how to factory reset macbook pro lion osx
MacBook Pro, iOS 5.0.1
Restart with the Option key held down, tab to Lion's recovery partition, press Enter, use the Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and install a new OS.
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Install or Reinstall Lion from Scratch
If possible backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive.
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Erase the hard drive:
Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Install button.
Note: You can also re-download the Lion installer by opening the App Store application. Hold down the OPTION key and click on the Purchases icon in the toolbar. You should now see an active Install button to the right of your Lion purchase entry. There are situations in which this will not work. For example, if you are already booted into the Lion you originally purchased with your Apple ID or if an instance of the Lion installer is located anywhere on your computer.
If I erase my Harddrive complety, how will it know to reinstall lion?
What I mean is that, i am currently at the disk utility within recovery. I do not want to erase my harddrive, and then have nothing on my macbook.
You will be able to install from the recovery hd. The recovery hd shouldn't erase itself. Or, you might be able to use internet recovery. However, you probably should have a backup, just in case. But, I think Kappy's steps already point out that you will reinstall from there.
Back up of all my files, or the OS itself? If OS, how do I do that? I have never used Time Machine, because my externall would have had to be reformatted.
I had a leopard system ( 2009) that I upgraded to snow and then OSX Lion. If i restore, will I be back at leopard?
NVijapura wrote:
If I erase my Harddrive complety, how will it know to reinstall lion?
What I mean is that, i am currently at the disk utility within recovery. I do not want to erase my harddrive, and then have nothing on my macbook.
Simple if you Erase the Macintosh HD partition the Recovery HD partition will remain. You won't be able to erase or Re-Partition the main, physical, disk. Just the Macintosh HD partition.
Back up whatever you don't wish to lose.
If you use the recovery hd, it will install Lion.
Note that none of the bundled software like iLife will be installed. You will have to restore that from the original disks or purchase the current versions from the App Store. iLife comes with the Mac, not with the OS.
You will have to restore your files from wherever you've backed them up; however you've backed them up. There is a multitude of options to backup besides Time Machine. Whether they can use your current external is dependent on how you back up your data.
I just backed up all my photos/impotrant documents and videos on my external by simple drag and drop.
So if I do this:
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2085/img1481pm.jpg [ yes my name is Neil, and I'm not that craetive haha]
I won't have iPhoto or anything? But if I could try and find the old DVDs and re-install it?
Do I need to set up this Recovery HD?
I was also going to dual-boot Ubuntu on the system, should I do that before or after I erase my Neilintosh?
I have no idea about that.
I have a problem. I Did all this steps and now my macbook pro is not turning on, all I hear is a drive sound for like 3 secs and it turns off again. I took the batery out, unplug the power cable, press and hold the power button, but nothing seems to be working. If any one have an idea please let me know.
Barney-15E wrote:
Note that none of the bundled software like iLife will be installed. You will have to restore that from the original disks or purchase the current versions from the App Store. iLife comes with the Mac, not with the OS.
Hi and thanks a lot everyone for these information as I am also thinking about resetting everything to factory settings to get a clean slate.
However Barney, I thought I read in another Discussion here (sorry I forgot which one) that if your mac book pro is linked to your Apple ID account, then you can redownload things like iPhoto, iMovies etc for free. Is that not the case ?
Thanks !
smashr wrote:
Barney-15E wrote:
Note that none of the bundled software like iLife will be installed. You will have to restore that from the original disks or purchase the current versions from the App Store. iLife comes with the Mac, not with the OS.
Hi and thanks a lot everyone for these information as I am also thinking about resetting everything to factory settings to get a clean slate.
However Barney, I thought I read in another Discussion here (sorry I forgot which one) that if your mac book pro is linked to your Apple ID account, then you can redownload things like iPhoto, iMovies etc for free. Is that not the case ?
Thanks !
Only if they came pre-installed with Lion (or now Mountain Lion). If your Mac came with Snow Leopard or earlier, you will have to reinstall from the disk. And, I don't have the ability to verify that it will work. From other peoples posts, it sounds like that does work as it should for those that had Lion pre-installed.
Ok yeah I had Lion pre-installed. I get what you meant now. Thanks !
Step 3 of erasing the hard drive won't work. I'm getting the error message: Disk coudln't be unmounted. What am I supposed to do? I think I am supposed to not erase the parent thing (500gb hitachi bla bla) but the actual Macintosh HD Partition?
how to factory reset macbook pro lion osx
