Downloading past OS for another mac

Hi guys,

I have an a1370 macbook air which is currently running El Capitan OSX. On this mba, I had had Mavericks and Yosemite installed from the app store and I'm having trouble re-downloading either.

I have googled the issue and gone into purchased tab in the app store while pressing the option key. The only OS i see there is El Capitan!

What, if anything am I doing wrong. Your help would be appreciated

Did you make sure you were logged in to the Mac App Store with the correct Apple ID? If Yosemite and Mavericks are not listed there, then they were not purchased with that Apple ID.

What is the reason you are trying to go back to an earlier OS? If you are selling, Apple has a great Article on what you should do with your Mac before selling, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065.

Also, depending on which version of Mac OS your MBA came with, you may be able to hold "command+option+R, and start up into Internet Recovery and install that version of Mac OS, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314.

I have another older Mac which is unsupported and want to see if I can install either on that

Well tell us about this other Mac and what operating system is it currently running, or if none, what was the last if you can findout?

OK
It's an a1181 with the 2.4 penryn processor and 4GB ram. Currently running it's maximum OS which is Lion
I'm wanting to see if I can get either Mavericks or Yosemite installed on it to give it a new lease of life

Usually, if it's running it's maximum OS, then it can't go any higher.

Did you make sure you were logged in with the correct Apple ID?

Yes I was!
The upgrade can be worked round.

waynehardy66 said:

OK
It's an a1181 with the 2.4 penryn processor and 4GB ram. Currently running it's maximum OS which is Lion
I'm wanting to see if I can get either Mavericks or Yosemite installed on it to give it a new lease of life

Click to expand...

If you want to give that machine a new lease on life, install Snow Leopard 10.6.8 instead of trying a work around to install Mavericks or Yosemite. I sold one just like yours some years ago and had Lion on it at the time. It ran much better with Snow Leopard. But hey, the choice is up to you.

If you want to give that machine a new lease on life, install Snow Leopard 10.6.8 instead of trying a work around to install Mavericks or Yosemite.

Click to expand...

+1!!! There are many reasons that Mac doesn't and can't properly support a later non-supported OS X version, why waste time even attempting such an install.




- Patrick
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If you want to give that machine a new lease on life, install Snow Leopard 10.6.8 instead of trying a work around to install Mavericks or Yosemite. I sold one just like yours some years ago and had Lion on it at the time. It ran much better with Snow Leopard. But hey, the choice is up to you.

Simply because I didn't have mountain lion on my MBA so can't have access to it from the app store like I'm supposed to have and is the reason for the thread.

If you purchased a Mac OS X/Mac OS/macOS version through the Mac App Store, it will show on your Purchased page. If it is not showing on your Purchased page the OS was not purchased, or was not purchased with that Apple ID. If the OS was included with the Mac when you purchased the Mac, then you did not purchase the OS. If the OS version you are trying to access was included on your Mac when you purchased it, the OS will not show up in Purchased, unless you went to the Mac App Store and purchased that same version of the OS, maybe.

OK I updated the MBA on my Apple ID, mavericks from lion. Yosemite from mavericks and el capitan from Yosemite. For each one I downloaded, therefore purchased, the OS from the app store and neither mavericks or Yosemite are showing as purchased in the app store even when I press the option key

@waynehardy66

I'm tying to follow this - bear with me.

You have two Macs - let's call them Main and Old.

On your Main Mac, you have El Capitan, having previously bought Mavericks & Yosemite.

On your Old Mac, it is running Lion. I presume you are using this Mac, via the App Store, to try and download Mavericks or Yosemite (post #1).

As the maximum the Old Mac can legally run is Lion, all Operating Systems higher than this will not appear as options in your purchased list - Apple recognises the Mac, realises it's limit; little point in offering an OS that will not run on it - by Apple's rules.

There's the sticking point. And that's the explanation for it.

We have suggested Snow Leopard because it was far better than Lion. You talk about "workarounds". Apart from the risks involved, I believe that our Admins and Moderators would not permit discussions on how these might be undertaken.

Ian

waynehardy66 said:

OK I updated the MBA on my Apple ID, mavericks from lion. Yosemite from mavericks and el capitan from Yosemite. For each one I downloaded, therefore purchased, the OS from the app store and neither mavericks or Yosemite are showing as purchased in the app store even when I press the option key

Click to expand...

Then you must be logging in to the App Store with a different Apple ID as mentioned previously above.

Try logging in using the same Apple ID used on the "upgraded_ Mac. The OS X version should be there under the Purchased tab, otherwise call Apple Customer Support for help.


EDIT:
Thanks for the correction I missed Ian, that the old Mac can't run the later OS X versions.
I missed that.






- Patrick
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OK

I am currently using ONLY the MBA/main Mac to look in the purchased tab of the app store. I'm pretty sure that I've been clear about this!
I only have only ever had ONE Apple ID and have used it correctly

Oh man, how did I forget this, they may be hidden. See this Article, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202161, make sure you check out the "unbidden" link.

ferrarr said:

Oh man, how did I forget this, they may be hidden. See this Article, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202161, make sure you check out the "unbidden" link.

Click to expand...

Maybe, but I understood they had been doing a similar thing. Hopefully I was wrong… and maybe we will see…






- Patrick
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