Can't Re-Install Lion from Recovery HD - Internal Drive Locked and Grayed Out

I can't boot into Lion on my Macbook Pro. I can boot into Bootcamp. When I'm in Bootcamp, using MacDrive, I can access all my files on my main Lion partition. I can also boot into the Recovery HD. From there I can get to Disk Utility which tells me that I need to repair my Lion partition. When I run the repair, it tells me it can't be repaired.
Given that I can still access all my files from Bootcamp, I tried to re-install Lion using that selection from the Recovery HD menu. It verifies my Lion copy over the internet. But when it asks me to designate the drive that I want to re-install Lion on, the drives (Bootcamp, Recovery and Mac) are all grayed out and all say "Disk is Locked". I'd rather not reinstall from my Time Capsule back up because of the time involved, the fact that the backup is a week old and because I dropped the !@#$ external drive with the back up on it yesterday and I don't trust it (it's making weird noises).
I've tried booting up in safe mode and ctrl-sys-r-p but all that happens is hours of watching the wheel spin. I had not set up File Vault so it shouldn't be for want of a File Vault password.
Any idea how I can unlock the drive to at least try to re-install Lion?

Thanks for the idea. I do have another Macbook at home although it's quite a bit older and I've only upgraded it to Snow Leopard, but I'll certainly give it a try. I've already tried what would seem to be about the same thing with, unfortunatley, no luck. I have an old hard drive (running Snow Leopard) that used to be the internal drive in my Macbook Pro. When I pulled it out, I stuck it in an enclosure. When this problem cropped up, I plugged it into the Macbook Pro that's giving me grief (via USB), booted up on the enclosed drive, and ran the disk utility off of that drive against the current internal HD of the Macbook Pro. All I got was the "can't be repaired" message.

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Can i clean install Lion into my Macintosh HD drive and leave Bootcamp as it is?

I would like to clean install Lion into my Macintosh HD drive and leave the bootcamp drive without getting affected from it...
is it possible or do i have to do the install on all the drive?

If you have the Lion installer application in your Applications folder, then I suggest you make a copy in your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself automatically after the installation. By saving it you can make your own USB installer:
Make Your Own Lion Installer
1. After downloading Lion you must first save the Install Mac OS X Lion application. After Lion downloads DO NOT click on the Install button. Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the Lion installer. Move the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes installing Lion.
2. Get a USB flash drive that is at least 8 GBs. Prep this flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
After DU loads select your 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. SMART info will not be reported on external drives. Otherwise, click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
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.
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.
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.
Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to several hours depending upon the drive size.
3. Locate the saved Lion installer in your Downloads folder. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on the installer and select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu. Double-click on the Contents folder to open it. Double-click on the SharedSupport folder. In this folder you will see a disc image named InstallESD.dmg.
4. Plug in your freshly prepared USB flash drive. You are going to clone the InstallESD.dmg disc image to the flash drive as follows:
Open Disk Utility.
Select the USB flash drive from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the USB flash drive volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Drag the InstallESD.dmg disc image file into the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
When the clone is completed you have a fully bootable Lion installer that you can use without having to re-download Lion.
However, if you don't do this you can always redownload the installer by using OS X Lion- About Lion Recovery or by reinstalling Snow Leopard 10.6.8.

Can't install Lion from Recovery partition

Trying to install from the Recovery HD and run the installer, connect to the App Store, and then get to this
It's been sitting there for a couple of hours. I can use other computers to access the Internet so it's not a web connection problem. This is not good. Always hated the idea that you need a net connection to install the OS, and now it's coming to bite me. This is truly, appalling abysmal. This installation method should be an embarrassment to Apple.
Any suggestions to get around this mess would be greatly appreciated.

