I need to reload the operating system after I install the hard drive. Never received a start up disk with the computer. I have the system backed up on a external HD (time machine) - can I create a start up disk, use my backup from the external HD or do I need order a start up disk through apple?
iMac
Read this previous Community thread...
No.
Time Machne backups do not create a bootable OS X system.
Time Machine backups are just incremental data backups only.
You will need to purchase a retail OEM Apple OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard disc here.
http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Good Luck!
Thanks for the info - was able to replace my hard drive and installed snow-leopard. Every thing went well until I started to update the operating system from snow-lepoard I think I started to have problems when i started updating from time machine. Now i get to the login screen and it accepts my password but doesn't let me go any further it just refreshes the screen. Plus when i try to boot from the disk it just constantly spins.... Is there a way to erase the new installed hard drive on the iMac from a Mac Pro (i.e. using a USB cable...)? Would like to erase drive and start all over... any help would be appreciated.
What OS X version were you using Time Machine with?
You start again by just using Disk Utility on the Snow Leopard install disc.
When you start up from the disc, you can quit the installer and the disc will bring you to the basic Finder on disc where you can access Disk Utility right from the Apple menu bar and erase and format the drive, again, as an OS X extended format (journaled) with a GUID partition scheme.
Then, relaunch the Installer app to begin the install of OS X 10.6.3.
Do not use your Time Machine backup, at all, until you have installed the final updates to get your Mac to OS X 10.6.8
10.6.8 combo update here.
Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1
and make sure to check the software update feature of OS X in the OS X System Preferences for any other security or Apple software, updates, as well.
You have a lot more work to do before trying to do anything with that Time Machine backup.
Good Luck!
Really do appreciate the help! I was using El Capitan with Time Machine before I had to replace the hard drive. I have it updated to Snow Leopard (10.6.8). Do I need to update with Mavericks, Yosemite then El Capitan before I go to the TIme Machine? Thanks again!
You can go straight back to El Cap, now, Go into the Mac App Store and redownload and install OS X 10.10.6 El Capitán.
Then use the Purchase Tab to restore any purchased apps once you have redownload and reinstall OS X El Capitán.
Then, you can test your Time Machine backup by doing a couple ot tests restores of some files to make sure that the Time Machine backup will still work.
Good Luck!
Replacing my hard rive on late 2009 iMac.
