New To Mac

[LordOdin]

Hi, I have just joined the Forum as i don't know anything about Mac's, my Sister gave me her old Mac but she must of wiped it because when i start it up it comes up with the Disc Utility Window. What i did was erase the disc then click on install Mac OSX and it comes up with the option to enter my Apple ID, i enter it and get a message with a code to my iPhone. The thing is there is nowhere to enter the code on the computer screen so can't reinstall a operating system, i tried the repair disc option but nothing apart from it saying the disk seems ok. I would appreciate any help getting this mac up and running please, tried youtube and google but nothing coming up with an answer so any help really appreciated.
Tim

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum.

A couple of things: check with your sister to see if she followed Apple's directions on how to prepare a Mac for sale ( https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201065 ). Second, look at step 7 in that document for a link on how to install macOS to the system. If that Mac is still associated with her AppleID or iCloud, that could be causing the issues you are seeing.

Do you know what Mac it is? Typically Macs are named "mid-2015" or some such, depending on when they were first released. For example, see my Mac specs in the profile to the left.

 

[Brian1230]

Welcome to the best forum, and of course the best computers and the ultimate in operating systems. Apple is the very elite. it will take a little to get used to it but once you do, you'll never go back.

 

[LordOdin]

I assume she erased it the way it should be done as i gave her the instructions of what to do after getting them from a Apple site i was looking through. What exactly happens is it loads up into Disk Utility Mode where you have the various options as you probably know. I erased the Macintosh HD and after that i tried installing Mac OS from the same menu. It came up with something like this will install Yosemite OS on your Drive, i clicked on ok then it came up with the enter your Apple ID which i tried and i got the message on my iPhone saying someone had tried to enter my Apple account and gave me a 6 Digit Code which i was unable to enter because there wasn't anywhere to enter the code, the Mac is quite old but i have no idea what model it is and can't find anywhere on it that says unless it is hidden behind something, i wanted it originally because she wasn't using it saying it was slow so i was going to put a ssd in it.

 

[MacInWin]

OK, about the only thing I can think of is to do an Internet Recovery. Here is Apple's article on that: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904
Toward the bottom is a section titled "Other macOS Installations Options." Read that carefully and try that. Once you get any working version installed, you can look to see what version of the Mac it is and from that we can tell you how to get the most recent version it will run installed.

 

[LordOdin]

Thanks @MacInWin for your help so far, can i not just download a Mac OS and put it on a Flash Drive and do it that way somehow, i think it's called a DMG File. Then get it to boot from the Flash Drive and do it like that somehow ?.

 

[MacInWin]

If you have another working Mac, you can do that. I would suggest something like DiskmakerX to make the bootable USB drive because the way Apple suggests doing it requires Terminal commands and if you are new to Mac you may not be comfortable with that. Depending on what Mac it is and how far it can go with the OS, you can download the installer files from Apple. Newer versions come as an application that can be moved to the USB drive with either the Terminal commands from Apple or DiskmakerX. Older versions come as DMG files that have on them an installer that then creates another installer that can then be move to the USB with the Terminal commands or DiskmakerX. But all of them require a working Mac.

Internet Recovery, on the other hand, does not. It just requires you to boot with the key combination held down, (not quick pressed, held down until you see the process start) and then it needs to connect to your Wifi and it will start the download. No AppleID required, just a Mac that can be started and connected to the network.

Either way, you are going to have to download the install program. Why not just go ahead and use Internet Recovery directly?

 

[chscag]

Just another bit of info for you:

If you can find the serial number of the Mac, we can tell you which model you have and what version of macOS you can install on it.

If it's a portable Mac (MacBook Pro) the serial number should be on the bottom case. If it's a desktop Mac, you will need the original receipt or box it came in. Not easy to locate those things though.

 

[Rod]

This fools a lot of people including myself the first time it happened. The box to enter the 6 digit number you received on your iPhone is behind the dialogue box you can see in the foreground.
Just use your mouse or trackpad to select (click an hold while dragging) and drag that box to the side an you will see the boxes to enter the number behind it.

 

[LordOdin]

This fools a lot of people including myself the first time it happened. The box to enter the 6 digit number you received on your iPhone is behind the dialogue box you can see in the foreground.
Just use your mouse or trackpad to select (click an hold while dragging) and drag that box to the side an you will see the boxes to enter the number behind it.

I moved the Dialog Box and there was nothing behind it so couldn't enter the 6 digit number. Things must of changed.

 

[LordOdin]

Found a program called Transmac which will enable me to create a Yosemite bootable disk. Once i have done it i should be able to install it on this Mac touch wood.

 

[MacInWin]

Hope you are not disappointed by that. Transmac has failed for a lot of people. But good luck with it.

