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Cajetan Author

Level 1

0 points

How to recover deleted main OS X Lion and Recovery HD Lion

Let me jump right into the details

I got an Early 2011 13inch 2.7ghz Macbook Pro

500gb, 4gb ram

I bought it used from someone so I am not sure whether it came with OS X Lion or was subsequently upgraded to it.

It had the Lion recovery HD when I bought it and was able to do a clean install of Lion over wifi

I installed Windows 7 ultimate but something went wrong and I needed to delete & format the windows partition

I boot into OS X Lion recovery and using disk utility tried to deleted the windows & main OSX partion but kept getting the "couldn't unmount disk" error

I was able to delete the windows partion and format it into a journaled and reinstalled OSX Lion

Then I booted into OS X Lion, ran bootcamp and installed Windows 7. My original OS X Lion installation drive was inaccessable

In the process of installing Windows 7 I deleted the Lion recovery HD and the Main OS X Lion because I had the Snow Leopard CD 10.6.3

After installing Windows 7 ultimate I thought I would be able to boot the Snow Leopard cd and clean install everything after formatting the partion as 1 main journaled drive

However, I cannot boot the Snow Leopard cd (3 beeps on startup, I doubt its a ram issue) and now I do not have my Main OS X Lion or Lion Recovery HD

The main tools I got are USB thumb drives 8gb-2gb, 2TB external drive FAT or NTFS, SATA/IDE external drive connectors (proved useless as the MBP internal HDD has an apple symbol on it)

How do I do a clean install with only the Snow Leopard 10.6.3 cd available and nothing else?

I have been working on computer for over 20 years and I believe Im reasonably competent at using them. My mid-2009 15" had a similar problem but I was able to remove the HDD and using external SATA/IDE cables was able to format and repartion the drives on a windows pc. I was hoping the same concept was possible on my current early 2011 13' 2.7ghz Macbook Pro

I would like to make a bootable USB with Lion (not sure if i have to buy it or it is registered to the Macbook Pro serial number). Please provide links and I will go through all of them

I think Apple has taken a very decisive move by incorporating Windows operating systems and it makes it a lot easier to convince audiences why Apple makes the best products.

MacBook Pro, Windows 7

Posted on Apr 5, 2012 3:52 PM

28 replies

putnik

Level 4

1,179 points

Apr 6, 2012 6:54 AM in response to Shootist007

All newer MBPs, and some older ones after firmware update, can access the Apple Online Recovery system that boots the computer over the internet to a Recovery HD system just like the one include on the HDD when Lion is installed.

This is held in the EFI partition, separate from the Lion Recovery HD partition. If the poster has been removing partitions he may now have neither😟

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Apr 6, 2012 7:55 AM in response to putnik

putnik wrote:

All newer MBPs, and some older ones after firmware update, can access the Apple Online Recovery system that boots the computer over the internet to a Recovery HD system just like the one include on the HDD when Lion is installed.

This is held in the EFI partition, separate from the Lion Recovery HD partition. If the poster has been removing partitions he may now have neither😟

No it certainly is not. It was created for if and when you have to replace the HDD in your Mac. A new hard drive would not contain any partitions, it is RAW with no partition structure or formatting. Mac's use a EFI as the main system for communicating with all installed hardware as apposed to the BIOS system. The Online system in built into the base EFI system, IE on the motherboard. Not in the EFI partition on the hard drive.

babowa

Level 9

78,109 points

Apr 6, 2012 8:33 AM in response to Shootist007

No it certainly is not. It was created for if and when you have to replace the HDD in your Mac.

