Is this machine any good

[Spawn_Dooley]

We'll give it our best shot!

Here is what I see when I boot into Recovery Mode (Command R) & select Disk Utility from the choices (the last choice in the list). I used my iPhone to take the picture. Ignore my external hard drives & tell me how different is it to what you see, if you can use your phone to take a photo of your screen & upload it here it would save a deal of time.

 

[Pete&&1937]

I hope I ave done this correctly - first time ever...
When I turn on Command r, this is all I get - the Utilities

 

[Pete&&1937]

This is what I see when I open Disk Utility, is this better info?

 

[Pete&&1937]

This is the Partition window

 

[Pete&&1937]

And hee is where it stops the Partition

 

[Pete&&1937]

Spawn_Dooley, I don't want to get carried away with my new found option, but were these any good?,

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Fabulous! Now it's all clear to me. I can see that there is a Recovery Partition (disk1) & then the main hard drive (160.04 GB ST9160821A) with it's already partitioned sector (disk0s2).

So the partition disk0s2 is where you would install Mac OS X.

Don't worry about the Partition Failed message, we were intent on creating a partition that is already there so we now can move on.

If you return to the Mac OS Utilities window & select Reinstall Mac OS X, you can see if it's possible to reinstall onto disk0s2. So as a destination you need to select your main Hard Drive which is the one at the top to the list in the left pane of Disk Utility.

So give that a go now.

 

[Ormond]

Pete,

Yes, the best thing you can do is try to be as specific as you can regarding what you want to do with this machine. Then you can examine various options against your goal, and see which will achieve your goal and which will not.

Perhaps this will help. I have a 20 year old Mac (connected to our house speakers) I use only for Spotify, and before that iTunes. It works great for these limited tasks. Perhaps your new Mac could be your own dedicated music system?

It sounds like you're already set up on Linux to do all your routine tasks, thus it would likely be pointless bother to try to get an old Mac to do everything.

The reason I suggested a specific vendor on Amazon is that I've used them myself and had a great experience. I can't speak for all vendors on Amazon obviously, and I don't doubt there are some bums.

There's nothing wrong with buying directly from Apple if you prefer. I don't do so myself given that a) I'm annoyed Apple doesn't sell all it's old OSXs in one place in a convenient shopping system and b) I get better support from the Amazon guy. But that's just me.

Your thread reminds me I have a REALLY old Mac tucked away in a closet upstairs, from the early 80s I think. It was literally owned by a little old lady it's whole life, who gave it to my wife a few years ago. In pristine condition with the original manual, a printer, the whole deal. Not sure what I'll ever do with it, maybe hang on to it until it's worth as much as it sold for originally.

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Spawn_Dooley,
I think I have followed you o.k.

I dragged disk0s2 (it looks greyed out) into “Destination”
and “Mac OS X Base System” into Source.

When I entered Restore I got the message “The Startup Disk can't be used as a restore source”

Underneath the “ Destination” it says “Erase “disk0s2” and copy the contents of “Mac OS X Base System to it”

Have I lost the plot somewhere?



Hello Ormond,
It was just the fact that this machine was given to me, I know nothing at all about Mac's, and thought that I would like to know something.
As I have said, I have Windows 10 that I mostly only use for my iPhone and its contents, and a Paint programme.
If I (We) can get this Mac running I thought that it would be better than windows, as you say, I use Linux for everything else, its only fault is that iTunes will not run with it and I have the iPhone.

This Mac is not vital to me, I just like a challenge, and being retired, I have the time (when my wife allows!!!!)>

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Hi Pete&&1937, you needed to quit out of Disk Utility back to the Mac OS X Utilities window then out of there are 4 options,

• Restore From Time Machine Backup,
  
• Reinstall Mac OS X,
  
• Get Help Online &
  
• Disk Utility.

Choose the 2nd option, "Reinstall Mac OS X" & follow the prompts.

Let me know how it goes. This is a decent Mac with decent specifications.

