Macbook Air 2017 can't find utility disc on start up

Hi, I was trying to erase an older macbook and deleted the start up disc after signing out of everything but I believe i have erased the start up completely and I can't seem to reinstall it as it isn't there. It won't load a newer version either


Posted on Jun 24, 2024 10:05 AM

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Posted on Jun 25, 2024 8:10 PM

Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to attempt to access the online macOS installer. Theoretically it should boot to the macOS Monterey installer, but some Macs will only boot to the online installer for the OS which was originally installed on the laptop from the factory.


Otherwise you would need access to another Mac from Late-2009 to 2021 in order to create a bootable macOS USB installer using the instructions in the following Apple article:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support


To create a bootable macOS USB installer, you generally need a compatible Mac from:

  • 2017 - 2021 for Monterey
  • 2012 - 2019 for Catalina
  • Late-2009 to mid-2018 for High Sierra


You can confirm compatibility by using the information in the following article (the other Mac can currently be running macOS 10.6+):

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility


Make sure you properly erase the entire physical SSD (Intel Macs only). Within Disk Utility you will need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drive appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Erase the physical drive as GUID partition and APFS (top option)....making sure to give it a proper name (default name from the factory is "Macintosh HD").


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 25, 2024 8:10 PM in response to horsewhisperer1

Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to attempt to access the online macOS installer. Theoretically it should boot to the macOS Monterey installer, but some Macs will only boot to the online installer for the OS which was originally installed on the laptop from the factory.


Otherwise you would need access to another Mac from Late-2009 to 2021 in order to create a bootable macOS USB installer using the instructions in the following Apple article:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support


To create a bootable macOS USB installer, you generally need a compatible Mac from:

  • 2017 - 2021 for Monterey
  • 2012 - 2019 for Catalina
  • Late-2009 to mid-2018 for High Sierra


You can confirm compatibility by using the information in the following article (the other Mac can currently be running macOS 10.6+):

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility


Make sure you properly erase the entire physical SSD (Intel Macs only). Within Disk Utility you will need to click "View" and select "Show All Devices" before the physical drive appears on the left pane of Disk Utility. Erase the physical drive as GUID partition and APFS (top option)....making sure to give it a proper name (default name from the factory is "Macintosh HD").


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Macbook Air 2017 can't find utility disc on start up

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