Factory Reset Macbook Pro 5.2

[bigscreen]

I have been trying to Factory Reset my Mackbook Pro 5.2 and got into a real problem.

I used Utilities to erase the disk.
I reset NVRAM.
then tried to reinstall OSX El Capitan (Ctrl R)
Now the machine is useless…….

At startup I get the “Installing OSX” banner to install on the Mac HD.

Then after a while I get….
“OSX could not be installed on your computer. No packages were eligible for install. Contact the software manufacturer for assistance. Quit the install to restart your computer to try again”

I press restart, at which point the same loop starts again.
HELP!

I don't feel confident talking to Genius Bar and cannot find any email.

 

[MacInWin]

Start here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Follow the various links to read how to recover over the internet.

 

[bigscreen]

Thank you.
I have been trying those steps all day with the same results.
I have just followed the steps in your link to the letter but precisely the same result. It seems OSX Installer just will not go past this point.

 

[MacInWin]

I used Utilities to erase the disk.
...
then tried to reinstall OSX El Capitan (Ctrl R)
Now the machine is useless…….

To do what you said you did, you had to be booted from an external drive. You cannot erase the boot drive. Now it is possible that you booted into Recovery and erased the other partition on the boot drive, which you can do if there is a Recovery partition there, but if you actually erased the entire disk, the recovery partition will be gone, too, so CMD R won't work. Look in that article for an Internet Recovery (you may have to follow the links in the article to get to it) and try installing over the Internet. If that doesn't work, about all I can suggest is to schedule a call with Apple. You get to Apple support at Apple.com, click on support and then scroll until you see where you can select what areas are you having issues, in this case macOS, then schedule a call. Apple is pretty quick to get back to you this way.

 

[bigscreen]

Very grateful thanks again.
I agree that the article you suggested is most helpful, but the problem I have is that I cannot type anything into the Macbook so cannot down load from the internet.
Do you think it would work if I used the link in the article to download El Capitan .dmg file to my Imac then copied that file to a memory stick which I could plug into the laptop and load it to to the laptop from there? I assume that by simply downloading the file to my Imac it would not affect my Imac.

 

[ferrarr]

Do you think it would work if I used the link in the article to download El Capitan .dmg file to my Imac then copied that file to a memory stick which I could plug into the laptop and load it to to the laptop from there?

If you can download it, you can then make a bootable USB installer, like this;

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

Use an external drive or secondary volume as a startup disk from which to install macOS.

support.apple.com

 

[MacInWin]

I agree that the article you suggested is most helpful, but the problem I have is that I cannot type anything into the Macbook so cannot down load from the internet.

An internet recovery does not require typing anything into the Mac, just holding down certain keys as it powers up. What it then does is boot a micro version of an OS to allow you to log into the wifi network and then it downloads the installer and runs it. To get it going, all you need to do is hold down keys as directed. Not tap, hold down.

if you decide to try downloading the install to an iMac and then building a bootable USB drive, be aware of a couple of complications--if the iMac is a newer version of the OS than the installer, it may not download and if the iMac is an older version, the installer will immediately launch after downloading. You will have to cancel the installation to preserve the installer file.

 

[bigscreen]

I had a long session with Apple support yesterday where they tried all sorts of actions, all without success. Apple resolved that the device needs a technician assessment. Sounds expensive so I shall need to consider my options. This is one of the 17 inch macBook Pro versions which I know cannot be replaced and which in Apple's eyes will be rated as historical/ancient. I would be happy for any operating system which could make use of the larger screen. I guess I'll need to search out a local Apple technician. I'll try to remember to post the outcome but rather restricted to get physical help by Lockdown at present.

 

[bigscreen]

Just while doodling I put the reason "No packages were eligible for install." into Google and was amazed to see that my problem is by no means unique. Many many instances and all for El Capitan. I shall work through some of those to see if I can fix this somehow.

 

[bigscreen]

Most contributors suggest the issue is due to the incompatibility of the Terminal date againts the date in 2019 when Apple withdrew Certificates. Various date formats are suggested and some people have had successful resolutions, but for me I just get another error saying that an ERROR HAS OCCURRED during the part where connection to Appstore is created to check eligibility.
Frustration continues.

 

[Rod]

This is the MacBook Pro (17-inch, Early 2009) so it's getting pretty long in the tooth but your best option would be a bootable installer. A USB thumb drive with the ability to run your device while you access Disk Utility to diagnose any problems, erase whatever is on the device and instal a fresh copy of an operating system. While you can create your own portable, bootable installer it's standard equipement for most Apple repair shops. I have a few of my own for emergencies.
At the very least such a device is a quick diagnostic tool which will determine if the device is workable and if the internal drive is worth saving or hopelessly corrupted.
If you decide to make your own I suggest you avoid El Capitan and download the previous OS, Yosemite (OSX 10.10). You can always upgrade from there if you wish.

Older versions are available here; https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211683

You then need to create a bootable installer as mentioned above. The easiest app I know of for that is Instal Disk Creator, available free from here https://macdaddy.io/install-disk-creator/

 

[bigscreen]

Thank you Rod, but I can now report SUCCESS!!!!!
I found a super Youtube site by a person in Toronto. I followed that to the letter and it worked. The crucial factor seemed to be the precise point at which one resets the date and switches to Sole User mode.
I have been fighting this for nearly 4 weeks and stubbornness has prevailed.
For others, the site I used was El Capitan-No packages were eligible for install-FIX v2.

Over and out !!!