Can I install OSX on a new hard drive without a CD?

I'm receiving a replacement hard drive in the mail in a few days, as my current HDD has failed. Although I don't have an OS X disk. My Macbook is a mid 2012, will I be able to reinstall the OS via OS X Utilities when I get the new hard drive? Or will I need to launch Internet Recovery?

Your current HD will be removed from the Mac? If it has failed the recovery partition will also be unusable. You will need to use Internet recovery
OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support scroll down for internet recovery info.
It will install 10.7 since that shipped with the Mac, upgrade post install to whatever OS you have in your App store account.
P.S. connect via ethernet to speed the whole process up (WiFi can be much slower).

Similar Messages

How can I install OSX into a new hard drive without a CD?

I just installed a new hard drive and I don't have a installation CD/DVD to install OSX. How can I go about install a fresh copy?

Are you able to beg or borrow access to another Mac that has access to the internet & is new enough to use the App store?
You can sign in to your App store account & download the appropriate installer (Mavericks or whatever you have in your account). Then you can make a USB bootable copy of the installer (there are many other guides around)…
http://osxdaily.com/2011/07/08/make-a-bootable-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-installer-from -a-usb-flash-drive/
If you can access a Mac but don't want to do the huge download you can use the recovery assistant to create a bootable recovery partition on a USB stick.
https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1433
When you boot your Mac it will download the OS for installation.
Does the original HD still work? It may be quicker to get a cheap 2.5inch case & boot from that just to get an OS downloaded & installed. It will mean you are not wasting cash & time on 10.6 that is only needed for one App store download.
I'd consider a trip to an Apple store if you have one local, they may drop an installer or recovery partition onto a memory stick for you.

Can I install mac on a new hard drive in my windows computer and get rid of windows completely?

I have a windows desktop computer. Can I install a new hard drive and install ios mavericks on it? In other words, convert my windows desktop to a mac?

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
You may be able if your computer meets some requirements and if you don't mind putting your PC in risk, but it's not legal to install OS X on non-Mac computers. See the OS X Terms of Use > http://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/OSX109.pdf

Can't install mountain lion onto new hard drive after old one had to be replaced

My macbook pro, purchased 12/11, had a faulty hard drive. We thankfully were still under warranty and had it replaced. I then accessed the old drive via USB connector to reinstall my pictures and some file folders and apps to the new hard drive. Now I am trying to reinstall the mountain lion update, and it says I can't install the the hard drive that appears as a choice as I use it for time machine backups? Also, when the laptop tries to do a time machine backup, that stalls out as it says the hard drive is on the do not back up list, which incidentally won't let me select it to take it off of the do not back up list. Help!!!

Have you followed these instructions, specifically formatting your new HDD?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ph11273
Ciao.

Can't install OS X onto new hard drive

So my hard drive just crashed.
I took it to my local authorized apple dealer and they charged me a couple hundred to put in a new hard drive.
He told me that he had properly installed and formatted it and all I had to do was put in my restore disk.
I put in my restore disk and this is what happens:
I'm asked a language.
I'm welcomed to the Mac OS X installer
License agreement...
Then I have to choose where to install OS X. The only drive showing says Macintosh HD, 149 GB Free
When I try to select it, I am told:
"You cannot install Mac OSX on this volume. Mac OS X cannot start up from this volume."
So... how do I install OS X?

According to [this page|http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1600] the repair person may have used an incorrect partition type for your drive. Intel and PPC Macs need different partition types to boot.

Can not install leopard on a new hard drive

My hard drive on MACBook Pro crashed, swap it with the same SATA 2.5" 160GB hard drive from my PC.
Booted with the leopard DVD holding the option (Alt) key, I get two choices to boot from "Windows" hard drive ==even thou it is not Windows, it originally has Linux Ubuntu installed on it== and the other choice "Mac OS X Install DVD" I select to install the Mac OS, assuming I will be able to access the Disk utility and format the new HD, the DVD start spinning Apple Logo appear for two minutes, then it switch to a blue screen where it hang forever, and the DVD stop spinning.
Any idea how to install leopard on the new HD

Just get a new hard drive and if you have a Intel Mac, OS X 10.6 disk, it's much better than 10.5, faster too.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/16276201#16276201

How to install operating system on new hard drive without installation disc on macbook pro 2011

My macbook pro 2011 does not come with a recovery disc or any disc at all, my hard drive recently failed and i have no backup. i have replaced the hard drive but don't know how to install the operating system on the new hard drive.

