My Macbook Pro Wont start up as expected!

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My Macbook Pro Wont start up as expected!

Today I tried to reset my macbook to factory settings because the hard drive was nearly full. I reset it by going into disk utility and erasing the hard drive. After that it rebooted back to disk utility, so i clicked on reinstall OS X. When I did that I got a message saying "To download and restore OS X, your computer's eligibility will be verified with Apple." I pressed continue and a little swirly loading icon showed up. Then after about 2 seconds a message came up saying that "An Error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running this application again. I tried many times and it of course didnt work. Ive tried verifying/repairing my disks and that didnt work (note: something peculiar i noticed was that the verify permssions options were unavailable). I took to the web and looked at every post i could find relating to my problem and none of the fixes have worked. It'd be great if anyone could help, i need this computer for class in a couple days when I start. Also i was using Yosemite before the restart if that helps.

MacBook Pro, iOS 7.1.1

Posted on Sep 3, 2015 5:32 PM

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Answer 1

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Sep 3, 2015 5:37 PM in response to Gsman16

If you have a 2011 or later model, then try this:

Install OS X Using Internet Recovery

Boot to the Internet Recovery HD:

Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND-OPTION- R keys until a globe appears on the screen. Wait patiently - 15-20 minutes - until the Recovery main menu appears.

Partition and Format the hard drive:

Select Disk Utility from the main menu and click on the Continue button.
After DU loads select your newly installed hard drive (this is the out-dented entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed. Quit DU and return to the main menu.

Reinstall OS X: Select Reinstall OS X and click on the Install button. Be sure to select the correct drive to use if you have more than one.

Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

This should restore the version of OS X originally pre-installed on the computer.

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Answer 2

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 3, 2015 5:45 PM in response to Gsman16

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.

Quit Safari. You'll be returned to the OS X Utilities screen.

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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Answer 3

Gsman16 Author

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Sep 3, 2015 5:46 PM in response to Kappy

Thanks for Responding, I did exactly as you said and the partitioning finally worked for me, which it hadnt before. But when i clicked reinstall OS X lion it had the same error message telling me to try again later.

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Answer 4

Gsman16 Author

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Sep 3, 2015 6:04 PM in response to Linc Davis

I tried this method, the $ symbol didnt appear so i pressed enter and returned to the reinstall screen, reinstall still didnt work. any other ideas?

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Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 3, 2015 6:06 PM in response to Gsman16

OS X Yosemite: Reset your computer’s PRAM

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Answer 6

Gsman16 Author

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Sep 3, 2015 6:41 PM in response to Linc Davis

i did this and a folder with a question mark appears blinking on my screen

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Answer 7

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 3, 2015 6:48 PM in response to Gsman16

That's because the usual startup volume has been erased. Did you hold down command-R to boot into Recovery?

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Answer 8

Gsman16 Author

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Sep 3, 2015 7:04 PM in response to Linc Davis

ok i did that and i got past where i usualy was getting stopped, but now whenever it asks me to put in an apple id to confirm when i am choosing a hard drive it says its temporarily unavailable and to try again later.

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Answer 9

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 3, 2015 7:17 PM in response to Gsman16

Please launch the Terminal again and enter just the command "date" by itself, without the quotes. If the correct date is not shown, repeat the command you ran earlier. Then try again to install. If you still can't, you will have to contact Apple Support or go to an Apple Store.

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Answer 10

Gsman16 Author

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Sep 4, 2015 6:50 AM in response to Linc Davis

Would it be possible to load osx through an external hard drive?

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Answer 11

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 4, 2015 8:29 AM in response to Gsman16

I'm not sure what you mean. Did you do what I suggested in my last comment?

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Answer 12

Gsman16 Author

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Sep 4, 2015 5:41 PM in response to Linc Davis

I tried that yes, im wondering if it is possible to install the OS using something besides downloading it from the internet, like installing the os from a USB or Disk or even from another computer?

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Answer 13

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,535 points

Sep 4, 2015 8:59 PM in response to Gsman16

You have to download it from the Internet.

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