Is this machine any good

[Pete&&1937]

Hello, I hope this is the correct place.

I have been given a Apple MacBook, Model No. A1181, also on the back of it there is N122 Z844.
When I switch it on the Utilities Window appears with the option to Restore, Reinstall, Get Help on line and Disk Utility.
There are no other disks, just the cables.
I have no knowledge about Mac's, being a Linux and Windows 10 person, but I would like to try toget this Mac running if possible without spending a great deal of money on it.

So, my question is;- Can I do anything with this other than throw it away?

Thank you.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Your MacBook has a Model Number that is shared by 16 other MacBook models. It could be one of the 2006, 2007 or 2008 models.

If you remove the battery you'll see the Serial Number & EMC Number, both which will enable us to properly advise you on which step to take next.

Be sure to provide the information that you see on the actual computer, rather than on the battery.

 

[Pete&&1937]

Thank you Spawn Dooley,
Serial number w87 453 pcohc
emc number 2200, its probably out of the Ark! .

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Did you find any further information in the battery bay for example processor speed, original RAM??

It looks to be one of 3 late 2007 models ... maximum OS Version that you can run is Mac OS X 10.7.5 (Lion) other than that unfortunately the model seems to be no longer supported by Apple which means no security updates.

A fine machine nonetheless but Apple has placed it in the "obsolete" category but if you maxed the RAM out (it is known to be able to take 6GB) it should run fine & it's 64Bit Architecture makes it worthy of being saved from the scrapheap!

You may be able to source the OS media from Apple or otherwise through Amazon or eBay. You just need to be mindful that there are sellers out there flogging install media that just won't work ... the Full Retail version with an X on the disc label is what to look for.

I just had a look & found the following:

OS X Lion (10.7)

You just need to scroll down to the bottom right of that page & select your country.

In your case you may need the physical disc though ...

Apple Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger (Retail) Full Version for Mac

In the Utilities Window that appears with the option to Restore, Reinstall, what happens if you choose one of those particular 2 options?

 

[Pete&&1937]

Thank you,
The only other numers on the iside of the battery compartment ar: 2.2/2X1G/160/SD-DL:Black and Airport ID 221D4FF98E3F if this is any help.

 

[Pete&&1937]

This is what I found in Mac OS X Utilities:

Device Utility

Re-install from time machine backup - Select the Drive that contains the Backup.....nothing shows

Reinstall Mac OS X - "Mac OS X Lion" Window appears, smaller window appears telling me it can't be reinstalled because you are not connected to the Internet.

Get Help Online - It's not connected.

Disk U6tility - Window appears -
Left Panel - Drive 160.04 GB ST9160821A
Underneath that - Disk 0x2 Greyed Out
Superdrive - Greyed out

Disk 1
Mac OS X Base System -

Right hand window - empty

Is this of any help? thank you

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

You could try connecting it to the internet via ethernet to see how far you can get with reinstalling the OS but you might run into App Store account issues there.

My earlier info in Post # 4 is what you need to consider.

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello again Spawn_Dooley, I am taking onboard what you said about getting a installation disk, Apple Mac OS X 10.4.6 Tiger (Retail) Full Version for Mac. My device Utility tells me that I have - "Mac OS X Lion", should I still look for the Disk that you have suggested.

Whilst I am asking, are these names Lion and Tiger the equivalent or similar to Windows 10, XP etc.or for each type of Mac Machine i.e.
Thanks again

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Did you try connecting a blue ethernet cable to the MacBook & seeing if you can reinstall Lion?

Yes Tiger is Mac OS X 10.4 & Lion is Mac OS X 10.7. Apple is now up to macOS Sierra which is 10.12.

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Spawn_Dooley,
Thank you for your patience.
In my junk box I have found a Cat 5 cable. I have never used a ethernet cable before.
I have a Acer TC-280 Desktop withe Linux Mint installed, I use this daily.
I also have a Acer Aspire 5332 with Windows 10 installed, I seldom use this, its mainly for iTunes, my iPhone and its photographs.
I would really appreciate your advice on this.
Thank you

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

As long as it looks like this one it's okay. Are you using a wired or wireless connection for your other computers?

 

[Pete&&1937]

Ah! this is grey. - verified cat 5 - Cable Master.- I can use wired or wireless.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

The actual colour doesn't really matter, it's the connectors that count.

So in theory you can connect the MacBook to the internet using your WiFi password. Possibly clicking on the WiFi symbol may bring up a list of available networks.

Give it a whirl but you may not get far ... over the internet would likely take you to the App Store where you would need to log into your account & would also have needed to already have downloaded that OS version.

