Unable to re-install OS Snow Leopard on my Late 2009 Mac Book Air

Truthfinder said:

I choose the Disk Utility -First Aid-repair Disk
Few seconds
Volume appear to be ok
volume repair complete
Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required

Click to expand...

After doing this...try booting from the internal SSD (assuming the OS on it is still working).

If this is unsuccessful...then you need to reboot from the Snow Leopard disk...and do the Snow Leopard install.

Then boot the computer from the SSD with the fresh OS install.

- If this works...and the computer is operating normally...great!
- If this doesn't work...then we may have confirmed that the SSD is bad.

* Nick

Hello,
I put in a New SSD from OWC;
OWC OWCSSDAPMB120 120GB Aura Pro MBA Solid State... in stock at OWC

I boot to my Snow Leopard and formatted my SSD Followed Partitions GUID then select my created subfolder erase and tried to install,
Just after 10 minutes into install the bar denotes filling(installing) turn static and my curser become not moveable. Frozen screen..

I hear chime on start & immediately press option key until Apple logo shows up.
This allows me to select the language with availability for DU & install ,(I am using aUSB created from my Disk 1 of the snow Leopard that was shipped with my MBA..)

My new installed OWC AuraPro 3G SSD (OWCSSDAPMB120)

What could I do perform a successful install of OS X Snow Leopard?

thanking you

I wish you would have updated us on the outcomes of the earlier suggested ideas before installing a new SSD (if you tried them). This way we all are working from the same "knowledge base".

- Nick

Truthfinder said:

I boot to my Snow Leopard and formatted my SSD Followed Partitions GUID then select my created subfolder erase and tried to install,

Click to expand...

This sounds much more complicated than it should be. Maybe you're trying to do something unnecessary...which is causing issues.

Truthfinder said:

...(I am using aUSB created from my Disk 1 of the snow Leopard that was shipped with my MBA..)

Click to expand...

This is confusing. If you have a MBA...it should not have shipped with a Snow Leopard "disk"...it should have shipped with an Apple created USB drive with the OS on it. This disk would not have been of any use...since MBA's don't have an optical drive.

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

I wish you would have updated us on the outcomes of the earlier suggested ideas before installing a new SSD (if you tried them). This way we all are working from the same "knowledge base".

- Nick

Click to expand...

When I did that Mine got to a lock up screen during the installation. So Idid not go any further but went ahead and ordered for a new SSD from OWC.

pigoo3 said:

This sounds much more complicated than it should be. Maybe you're trying to do something unnecessary...which is causing issues.



This is confusing. If you have a MBA...it should not have shipped with a Snow Leopard "disk"...it should have shipped with an Apple created USB drive with the OS on it. This disk would not have been of any use...since MBA's don't have an optical drive. my computer was ordered on the 28th August 2009 & Snow Leopard was to be officially released few days later in Sept 2009. I was lucky to have mine shipped with Snow Leopard installed and in the box there were two grey Disk 1 OS X & Disk 2 Applications & AHT, but still I was eligible for a Snow Leopard Disk at discounted rate.

- Nick

Click to expand...

You are correct mine came with 2 Disks for snow leopard. I also bought a spare snow leopard OS X from Apple at the time of purchase of my Mac Book air because I was eligible for a Snow Leopard OS disc at discounted rate.

I however made a Installer USB flash reading earlier in posts here and went about making one using my son's Mac Book Pro. That is what I tried on the above.


I was trying to tell how I went about creating partitions and Formatting but that did not come across as I intended. I followed the pathway described on the Apple Snow Leopard page.

Truthfinder said:

You are correct mine came with 2 Disks for snow leopard. I also bought a spare snow leopard OS X from Apple at the time of purchase of my Mac Book air because I was eligible for a Snow Leopard OS disc at discounted rate.

Click to expand...

I was pretty positive that MacBook Air's (at least by 2009) were only shipping with an Apple created bootable USB stick OS installer (of course I could be wrong based on what you are saying).

As you know...MBA's do not have an optical drive...so Apple shipping a MacBook Air with OS disks logically doesn't make sense (since a MBA user wouldn't be able to use them without purchasing an external optical drive). But who knows.

I think that you mentioned that you made this USB installer from grey disk #1. And you mentioned that you do have the retail Snow Leopard disk. Maybe there's something peculiar about the grey disks. I have not heard of someone making a bootable USB installer from a grey disk before. Maybe you would be better of making the bootable Snow Leopard USB installer from the Snow Leopard retail disk (white disk with the photo of the Snow Leopard on it). Just a thought.