If it originally shipped with 10.7 or newer, connect the computer to the Internet and start it up with the Option, Command, and R keys held down. You'll be able to install an OS.
If it shipped with 10.6.8 or earlier and wasn't upgraded to use Apple's Internet Recovery system, phone AppleCare and order the disks.
(109822)

Can't Install Recovery Media To New Hard drive

To begin with, I know very little about computers as you will soon see. I have a TOSHIBA SATELLITE L650-ST3NX1 which started giving me a message from both Toshiba and Windows that I needed to back up my data because of a possible hard drive failure. I tried backing up my data to an external hard drive but that failed. (I do have a backup of my hard drive from last year).I ordered a new SSD and the Recovery Media from Toshiba. I assumed that I could just load the OS from the Recovery Media onto the new SSD but found that wouldn't work. I ran the Recovery Media on the old hard drive but it wouldn't complete. I tried erasing everything off the old hard drive but that also wouldn't complete. Now when I plug the USB Recovery Median into the computer it won't recognize it. I think I've probably done just about everything wrong that I could. Am I out of options? Did I just waste my money on a new SSD and the Recovery Media?

So, a little more info on what's going on. I installed a new SSD, ran the Recovery Media USB, and recieved the error F3-F100-0003. Went into the Utility Setup and HDD/SDD shows NONE. I assume this means that no hard drive is being recognized. When I reinstalled the failed HDD and went back into Utility Setup, it was recognized. Can Toshiba Recovery Media be loaded onto a new HDD/SDD? I've been researching this online and it seems that quite a few people have had the same problem but it seems that no one associated with Toshiba can or wants to provide any answers. When I spoke with a Toshiba representative before purchasing the Recovery Media I was assured that I would be able to install it onto a new HDD/SDD. It seems that if Toshiba is going to sell SSD's and Recovery Media they should be informed about and support what they are selling. This is pretty frustrating and $$$.

Installing OSX Tiger on new hard drive on a iMac G4

Hi
I've had a iMac G4 for about 4 years and the hard drive started to fail, seeing as my computer was way beyond any warrenty I opened it and replaced the hard drive with a maxtor 160GB drive. Ive put it back togethr and can boot it up using a firewire drive with OSX installed fine. But when I try and boot the computer and instal from the OSX disk that came with it, I hav a problem, it says the software can not be installed on this computer.
I've tried disconnecting the firewire and everything non essential before rebooting but I cant get it to work, any one know what I need to do?

Yeah, fraid so. When Apple ships out computers they all have install disks designed around that specific model. If you try to use that Macbook disc on a G4 tower it will detect the difference and refuse to load. It isn't a copyright thing but rather a difference in drivers or other software needed for that model. The retail version of the OS is a universal install including everything needed for every model capable of running Tiger. Presumably it doesn't load what isn't needed.Keep in mind that Leopard is due in October.

Can't instal Windows 7 to new hard drive

Hello everyone,
I was looking for solution for a while, but cant find it, so I really hope you'll help me here !
First of all, I 've been using my pc until I received the S.M.A.R.T. warning about possible hard drive failure soon, and one morning PC didnt start - one of the hard drives was dead (in my hp model there are two hard drives). After finding out which one was it ( I tried taking one hard drive out, leaving the other and vice versa) I bought a new 500 GB hard drive. Aparently the damaged hard drive was the one with operating system, because of startup message which told me that operating system not found. Nothing fancy, just instal windows like I always did, or so I thought ..
Got my USB flash drive with Windows 7 64 bit, plug it in, the usual windows instal guide loads up. I choose my language , keyboard input etc . At the point where I have to choose "where do I want to instal my windows" I see two hard drives: 1) disk 0 Partition 1 (my old original 232 GB stock drive) and 2) disk 1 Partition 1 (new recently purchased 500GB drive).
So ofcourse, since I replaced old hard drive with the new one I just bought, put it in the same slot, naturaly I chose my location for windows - new hard disk 1 Partition 1. When I highlighted it, a yellow mark apeared at the botom which said "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu".
Ok, so I tried to continue anyway, I pressed next and windows began to instal, took about 10 - 15 mins. Everythings normal until first restart part before completing instalation. PC restarted and .. Windows instalation setup started once more from the begining. So I thought , ok I ll try to instal to the old hard drive disk 0 Partition 1 ( this time there was no yellow warning mark). So instalation began again , restarted , and ... Once more instalation setup starting from begining !
I am really lost here, I tried replacing hard drives places whith each other, or leaving just one of them, every time windows starts instaling from begining ! Allthough, everytime there are less and less disk space, which means it actualy is instaling.
So any thoughts where to start ?
I would be so greatful for your help,
And see ya

