Multiple problems

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GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Multiple problems

I was not a able to install Mountain lion. Got a message that my drive was not guild. I had 3 partitions, Mac HD, Boot Camp, and a Shared drive. I could not repartition, options tabs were grayed out. I deleted the Boot Camp drive and the shared. Left with one Mac HD drive. It was guild. I could not repartition this drive because it said it could not "unmount". I do not have my install/back up drive anymore. Not sure where it went. Now when I try to install Mountain Lion it just hangs up. Can't seem to reinstall from my time machine either. My machine is working fine otherwise. Any ideas how to approach this?

I have a 15" Macbook pro with all the current updates of 10.7.4.

Posted on Jul 28, 2012 8:41 AM

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Answer 1

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,530 points

Jul 28, 2012 8:54 AM in response to GM1941

Were you booted into the Recovery HD when you attempted to do all of this, or in the Mountain Lion Installer, or just in Disk Utility from your Applications/Utilities?

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Answer 2

GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 28, 2012 8:56 AM in response to Barney-15E

I was in Disk Utility from the recovery drive.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,530 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:08 AM in response to GM1941

Can you repair the disk?

When you select the disk, not the volumen, does it say it is GUID Partition Table?

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Answer 4

GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:15 AM in response to Barney-15E

Yes I can repair the disk. The volume says it is GUILD the disk/drive does not show map scheme.

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Answer 5

Knoddix

Level 2

183 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:19 AM in response to GM1941

IF you are not concerned about the data on the drive open disk

UTility from recovery HD then select the disk above Macintosh hd

THen erase it using the format Mac os extended journaled that should force a guid

Partition then close disc utility then try install os x if that fails and you have a Mac introduced

IN 2011 or later boot to Internet recovery by holding command option and r

WHen u first turn on the Mac and repeat the above mentioned steps

NOte : internet recovery method may result in a lion not mountain lion install but as least it will be bootable

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Answer 6

GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:20 AM in response to Barney-15E

I would be happy to wipe everything out and start over but do not know how to do it safely. I don't seem to have a recovery partition any longer, I download the Lion from the Internet so I don't have a hard copy, I do have mountain lion on the drive but it wont load. I have a current time machine back up.

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Answer 7

Knoddix

Level 2

183 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:29 AM in response to GM1941

OK did the machine come with lion or snow leopard ?

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Answer 8

GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:31 AM in response to Knoddix

I have a pre 2011. The HD recovery is there when I reboot holding down the "option" key. When I click on it it try's to install and gives a message the installer failed.

I cannot do any thing with the drive in disk utility. It will only allow me to erase the free space. Everything else is grayed out.

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Answer 9

Knoddix

Level 2

183 points

Jul 28, 2012 9:37 AM in response to GM1941

ARe the options under the partition tab greyest out as well or do you have a snow leopard install DVD

BEcause the other thing you could do is boot to the snow leopard disc then install that then update to 10.6.8 then download mountain lion installer from the AppStore and at that point I would suggest creating a mountain USB installation drive before installing mountain lion again I know this way is the long way but in theory it would work

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Answer 10

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,530 points

Jul 28, 2012 12:30 PM in response to GM1941

GM1941 wrote:

Yes I can repair the disk. The volume says it is GUILD the disk/drive does not show map scheme.

With the disk selected, here is what you should see in the lower part of the Disk Utility Screen:

Does it not show: Partition Map Scheme: GUID Partition Table ?

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Answer 11

GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 28, 2012 2:14 PM in response to Barney-15E

This is what I see

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Answer 12

Knoddix

Level 2

183 points

Jul 28, 2012 2:19 PM in response to GM1941

SElect the grey rectangle above Mac had and see if the options under the erase tab are still greeted out

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Answer 13

Knoddix

Level 2

183 points

Jul 28, 2012 2:22 PM in response to GM1941

SElect the grey rectangle above Mac hd and see if the options under the erase tab are still greyed out

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Answer 14

GM1941 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jul 28, 2012 2:26 PM in response to Knoddix

Still grayed out if this is what you are refering to.

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Answer 15

Knoddix

Level 2

183 points

Jul 28, 2012 2:38 PM in response to GM1941

yer that was what I was referring generally when those options are greyed out its because the disk you are trying to erase is in use so trying a os x install DVD to erase the disc might work or if you have another mac running lion or mountain lion or know someone who does you could create a os x recovery USB thumb drive using the following article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4848 Once you have created a recovery USB thumb drive you would need to shutdown your Mac then startup holding option and select the recovery thumb drive after that point erasing the Mac hd and installing mountain lion/ lion is the same as using the recovery hd

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