This is a mess. My HD has been erased and I can not restart in any format I know how to use.
This all started with trying to recover data from external drive. When I try to reinstall Lion the message show Recovery HD. This disk is locked.
Any suggestions?
iMac G5, Mac OS X (10.4.4)
If you're not worried about recovering the data from the wiped hard drive then the Lion Recovery partition is going to help you recover and reinstall Lion. Here's an article that will help explain;
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718
To enter the Lion Recovery mode hold down the Command-R keys after you restart the system. The system will boot into the Lion Recovery mode and allow you to reformat the hard drive (if needed), and then install Lion from the copy stored on the recovery partition.
If you need to recover the files on the hard drive then you shouldn't do anything with the hard drive that might jeopardize the data. You'll probably want to check out data recovery applications like Disk Drill, or one of the data recovery services.
http://download.cnet.com/Disk-Drill/3000-2094_4-75307728.html
Try restarting your iMac with the option (Alt) key held down. This will give you boot options. Select Recovery HD and click or press enter (Return).
This should boot your iMac into Lion Recovery. You should be able to install Lion from there.
Alternatively, hold cmd and R keys when restarting. This will boot your system into Lion Recovery directly.
The support article was very helpful. Lion is downloading. Assuming it is successful will there be an option to import data from my external drive? Since the backup was in Snow Leopard is there an issue restoring data to Lion?
Thanks for all the help!
Since you are performing a clean install of Mac OS X Lion you will be given the opportunity to transfer your files from the external hard drive. You can also use the Migration Assistant application at a later date if you want to. Here's another article with some more information.
Have been downloading for nearly 2 hours. Now seems to be on 3rd attempt ... " verify failed"
I have hi speed Internet but this is seemingly endless. At what point do I give up and try something else?
It can take quite a while to complete so I would prefer letting the installer tell you it can't complete the install, but if you do get to the point that you are ready to give up, I suggest entering the Lion Recovery mode again by holding down the Command-R keys after you restart the system just like you did previously. This time, choose the Disk Utility application from the menu so that you can verify that your hard disk is OK.
I suggest running the Verify disk option and also check the SMART status listed on the very first screen. It would also be a good idea to verify that the hard drive is formatted as a Mac OS Extended (Journaled) volume. If you are able to boot fromyour external drive then I would also suggest downloading an application called SMART Utility from Volitans software so that you can pull the detailed SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) log files from your hard drive to see if there is any indication that it is failing. I suggest doing this because you are receiving a 'verify failed' message without any further details regarding what failed. You can use the SMART Utility application in the demo mode.
The latest attempt .... "Install Failed." .....could not be installed on your computer." ... "... encountered an error."
Can I just install Snow Leopard from my Install DVD? Or should I take my iMac back to the apple store where they replaced my crashed HD last Saturday? It worked for a while until I started restoring my data from my external backup.
I am fried!
Rhetorical, perhaps. But, why in this technological age when speeds are paramount would Apple decide to offer Lion in an excruciatingly slooooowww down load rather than DVD? ?
2 hours?
Absolutely awful!
Agreed. But look where Apple is going with their Hardware design - internet based software and media. Now we see why, the absence of optical drives in their lates iteration of the MBP's. The writing was already on the wall when the MBAir was relaesed. Optical media is being phased out of Apple's roadmap (imo). Dont bother wasting money on the latest BluRay player as the media will be phased out. So long RedBox.
Erased iMac HD