Hi @Seniunas ,
Welcome to the HP Forums!
It is a terrific place to find answers and suggestions!
For you to have the best experience in the HP forum I would like to direct your attention to the HP Forums Guide Learn How to Post and More
It is my understand that one of your two hard drives failed. You have replaced the failed drive and are having a difficulty installing Windows 7 from a USB stick.
I have some questions.
What is your exact model of n DV9700 notebook?
How Do I Find My Model Number or Product Number?
Is this a retail version of Windows 7?
Were your drives setup in a RAID configuration or just two individual drives, one being the boot drive with Windows.
You could try this, I am not sure if it will work.
Remove the 232 GB drive completely from your system.
Boot to your Windows 7, USB stick and let Windows format the drive before it installing Windows.
If this completes successfully, make sure the boot order is set to boot to that drive and test it.
If you are then able to boot into windows, shut down the notebook and reinstall the secondary drive.
Good Luck!
Sparkles1
I work on behalf of HP
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.
Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Problems installing OSX on a new hard drive

My hard drive was dead/dying a few months ago and I hadn't touched it for awhile. I recently decided to take it to the apple store and see what I could do. The genius bar associate suggested I either take it to a third party repair company or replace it myself. I opted for the latter route and replaced it myself today.
When I powered it on, I gott the chime and just a black screen. I tried booting from disc by holding C, but after making some abnormal noises, it spits the CD out. I have tried this with a copy of windows vista, and it doesn't make the weird noises or spit it out, but nothing happens as well.
I'm not sure if it's my install disc, my cd drive, or if I went wrong somewhere replacing my hard drive. Any help would be appreciated.

CD/DVD Loading Problems
CD/DVD Drive - Troubleshooting See troubleshooting section.
CD/DVD Drive - Troubleshooting (2)

Installing OSX on a new hard drive

I just replaced the hard drive on my macbook, and sucessfuly installed disc one, and now it asks for disc 2. The problem is, it won't accept any disc at any time now. I tried redoing the install by inserting disc one again and booting while holding "c" but the disc is instantly ejected within 1-2 seconds from insertion. I have tried inserting at multiple times during the boot sequence, with no results, please help!

Yes, you would start your Mac as the "target" by holding the T key at startup and it would show up as just another disk drive on the "source" computer. You insert the disks in the source and install them onto the target. Just be sure to run Disk Utility first to partition the target and set the scheme as GUID and then format as Mac OS Extended Journaled.

My conputer crashed and I want to install cs4 onto a new hard drive, how can i do this the registration won't let me?

My conputer crashed and I want to install cs4 onto a new hard drive, how can i do this the registration won't let me?

What does "the registration won't let me" mean? If the serial number is rejected, contact support by web chat. for anything else you need to provide proper technical information and actually explain your issue.
Mylenium

How to install and reconfigure a new hard drive?

How to install and reconfigure a new hard drive?
I installed a new hard drive from best buy for my "vintage" MacBook laptop. When I turned on the laptop and the flashing folder appeared, I need help?
I looked online for some clues. I put in the software disk I received when I bought the disk but I cannot select a destination volume to install the software. I tired to partition the drive within disk utility but there was an input/output error. Should I just plug in my external hard drive and hope everything reboots like magic ?
Thank you for any help you can give

How to replace or upgrade a drive in a laptop
Step One: Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions
Boot from your OS X Installer disc. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. When the menu bar appears select Disk Utility from the Installer menu (Utilities menu for Tiger, Leopard or Snow Leopard.) After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior and/or Tech Tool Pro to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
Step Two: Remove the old drive and install the new drive. Place the old drive in an external USB enclosure. You can buy one at OWC who is also a good vendor for drives.
Step Three: Boot from the external drive. Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager appears. Select the icon for the external drive then click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Step Four: New Hard Drive Preparation
1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your new hard drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left side list. Note the SMART status of the drive in DU's status area. If it does not say "Verified" then the drive is failing or has failed and will need replacing. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
3. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
4. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
Step Five: Clone the old drive to the new drive
1. Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
4. Check the box labeled Erase destination.
5. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
6. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
7. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the new internal drive. Source means the old external drive.
Step Six: Open the Startup Disk preferences and select the new internal volume. Click on the Restart button. You should boot from the new drive. Eject the external drive and disconnect it from the computer.

Can i install itunes on a portable hard drive

Can i install itunes to a portable hard drive? Also can I have more than one itunes library?
I have a very large cd collections and dont want to put all the files on my mac hard drive, would like to install or keepmthe cd on a portable drive

That was timely. I had the same question (new MBP with two drives) and you solved my question. Thank you. It works the same way you change Aperture Libraries, so it makes sense and is easy to remember.

Can I install OSX on a new hard drive without a CD?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for