 

[Pete&&1937]

Good morning Spawn_Dooley, I followed that path, the window that finally opened showed the Recovery HD greyed out saying this disk is locked, the only option given was "Back".
Should there be another drive showing as an option?

I have had a look at Amazon and EBay UK for the disk that you have suggested but nothing appears like that, I will look again later this morning.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Good morning Pete, you should be presented with a window asking you to choose where to install Lion. You should see all available disks … do you think you can take a picture of the last window you arrive at after you select "Reinstall Mac OS X"?

Here is the link to purchase Mac OS X Lion in the UK

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/D6106ZM/A/os-x-lion

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Spawn_Dooley, this is the end of the line picture, you can see that the recovery disk is the only disk showing, the only option at the bottom is back :-(
I am just on myway out again 1230, so will not be able to respond until this evening, btw, I really appreciate your help. Pete.

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Okay Pete, go back to the Mac OS X Utilities window then choose the 4th option ... Disk Utility. Select your hard drive in the left hand column, the drive named 160.04 GB ST9160821A & then click on "Erase". Follow the prompts, choosing Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) & when the erase is completed, go back in & see if you can complete the Lion installation. Hopefully there will be 2 locations in the window & your MacintoshHD will show. If it does, select it & click Install.

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello again Spawn_Dooley, I followed your steps, this is the final step.
Do you think that I (we) are coming to the stage where I do need to get a disk from somewhere?
I am quite happy to continue along these lines if you are?

Thanks, Pete. .

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Spawn_Dooley,
I don't know how I got there, but I have now arrived at the point where my password and verification code is required.
I didn't know what that was (verification code), so had to google, I then mistyped my password in my excitement so have had to start again.
I've decided to leave it until tomorrow, so I will report back then,
Goodnight, and thanks
btw, I have decided that if all else fails I will get the disk from Apple, but I hope I (we) are getting there.

 

[Ormond]

Well Pete, you're achieving your goal of learning something about Macs, and Mac culture more generally.

The original vision for the Mac was a great one, point and click simplicity. Within this vision, you should be able to insert an install disk, click a button named "Install OSX" and that should be the end of it.

Sadly, this brilliant vision of simplicity has been largely abandoned by both Apple and a great many of it's users. Indeed, the more technically savvy a Mac user is the less likely it is that they will be interested in the original "simple is better" vision of the Mac, because their value to the community arises from their mastery of complexity. What's sad is that a lot of the complexity they've mastered is pointless.

The lesson you might earn from your time investment in this thread here is that the Mac is no longer really the Mac, and as we stumble forward in to the future, fewer and fewer people get that as the original brilliant vision recedes in to the mists of time.

Perhaps you can educate us? Suppose somebody gave me a machine that would only run Linux and I knew nothing about Linux. I face the job of installing Linux if I want to use this machine. How would that process compare with this process?

 

[Pete&&1937]

Hello Ormond,
I have been using Windows since Windows 95, I'm not technically minded but I can persevere with help.
When windows XP expired I moved to Windows 10 on my sons laptop which he gave me, just to keep in touch with windows, I then went to Linux Mint 17 on my Desktop.
Looking back I suppose downloading the Linux disk was pretty easy, not only that but it would run from a cd if you wanted to try it out.
As you know, Linux is a free OS as are the Apps. I think it is excellent.
Installation was an eye opener after messing about with Windows, it went so smoothly, my only disappointment is that it will not support my iPhone any more, it appears that Apple have done something or other. When my Apple contract expires I will move elsewhere.
So yes, my Linux Mint 17 is an easy install and excellent operating, I won't comment on the Apple install because I am not there yet!
I was taken with your use of your old machine being used for your home speakers, I will give that some serious thought if I succeed with this..
I have heard of Spotify, you must think it better that iTunes?

 

[Spawn_Dooley]

Hello again Spawn_Dooley, I followed your steps, this is the final step.
Thanks, Pete. .

These instructions are slightly different, instead of holding Command R you hold the Option key at startup.

• Reboot the Mac holding down the “Option” key and choose the Recovery partition
• Select “Disk Utility” from the boot menu
• Go to “Erase” to format the disk