2011 iMac 27, need help installing os.

[AustinInDallas]

Hard drive was formatted so completely empty. No disk to install, so I have been experimenting with various OS X that I "acquired". I either get a installed failed error, or what I think is a kernel panic (not a Mac guy, so I'm kinda lost.)
Even tried iatkos for Mac and didn't work

Any idea what is wrong with it, or what version of the os I should install?
Ran thru a Mac server for diagnostics and hardware looks good

 

[eric89074]

If you know someone with a Mac you can buy ML from the app store for $20 and make a bootable usb key with tonymacx86's program. If not you could also buy a SL dvd off ebay or locally if someone on craigslist has it then upgrade from that.

 

[AustinInDallas]

If you know someone with a Mac you can buy ML from the app store for $20 and make a bootable usb key with tonymacx86's program. If not you could also buy a SL dvd off ebay or locally if someone on craigslist has it then upgrade from that.

I tried the ml dmg and iso and it didn't work. But didn't do it with tonymac program

 

[KeithP]

Do you have an internet connection? Command-R should get you up and running. From http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718

OS X Internet Recovery

If you happen to encounter a situation in which you cannot start from the Recovery System, such as your hard drive stopped responding or you installed a new hard drive without OS X installed, new Mac models introduced after public availability of OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion, automatically use the OS X Internet Recovery feature if the Recovery System (Command-R method above) doesn't work. OS X Internet Recovery lets you start your Mac directly from Apple's Servers. The system runs a quick test of your memory and hard drive to ensure there are no hardware issues.

OS X Internet Recovery presents a limited interface at first, with only the ability to select your preferred Wi-Fi network and, if needed, enter the WPA passphrase. Next, OS X Internet Recovery will download and start from a Recovery System image. From there, you are offered all the same utilities and functions described above.

As with the Recovery System, reinstallation of OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion from OS X Internet Recovery requires an Internet connection. See "Supported network configurations and protocols" below.

Some computers that did not ship with OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion installed may have a software update available that allows them to use Lion Internet Recovery.

-KeithP

 

[AustinInDallas]

So if it shipped with snow leopard will that work?

 

[manly]

So if it shipped with snow leopard will that work?

assuming it shipped just prior to the release of Lion, a retail SL disc may not work.

Any Lion or ML official release should work IMO.

 

[Tyranicus]

You can buy a Snow Leopard disc directly from Apple. Call them and give them your information, and they will mail it out to you.

 

[AustinInDallas]

assuming it shipped just prior to the release of Lion, a retail SL disc may not work.

Any Lion or ML official release should work IMO.

Tried the official dmg and ISo of both

 

[KeithP]

So if it shipped with snow leopard will that work?

According to that page, there was a firmware update released to allow internet recovery on "mid 2011" iMacs. Here is Apple's page on that: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4904

However, I think that firmware update would have to have been already applied.

-KeithP

 

[manly]

You can buy a Snow Leopard disc directly from Apple. Call them and give them your information, and they will mail it out to you.

Strangely enough, Apple is selling SL again!

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC...6-snow-leopard

The only reason is for Leopard users to gain access to the Mac App Store to be able to upgrade OS X (and to procure apps).

Tried the official dmg and ISo of both

I know, we can read. Unfortunately, that doesn't make any sense. (outside chance of flaky RAM, did you run memtest overnight?)

If you have access to another Mac, you can try installing to an external HD and then booting the iMac off of it. Or installing OS X to the iMac's internal HD in target-disk mode.

 

[AustinInDallas]

According to that page, there was a firmware update released to allow internet recovery on "mid 2011" iMacs. Here is Apple's page on that: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4904

However, I think that firmware update would have to have been already applied.

-KeithP

thanks. i downloaded the .dmg.
How do i apply this update with no os?

I assume you just put it on a bootable flash drive and hold down the command key?

 

[TheStu]

thanks. i downloaded the .dmg.
How do i apply this update with no os?

I assume you just put it on a bootable flash drive and hold down the command key?

No, you need the OS to apply the update.

Have you checked out the hardware to make sure it is actually working?
Do you have another, working Mac at your disposal?

 

[AustinInDallas]

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=DB442BD8FDF86759!185&authkey=!ABprEIU6qBefg1U

No, you need the OS to apply the update.

Have you checked out the hardware to make sure it is actually working?
Do you have another, working Mac at your disposal?

Yes quite a few. One is a Mac server used for diagnosing. Hardware check is great

 

[TheStu]

Yes quite a few. One is a Mac server used for diagnosing. Hardware check is great

Ok, can you connect the 2 systems with a firewire or thunderbolt cable?