Truthfinder said:

I was trying to tell how I went about creating partitions and Formatting but that did not come across as I intended. I followed the pathway described on the Apple Snow Leopard page.

Click to expand...

Yes...the description above sounded more complicated than necessary...but maybe it was just the words used that made it seem that way. Keep things as simple as possible with this OS install...so we can get things working. No fancy partitioning...no fancy formatting. Just the "plain-vanilla" OS install.

- Nick

Hi,

pigoo3 said:

I was pretty positive that MacBook Air's (at least by 2009) were only shipping with an Apple created bootable USB stick OS installer (of course I could be wrong based on what you are saying).

Click to expand...

I placed my order for a Mac Book Air on the Apple's web site on the 28th August 2009 with Super drive and 3 year Apple care. I received my Mac Book Air with Super Drive on the 4th sept 2009. In the box I had two grey disks written on it: "MacBook Air Mac OS Install DVD-This disk set includessoftware that allows you to share an optical drive on a Mac or Windows PC, enables wireless migration, and provides a backup copy of Mac OS X. Mac Os Version 10.6. Disk Version 1.0 2Z691-6529-A. This software is part of a hardware bundle purchase-not to be sold separately.
Disk 2 Mac Book Air Application Install DCD AHT version 3A151 Disk version 1 2Z691-6534-A To use Apple Hardware Test hold down the D key as the computer starts up.

As you know...MBA's do not have an optical drive...so Apple shipping a MacBook Air with OS disks logically doesn't make sense (since a MBA user wouldn't be able to use them without purchasing an external optical drive). But who knows.

Click to expand...

I placed an order for a super drive at the same time as my Mac Book air Order.

I think that you mentioned that you made this USB installer from grey disk #1. And you mentioned that you do have the retail Snow Leopard disk. Maybe there's something peculiar about the grey disks. I have not heard of someone making a bootable USB installer from a grey disk before. Maybe you would be better of making the bootable Snow Leopard USB installer from the Snow Leopard retail disk (white disk with the photo of the Snow Leopard on it). Just a thought.

Click to expand...

Since that last attempt of my attempt My Mac Book air now would only has a single beep at a regular interval!! My search in here suggests ?RAM failure. I am aware user cannot change RAM on Mac Book Air-so does that mean a Logic Board failure.?

Earlier in my attempt to resolve this debacle -prior to put in my new SSD, once the Beep appeared but 24 hours later I was able to boot to the OS Disk. But not any more.

Yes...the description above sounded more complicated than necessary...but maybe it was just the words used that made it seem that way. Keep things as simple as possible with this OS install...so we can get things working. No fancy partitioning...no fancy formatting. Just the "plain-vanilla" OS install.

Click to expand...

-

Nick

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Thank you Nick and others for helpful suggestion.
It appears as some one earlier in the post wondered about the Bleep that I noted before!!
My attempt for the last 4 days to start up the Mac Book Air leaves me with a single bleep at regular interval.

Regards

Truthfinder said:

Hi,

I placed my order for a Mac Book Air on the Apple's web site on the 28th August 2009 with Super drive and 3 year Apple care. I received my Mac Book Air with Super Drive on the 4th sept 2009. In the box I had two grey disks written on it: "MacBook Air Mac OS Install DVD-This disk set includessoftware that allows you to share an optical drive on a Mac or Windows PC, enables wireless migration, and provides a backup copy of Mac OS X. Mac Os Version 10.6. Disk Version 1.0 2Z691-6529-A. This software is part of a hardware bundle purchase-not to be sold separately.
Disk 2 Mac Book Air Application Install DCD AHT version 3A151 Disk version 1 2Z691-6534-A To use Apple Hardware Test hold down the D key as the computer starts up.

Click to expand...

Sorry to have posted twice/

For completeness of this thread;It was Logic Board Failure

Hello
It was Logic Board Failure. I am here to inform those who may be interested in knowing my out-come.
My computer is on it's way back after replacement of Logic board. ;D:Blushing:

Now it explains why on every attempt on my install it took me someway and then got frozen until it stopped altogether with the single beep at regular interval.

Thank you all for the help that you've offered.

Regards

Truthfinder said:

It was Logic Board Failure.

My computer is on it's way back after replacement of Logic board. ;D:Blushing:

Click to expand...

Thanks for the update. Since this is a 2009 computer...I sure hope that you're not paying too much for the logic board replacement. Many times logic board replacements on a computer that is more than approx. 3-4 years old is not cost effective.

Good luck,

- Nick