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Is it possible to use internet recover from an Ethernet connection

Attempting to use Internet recovery on a mid-2010 iMac.

IT tells me it will take a while then prompts for a WiFi connection.

I Have a direct Ethernet connection, but I never get any option to use it.

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11), iMac Core i7 2.93GHz 4GB

Posted on Jan 24, 2016 1:34 PM

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10 replies

Jan 24, 2016 2:16 PM in response to William H. Magill1

I was replying based on this portion of that document:

OS X Internet Recovery

Newer Macs include the ability to start up directly from an Internet-based version OS X Recovery. Your Mac automatically uses this feature when the Recovery System on the startup drive isn't available. For example, if your startup drive encounters an issue, or if your startup drive has been replaced or erased. 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.

Internet Recovery initially asks you to select a Wi-Fi network and enter a network password when needed. Next, Internet Recovery downloads and starts from a Recovery System image. From there, you are offered the same utilities and options as the Recovery System on a startup drive.

Some Macs that came with OS X Snow Leopard can use Internet Recovery after installing OS X Lion or later and a software update.

Internet Recovery will install the system that the Mac came preinstalled with. Ethernet is mentioned in the section regarding using the Recovery volume to reinstall the system. That reinstalls the current system. The internet connection is required in order to use the utilities.

Jan 24, 2016 2:31 PM in response to William H. Magill1

If you were getting reported S.M.A.R.T. errors, you disk is dying. You should be replacing it. But the time correctable error counts get high enough for S.M.A.R.T. errors to be reported, the disk is generally getting ready to fail.


Make sure you have backups of your data (which I'm assuming you do, if you reformatted already).


This thread seems to have the most information I've found on 1005F

<Internet recovery is broken>


If you have WiFi available, unplug the Ethernet cable and see if Internet Recovery will proceed over WiFi.


After that, if you have another Mac, download El Capitan (assuming you do not already have a copy), and create a bootable installer (USB thumb drive, or external USB disk, etc...)

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app --nointeraction

Jan 24, 2016 2:50 PM in response to BobHarris

Yeah, the SMART errors were sending me to the Apple store "when the snow clears." But until then I was trying to see if the variou hard disk utilities I have would reformat the drive at a low enough level to let me reassign tracks. -- something to do on a snowbound Sunday.


And since this is a 2010 iMac - built as Apple was making the transition from including ago bootable CD/DVD - I figured I'd try the CMD-R thing Apple support told me now supported that model. It does, in that I can get to the Internet Recovery startup screen, but not successfuly access the process.


BTW thanks for that link, I did not manage to find anything. I guess I just don't use the support forums enough.


Everything is backed up via TimeMachine and an assortment of external drives. -- except the copy of El Capitan, that's on my headless Mac mini - which is only accessible when the iMac is up for screen sharing. 🙂


THanks to all and - stay warm.

Is it possible to use internet recover from an Ethernet connection

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