I just bought a rebrubished MacBookPro. It came without an OS. I purchased a new Snow Loepard OS on CD. I am unable to boot off the CD to isntall the OS. I have tried holding down the 'c' key and the 'option' key. I only get the apple logo, but nothing else.
Guidance please
Thank you
Mac Pro
The MacBook I bought thru IBM was in incredible shape when I received it. Looked brand new. The genius bar took very good care of me. The laptop has work perfectly since. Not a single issue.
I must note: I bought Snow leopard to install online or at the store for $19.99. Therefore, I was not charged for my stop at the genius bar, as I had a "software" problem, I could not install it. Not sure if there will be $charge in other scenarios. It was well worth the $20. And i will say again, the MacBook was in execellent condition at a steal price.
Good Luck!
What is the vintage of the MBP? And where did you buy it from, never heard of Apple selling a machine without Mac OS X installed.
Mid2010 machines cannot boot the retail disk since they shipped with 10.6.6 preinstalled...have to have the machine-specific disk to use to install. Call Apple support and request the specific install disk for that machine... http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57 to get the correct support phone number.
I bought it thru IBM.
vintage? Apple MacBook Pro 9W8L
Give the command+option+r keys a shot and hold them down until you see a globe on the screen. That will work for late 2011 and newer models and will boot the system from the apple servers from across the internet so have the system wired to your internet router.
You'll know right away if it will work on your model because if it can't, you have a older system, then it will just give you the ? mark in folder icon on the screen.
Your machine might have 10.7 or 10.8 installed by default, so there is a Interet Recovery option.
Hold the Command Option R and boot the machine on Ethernet or connect to Wifi, then enter your AppleID and password and install OS X.
You can later upgrade to a later OS X version (if applicable) in the AppSnore under the Apple menu.
If not, your going to have to find the serial number of the machine.
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1559
Next punch the last 3 or 4 digits of the serial number into this website to find the model/year and model identifier (something like MacBook Pro 4,1)
http://www.everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/
What you need to know is what operating system version originally came on the machine from the factory, not when you purchased it. (MacTracker will you this, but it only runs on a Mac, not a PC.)
Mac's that came with 10.6.2 or earlier (including 10.4 and 10.5) can use the 10.6 white retail disk
Mac's that came with 10.6.3 or later need machine specific disks from Apple by calling them and providing the serial number.
Mac's that orginally came with 10.7 or later cannot use the 10.6 disks.
If your Mac model is pre 2010, then you should be good on the 10.6 white disks, if 2010 or later then it's more likely you need machine specific disks from Apple.
Details here.
Wow, IBM is not really an authorized refurbisher, unless they bought it somewhere else...and that is not an Apple model designation. Apple uses codes like M+A,B,C+four digits+LL/A so it should be of the form MC1234LL/A.
Do you have specs on it, screen size, CPU type and speed? With that kind of info it is possible to get the model by searching sites like http://www.everymac.com
I was in the exact same situation. These machines are from IBM employee inventory and are classified "IBM Certified Pre owned equipment". The model according to my purchase order was TAPPN9W6L. When my machine arrived I came to this blog looking for advice on my next step(s), as yes, these machines are being firesold with no operating system. I subsequently took mine to an Apple store (My first time to "make a reservation" on the Apple Store home page, using the 'genius bar' option) where they completely reloaded Snow Leopard 10.7 for free, and then upgraded to 10.8 Mountain Lion for $20. It took almost two hours but it could not have been easier from a user effort standpoint.
Try to return the Snow Leopard OS you bought and go to an Apple Store.
Not sure if this thread is still alive, but for future reference...
If you have the machine handy, 'ds store's answer is the best. But if you can't get the serial number (prior to purchase, for example), I found that it's still possible to narrow it down with the information that IBM's website does give you. For example, I'm looking at a similar MBP being sold by IBM. Their website is pretty cryptic, but given what they do tell you (Core i5, 15", 2.53 GHz) and the list of past MBPs at everymac.com ...
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html
... it turns out there is only one laptop that matches those three specs.
Thank you sooooo much for your entry! You saved me! Am in the exact same situation with IBM refurmbished MacBook Pro and will follow your example exactly. Have a 5pm appt with the Genius Bar. Wish me luck! Again, thanks so much.
Hi - I am considering buying a similar MacBook thru IBM - did going to Apple store work for you? Once you loaded the operating system is it fully functional in terms of having the standard apps like safari, etc ?
Thanks!
Just a note - IBM is not refurbishing them. In my case, the MacBook was part of a numer of MacBooks they bought for a school and allowed the students to use them for a period of time. At the end of the period of time, IBM receives them back and sells them. They wipe the drives clean with an IBM 'process' to remove all disk content. They do not have the 'rights' to reload the OS, hence they sell them completely wiped. They leave the process to the new owner. Only issue is, they do not provide any guidance to reloading the OS.
The MacBook I bought thru IBM was in incredible shape when I received it. Looked brand new. The genius bar took very good care of me. The laptop has work perfectly since. Not a single issue.
I must note: I bought Snow leopard to install online or at the store for $19.99. Therefore, I was not charged for my stop at the genius bar, as I had a "software" problem, I could not install it. Not sure if there will be $charge in other scenarios. It was well worth the $20. And i will say again, the MacBook was in execellent condition at a steal price.
Good Luck!
 Apple MacBook Pro (9W6L) Slightly blemished TAPPN9W6L |
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Your price Sale! Free Extended Warranty - Laptops Sale! Free wireless mouse with laptop purchase In stock** |
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Used Laptop (Refurb) Intel® Core™ i5—540M 2.53 GHz No operating system 4096MB/8192MB Built-in Camera |
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500GB 15.4" WXGA CD-RW/DVD-RW Combo None |
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Gigabit Ethernet None 802.11 a/g/n Wifi wireless and bluetooth None 3 months limited |
|---|
If you know an IBM employee, they are allowed to send you the link to get on the Employee Store. Once on the site, you will get the employee 25% discount off of the web price, free shipping plus extension of the warranty to one year (up from 3 months). The info above was cut / pasted off of the site about 10 minutes ago -- they also have the 8GB version of the same laptop for $711.75 ("prices do not include tax; sales can only be made within the United States").
I Googled the specs provided and according to a couple of web sites, these models translate into the following "Apple-speak" identifiers:
Mid-2010 15" - MC372LL/A - MacBookPro6,2 - A1286 - 2353
They're a pretty good deal if you don't mind the hassle of reloading the operating system.
I just want to ask a followup and see if OS loaded through Apple Genius bar worked ok, and if there is any glitches, can you just tell them you have no OS for these refurbished IBM Mac's? Wanting to validate before I get one. Thanks
Hi - I boiught Snow Leopard ($20) and set an appointment at the genius bar. The ran a test on machine, erased the disk and loaded Snow Leopard, then upgraged it to Mavericks the new operating sysytem - no charge other than the Snow Leopard SW. So worked great!
install mac os on mac with no os
