Mac.

Lion was never publicly released on DVD-ROM. At one time it was possible to purchase a "download code" that would be delivered to you via an encrypted PDF and subsequently "redeemed" in the App Store to download the Lion installer app.

For an explanation please refer to the "Apple Recommended" reply in the following Discussion:

What's the highest version of OSX for an iMac 6,1 - Apple Community

The links in that Discussion are no longer valid, which means the only way to obtain such a "download code" would be to contact Apple on the phone or using the Support link below. I doubt anyone will know what you're talking about though. All you can do is ask.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to download the High Sierra installer on my M1 Mac because it's not compatible with High Sierra and the App Store won't allow the download.

Right.

I also have another Mac that in theory could boot High Sierra, but it's been repurposesd as a Linux home server, and thus would need to run Internet Recovery in order to revert to High Sierra, which I've already established is not an option due to the recovery server not responding to requests to recover High Sierra.

Also right.

I understand your dilemma 😕

I'm not sure of any other way to get a complete High Sierra installation media that doesn't require the Internet Recovery server to fulfill it.

There is no practicable method of accomplishing that, other than the "bootable USB" option created from the App Store HS installer app on a compatible Mac, which I can personally confirm still works.

There exist some enterprising individuals offering HS installer USB sticks but that's a bad idea for a number of reasons, not the least of which it's a copyright violation to sell them.

An Apple Store might have a way to install HS, but lots of luck getting them to devote the time and effort into doing it. You might get lucky on a slow day. And there are no slow days at an Apple Store.

At this point I may just install Linux on it and call it a day until I have the funds to purchase a newer laptop.

I was going to suggest that. It's a great idea.