2007 MacBook has dead optical drive and can't reload OS

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2007 MacBook has dead optical drive and can't reload OS

I admit that I've done a foolish thing. I have a 2007 MacBook that was running on OS 10.5.8 and the optical drive no longer works. I wanted to wipe the drive completely clean and went where I didn't belong. I connected it to my iMac running OS 10.7.5 via Firewire and went into Disk Utility. I erased everything on the MacBook and tried to reload Leopard through an external hard drive that was connected to the iMac. That didn't work so I made a 2-DVD copy of the software and inserted the first one into the iMac and put it in Terminal mode. I'm trying to force the MacBook to boot from the optical drive on my iMac. I've used the Option key to show me the different opportunities for booting, but when I click on the iMac I get a restricted circle. My handy work has left me with a great MacBook that only shows either a flashing folder with a question mark or a restricted circle when I try to ask it to open from another source. Can you please give me some advise (besides don't mess around in places you know nothing about) on how to get my MacBook running again?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Jan 6, 2014 9:30 AM

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Answer 1

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Eustace Mendis

Level 7

25,416 points

Jan 6, 2014 12:18 PM in response to Harmon_Rabb

The iMac will not boot to the 10.5 DVD because no Mac can boot to an OS earlier than the one that shipped on it.

You scheme might work if you can find an earlier Mac that will tolerate OS 10.5. Else you could borrow an external optical drive to connect to the Macbook.

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Answer 2

Harmon_Rabb Author

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Jan 6, 2014 1:46 PM in response to Eustace Mendis

I will give that a try and let you know how it works. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

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Answer 3

Harmon_Rabb Author

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Jan 7, 2014 5:27 PM in response to Harmon_Rabb

Based on what you said, I pulled out a MacMini from the deepest part of my closet. I loaded a Snow Leopard disk into it and then attached a FireWire between it and my MacBook. I put the MacMini in Target mode and then was able to use the Mini as an external optical drive. I did have success getting Snow Leopard loaded, which took about an hour, but when it restarted all I get is a grey Apple screen with a spinning wheel. I've tried to reload the software in this manner three times and still can't get any further. Each time it tells me that the software loaded successfully. I did go into Disk Utility to verify the drives and everything appears okay. I've learned a valuable lesson here, but could use some help.

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Answer 4

Jan 7, 2014 5:52 PM in response to Harmon_Rabb

Try it in the other direction.

With the Macbook as the traget, its hard drive will mount on the Mini's desktop. The Macbook drive looks like an external to the Mini. You can then use the Mini's optical drive to install the OS on the Macbook.

Suggest you erase the drive and start the installation from scratch.

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Answer 5

Harmon_Rabb Author

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Jan 7, 2014 6:32 PM in response to Eustace Mendis

I'm on it. I now have the MacBook as the target and it is mounted on the Mini's desktop. When I click on the MacBook, it shows absolutely nothing in it. How exactly do I erase the drive and start the installation from scratch? I'm somewhat of a novice here and need a bit more help.

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Answer 6

Jan 8, 2014 3:41 AM in response to Harmon_Rabb

Open Disk Utiliity on the Mini (Applications / Utilites). Use it to erase the Macbook's drive.

Insert the OS disk in the Mini, open it, and run the installer.

When the installer asks "where?" point it to the MB's drive.

When the install is done, shut down, disconnect the MB and start it in as usual.

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Answer 7

Harmon_Rabb Author

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Jan 8, 2014 8:46 AM in response to Eustace Mendis

That sounds like a great fix. The only problem is that when I insert the Snow Leopard disk into the Mini, a message tells me that I can't install that version on a product that doesn't have Intel. It thinks I'm trying to install it on the Mini and doesn't even give me a chance to move it. The Mini has Panther on it.

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Answer 8

Jan 8, 2014 10:44 AM in response to Harmon_Rabb

What a Catch 22. The iMac is too new to handle 10.6 and the Mini is too old. To go with the procedure you need a second Mac, an Intel Mac, that will take OS 10.6.

Another option ia to get an inexpensive external optical drive to hook up to the Macbook. Here's an example:

http://www.amazon.com/SANOXY-External-CD-RW-Combo-Writer/dp/B002782LTG/ref=zg_bs _1292112011_8

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Answer 9

Harmon_Rabb Author

Level 1

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Jan 8, 2014 11:50 AM in response to Eustace Mendis

Thank you so much for the link. I have ordered that drive and hope to never have to use it again. In the meantime, your suggestions have helped me to figure out a solution, and my MacBook is now up and running on Snow Leopard.

Honestly, I'm not sure what all I did because it has been three full days of messing around trying different things so I really don't know what actually solved the issue, but here is what I did. I inserted the Snow Leopard DVD into my iMac running OS 10.7.5. At the same time I inserted a USB flash drive and opened Disk Utility. I reformatted the flash drive to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) using the GUID Partition Table and created a partition of 10GB. Then I clicked restore and dropped the Snow Leopard DVD drive into the Source field and made the USB drive the Destination. I made sure the erase box was checked and then clicked restore. I then inserted that USB flash drive into the MacBook and life got a lot better. It went through the installation without a problem.

The moral of the story - "Don't mess around in areas you know nothing about." Also, I was tentative about using this community as a resource because it's intimadating for novices. Thanks for making the experience worthy.

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Answer 10

Jan 8, 2014 11:59 AM in response to Harmon_Rabb

Well done!

May I suggest you are no novice; after all those resourceful "tricks" you are well on the way to becoming a pro!

As a next project, you might want to consider replacing the optical drive in the Macbook. It's not hard to do, and for a few $$ you should be able to find a dead Macbook from which to salvage the optical drive.

Good luck!

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