Install Lion from recovery on wiped MBP

mith · 01-27-2013, 06:59 PM

Hi all,
I got a used MBP with the main partition wiped. It still has Lion's recovery partition. And I don't have the install disk.

The computer is for a new user who does not have a Mac, but does have an iTunes account.

If I start the computer with command-R I can go into recovery mode, but OS X wants a valid account (which I have) who purchased Lion. As mentioned the account has never even used the Mac App Store. I could buy MOUNTAIN Lion with her account from another Mac, but will that allow me to install the OS from the recovery disk. I eventually want to upgrade the computer to Mountain Lion, so I would be happy to purchase it now, it's just a matter of ability to install from the recovery partition.

Thank you

DeltaMac · 01-27-2013, 08:24 PM

Yes, if you can boot to the recovery partition, you can install OS X.
You do need an internet connection.
The install will ask for authentication with your Apple ID (your friend's iTunes account info will work just fine for that, as that will be the ultimate user...

)
If you need to purchase Lion, then you would probably need to do that first.
Lion is not directly available for purchase, but you can call AppleCare and get a redemption code that you can then use to purchase Lion.
Or, you could simply ignore Lion, and purchase Mountain Lion. Either way, not much to spend to get your Mac going again.

BTW, a Mac that came with Lion installed never had an install disk. It's all done through the recovery system. In fact, some models also support full recovery over the internet. Nothing needs to be installed, and that's how it can be done, even with nothing at all on the hard drive.

mith · 01-27-2013, 09:42 PM

I bought mountain lion on a separate PC, but the MBP still tells me I must use an account that purchased Lion.

Any ideas? ;(

DeltaMac · 01-27-2013, 09:53 PM

Download the Mountain Lion installer, and make a boot disk, which could be to burn a DVD with that installer, or an 8GB flash drive, or a separate partition on an external hard drive.
When you have the installer downloaded, then this is a great app to use to have a copy that you can keep. http://liondiskmaker.com
hint: just download the Mountain Lion installer, but don't let it install until you make a copy.

Then, you boot to the Mountain Lion installer, and you can then install - and you won't need the old account info that was used to purchase Lion.

mith · 01-28-2013, 01:32 PM

Making a boot disk did the trick.

Thank you

01-27-2013, 06:59 PM	#1
mith Triple-A Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Italy Posts: 182	Install Lion from recovery on wiped MBP Hi all, I got a used MBP with the main partition wiped. It still has Lion's recovery partition. And I don't have the install disk. The computer is for a new user who does not have a Mac, but does have an iTunes account. If I start the computer with command-R I can go into recovery mode, but OS X wants a valid account (which I have) who purchased Lion. As mentioned the account has never even used the Mac App Store. I could buy MOUNTAIN Lion with her account from another Mac, but will that allow me to install the OS from the recovery disk. I eventually want to upgrade the computer to Mountain Lion, so I would be happy to purchase it now, it's just a matter of ability to install from the recovery partition. Thank you

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01-27-2013, 08:24 PM	#2
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,950	Yes, if you can boot to the recovery partition, you can install OS X. You do need an internet connection. The install will ask for authentication with your Apple ID (your friend's iTunes account info will work just fine for that, as that will be the ultimate user... ) If you need to purchase Lion, then you would probably need to do that first. Lion is not directly available for purchase, but you can call AppleCare and get a redemption code that you can then use to purchase Lion. Or, you could simply ignore Lion, and purchase Mountain Lion. Either way, not much to spend to get your Mac going again. BTW, a Mac that came with Lion installed never had an install disk. It's all done through the recovery system. In fact, some models also support full recovery over the internet. Nothing needs to be installed, and that's how it can be done, even with nothing at all on the hard drive.

01-27-2013, 09:42 PM	#3
mith Triple-A Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Italy Posts: 182	I bought mountain lion on a separate PC, but the MBP still tells me I must use an account that purchased Lion. Any ideas? ;(

01-27-2013, 09:53 PM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,950	Download the Mountain Lion installer, and make a boot disk, which could be to burn a DVD with that installer, or an 8GB flash drive, or a separate partition on an external hard drive. When you have the installer downloaded, then this is a great app to use to have a copy that you can keep. http://liondiskmaker.com hint: just download the Mountain Lion installer, but don't let it install until you make a copy. Then, you boot to the Mountain Lion installer, and you can then install - and you won't need the old account info that was used to purchase Lion.

01-28-2013, 01:32 PM	#5
mith Triple-A Player Join Date: May 2003 Location: Italy Posts: 182	Making a boot disk did the trick. Thank you