You can use Target Disk Mode to mount the iMac's drive onto the other Mac, and then partition it.

Here is what I would suggest, if you can get a .DMG of 10.7 or 10.8, I would suggest the following steps.

1: Turn off both Macs
2: Turn on the iMac, and hold T
3: Turn on the other Mac, and let it boot normally, the iMac's drive should show up
4: Open Disk Utility and check out the iMac's drive
5: Break off about 20 GB from the drive and make it a new partition (format it Mac OS File System, Journaled, not case-sensitive)
6: Drag the 10.7/8 DMG into Disk Utility, it should now be in the sidebar
7: Select the DMG in the sidebar and then choose Restore
8: Choose the newly created 20GB partition as the destination, and let it restore
9: Power off both systems

10: On the iMac, turn it back on, and hold ALT after hitting the power button
11: Choose the partition that comes up, which should then launch the installation process

12: Install OS X as normal

In theory, that should work.

 

[AustinInDallas]

@thestu

thanks for going out of your way to type that up.....but i still get kernal panics

My store service guy(not apple store) did something in target disk mode where he basically made a copy of the restore portion of the mac mini server. That took a long time to copy, but when it did, it got the furthest before a install fail.

is there anyway to update the firmware from the other mac?(since i cant find how to update them on the mac without an os)

 

[Childs]

If you know someone with a working Mac, or have access to one, you can install to a USB drive or even just a flash drive, boot your Mac using the USB drive, then apply the firmware.

If this is the iMac mid 2011 model, it shipped with 10.6.6 (10J4026). So a 10.7 dmg should work. Out of curiosity, how did you get this Mac? Was the hard drive replaced, or just reformatted? Regardless, I would repartition it, using GUID partition table, and boot from a 10.7 dmg. Or install 10.7 to a thumb drive or usb drive from another Mac, then update the firmware, then use internet recovery. This really depends on whether or not you can boot from an external drive. Although if you can boot from an external drive, that implies something is wrong with the installed drive.

@thestu

thanks for going out of your way to type that up.....but i still get kernal panics

My store service guy(not apple store) did something in target disk mode where he basically made a copy of the restore portion of the mac mini server. That took a long time to copy, but when it did, it got the furthest before a install fail.

is there anyway to update the firmware from the other mac?(since i cant find how to update them on the mac without an os)

Where did you get kernel panics at? You shouldn't get kernel panics when you put your iMac in target mode, attach it to another Mac, then install to your Mac's drive. Its not using your iMacs CPU, RAM, etc, its basically just a overpriced external drive when in target mode. If you are getting KP's after you installed and during the first boot up only using your iMac, maybe there is something wrong with the disc image you used to install. That seems less likely, as long as its 10.6.7 or later. What is important is that you find out exactly which Mac you have, and what OS it shipped with. You can look it up on http://www.everymac.com/. Apple uses machine specific builds for new hardware, so a 10.6.6 dmg is not the same as the version that shipped with new hardware. 10.6.6 could have came out the same time as 10.7, so you might need a later version of 10.7.x to install on your hardware. This should work with a ML dmg, so make sure your drive is partitioned properly and post exactly when you are seeing the KPs.

 

[TheStu]

@thestu

thanks for going out of your way to type that up.....but i still get kernal panics

My store service guy(not apple store) did something in target disk mode where he basically made a copy of the restore portion of the mac mini server. That took a long time to copy, but when it did, it got the furthest before a install fail.

is there anyway to update the firmware from the other mac?(since i cant find how to update them on the mac without an os)

Yea, I am not so sure that making a copy of the Mini Server's restore partition was wise.

There is a limitation where Macs generally won't boot an OS older than they are. So, if the iMac came with 10.6.6, you couldn't use 10.5 to get it working, you would want 10.7 or 10.8.

You have said that you aren't a Mac guy, when you say kernel panic, what do you mean? Grey screen, lots of text, a sort of slightly nicer looking Blue Screen of Death sort of vibe?

Also, what Childs said too.

 

[AustinInDallas]

If you know someone with a working Mac, or have access to one, you can install to a USB drive or even just a flash drive, boot your Mac using the USB drive, then apply the firmware.
not following. i restored the dmg of the firmware update to a flash drive and the mac wouldnt boot to it

If this is the iMac mid 2011 model, it shipped with 10.6.6 (10J4026). So a 10.7 dmg should work. Out of curiosity, how did you get this Mac? open box return

Was the hard drive replaced, or just reformatted? formatted to delete previous owners data

Regardless, I would repartition it, using GUID partition table, and boot from a 10.7 dmg. Or install 10.7 to a thumb drive or usb drive from another Mac, then update the firmware, then use internet recovery. This really depends on whether or not you can boot from an external drive. Although if you can boot from an external drive, that implies something is wrong with the installed drive.