Tom,
When you get the installer downloaded please do not click on the Install button. Make a copy and save it in your Downloads folder. Later you can make a bootable USB flash installer:
Make Your Own Mountain/Lion Installer
1. After downloading Mountain/Lion you must first save the Install Mac OS X Mountain/
    Lion application. After Mountain/Lion downloads DO NOT click on the Install button.
    Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the Mountain/Lion installer. Move
    the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You
    must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes
    installing.
2. Get a USB flash drive that is at least 8 GBs. Prep this flash drive as follows:
a. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
b. After DU loads select your flash drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the left
      side list. Click on the Partition tab in the DU main window.
c. 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.
d. 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.
e. 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.
f. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to an hour depending upon the flash
     drive size.
3. Locate the saved Mountain/Lion installer in your Downloads folder. CTRL- or RIGHT-click on the installer and select Show Package Contents from the contextual menu. Double-click on the Contents folder to open it. Double-click on the SharedSupport folder. In this folder you will see a disc image named InstallESD.dmg.
4. Plug in your freshly prepared USB flash drive. You are going to clone the content of the InstallESD.dmg disc image to the flash drive as follows:
a. Double-click on the InstallESD.dmg file to mount it on your Desktop.
b. Open Disk Utility.
c. Select the USB flash drive from the left side list.
d. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
e. Select the USB flash drive volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
f. Drag the mounted disc icon from the Desktop into the Source entry field.
g. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
When the clone is completed you have a fully bootable installer that you can use without having to re-download Mountain/Lion.
Note: The term Mountain/Lion used above means Lion or Mountain Lion.
As an alternative to the above (you still have to do your own download of Lion/Mountain Lion) you can try using Lion DiskMaker 2.0 that automates the process of Steps 2 through 4.

How can I manually install software from recovery partition?

Hi,
I'm looking for information about how install preinstalled software after OS upgrade.
As far as I can see, it is done through 3 different locations:
Recovery partition (D: drive)
SMINST Folder (located in %Windows%)
hp Folder (invisible folder in C
First step is to identify the machine (brand/model) to allow installation.
Then, scripts will install packages.
It should the be possible to manually install the software from the recovery partition.
As far as this software is bought with the computer (so part of the price) and there is no way of getting the original installers from the support website (only updates available), it would be "fair" to be able to perform a manual install...
Is there anyone with this knowledge?
Thx in advance for your help.
Service is the lifeblood of any organization.
Everything flows from it and is nourished by it.
Customer Service is not a department... It's an attitude

I cannot believe no one replied to you. I am having the same problem. I can print but not scan thru the MFNP feature. I'm not sure how/why it is working for printing. I setup the print driver on all my client laptops to my wifi router/access-point such that its SNMP-enabled on channel 1. The MNFP port said 161 on the printer when it was working. Not sure these two protocols are the same... SNMP and MNFP. I think the latter is Canon's own protocol...not sure how to get it to work with my network. I have a Netgear RV6300 access point connected via wired ethernet to the cable modem which is by Arris (one of those all-in one routers/switch/WAP -- but I'm using the Netgear as my WAP for my WLAN, although the printer gets a DHCP assigned IP on the main router - 10.0.0.9) At one point I had it set up as static IP 10.0.0.200. Maybe I will switch back to that...don't know if it will fix scanning though.

Why are the files I migrated over from a backup hard drive locked and inaccessible on my new used Mac Book pro? I used the migration assistant. Running Snow Leopard on a core duo.

My laptop got pinched and I bought a used Mac Book Pro, put a larger hard drive in it and performed a clean install of Snow Leopard on the new drive, after which I used the Migration Assistant to bring over my applications, settings, documents, etc., from my backup hard drive. This hard drivekis not a Ti e Machine drive, it's one I use to clone my computer to regularly with Carbon Copy Cloner. When the migration was complete all my documents, the desktop,and other folders are locked and won't allow me to access them. What to do? Thanks for the help.

Graham Giles wrote:
Have you seen this type of problem before? I think it could be a serious issue for anyone in a similar position.
No; but then, I've not had occasion to use TDM. I've been using firerwire drives for over 10 years, both FW400 and FW800, with no issues except a bit of instability using a B&W G3 machine.
TDM should be safe. Using cautious, manual copying of files from the Target machine to the Host machine should not result in unexpected loss of files or damage to the Target drive's directories. It should behave exactly the same as if it were an external (to the Host) firewire drive.
• I don't suppose there is anything I can do to 'put back' lost items from a separate Time Machine drive which has an up to date backup on it.
There is probably a way to do that - seems to me that's one of the reasons for a Time Machine volume.
On the other hand, if the Time Machine volume is rigidly linked to the now-absent OS on the original drive, there may be no way to effectively access the files in the TM archive.
I know that using a cloned drive would work well in this instance.
I have no experience with Time Machine, so perhaps someone who has will chime in with suggestions.
With the machine in TDM with the other machine, have you tried running Disk Utility to see if you can effect repairs to the drive?

