bluetonic
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Need some advice on selling my MBP

Here is the situation: I have an older model MBP (probably about 5 years old) that came with Leopard installed originally. In order to increase its value, I thought it would be a good idea to install Lion on it. Now that I have found a buyer, I began researching the steps I should take to get it ready. This is where things get complicated.

 

Here's what I know and don't:

1. I purchased my copy of Lion thru the App Store so it is tied to my Apple ID

2. I can, if necessary, re-install Snow Leopard

3. I don't know for sure if Mountain Lion is installable on my MBP. I would centainly need more RAM.

4. The reason this is important is b/c Lion is no longer available for purchase (and trying to sell a MBP two OS's old might be a deal breaker).

5. I have gone to the recovery screen and erased my HD.

 

If it were possible to get a copy of Lion on a flash drive, would that change my options?

 

I might even be willing to create an admin account just to keep Lion on the machine. If I were to do that, are there any unforeseen complications the new user might experience. Would I run into problems with my other MBP that technically has the same copy of Lion (now Mountain Lion) on it?

 

What should my next step be?

 

I throw myself at the mercy of the apple court.

 

What say you?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Aug 17, 2012 7:10 AM

by hpr3,Solvedanswer
hpr3 hpr3
Level 5 (5,740 points)
Mac OS X
A:

For you or the buyer? The buyer can Call Apple Phone sales to purchase.

 

Message was edited by: hpr3

Posted on Aug 17, 2012 9:00 AM

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bluetonic

Q: Need some advice on selling my MBP

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  • Helpful answers

  • by hpr3,Helpful

    hpr3 hpr3 Aug 17, 2012 8:06 AM in response to bluetonic
    Level 5 (5,740 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 17, 2012 8:06 AM in response to bluetonic

    You can't sell the machine with Lion installed. it will render it useless to the buyer. (won't be able to update) Violation of licencing agreement.

    You should re install SL for the buyer and after re install quit at the set up screen

  • by babowa,Helpful

    babowa babowa Aug 17, 2012 8:12 AM in response to bluetonic
    Level 7 (32,347 points)
    iPad
    Aug 17, 2012 8:12 AM in response to bluetonic

    As already mentioned, you can't sell the machine with either Lion or ML - the problem with the SLA (software licensing agreement) is that is specifically states that you must uninstall the OS you purchased at the app store. It's as though you are no longer "purchasing" a license, but rather are "renting" it for as long as you own that machine. Once you sell that machine, the OS license is still yours though to use if you want to on another Mac (as long as you own that one).

  • by bluetonic,

    bluetonic bluetonic Aug 17, 2012 8:21 AM in response to hpr3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 8:21 AM in response to hpr3

    Is there anyway to get Lion back on it?

  • by hpr3,Solvedanswer

    hpr3 hpr3 Aug 17, 2012 9:00 AM in response to bluetonic
    Level 5 (5,740 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 17, 2012 9:00 AM in response to bluetonic

    For you or the buyer? The buyer can Call Apple Phone sales to purchase.

     

    Message was edited by: hpr3

  • by bluetonic,

    bluetonic bluetonic Aug 17, 2012 9:12 AM in response to hpr3
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 9:12 AM in response to hpr3

    Ok, I had never heard of that as a possibility. To confirm: I will re-install SL and the new user will be able to call Apple Phone sales and get lion. Is that correct?

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Aug 17, 2012 9:13 AM in response to bluetonic
    Level 7 (32,347 points)
    iPad
    Aug 17, 2012 9:13 AM in response to bluetonic

    If you want, you can buy a gift card for the buyer so he can use it to purchase Lion or you can reduce the price by $30. You cannot give the buyer Lion - he has to buy it with his own Apple ID because it is not transferable.

  • by hpr3,

    hpr3 hpr3 Aug 17, 2012 9:13 AM in response to bluetonic
    Level 5 (5,740 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 17, 2012 9:13 AM in response to bluetonic

    Correct.

  • by bluetonic,

    bluetonic bluetonic Aug 17, 2012 12:35 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 12:35 PM in response to babowa

    Thanks for the help. After chatting with Apple, they told me the Lion wasn't available, but my MBP was capable of handling Mountain Lion.

     

    On a side note, do you know how a company like Gazelle handles this problem?

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Aug 17, 2012 12:51 PM in response to bluetonic
    Level 7 (32,347 points)
    iPad
    Aug 17, 2012 12:51 PM in response to bluetonic

    First, you can still get Lion by calling the Apple store. However, you don't need it; your buyer may want it.

     

    Second, I have no idea what company you are referring to and how they handle "this (what??) problem).

  • by bluetonic,

    bluetonic bluetonic Aug 17, 2012 1:13 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 1:13 PM in response to babowa

    Gazelle buys used Mac devices and resells them. The problem I am refering to is backing up the OS to the original.

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Aug 17, 2012 1:56 PM in response to bluetonic
    Level 7 (32,347 points)
    iPad
    Aug 17, 2012 1:56 PM in response to bluetonic

    If you are thinking of selling it to that company, I would simply do what I am supposed to do:

     

    wipe Lion and reinstall Snow leopard with the install disks (when you first insert the disk, choose it to restart with and then go to Utilities right after the installer gets past the language selection). Choose Disk Utility and choose erase. After the erase is finished, it will reinstall Snow Leopard. You can sell it to that company; make sure you include the disks.

     

    If they ask you why you reinstalled Snow Leopard, simply tell them that this is what you are legally obliged to do.

  • by baltwo,

    baltwo baltwo Aug 17, 2012 2:18 PM in response to babowa
    Level 9 (62,256 points)
    Aug 17, 2012 2:18 PM in response to babowa

    Alternatively, boot with the Leopard disc, wipe the machine using Disk Utility's Erase function, zero out data to wipe any of your stuff using the Security Options, install Leopard, and on restart, hold down the CMD+S keys.

    This puts the machine into single-user mode and gives you an Unix command line terminal screen. When the text stops scrolling, type in this command and click the return key:

     

    shutdown -h now

     

    This shuts down the computer; the next time it is turned on, the Setup Assistant will appear and the new user will get to personalize it, just like you did when you first started it up. Include the SL disc, and let the user experience upgrading the machine. Once, it gets to 10.6.6+, the new user can call Apple Store's telesales agents and order Lion. That results in an e-mail containing a redemptions code for use at the Mac Apple Store.