used Macbook Pro A1286, reinstall OS X Lion problem

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used Macbook Pro A1286, reinstall OS X Lion problem

Hi, recently I was given a used Macbook Pro A1286 from my company. Unfortunately, when I try to turn it on, a folder with question mark appears on screen. After some research, I came to conclusion that probably previous user erased disk, but did not reinstall OS X.

I turned Macbook into Internet Recovery mode, erased hard drive and tried to reinstall OS X, but with no success. Just after I type my OWN Apple ID "This item is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later" error message is shown. Unfortunately I have no access to previous owner's Apple ID.

Also I bought Lion OS X in Apple Store using my OWN Apple ID, but it did not fix this issue!

Please help, am I doing something wrong? I understand that when reinstalling OS X, my Apple ID must be associated with OS X that I am trying to install so why after buying Lion OS X on Apple Store I still get the error?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7), Macbook Pro A1286

Posted on Mar 15, 2018 10:10 AM

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Answer 1

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Niel

Level 10

726,929 points

Mar 15, 2018 10:54 AM in response to krzysztof171

1. It only works on Macs.

2. Click here, phone Apple, and order its original disks. The Snow Leopard DVDs in the online Apple Store aren’t compatible with it.

(158707)

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Answer 2

Niel

Level 10

726,929 points

Mar 15, 2018 10:23 AM in response to krzysztof171

Either it’s checking for a different OS version or you didn’t redeem the download code for Lion. Getting Lion from the online Apple Store gives you a code instead of a direct download; the code needs to be redeemed.

(158705)

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Answer 3

krzysztof171 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 15, 2018 10:27 AM in response to Niel

Thanks Niel for your answer. And how can I reedem the download code? I've got a License .pdf file with redemption code and you are right I did not do anything with it. Is it possible to reedem the download from Windows PC? When I login to app store using web browser there is no option like 'reedem'. I can only see Lion OSX in my orders, but I cannot do anything with it.

*Currently I have no access to mac, other than the one I am trying to fix.

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Answer 4

Niel

Level 10

726,929 points

Mar 15, 2018 10:29 AM in response to krzysztof171

1. It requires going to a Mac, opening the Mac App Store, and clicking on Redeem in the sidebar.

2. No. Without having access to a different Mac, your best option depends on what exact model it is. Look for a code along the lines of MacBookPro#,# and post that here.

(158706)

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