Help with internet recovery spinning globe 10+hours

Please read Computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery - Apple Support. It may need a firmware update, or it may have become too old to use Internet Recovery. If that's the case you will need to reinstall its original OS X version using its original, grey, System Install DVD.

If you no longer have that disk, your options are as follows:

• Boot macOS Recovery again and use Disk Utility to completely erase the internal storage.
  • That will leave the Mac with no operating system to boot, so be sure to let the buyer know that.
  • It's not a show-stopper, for example the buyer may have his or her own way to load an operating system.
• Purchase Snow Leopard and install it: http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard.

  You will be legally obligated to include that DVD with the sale.

• Obtain a replacement System Install DVD from Apple.
  • You will need the iMac's serial number and a form of payment (it's reasonable).
  • I don't know if Apple still provides that service, and your biggest challenge is likely to be getting them to understand what you want.
• Obtain a replacement grey System Install DVD for your exact model iMac from a private party.

  If that DVD is for any other model iMac, it won't work.

Restarting it is fine. Nothing will have been changed by attempting to load Internet Recovery.

Boot Recovery mode (not Internet Recovery), and select "Get Help Online". Can you load webpages?

I don't know the reason Apple archived that Support document. I hope that does not imply your Mac is too old to use Internet Recovery. Once you start your Mac though, check that firmware update link.

The idea is to determine if you can load webpages in Recovery Mode – using the "Get Help Online" selection. That loads the copy of Safari residing on the Recovery Partition. If it works, it confirms a viable wireless connection exists in that mode.

If it doesn't work, your wireless router or access point settings would be the first place to look for reasons you can't connect.

You would need to reboot normally to download the EFI Firmware Update, but it seems unlikely you would have overlooked that update for all this time.

TFXW wrote:

Followed John Galt's tweaks. Launched IR, globe spun and progress bar ran for ~15 minutes, then the Apple logo appeared.

Everything is normal up to that point.

14 hours later no changes to the screen, still just the Apple logo.

That's about 14 hours too long. The Mac OS X Utilities screen should appear a moment or two later.

Since that isn't happening, you are at an impasse that suggests a hardware fault may be responsible. Your remaining option is to boot from one of the bootable DVDs I described earlier. Or, have Apple evaluate your Mac: Contact Support

Wifi signal might be strong, but what is the data transfer rate?

Internet Recovery is always slow, especially at the beginning. Let it run for a couple of hours and see how it goes.

Has a progress bar appeared yet? Is it progressing?