 

[LordOdin]

Got a bit further but it's coming up that the App Store is Temporarily Unavailable when i try to use the bootable usb drive, got to put the code in but it's still temporarily unavailable so stuck with a piece of junk really. My sister said she doesn't remember using the apple account so no joy there either, you mentioned a internet recovery earlier but not sure how to do that, will i still need the original log in details ?. I am lost at the moment so any help appreciated.

 

[MacInWin]

Post #5. Read the Apple article linked there. Internet Recovery is at the end of the article.

EDIT: The Apple status page says the store is up: https://www.apple.com/support/systemstatus/

 

[LordOdin]

Tried the Internet thing and it just takes me to the disk utility window with the same options i could access before, i think it's needing the original password which i don't have, my sister has no idea what i am on about so she is no help, if there was some way of bypassing the password part that would help, i will keep searching the internet but i think this Mac is destined for the skip sadly.

 

[MacInWin]

That's how Internet Recovery works. It takes you to the window where you can repartition and format the internal drive and install the OS, either the last one it had or the first one it came with. The installation is downloaded from Apple directly. Did you try that? (NOTE: You have to partition the drive, not just erase it. It has to be taken all the way back to blank and partitioned with macOS Extended Journaled and GUID but with nothing on it. Erasing doesn't do that, it just erases data but leaves the partitioning/format and some hidden areas that may be triggering the request for AppleID/password.)

If you boot to the utility screen from the bootable thumb drive, or through Internet Recovery, you should be able to use Disk Utility to repartition/erase the internal drive. Then it should allow an installation without the password it is asking for because at that point there is nothing Apple knows other than that a Mac is asking for the installation.

One thought, though, did your sister remove the Mac from her AppleID account?

 

[LordOdin]

That's how Internet Recovery works. It takes you to the window where you can repartition and format the internal drive and install the OS, either the last one it had or the first one it came with. The installation is downloaded from Apple directly. Did you try that? (NOTE: You have to partition the drive, not just erase it. It has to be taken all the way back to blank and partitioned with macOS Extended Journaled and GUID but with nothing on it. Erasing doesn't do that, it just erases data but leaves the partitioning/format and some hidden areas that may be triggering the request for AppleID/password.)

If you boot to the utility screen from the bootable thumb drive, or through Internet Recovery, you should be able to use Disk Utility to repartition/erase the internal drive. Then it should allow an installation without the password it is asking for because at that point there is nothing Apple knows other than that a Mac is asking for the installation.

One thought, though, did your sister remove the Mac from her AppleID account?

You have been a big help so far @MacInWin and i really appreciate you taking the time to help with this Mac. I have been just erasing the Drive and haven't repartitioned it with GUID assuming it was already partitioned. I usually watch Video's on You Tube and i don't think any of them have shown how to repartition first. That's maybe the reason i get the enter Apple ID and Password Request. To be honest i never noticed the partition part on the Mac.

 

[Rod]

The thing is you need to erase the "media". That is the actual Disk, not the partition called Macintosh HD. It will be at the top of the list in the side menu bar of Disk Utility. It will have a proprietary name. When you choose that to erase you will see three boxes, one will be Disk Map, you need to choose GUID but first check the Partition Tab at the top and ensure it is just one partition. Then I advise you choose Macintosh HD as the name, MacOS Extended (Journalled) as the Format and GUID for Mapping.
You will end up with a new Partition called Macintosh HD onto which you should be able to install a new clean OSX either from Internet Recovery or an external source. The "problem" with that is Internet Recovery will now download the OSX that came originally on the device, you will then need to update it from there.

 

[LordOdin]

The thing is you need to erase the "media". That is the actual Disk, not the partition called Macintosh HD. It will be at the top of the list in the side menu bar of Disk Utility. It will have a proprietary name. When you choose that to erase you will see three boxes, one will be Disk Map, you need to choose GUID but first check the Partition Tab at the top and ensure it is just one partition. Then I advise you choose Macintosh HD as the name, MacOS Extended (Journalled) as the Format and GUID for Mapping.
You will end up with a new Partition called Macintosh HD onto which you should be able to install a new clean OSX either from Internet Recovery or an external source. The "problem" with that is Internet Recovery will now download the OSX that came originally on the device, you will then need to update it from there.

Hi @Rod just tried the suggestions but it won't let me erase or partition the drive, says something like "Can't Unmount Drive" googled it and tried a couple of ways but they didn't work, i tried also to boot with an External Drive pressing Option when switching on but it shows a recovery drive which i click and am taken to Disk Utility again. So i am kind of stuck, most of the ways that i have seen to unmount a drive seem to be with the OS already installed and running. I need to unmount the main drive but have no idea how to.

 

[MacInWin]

You cannot unmount the drive from which you are booted. Hence the need for a bootable external drive, either a real drive or a thumb drive. Or use the Internet Recovery process and use Disk Utility from there as again, you won't be booted from a drive, but the Internet.