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had to install a new hard drive in my imac. How do I set it up

Bought a used iMac i5. The hard disk failed and had to be replaced. How do I set it up now, put El Capitan, etc on it? When i first got it I Migrated everything from my old iMac to it and the old iMac still has everything on it, as a backup. Can I use Migration Assistant again or are there other steps that I have to take first? Have never done anything like this before. Any help out there?

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Feb 4, 2016 8:06 PM

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11 replies

Feb 5, 2016 5:57 AM in response to babowa

I bought it at a University Surplus site. Its a 27" Aluminum iMac Intel Core i5 2.7GHz Processor. It had Marvericks on it when I bought it. I'm thinking its late 2010-11 as it is not a tapered back model. It has a disk and SD disk slot on the side. The repair shop it is in now is charging $150 parts and labor to install the new hard drive but want another $450 to take everything off the old hard drive (which I just loaded(migrated) with the info from my old iMac, that I still have with everything still on it as a back up) format the new disk and reload everything back on it. That total repair would end up being twice as much as I paid for the computer originally.

I THINK that I can do the last 2 parts on my own. The new hard disk will have to be formatted though, before I load anything on it , correct?

Feb 5, 2016 7:49 AM in response to gmrudella

If it's 2010 or mid 2011, it originally came with 10.6.x (Snow leopard) which means it had install disks. This means that the downloaded/installed Mavericks should have been removed.


Frankly, I do not know how you were able to download and install El Capitan on it. As I said, all OS and app downloads from the app store are tied to the Apple ID used to obtain them (which wasn't yours). Without knowing the exact circumstances, I can't comment further except to caution that you may encounter unexpected behavior (not being able to update apps or reinstall an OS without knowing the original Apple ID/password).


Yes, a new hard drive needs to be formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and the GUID Partition Scheme (to make it bootable). In order to do that (if it is installed already), you will need to be booted from an external source. So, you either need a bootable clone, the original install DVD, or format the drive before it is installed.

Feb 5, 2016 9:36 AM in response to babowa

Couldn't tell you. All I know is that I downloaded El Capitan and installed it as soon I brought the 27" home. Computer ran great for a month and then the wheels started coming off. In going through all my software here at home I have found the Leopard (10.5) and a Snow Leopard OS (10.6.3) Install DVDs for my old (20") iMac.


What do you mean " booted from an external source"? I don't understand what that is. The new hard drive WILL be installed but not formatted when I get it back, according to the repair shop. Is the install dvd considered "an external source"?


As you have probably perceived, I am a rookie at this.

Feb 5, 2016 10:47 AM in response to gmrudella

Yes, an install DVD is considered an external source - you can boot with it by inserting it and then booting up while holding the C key. However, depending on which 10.6 version this one came with, it may not boot from a 10.6.3 machine specific DVD. If this is yours:


http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/specs/imac-core-i5-2.7-27-inch-alumin um-mid-2011-thunderbolt-specs.html


it came with 10.6.6 and will most likely not boot from a 10.6.3 disk (no Mac can boot from an OS version older than what it came with). It sounds as though you need to find a way to format this hard drive before it is installed.

Feb 5, 2016 5:03 PM in response to babowa

I have looked all over the net for a 10.6.6 install dvd and there are none to be found. And as i stated before, to have it formatted before I get it back they will charge me $450. I asked if that would be that price if they just formatted the disk and not installed the OS and they said "yes"so that is not an option for me.

I just have to find 10.6.6 somewhere.

Feb 5, 2016 5:46 PM in response to gmrudella

Unfortunately, I don't believe you will find it; even the version at the Apple store online is 10.6.3. If these people are familiar with Macs, then it's a breeze to format: boot from another source, launch Disk Utility, and format - a $450 price is so greedy, it is disgusting. I'd consider asking them to stop whatever they're doing, taking the hard drive and format it myself. You can then give it back to them.

Feb 16, 2016 6:56 PM in response to babowa

Just to update all, I picked up the 27" iMac with the new hard drive installed but not formatted. Had called AppleCare to see if I could get a 10.6.6 startup disk and was told I didn't need it. All I needed was the internet and an ethernet cable. Said since the hard disk was replaced the computer would not know what OS it had on it before and the OS X Internet Recovery system would tell me what I could reload(download) on my particular iMac Model. Started it up, held down the Option key, got the Startup Manager, restarted, holding the Command & R key, got the OS X Utilities Dialog box, clicked Disk Utilities and formatted the new hard drive and went back to Reinstall OS X and did so. It loaded Mountain Lion which I then upgraded to El Capitan. Done and Done. SO MUCH easier than I EVER thought it would be! Probably took ,at most, 45 minutes.


Thanks for everyones input.

had to install a new hard drive in my imac. How do I set it up

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