Can't use Internet Recovery

See > https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5524617?answerId=23663621022#23663621022

No one in their right mind would give you their App Store ID and password. Once you (and every other person in the world reading this topic) have it, you and they would all be able to rack up an outstandingly large bill on that person's credit card.

Start your own App Store account and purchase Lion for yourself. It's only $30. You'll need to call Apple for a redemption code since you won't find Lion listed in the App Store.

Does it support Mavericks as that should be free....

The first thing you should do after acquiring a second-hand computer is to erase the internal drive and install a clean copy of OS X. How you do that depends on the model. Look it up on this page to see what version was originally installed.

If the machine shipped with OS X 10.4 or 10.5, you need a boxed and shrink-wrapped retail Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) installation disc, which you can get from the Apple Store or a reputable reseller — not from eBay or anything of the kind. If the machine has less than 1 GB of memory, you'll need to add more in order to install 10.6. I suggest you install as much memory as it can take, according to the technical specifications.

If the machine shipped with OS X 10.6, you need the installation media that came with it: gray installation discs, or a USB flash drive for some MacBook Air models. If you don't have the media, order replacements from Apple. A retail disc, or the gray discs from another model, will not work.

To boot from an optical disc or a flash drive, insert it, then reboot and hold down the C key at the startup chime. Release the key when you see the gray Apple logo on the screen.

If the machine shipped with OS X 10.7 or later, you don't need media. It should boot into Internet Recovery mode when you hold down the key combination option-command-R at the startup chime. Release the keys when you see a spinning globe.

Once booted from the disc or in Internet Recovery, launch Disk Utility and select the icon of the internal drive — not any of the volume icons nested beneath it. In the Partition tab, select the default options: a GUID partition table with one data volume in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format. This operation will permanently remove all existing data on the drive, which is what you should do.

After partitioning, quit Disk Utility and run the OS X Installer. When the installation is done, the system will automatically reboot into the Setup Assistant, which will prompt you to transfer the data from another Mac, its backups, or from a Windows computer. If you have any data to transfer, this is usually the best time to do it.

You should then run Software Update and install all available system updates from Apple. If you want to upgrade to a major version of OS X newer than 10.6, buy it from the Mac App Store. Note that you can't keep an upgraded version that was installed by the previous owner. He or she can't legally transfer it to you, and without the Apple ID you won't be able to update it in Software Update or reinstall, if that becomes necessary. The same goes for any App Store products that the previous owner installed — you have to repurchase them.

If the previous owner "accepted" the bundled iLife applications (iPhoto, iMovie, and Garage Band) in the App Store so that he or she could update them, then they're linked to that Apple ID and you won't be able to download them without buying them. Reportedly, Apple customer service has sometimes issued redemption codes for these apps to second owners who asked.

If the previous owner didn't deauthorize the computer in the iTunes Store under his Apple ID, you wont be able toauthorize it under your ID. In that case, contact iTunes Support.

Kurt Lang wrote:

Start your own App Store account and purchase Lion for yourself. It's only $30. You'll need to call Apple for a redemption code since you won't find Lion listed in the App Store.

Actually, it's only $20. http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion

The machine most likely originally shipped with Snow Leopard or an earlier verison of OS X. These versions were availble on DVD, you will need to get the original DVDs from the seller or you can call AppleCare and order a replacement set for a nominal cost. You will need the serial number and a credit card to order. Once you have those then you can uprgade to SL 10.6.8 and from there you can purchase Mavericks assuming the machine has the ability to run Mavericks.

As a general rule of thumb when buying ANY used computer, know it better than the seller. You should have demanded these DVDs. If the seller could not produce them then you should have walked away from the deal. Buying a used computer or any electronics is tricky, going in uneducated many times turns into a money pit.

So it is! Could've sworn by my Swiss Cheese memory it was originally $30.

Do you want the passcode to my credit cards also?

Wayne77gator wrote:

I've done that but the iMAC is the only MAC I have and have no other way to go to the app store to redeem it so it will let me use interent recovery to re-install it.

If you can't access the app store then how do you expect to use a "borrowed" Apple ID for anything?

If your Mac supports Internet Recovery you should be able to install the OS that came with it without needing an ID. Basically, that is limited to Macs that originally came with Lion or later installed. (See OS X: About OS X Recovery for more about that.)

If your Mac is an older one & originally came with an OS older than Lion, then you need to buy Snow Leopard (assuming it meets the system requirements for that), install it from the DVD, update it to at last 10.6.6 so you can access the Mac App Store, & go from there.

Allan Eckert wrote:

Do you want the passcode to my credit cards also?

Hey Allan, I would like your passcode (& CC number) but I'm not greedy -- just one with a $1000 or higher limit will do nicely.

Thanks! 😉

Since I just returned from Rome, all it has is a balance due right now.

Allan

Ah! I'm not completely befuddled. The original price was indeed $29.99. I had to look it up my App Store purchases in iTunes to be sure. Price paid here was Lion plus MN sales tax.

So sometime since then, Apple dropped the price.