kiwiz336
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Computer starts up to recovery mode

Hello, our son had lost his iphone and signed in on the computer using his apple id to try and locate his. He never logged off.  When we had a new one sent to him some how it completely erased everything on our computer and no matter what we do we can not get to the screen to remove his log in. Now the computer will only open in recovery mode. We cant down lood anything with getting the "Safari could not download the file “iMacEFIUpdate1.7.dmg” because there is not enough free disk space."  I dont know where the install disk are, so I bought mt lion 10 operating system from the apple store. However, we can not download it because i cant get download the app store. please help!

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)

Posted on Feb 21, 2014 12:47 PM

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kiwiz336

Q: Computer starts up to recovery mode

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  • by The hatter,

    The hatter The hatter Feb 21, 2014 1:01 PM in response to kiwiz336
    Level 9 (60,935 points)
    Feb 21, 2014 1:01 PM in response to kiwiz336

    You have which Mac? which model year etc? What OS did it come with?
    Do you have TimeMachine? you should be able to restore from there. Also boot from TimeMachine.
    In Recovery Mode you can reinstall or download, normally.
    -------------------

    in-Depth Thorough Step by Step to Fix a Mac (10.6.8 thru 10.9.x) Troubleshooting Guide

    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3353

     

    It's designed for those who already have a good familiarity with how Mac's work, is almost all Apple support documented.

     

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

    OS X Internet Recovery

    Mac models introduced after public availability of OS X Lion include the ability to start up directly from an Internet-based version of the OS X Recovery system. OS X automatically uses this feature when the Recovery System on the hard disk isn't available (such as when your hard disk encounters an issue, or when your hard disk has been replaced or erased). OS X Internet Recovery lets you start your Mac directly from Apple's servers. Starting up from this system performs a quick test of your memory and hard drive to check for hardware issues.

     

    OS X Internet Recovery presents a limited interface at first, with only the ability to select your preferred Wi-Fi network and, if needed, entering a passphrase. Next, OS X Internet Recovery downloads and starts from a Recovery System image. From there, you are offered the same utilities and options as a local Recovery System.

    ...

    Requirements for reinstalling OS X using Recovery

    Reinstalling OS X using OS X Recovery requires broadband access to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet connection. OS X is downloaded over the Internet from Apple when OS X Recovery is used for reinstallation

     

    If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. After installation is finished, use the Mac App Store to install related updates or later versions of OS X that you have previously purchased.

    What to do if the installer warns that no Recovery System can be created

    Some disk partition configurations may result in the OS X installer reporting that it could not create a Recovery System. In these situations, even if you are permitted to continue the install, you may want to quit the installation and create an external, bootable OS X hard drive with a Recovery System, first. You can continue your OS X upgrade on your computer's startup drive after creating an external Recovery System.

     

    • Your storage device must have at least 13 GB available (after formatting) to install OS X Lion or later and a Recovery partition.
    • These steps erase and reformat the storage device. This article instructs you on setting up a storage device to use the GUID partition scheme and the Mac OS Extended (Journaled) format, which are required to install OS X and a Recovery partition on your external storage device. You should back up any important files that are on the device to a different drive.
    • This procedure installs a version of OS X that is compatible with the Mac it was created with. Using this OS X system with a different Mac model may produce unpredictable results.
    • Your computer's serial number is sent to Apple as part of this process to help authenticate your request to download and install OS X Lion.

        

    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4718

     

    Installing OS X on an external volume - such as your USB flash drive

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5911

     

    Some disk partition configurations may result in the OS X installer reporting that it could not create a Recovery System. If this happens, and you are unable to install or upgrade OS X, you may need to backup and erase your hard disk first. You can use Internet Recovery, or Recovery Disk Assistant to do this. You can also install OS X on an external volume.

     

    Attach a USB, FireWire, or Thunderbolt storage device to your computer, or insert an SDHC or SDXC card into the SD card slot if your Mac has one.

     

    • Launch Disk Utility, from the /Applications/Utilities folder, then click Continue.

       

      Erase and reformat the storage device

    1. Click the attached storage device where it indicates its size in GB.
    2. Click the Partition tab.
    3. Select "1 Partition" from the Partition Layout pop-up menu.
    4. Click Options. Note: Do not select more than one partition.