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Reinstalling iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) - issues after Erasing.

Hello everyone,


I'm hoping to get some help on an issue with an iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), that was given to me from a family member and needs to be repurposed.


It was running Yosemite 10.10.5 and I went about erasing the drive - using the Disk Utility instructions

(https://support.apple.com/en-au/102639)


At this point I went back to the Disk Utility main menu and selected Reinstall macOS - and it asked me for an Apple ID to continue. There was a power loss from the building and the machine turned off.


I've since gone through the startup key combinations- command-R, Option-Command-R, Shift-Option-Command-R, and I can only get the machine into "Internet Recovery Mode" which has a spinning world image, and asking for a Wi-Fi connection (even though the machine is connected by Ethernet). I've entered Wi-Fi details and there is no progress bar, sitting on a spinning world image, after leaving for a long time there appears to be no progress.


I've created a bootable image with High Sierra 10.13 from a WindowsPC (using Anyburn) and plugged this in, the Option key pressed on startup does not show the Startup Options Menu.


I've also tried clearing the SMC (https://support.apple.com/en-us/102605), no effect, and NVRAM (Option-Command-P-R), which the turn on chime for the Mac started working after clearing the NVRAM.


I'm not sure what the issue is or what I'm doing wrong to get the macOS reinstalled.


I hope to get help from the community and greatly appreciate any assistance!


Thankyou

Earlier Mac models

Posted on Oct 15, 2024 9:12 PM

Reply
5 replies

Oct 15, 2024 10:36 PM in response to optical32

Unless the computer had the following actions per What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support completed then you have a boat anchor on your hands. The computer will always be associated with the past owner and will never function correctly. Also, please note the computer is almost 13 years old and is obsolete in that parts haven't been available for years and it cannot run current versions of Mac OS. I would strongly recommend using one of Apple's recycling programs ( Apple Recycling Programs ) and then buy either a:


  • New Mac
  • An Apple refurbished Mac
  • A used Mac from a reputable reseller such as macsales.com


Even if you somehow manage to get it operating correctly you will find out you will be painting yourself into a corner with an obsolete computer as current apps (such as web browsers) won't work on many websites and if you want to use third party apps, well the developers in most cases simply don't develop for such old platforms.


Good luck!

Oct 17, 2024 8:52 AM in response to optical32

Try connecting the iMac directly to the router using an Ethernet cable for a faster more reliable connection that bypass difficult to troubleshoot WiFi issues.


Also, boot into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to attempt to access the online Catalina installer since the older macOS online installers are not well supported by Apple these days.


If you still cannot boot successfully into Internet Recovery Mode, then you will need to create a bootable macOS USB installer which will require access to another working Mac from 2007 to mid-2020. What macOS USB installer you can create depends on the exact model of the other Mac. Generally these are the guidelines:

  • macOS 10.15 -- a Mac from 2012 to mid-2020
  • macOS 10.13 -- a Mac from Late-2009 to mid-2018
  • macOS 10.11 -- a Mac from 2007 to 2015


You can confirm a particular Mac's compatibility with specific versions of macOS by using the following article as a guide:

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


Here is an Apple article with instructions for creating a bootable macOS USB installer (including links to download various macOS installers):

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support


These are the only reliable ways to create a bootable macOS USB installer. If you don't have access to another compatible Mac, then see if a local Apple Authorized Service Provider will assist you with creating a bootable macOS USB installer or with Internet Recovery Mode.

Reinstalling iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) - issues after Erasing.

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