Here is the kb article:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

"If you happen to encounter a situation in which you cannot start from the Recovery HD, such as your hard drive stopped responding or you installed a new hard drive without Mac OS X installed,"

It appears to have been created for more than just a new hard drive - it was created because there are no install/AHT/repair disks for Lion. It also requires that the EFI update has been installed in certain Mac models (of which the OP's is one):

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4904#

So, if the OP does not have a recovery partition and had not updated the firmware, I don't know of any instance where trying to use it would work.

putnik

Level 4

1,179 points

Apr 6, 2012 9:08 AM in response to Shootist007

I was under the impression that disk0s1 in DU was the EFI partition, but what you say makes sense, in that a hard disk will need to be formated or repaired from the outside. What then is the function of disk0s1?

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Apr 6, 2012 10:58 AM in response to putnik

putnik wrote:

I was under the impression that disk0s1 in DU was the EFI partition, but what you say makes sense, in that a hard disk will need to be formated or repaired from the outside. What then is the function of disk0s1?

Read this about Intel Mac's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFI_System_partition

putnik

Level 4

1,179 points

Apr 6, 2012 12:08 PM in response to Shootist007

Thank you. The Wikipedia entry says that the EFI is a partition on a data storage device, not the motherboard, but I get the impression the article could be updated to explain how it is used, for example, in Lion for Internet Recovery.

I wonder how the OP is getting on?

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Apr 6, 2012 12:58 PM in response to putnik

You really don't get it, Do you! That partition is for Updating the EFI Firmware. If you actually read it you would of seen that. It is BLANK. Do you know what EFI stands for? Extensible FIRMWARE Interface which is on the Motherboard/Logic board.

I have to go now. I should of never bothered, gees.

putnik

Level 4

1,179 points

Apr 6, 2012 2:04 PM in response to Shootist007

No, it is not clear if Internet Recovery will work after the disk has been reformatted.

Cajetan Author

Level 1

0 points

Apr 6, 2012 11:54 PM in response to Cajetan

This is a solution for the Early 2011 13" 2.7 ghz Macbook Pro. For recovery of OS after deleting Main OS X Lion and Lion Recovery HDD

Thank you Shootist007.

" Command + Option + R " solved my problem without costing me a $. I owe u dinner and a movie

I was able to access the Online recovery system for OS X Lion even though I had lost my Main OS X and Recovery HDD.

The online recovery system went online, downloaded the Lion that was registered to my MAC, assuming by serial # (I have never purchased the OS X lion and I bought the laptop used without cds), and it installed it perfectly.

The laptop had originally came with 10.6.6 Snow leopard according to "Everymac.com"

I did not need my Apple ID to finish installation. Also there is no need for the Lion recovery HDD as inevitably the computer will download the OS from Apple servers.

Glad Apple is making idiot proof products.

Lexiepex

Level 6

14,102 points

Apr 7, 2012 12:22 AM in response to Cajetan

very good, problem solved. Give shootist the points (only the OP can do that). Do not give yourself points (will not be counted).

🙂

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Apr 7, 2012 2:51 AM in response to Cajetan

Cajetan wrote:

This is a solution for the Early 2011 13" 2.7 ghz Macbook Pro. For recovery of OS after deleting Main OS X Lion and Lion Recovery HDD

Thank you Shootist007.

" Command + Option + R " solved my problem without costing me a $. I owe u dinner and a movie

I was able to access the Online recovery system for OS X Lion even though I had lost my Main OS X and Recovery HDD.

You are Welcome.

Note:

Even though EveryMac said your Early 2011 MBP came with Snow Leopard that is not totally correct. There were Early 2011 models that did come with Lion Pre-Installed. Those would be MBPs produced after Lion was released, July 2011, until the newer Late model 2011 came out, in October.

Apr 7, 2012 11:00 AM in response to Cajetan

Well i tried the same way command+option+r and it only shows question mark in a folder, i too have deleted the recovery HD and Lion OS X while trying to install Snow Leopard.

Any solutions to that and why the question mark of death keeps flashing.

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Apr 7, 2012 12:54 PM in response to BrockBrahmes

What year was your Mac made? What version of OS X cam on it when you bought it? What version of 10.6.x Snow Leopard are you try to use to install?

How to recover deleted main OS X Lion and Recovery HD Lion