Trying to reinstall Mavericks but keep getting an error message

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Level 1

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Trying to reinstall Mavericks but keep getting an error message

I'm having some problems with my MacBook Pro so I'm trying to reinstall Mavericks.

I hold command+R at startup and get to the OS X Utilities.

I click "Reinstall OS X." I already tested it and I AM connected to the internet.

I click "continue" when it says it needs to verify the eligibility of my computer with Apple (it's definitely eligible).

An error message pops up. It says "An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running this application again.

It's plugged in, I've tried restarting, I've checked the internet connection and it's working fine.

Any idea how to get this to work?

Posted on Aug 30, 2014 4:08 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

362,023 points

Aug 30, 2014 4:14 PM in response to ClassyCoug

Give this a try (assuming there is no server-based issue.)

Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions - Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion

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.

Repair

When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.

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Answer 2

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Aug 30, 2014 10:21 PM in response to ClassyCoug

If possible, set the system clock as instructed here. If you can only start up in Recovery mode, see below.

Select Get Help Online. Safari will launch. While in Recovery, you'll have no access to your bookmarks, but you won't need them. Load this web page.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below to select it:

date 0801000014

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C.

Select

Utilities ▹ Terminal

from the menu bar. A Terminal window will open. Paste into the window by pressing the key combination command-V.

Wait for a new line ending in a dollar sign ($) to appear below what you entered. If it doesn't appear, press return.

Quit Terminal to return to the main screen. Try the installation again.

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