No harm trying.

 

[Pete&&1937]

I should have said I can use wired or wireless for my Laptop Windows 10. but just wired for Desktop - Linux

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Spawn_Dooley.

I seem to have connected via wi-fi o.k.
I have got to the "Mac OS X Lion 10.7, click to continue" Window!
when I click this I get... "To download and restore Mac OS X, your computers illegibility will be verified with Apple.

I can then agree with Terms and conditions.

Then I get " Select the disk where you want to install Mac OS X

The only option given is:- Recovery HD
650MB total * 129.9 MB available
This Disk is locked

The only option then is Back

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Yes that's correct, you can't install onto the Recovery partition as it's reserved for instances when you need to perform maintenance. You need to install it onto the main hard drive. In the Disk Utility window you should see your MacBook's hard drive in the left column like in my photo. It needs to be partitioned & formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled) & have a GUID partition map.

Do you see your MacBook's hard drive in that column? Does it have an indented hard drive beneath it like mine (I renamed mine Boursin but typically it would be called MacintoshHD).

If you can only see the first disc (Fusion Drive) then select it & click Partition in the menu along the top of the Disk Utility window. You can then partition & format the drive so it should also appear in the options window as an available disc to reinsntall Mac OS onto.

It's past midnight here so I'll check back in the morning

 

[Ormond]

I have a Macbook only a few years newer than yours. It's entirely useful for email, web, and many other things. I used it daily for years until just a few months ago.

My suggestion, forget about the Mac App Store and Lion. If it were me, I'd buy Snow Leopard on Amazon from a vendor named MacInstaller for about $15. You'll receive a Snow Leopard installer on a USB stick. You won't be dependent on Apple for anything. No MacApp store telling you what you can and can't do etc.

I'd wipe the drive clean, install Snow Leopard, and then begin installing the apps that interested me.

You'd won't be able to run all apps in Snow Leopard (OSX 10.6.8), given it is an old operating system. Snow Leopard is however one of the best OSs Apple ever made, and older versions of software are typically available.

Have fun!

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Spawn_Dooley,
Whoever wiped this disk did an excellent job.
I got the option to Partition, changed the Partition Layout, when I "appied" I confirmed and then got a window "Partition Failed" Partition failed with the error - Couldn't modify partition map because file system verification failed!.

I have read the message from Ormond (thanks very much Ormond), and it has given me food for thought!
What on earth am I wasting your time for (and mine), I have an excellent Linux set up on one machine, and Windows 10 (seldom used) on another).

However, Linux Mint 17 will not run iTunes - I cannot get my photos to it smoothly from my iPhone, or my music.
I thought that using this (free) MacBook would be a learning curve into Apple, and I would use it just for iTunes (at first).

If Snow Leopard will do just what I want, this would be fine, you have spent a lot of time with me and I am very grateful, so have you an opinion about Snow Leopard?

Ormond, thank you for you input, I will have a look at this also.

 

[Pete&&1937]

I have just had a look for Snow leopard and read this, how can I see what the spec for this machine is,
Minimum System Requirements on your Mac
OS X 10.5.8
1 GB of RAM Additional Ram Recommended

Can I solve any on this machines problems (my problems) by using the terminal?

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Hello Spawn_Dooley,
Whoever wiped this disk did an excellent job.
I got the option to Partition, changed the Partition Layout, when I "appied" I confirmed and then got a window "Partition Failed" Partition failed with the error - Couldn't modify partition map because file system verification failed!.

What do you mean exactly by "you changed the Partition Layout" ... were you changing it or setting it? Did you see 2 hard drives in Disc Uitility? One indented below the main one just like in my image? (where Boursin is the indented one & Fusion Drive is the main one)

Your MacBook originally shipped with Mac OS X 10.5 which is Leopard. So it can run Leopard, 10.6 Snow Leopard or 10.7 Lion.

The only OS I wouldn't bother with is Leopard. Snow Leopard is better & Lion is better still but the choice is yours.

Either try to source the Install media via phone to Apple or on eBay or Amazon. Just be mindful that you need the full retail version so check back here first if you're not sure. A lot of sellers flog of install discs that are only designed for the Mac they shipped with, as discs that will work with any Mac but buyer beware!

Once you have the Install Disc you can use the method in my previous post to format the

This is a vital read:

Telling the difference between a Mac OS X Restore Disc and a Retail Install Disc

You can purchase Mac OS X Lion 10.7 directly from Apple via this link ... just scroll to the bottom right to change your country if you're not in the US.

OS X Lion (10.7) $19.99