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User profile for user: dillyew
dillyew Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

MacBook Pro Lion install failed

After downloading Lion, at startup it showed message:

Install failed. Mac OS X (Lion I assume) can't be installed because a recovery system can't be created. Go to apple.com/support/non-recovery.


Which I did but the explanation seems to be that I have a Boot Camp partition installed. I have checked and my system shows:

Mac 165.22 GB capacity, 140.53 GB available

Windows 34.48GB capacity, 15.11GB available


I need Windows XP just for a graphic based program that I cannot get for the Mac, it is a specialised program.


What is all this about not being able to create a recovery system, there is plenty of space on the Mac side isn't there? I see other people have suggested creating another volume if one wants to put Snow Leopard on it for re-booting so surely it is not lack of available GB?


Would appreciate suggestions hopefully other than clear everything off the MacBook and re do everything, but everything again, including all the Mac stuff, Boot Camp and the Windows software! How would that help find space for the recovery system?


Thank you in anticipation! 😕

PowerBook, Mac OS X (10.7.1), OS Lion 1.0.13

Posted on Oct 20, 2011 11:34 AM

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1 reply
User profile for user: Kappy
Kappy
User level: Level 10
361,741 points

Oct 20, 2011 11:36 AM in response to dillyew

What to do if the installer warns that no Recovery HD can be created

Some disk partition configurations may result in the OS X Lion installer reporting that it could not create a Recovery HD. In these situations, even if you are permitted to continue the install, you should quit the install and create an external, bootable OS X Lion hard drive with a Recovery HD, first. You will be able to return to the upgrade to OS X Lion on your computer's boot drive after creating the external Recovery HD.

Important notes

  • Your storage device must have at least 13 GB available (after formatting) to install Lion and an Internet Restore partition.
  • These steps will erase and reformat the storage device. OS X Lion: About Lion Recovery will instruct you on setting up the storage device to use the GUID partition scheme and the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, which are required to install Lion and an Internet Restore partition on your external storage device. You should back up any important files that are on the device to a different drive.
  • This procedure will install a version of the OS X Lion that is compatible with the Mac it was created with. Using this Lion system with a different kind of Mac may produce unpredictable results.
  • Your computer's serial number will be sent to Apple to help authenticate your request to download and install OS X Lion.
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MacBook Pro Lion install failed

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