garrickc123
Level 1 (4 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Restoring 2009 MacBook Pro on Mountain Lion

Hi there,

 

I am planning to sell my 2009 MacBook Pro, which is still running on mountain lion. After wiping the disk, I tried to reinstall OSX, but it came up its the message "this item is temporarily unavailable". Is there any way I can install a working OS on to the computer via USB, or try restore a time machine backup from my other mac?

 

Thanks

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5), Mid 2009

Posted on Sep 23, 2016 3:19 PM

by Kappy,Solvedanswer
Kappy Kappy
Level 10 (271,850 points)
Desktops
A:

Before Selling or Giving Away Your Pre-Lion Mac

 

Follow these instructions until you get to Step 5:

 

          What to do before selling or giving away your Mac - Apple Support

 

At Step 5 you will need a Snow Leopard DVD or the installer disc that came with the computer.

 

  1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer. After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you seea small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
  2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After Disk Utility loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended (Journaled), then click on the Apply button.
  3. When the formatting has finished quit Disk Utility.  Proceed with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
  4. If you are planning to sell or give your computer away, then do the following: After you reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X, the computer restarts to a Welcome screen and asks you to choose a country or region. If you want to leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue with the setup of your system. Instead, press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac, the Setup Assistant will guide them through the setup process.

Posted on Sep 23, 2016 3:23 PM

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garrickc123

Q: Restoring 2009 MacBook Pro on Mountain Lion

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Sep 23, 2016 3:23 PM in response to garrickc123
    Level 10 (314,528 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 23, 2016 3:23 PM in response to garrickc123

    You need to install an OS from the computer’s original disks or a compatible retail DVD(or one of Apple’s Lion installation thumbdrives). Insert the disk, restart with the C or Option key held down, use the Disk Utility to erase the internal drive, and perform the installation.

     

    Any Mac OS X 10.8 or newer system will be tied to your Apple ID and not transferable. This also applies to a copy of Lion which originally came from the Mac App Store or the online Apple Store.

     

    (144857)

  • by Kappy,Solvedanswer

    Kappy Kappy Sep 23, 2016 3:23 PM in response to garrickc123
    Level 10 (271,850 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 23, 2016 3:23 PM in response to garrickc123

    Before Selling or Giving Away Your Pre-Lion Mac

     

    Follow these instructions until you get to Step 5:

     

              What to do before selling or giving away your Mac - Apple Support

     

    At Step 5 you will need a Snow Leopard DVD or the installer disc that came with the computer.

     

    1. Boot the computer using the Snow Leopard Installer Disc or the Disc 1 that came with your computer.  Insert the disc into the optical drive and restart the computer. After the chime press and hold down the  "C" key.  Release the key when you seea small spinning gear appear below the dark gray Apple logo.
    2. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After Disk Utility loads select the hard drive entry from the left side list (mfgr.'s ID and drive size.)  Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.  Set the number of partitions to one (1) from the Partitions drop down menu, click on Options button and select GUID, click on OK, then set the format type to MacOS Extended (Journaled), then click on the Apply button.
    3. When the formatting has finished quit Disk Utility.  Proceed with the OS X installation and follow the directions included with the installer.
    4. If you are planning to sell or give your computer away, then do the following: After you reformat your hard drive and reinstall OS X, the computer restarts to a Welcome screen and asks you to choose a country or region. If you want to leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue with the setup of your system. Instead, press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac, the Setup Assistant will guide them through the setup process.