Where did you get kernel panics at? only during install, not target disk mode If you are getting KP's after you installed and during the first boot up only using your iMac, maybe there is something wrong with the disc image you used to install. its very possible, but by this point i have used a number of different imagesThat seems less likely, as long as its 10.6.7 or later. What is important is that you find out exactly which Mac you have, and what OS it shipped with. You can look it up on http://www.everymac.com/.
Apple iMac "Core i5" 2.7 27-Inch (Mid-2011) Specs

Identifiers: Mid-2011 - MC813LL/A
Apple uses machine specific builds for new hardware, so a 10.6.6 dmg is not the same as the version that shipped with new hardware. 10.6.6 could have came out the same time as 10.7, so you might need a later version of 10.7.x to install on your hardware. This should work with a ML dmg, so make sure your drive is partitioned properly and post exactly when you are seeing the KPs.

this was one of them

 

[Childs]

not following. i restored the dmg of the firmware update to a flash drive and the mac wouldnt boot to it

You dont boot from a firmware dmg. You install it, the Mac restarts and applies the firmware.

only during install, not target disk mode

Putting the Mac in target mode, connecting it to another Mac, then install from that Mac to your iMac's hard drive is what you want to try if OS X Recovery Disk Assistant below doesnt work for some reason.

its very possible, but by this point i have used a number of different images

The problem is it may require specific versions of the OS or 10.6.6 and 10.7.x. Lion was being finished up in June and July of 11, so if you tried a 10.7.0 dmg it might not have supported it. 10.8 should work without issue.

Apple iMac "Core i5" 2.7 27-Inch (Mid-2011) Specs

Identifiers: Mid-2011 - MC813LL/A/

Try using OS X Recovery Disk Assistant

So on a working Mac, download this, install to a thumb drive, then boot off the thumb drive on your iMac by holding down OPTION.

 

[manly]

honestly if you're installing from known good OS X dmgs (10.7 or later), then some hardware issue could be the culprit.

A couple weeks ago, the Apple Store ran the same software diagnostics (and some overnight tests) on my Mac and never found a problem. To be fair, nor did an independent service provider I visited. Turns out the problem was a bad RAM slot.

 

[AustinInDallas]

Could I take this iMac into an apple store if I have a receipt saying it was bought a week ago from an authorized apple retailer?

 

[rugby]

There's no way you can have this many problems installing the OS unless there is bad hardware.

And Apple's hardware diagnostics suck. You can take the machine to Apple, they will charge you $39 for labor (I think) and a LOT for the replacement hardware.

 

[AustinInDallas]

So I was ready to swap out the hd, but I gave it one more try. Used target disk mode to completely wipe everything including empty space. Got ml from the App Store on the Mac I was using for target disk and.....IT WORKED!....for now. Installed with no kernel panics, and haven't got one from the 10 mins worth of messing with it.
It's just so strange because I used dmgs of lion and ml that worked for many other people. Oh well

But thanks to all of the people that helped. I have learned a lot about the Mac OS in the last few weeks. Though I still don't prefer it, I appreciate (or at least understand) it a little more



EDIT: nm, it's fubar. Restarting unexpectedly

 

[AustinInDallas]

You dont boot from a firmware dmg. You install it, the Mac restarts and applies the firmware.



Putting the Mac in target mode, connecting it to another Mac, then install from that Mac to your iMac's hard drive is what you want to try if OS X Recovery Disk Assistant below doesnt work for some reason.



The problem is it may require specific versions of the OS or 10.6.6 and 10.7.x. Lion was being finished up in June and July of 11, so if you tried a 10.7.0 dmg it might not have supported it. 10.8 should work without issue.



Try using OS X Recovery Disk Assistant

So on a working Mac, download this, install to a thumb drive, then boot off the thumb drive on your iMac by holding down OPTION.

OS X recovery disk assistant requires a working os

 

[TheStu]

So I was ready to swap out the hd, but I gave it one more try. Used target disk mode to completely wipe everything including empty space. Got ml from the App Store on the Mac I was using for target disk and.....IT WORKED!....for now. Installed with no kernel panics, and haven't got one from the 10 mins worth of messing with it.
It's just so strange because I used dmgs of lion and ml that worked for many other people. Oh well

But thanks to all of the people that helped. I have learned a lot about the Mac OS in the last few weeks. Though I still don't prefer it, I appreciate (or at least understand) it a little more



EDIT: nm, it's fubar. Restarting unexpectedly

Yea, then there is a much larger problem going on. The machine has a 1 year warranty, so you can take it in.