Cannot sign in to apple ID when installing Lion from recovery

I cannot seem to be able to sign into my Apple ID when trying to restore my MacBook pro from a recovery pen drive created by the new software that creates such things. What I suspect is happening is that my apple ID is a UK App store account and I am trying to reinstall here in my home in Germany, but there is no way to specify what country I bought the Lion OS from and it will detect I'm in Germany and try to log into the German store. If this is the case then how bloody silly, if not then why can I not sign in. Wifi is working fine and it does connect when it's in the installer so connection to the Internet is not the problem. Please help as I now have no OS on my laptop only a recovery partition and this pen drive.

I have the same issues, but not on my iphone, but on my laptop. My phone works fine, though. I have 7.0.4 as well.

Problem hopping from 10.5 thru 10.6 to M Lion. Can't download M Lion from App store. Just spins and spins when hit Buy App - help!

Bought Snow Leopard from Apple - installed off the disc. Then ran software update and added system update then went to App store to install Mountain Lion. This or any other App for that matter will not respond when I click 'buy app'. Tried this twice with same result.
Am on:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          2 GB
Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MBP51.007E.B06
SMC Version (system):          1.33f8
Any ideas before I throw in the bin?
Thanks
P.

Post in the App Store forum.
https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_app_store

I have a dual core mac pro tower , can I upgrade to lion from snow leopard?

I have a dual core mac pro tower , can I upgrade to lion from snow leopard?

The 2006 and 2007 Mac Pros can be upgraded as far as Lion. Mountain Lion can be installed on Mac Pros from 2008 onward. See below:
Upgrade Paths to Snow Leopard, Lion, and/or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
Upgrading to Snow Leopard
You can purchase Snow Leopard through the Apple Store: Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard — Apple Store (U.S.). The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will be sent physical media by mail after placing your order.
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store. Access to the App Store enables you to download Mountain Lion if your computer meets the requirements.
     Snow Leopard General Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
       2. 1GB of memory
       3. 5GB of available disk space
       4. DVD drive for installation
       5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider;
           fees may apply.
       6. Some features require Apple’s iCloud services; fees and
           terms apply.
Upgrading to Lion
If your computer does not meet the requirements to install Mountain Lion, it may still meet the requirements to install Lion.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service — this includes international calling numbers. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download. You will get an email containing a redemption code that you then use at the Mac App Store to download Lion. Save a copy of that installer to your Downloads folder because the installer deletes itself at the end of the installation.
     Lion System Requirements
       1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7,
           or Xeon processor
       2. 2GB of memory
       3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
       4. 7GB of available space
       5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Upgrading to Mountain Lion
To upgrade to Mountain Lion you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.8 or Lion installed. Purchase and download Mountain Lion from the App Store. Sign in using your Apple ID. Mountain Lion is $19.99 plus tax. The file is quite large, over 4 GBs, so allow some time to download. It would be preferable to use Ethernet because it is nearly four times faster than wireless.
     OS X Mountain Lion — System Requirements
       Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
         1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer) — Model Identifier 7,1 or later
         2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer) —
             Model Identifier 5,1 or later
         3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer) — Model Identifier 2,1 or later
         5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
         7. Xserve (Early 2009) — Model Identifier 3,1 or later
To find the model identifier open System Profiler in the Utilities folder. It's displayed in the panel on the right.
Are my applications compatible?
         See App Compatibility Table — RoaringApps.
     For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion.

I erased my HD. Now I can't instal mountain lion from my bootable flash drive, and keep getting "installation error. Try again."

I bought mountain lion, made a bootable flash drive.
I booted from it and it went to upgrading right away!
So I stopped it and went to my former recovery partition I erased my HD because I wanted a clean start.
Now I can't instal mountain lion from the bootable flash drive, and keep getting "installation error. Try again."
and there is no 4 choices window.
I don't know what to do.

