Clean install lion problems

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Clean install lion problems

I am attempting to do a clean install of Lion on my old MacBook Pro (late 2009). The HD was partioned as half OS X Lion and the other half Windows 7. Here is what I have done so far:

1. Deleted the Windows 7 partiton

2. Created a bootable drive with OS X Lion on it

- Download Lion through Mac App Store

- Searched throught the contents to get InstallESD.dmg

- Used disk utility to create a bootable drive

3. Plug the thumb drive into my mac

4. Restart while holding down "option"

5. I get a screen that looks like this:

6. I click on "Mac OS X" (orange one) which is my thumb drive

7. It goes to the normal mac startup gray screen with apple logo and activity monitor spinning.

Here's where it gets weird.

8. After about 3-4 minutes I get a screen that looks like this and it just hangs there:

I thought at first that maybe I messed up creating the boot drive so I wen't back and tried it again and the same thing. I read a few articles that said to try and useLion Disk Maker to create a boot drive so I tried that as well. Same thing happens.

Any help would be much appreciated!

MacBook Pro

Posted on Nov 28, 2012 1:15 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

mende1

Level 10

93,568 points

Nov 28, 2012 1:17 PM in response to Magic Hands

Use Recovery HD to erase the disk and reinstall OS X Lion. Also, I would try to download Lion again and use Lion Diskmaker to create a bootable disk

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

361,885 points

Nov 28, 2012 1:18 PM in response to Magic Hands

You are making it more difficult than it need be:

Install or Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion from Scratch

Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard 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:

1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.

2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the

left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on

the Security button and set the ZeroData option to one-pass. Click on

the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible

because it is three times faster than wireless.

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Answer 3

Magic Hands Author

Level 1

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Nov 28, 2012 1:28 PM in response to Kappy

Thank you for the quick reply. The problem that I'm running into here is that after I go through all the DU stuff I go to install Lion.

I go through the first screen, yada yada, then I get to where I can select which disk I want to install on. All that shows up is:

1. Recovery HD

2. My thumb drive

The HD isn't listed anywhere.

Also, I made an error in my original post about deleting the windows partion, I reformatted the partion to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) but I am not able to format the HD back to a single partion. I get an error "Couldn't unmount disk". Which is becuase I am launched from the Recovery disk which is on the HD. This is what lead me to boot from a thumb drive so I could completly reformat the HD to one partion and then clean install Lion.

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Answer 4

Kappy

Level 10

361,885 points

Nov 28, 2012 2:08 PM in response to Magic Hands

You can try this:

Drive Preparation and Installation for Mountain Lion

1. 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. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.

2. After DU loads select your hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.

3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Erase button.

6. After formatting is done quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Reinstall Lion and click on the Continue button.

Give this a try, if you will. If you cannot succeed then see: OS X (Lion/Mountain Lion)- About OS X Recovery. Also, review this: Computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery.

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Answer 5

Magic Hands Author

Level 1

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Nov 28, 2012 2:26 PM in response to Kappy

I followed the directions,

• SMART status says "Verified"

• Both partitions say they are completly available (everything is cleared off them)

• Both partitions SMART status is "Verified"

However when I get to #3, I still get an error when trying to partition, "Partition failed - Couldn't unmount disk".

I thought about just trying to install on one of the partitions but when I begin the Lion install process it still only shows my Recovery HD as a disk option.

I may just have to conceed and take it to an Apple store 😟

EDIT:

Well, I believe that something happened, now when I boot holding "Command" only the Recovery HD shows up. So I'm guessing that the HD is either dead or partitioned right??

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Answer 6

Kappy

Level 10

361,885 points

Nov 28, 2012 2:44 PM in response to Magic Hands

Did you attempt to erase the remaining partition (not the Recovery HD?) Did you still get a can't unmount error?

If no HD shows up then if it is not dead, then it is unrecognized or no longer existing.

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Answer 7

Magic Hands Author

Level 1

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Nov 28, 2012 2:57 PM in response to Kappy

I am able to erase the two partitions separetly without a problem. However if I attempt to erase the main disk I get the unmount error. The structure in DU looks like this:

250.006 GB FUJITSU MJA..

- Macintosh HD

- BOOTCAMP

If I choose Macintosh HD or BOOTCAMP I can erase without a problem. Which I went ahead and erased both and formatted each as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If I try to select 250.006 GB FUJITSU.. and hit erase I get the can't unmount error, or if I try to reformat it to 1 partition I get the can't unmount error.

Am I correct to think that the reason why it won't let me erase or re-partition the 250.006 GB FUJITSU.. disk is becuase the Recovery HD is on that disk and since I am in DU in Recovery HD it's not able to unmount?

EDIT:

To be more clear, the entire structure in DU looks like this:

250.006 GB FUJITSU MJA..

- Macintosh HD

- BOOTCAMP

31.41 GB Lexar USB Flash Drive

- Mac OS X Install ESD

------------------------------

disk 1

- Mac OS X Base System

What is this disk 1 with Mac OS X Base System? Is this pulling from the flash drive?

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Answer 8

Kappy

Level 10

361,885 points

Nov 28, 2012 3:13 PM in response to Magic Hands

OK. Then when in DU you want to select "Macintosh HD" from the DU sidebar list, click on the Erase tab in DU's main window, set the format type to Mac OS Extended, Journaled, then click on the Erase button.

Erase the hard drive:

1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.

2. After DU loads select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD) from the

left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.

3. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Optionally, click on

the Security button and set the ZeroData option to one-pass. Click on

the Erase button and wait until the process has completed.

4. Quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall Lion: Select Reinstall Lion/Mountain Lion and click on the Install button.

This is what you need to complete.

Now, you should be able to do this when you boot from the USB Flash Drive.

Now, what you might also try is booting from your Snow Leopard DVD and use Disk Utility from the DVD if you cannot go forward from the flash drive.

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Answer 9

Magic Hands Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 28, 2012 3:20 PM in response to Kappy

Ah! It worked. I had followed these directions before and I kept getting to "Select Install Disk" of Lion install and only the recovery HD and my thumb drive would show up.

Turns out the problem was when was I trying the re-partition my HD and it kept throwing the can't unmount error, it was unmounting Macintosh HD and BOOTCAMP partitons. So when I started the install process they wern't showing up. So I had to start DU and mount both the partitions and then begin the install.

Thank you so much Kappy for your help!

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Answer 10

Kappy

Level 10

361,885 points

Nov 28, 2012 3:24 PM in response to Magic Hands

Glad you're sorted out. 😀

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