MAC MINI LION INTERNET RECOVERY PROBLEM

You should call AppleCare back. They can send you a recovery stick that works with the mini.

i just called Apple sales international / ireland. A specialist voor de Mac mini server talked to me:

There is NO special build OS X Lion installer for the new Mac mini's or airs.

The one from the apple store should work on every new Mac.

They advized me to format the two drives from my mini server 2011 with zero's.

(takes 3 ours each...)

Copying the downloaded Lion from the app store to a usb stick and install should work. If not, there is something wrong with the Mac itself.

then i have to send it back.

It is amazing how uninformed some support is. This is the article that states the USB retail thumb drive does not work:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4905

You need to call a real tech. Apple sales does not know what they are talking about.

I talked to Apple support today also, and the conclusion was to bring it to an apple store (or an authorised dealer). I would rather an Apple store guys looks at it so my only option now is to drive to Belfast (there is no apple stores in the Rep. of Ireland) to get them too look at it. Complete mess, what apple are so stingy to not include a usb key with the Macmini containing a full restore is beyond me.

Jerome

@Saul in PA: i called Applecare a few day's ago. I explaned the situtation and they told me to go to a authorized service dealer. Today i called such a dealer, explained the situation and asked them what they were going to do that i can't do myself.

them: 'We will install your Mac mini again'.

Me: How? cmd + alt + R results only in a spinning globe, even after ours....

them: we'll use a usb stick with Lion on.

Me: a special one?

them: one with OS X Lion from the apple store. If you prefer to do it yourself: call applecare, push them to send you the right usb stick.

So i called Apple care again today. And they replied what i posted before.

And all this hassle because Apple decided to not ship any dvd or usb stick anymore with new Mac's...

Why do we still buy Apple computers? :-)

while waiting for the formatting with zero's to finish, i'm downloading this from a famous swedisch torrent site since yesterday.

Mac OS X 10.7.1 Lion (build 11B2118 for 2011 Air & Mini)

Only a few seeders, so it takes some time.

excuse me, if i sound confused ( i am...)

the retail thumb does not work i read in the link you posted.

That's because that is 10.7 while the newest OS X Lion version is 10.7.1.

So when i should buy today OS X Lion in the app store i will be downloading 10.7.1.

After using diskutility for copying that version to u usb stick, that should be working no?

It seems to be a matter of having the most recent OS X Lion version on a usb stick.

or am i wrong?

😕

Unfortunately there are multiple versions of 10.7 and 10.7.1. The mini and air drivers are not in the mainstream builds. So far 10.7.2 doesn't look good either.

Ok I may have found a solution, I just went in disc utility in the recovery app and formatted my main mac mini drive (the 500gb) into 2 partitions 1 small one of about 1.5gb and the rest as the space as a large partition then when I tried to download the image from apple it work for the first time. It's now installing osx on this second partition so hopefully I am ok. Going to down a time machine immediately now to make sure I can restore this again.

So, if this works for other people with similar problems then this is the solution if a little difficult to understand how apple left it this difficult to recovery.

Anyway as I was writing this it completed, so I am finally happy.

Okay, i sorted i all out. As written before: Apple support benelux and Ireland / Cork said there was only one Lion installer: the one from the app store. That's the one to reinstall every new Mac according to them.

That there is only one Os X Lion available in the app store is true.

Definitely nog true is the possibility to use that one from the app store to reinstall new mini's and airs.

Because:

Lion in App store = Build 11B26

(bougt in yesterday)

The one in new mini's and airs = 11B2118

The new mini's and airs simply don't boot from OS X Lion for sale in the app store....

i downloaded Os X Lion built 11B2118 on a torrent site and have a working mini again...

I done the same as JermoeOF and managed to boot a from a CarbonCopyCloner HDD I had which let me repartion the drive, as my MacMini has a 500GB drive I just made 2 250GB Partitions.

I also had issues getting my MacMini to connect to my AirPort Extreme from the cmd+r internet recovery screen, it would never take the WPA key (which does have a ! in it) so reconfigured it from another Mac to have NO SECURITY (NO RECOMMENDED, IT'S ONLY TEMPORARY) and it has eventually gone through.

Obviously this technology is built around existing NetBoot tech, which previous to the MacBook Air, only worked via ethernet, so perhaps that would be better than unsecured WiFi, however not having a 10m ethernet cable to hand has proved I need to get one from work.

It would appear that Apple has jumped the shark with the current-gen MacBook Airs and MacMinis as this is quite possible the worst experience I've had recovering a Mac, and it definately hasn't "just worked".

I am tempted to ditch my Mac stuff when it comes up for renewal in a couple of years, and make the switch back to PC.

To :

azdawg99

Thanks for the post about the security settings of your network before it can be seen within the lion internet recovery!

It was really puzzling me, I could see next doors, but not my own ISP!?

I was using WEP, as soon as i changed it was fine!

So a very big thank you for pointing that out, it was appreciated.

Carl Tabs

I was having trouble with my macbook air and you saved me! Thanks. The easiest thing too! You're awesome.

This is bad advice:

Pxlc wrote:

... If you bought the Mac from a retail store and not the Apple store, I would just take it to an official Apple store if this is the case. They would be able to provide assistance for this issue.

in that it doesn't matter if "you bought the Mac from a retail store". What matters is if you are near "a retail store" - in other words able to visit one easily.

Or as another user mentioned, an authorized service center would do too.