TommyMooo

Q: Cant Install Mavericks on a MacPro 2013 that came with Yosemite

Hello, I just purchased I new MacPro  8 Core, and it came with Yosemite, what I dont want, for many resons, so I tried to install Mavericks, and did a bootable USB Stick with Mavericks, but asap I try to boot it up from the Mavericks on the USB Stick, the screen shows up with a grey screen and a circle in telling me denied..or not possible. Then, I did a Command Option R recovery, repartitioned HD, and hoped so, that somehow over INternet Recovery it would show me Mavericks, NO WAY, only Yosemite as Install Option...thats so sad... I hope, someone can tell me, what I have to do to be able to install Maverciks on it...that would make me very happy

 

MacPro 2013  8 Core 32 GB RAM delivered with Yosemite

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.0.x), Cant Install Mavericks on a MacPro

Posted on Mar 9, 2015 5:20 PM

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Q: Cant Install Mavericks on a MacPro 2013 that came with Yosemite

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  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 9, 2015 5:32 PM in response to TommyMooo
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Mar 9, 2015 5:32 PM in response to TommyMooo

    You cannot install Mavericks on it - Macs are not capable of booting with an OS version older than what they came with originally.

     

    I purchased a refurb iMac at the Apple store for that precise reason: it still came with Mavericks.

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 9, 2015 5:44 PM in response to babowa
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Mar 9, 2015 5:44 PM in response to babowa

    Well, I just found the specs for your machine and it states that it originally came with Mavericks:

     

    http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_pro/specs/mac-pro-eight-core-3.0-xeon- e5-gray-black-cylinder-late-2013-specs.html

     

    Where/how did you buy it if it came with Yosemite?

     

    FWIW, if you want to reinstall the original OS, you have to erase your hard drive using Disk Utility in the Utilities screen in internet recovery first. So, I'd give that a try after you make a backup.

  • by TommyMooo,

    TommyMooo TommyMooo Mar 9, 2015 5:54 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2015 5:54 PM in response to babowa

    Thank you for your help babowa, I bought it just   2 weeks ago from a authorized Apple dealer in Berlin Germany, called cyberport, and you right, the initial released MacPro 2013 came with Mavericks, and I dont understand, I cant install it... recognizing you are right, that the machines Apple sells, normall dont work with previous OS versions that they have been delivered with ..... but on this MacPro, I think, they have changed something in firmware, to make it impossible to go back to Mavericks...thats my thought.... hope, really hope...someone can tell me...why Apple jails me to Yoesmite on a Machine, that initially did work on release of the new MacPro 2013 with Mavericks.. maybe, someone has a solution or Idea ...would be much appreciated

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 9, 2015 5:56 PM in response to TommyMooo
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Mar 9, 2015 5:56 PM in response to TommyMooo

    Have you tried erasing the hard drive?

     

    As for the initial OS: usually that is a special proprietary version for that machine - that is also why you cannot save the installer necessarily. So it also could have something to do with that.

     

    Are you in Berlin? I'd take it back to the store and ask why they put a new OS on it. Was the box open or retaped? Since any OS downloads from the app store are tied to the Apple ID used to obtain it, also ask them what they used when they did that -  have you successfully updated any apps on your machine? If so, then that appears to be ok.

     

    I would tell them that you bought that particular machine precisely because you wanted Mavericks, so they need to give you one that has Mavericks on it.

  • by TommyMooo,

    TommyMooo TommyMooo Mar 9, 2015 6:03 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2015 6:03 PM in response to babowa

    I wiped the HD, and tried the Internet recovery way... no solution---it also only offers me Yosemite. I will call tomorrow seller, and see, what they can do to help me... I think, the only way is to get a copy of OS from a Person who has bought it initially when it came with Maverciks on it...I suspect, Apples Mavericks in Apple Store is somehow not a version that allows to bootup the MacPro 2013.... or, as I said before..maybe Firmware changed bvy them to avoid people to install Mavericks .....

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 9, 2015 6:35 PM in response to TommyMooo
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Mar 9, 2015 6:35 PM in response to TommyMooo

    You can't get the OS from another person because the license for the OS is not transferable, so you might wind up with more problems than you expected.