How did you create the USB install thumb drive? If it was with Disk Utility I have run into this problem and have since used THIS program to make the USB install drive.
As to your problem you only have one option and that is to Reinstall the Original OS X version that came on your computer or if you still have the Lion Recovery Partition use that to reinstall Lion. Or if you system came with Lion and you have No Lion Recovery HD Partition you can boot the system from over the internet and Reinstall Lion.
At startup hold down the Command+Option+r keys until you saa a spinning Globe in the center of the screen. Once that loads Repartition the drive as One partition and then reinstall Lion.

Can I upgrade to Lion from OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard)? Do I need to install Snow Leopard first? If so, Which version?

Can I upgrade to Lion from OS X 10.5.8 (Leopard)? Do I need to install Snow Leopard first? If so, Which version?

There are only two versions of Snow Leopard, the ordinary one and the server edition. Most people have no need of the server edition. Any Snow Leopard retail disc, no matter how old, even 10.6.0, can be updated to 10.6.8, so the version is pretty much irrelevant. You need to make sure your hardware is up to scratch for Lion though - you have to have an Intel processor, Core 2 Duo or better - NOT Core Duo.

Can I un-install Yosemite from my iMac and re-install Mountain Lion?

Can I un-install Yosemite from my iMac and re-install Mountain Lion?

Sorry to barge in like this but is it because you found it to have it's own way of doing stuff without your control? As i was thinking of doing the same thing because i found Mountain Lion much more user friendly.I know you came for an answer just was searching and came accross your question.
Hope you find the answer. good luck.

How can I re-install lion via usb drive on my new mba(mid-2011)?

how can I re-install lion via usb drive on my new mba(mid-2011)?
I just removed all data from main hd, and my network is not good enough to be able to download the os via recovery hd re-installing way.
in other words, is there a bootable [mac os x lion dmg] for my mba that I can download?

If you are looking for a download link for OS X Lion, I do not know of one. However if you really need the operating system you can buy a USB drive with OS X Lion on it, ready to boot. I think they're $69 at Apple's store. What I would do is contact AppleCare via the Express Lane or just call them and tell them your situation and then they will definantly have an answer for you to point you in the right direction.
Good luck!

Installed Lion from AppStore-looks like running Leopard & Lion-wierd

I installed Lion from the AppStore- by all accounts- it's running Lion. Yet when my machine is turned off and powered back on, the Snow Leopard appears and I lose Lion background. I have a suspiscion it is running both somehow because my computer is popping up with windows that say my start up disk is full and that I need to delete files.
Do i need to uninstall Leopard and how do you do that? or uninstall Lion and reinstall? if so, how do you that?
And if anyone knows how do deal with the start up disk issue, it would be greatly appreciated.
These are instaled on a MacBookPro 2.4 Intel 2
Thanks,
J

You say "by all accounts" ... please check, by going to the Apple menu, clicking About This Mac, and checking what is written under "OS X". (10.6.8? 10.7.4?)
But deal with the drive space first, since, if you don't have enough, any software updates are unlikely to work correctly, and your system may fail. I'd advise you run Omnidisksweeper which will tell you where your largest files and folders are. Move any user files to an external hard drive, or delete any large files/folders you don't need any more. (Don't delete any system folders such as System, Library, /etc or /var ! You can, however, delete unneeded printer definitions from the /Library/Printers folder, and delete Garageband/iDVD templates from /Library/Application Support, if you don't use those programs.) Check your Downloads folder, as this can fill up. Empty your Trash.
Matt

Why can't I install lion? 10.6.8, 2.16 core2duo 3GB

Why can't I install lion? This is a 2.16 core2duo running 10.6.8, with 3GB of memory.
Yes, it IS a core2duo.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Please, don't assume I'm stupid. It is a 2.16 core2duo. It is not a core duo.

Also, it runs Lion with no problem from an external disk. I'm running an install attempt now from an external drive. I tried upgrading the drive to lion before installing it in the MB Pro, but when I tried to boot from it, it booted to the Apple screen with the progress bar like when you update firmware which froze after awhile. I repartitioned the drive and started over again.
It is is partioned correctly.
I

Can't Re-Install Lion from Recovery HD - Internal Drive Locked and Grayed Out

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