     

    I would question the store specifically if they installed a newer OS on a machine that came with Mavericks (and if they did: why?). The only other possibility would have been that Apple is now shipping them with Yosemite - which, apparently, is not the case. If you look under Mac Pro here:

     

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204319

     

    it shows that yours initially shipped with 10.9 and then with 10.9.2 and 10.9.4. So, if the machine is new, it should have one of those. Make a copy of that page and take it with you. Tell them you want them (and/pr Apple) to get you a copy of the initial OS version. You can find out what that was by giving Apple your serial number and they can look up the OS build it came with.

  • by howard911,

    howard911 howard911 Mar 9, 2015 7:57 PM in response to babowa
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 9, 2015 7:57 PM in response to babowa

    Hi, can you confirm this please.

     

    You are saying that if I buy an apple computer with yosemite, i cannot go back to an earlier version?? why? because apple doesn't have the drivers for an earlier OS  on the newer model? Things change that much, or is it there *** is just too tight??

     

    If I buy Windows 8 and I hate, (pun intended) I can >100% <go back to windows 7 as long as there are drivers . Apple SHOULD be no different, unless they play the say crappy game Compaq played in the 90's putting the frigging bios on the hdd and not the M/B. No wonder they failed.

     

    If this is really the case, I have just found reason to leave APPLE behind forever.

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 9, 2015 8:14 PM in response to howard911
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Mar 9, 2015 8:14 PM in response to howard911

    Macs have never supported booting from an OS version older than what they came with. You can use the listing of versions/builds I linked to earlier to see what any Mac came with originally. Some hardware which was manufactured right around the time a new OS is introduced will usually be able to boot from either OS because they were made for the older one.

     

    I need to run Mavericks so I just got a refurb late 2012 iMac from Apple which originally had Mavericks, so I am all set.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Mar 10, 2015 10:51 AM in response to howard911
    Level 9 (70,061 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 10, 2015 10:51 AM in response to howard911
  • by TommyMooo,

    TommyMooo TommyMooo Mar 11, 2015 7:47 AM in response to TommyMooo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 11, 2015 7:47 AM in response to TommyMooo

    Thanks to all people that have replied!! Apreciate it!

     

    But, Im wondering, as this machine, was delivered initially with Mavericks, why I shouldnt be able to install it!!!????

     

    And I wished, Apple moves, I want an official Reply by them, I thought this Forum here, is there, for official Apple people reply to problems!!!

     

    Anyway, Thanks for your replies, Apple isnt anymore what it was in the good old times Selling a 7000 Euro Machine and then this jailing to Yosemite on a Machine that is normally Mavericks compatible cause initial release of it came with Mavericks!!

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Mar 11, 2015 8:08 AM in response to TommyMooo
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Mar 11, 2015 8:08 AM in response to TommyMooo

    I want an official Reply by them, I thought this Forum here, is there, for official Apple people reply to problems!!!

     

    Unfortunately, there are no official Apple people here - these are user to user forums. You will need to contact Apple if you want an official reply.

     

    I would:

     

    1. call Apple, give them the serial number, and ask which OS version it came with (or should have come with), and (if necessary),

     

    2. go back to the reseller and question them (if it appears that they installed a newer system on it.

     

    If the answer is that the new ones are now shipping with Yosemite, I would also ask if there is a way to exchange it for one that does come with Mavericks or if there is a way to install Mavericks.

  • by bowerymarc,

    bowerymarc bowerymarc Dec 5, 2015 7:48 AM in response to TommyMooo
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 5, 2015 7:48 AM in response to TommyMooo

    You could try installing Mavericks on a bootable external drive from another machine, then try to boot your new machine from that drive.  If that works then of course you can install mavericks on the internal drive (copy the installer onto your bootable external)

  • by babowa,

    babowa babowa Dec 5, 2015 9:00 AM in response to bowerymarc
    Level 7 (31,893 points)
    iPad
    Dec 5, 2015 9:00 AM in response to bowerymarc

    Hopefully the OP has found the solution they were looking for by now; after all, it's been 9 months and they've not posted back since.