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.

Similar Messages

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).

My hard drive crashed. how can i reload dreamweaver on a new hard drive?

my hard drive crashed. how can i reload dreamweaver on a new hard drive?

You can per install Dreamweaver again the same way you installed previously. Do you get any error messages while installing? If yes please attach a screenshot(if possible) and provide more details abount the version/OS and the exact error message.
Thanks
Nikhil

How can I install ntfs on an external hard drive so that my Samsung Smart TV can see my media files? Or is there a better option?

How can I install ntfs on an external hard drive so that my Samsung Smart TV can see my media files? Or is there a better option?

OS X cannot natively write to a drive formatted as NTFS, nor can it format a drive as NTFS. There are third-party NTFS drivers available on the market.
Just out of curiosity: Even with NTFS, how is your TV going to access the external hard drive? Does the TV have a USB port?

How can I install OSX on a new third-party hard drive in my Macbook Pro?

I'll start off by saying that I bought my MBP (Mid 2009, 13 inch) used two years ago, and the seller never thought to mention that he had installed a third party hard drive not long before selling it to me... First problem.
Anyway, the hard drive crashed. I'm installing a new hard drive, but I'm worried about getting back to having Mountain Lion. I'm confused by the process - Some say I can start by ordering a retail copy of Snow Leopard on Amazon, some say I need the OS disc that originally came with the computer (which obviously I don't have), and some make it seem as if there's a special version of Snow Leopard I need to order from the Apple store?
Help.

There is no special version of Snow Leopard (other than what ships with a Mac of that vintage). There is a regular retail version. It is a good idea to have a copy.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
After you install the new hard drive boot the computer from the OS disk, and install OS 10.6.
If you want a more recent OS, sign in to the App Store - use the same ID and password you have used here.
There you can download Yosemite, it's free.
I assume your MBP meets the requirements for Yosemite. If it does not, or if you want an earlier OS than 10.10, you should be able to find it at the App store.

How do I install OS on a new hard drive?

Recently my hard drive failed (for the second time in two months) and when I turn on my macbook pro, a blinking folder with a question mark appears. I opened up my laptop and a friend's laptop and put his external hard drive into my computer and it booted up fine with his OS, data, etc. From that I figured I could conclude that the hard drive cable was not the issue and rather it was the hard drive itself. Today I bought a new hard drive and installed it but the blinking folder / question mark still appears. So I made a bootable install disc and booted holding C. Doing this gave me a couple options. One of them was to install the operating system (mavericks). I clicked on this option but the only disk that it registered was the CD and there was no hard drive to select to install the OS on. But I went back and went into Disk Utility where I noticed that the hard drive was registering in the side bar. So... any help?
Thanks!

You are very welcome.
When it installs, it will automatically tear off a very small (210MB) partition for EFI Boot loading and another one (650MB) for Recovery_HD. These will normally remain invisible but they are there.
If you are backing up with Time Machine, versions after 10.7.4 create a Recovery_HD on the Time Machine drive as well, and you can boot from that to do Internet Recovery.

How can I reinstall Mountain Lion on new hard drive?

I've had to install a new hard drive as old one was failing.
Have loaded Snow Leopard from disc onto the new drive but can't install Mountain Lion which I was running prior to drive failure; very frustrated.
Have tried several options.
1. Tried to reboot from OS X Utilities but whenever I restart, holding the cmd + R keys, I can only ever get the standard screen. I've tried pressing keys early in restart, later in restart, keys on either side of the keyboard, cmd + alt/option + R but still can't get to the OS X Utilities.
2. Having given up on 1 I've tried to download ML from my purchase history in iTunes. I can see the purchase recorded but there appears to be no way to get to a reload option - at least not in the iTunes loaded from Snow Leopard
3. I tried downloading ML updates, hoping that might allow me to bypass 1 and 2. The download wasn't recognised by my machine.
4. I've be willing to just buy the **** OS again from scratch but iTunes won't allow me to do that either, at least not using my current Apple ID.
Does anyone have any bright ideas? I hate bloody computers.
Mike

enigmatix wrote:
Csound,
Do you have any suggestions why I can't open OS X Utilities.
Thanks,
Mike
How old is your Mac, if it came with 10.6 installed it is too old to have Internet Recovery (command-option-R) And as it has a new hard drive you won't be able to use Recovery (command-R) either until a new copy of Mountain Lion is installed and ceates a recovery partition on the drive.

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.

I purchased mountain lion from apple but never got a disk. How do I install it on my new hard drive, old hard drive failed and is not recoverable according to Apple and Recovery Specialist?

I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro with newly installed SATA HD + SSD, I can get mavericks download free but I can't recover photos, apps, files etc from time machine (1TB Time Capsule), I think I was running lion when I started backing up on it but I had updated to mavericks before the HD Failure. When I tried to transfer info from Time Capsule it says " no volumes detected" or something to that effect. I had mucho info backed up on that capsule. Any help appreciated, please spell it all out for me if you can help, I am not at all tech savvy and desperate to get up and going as I am an online student with a fast approaching deadline for course paper. Thank you in advance :)

Step 1: Buy a new Hard drive that can be installed in your MacBook Pro later, and an External enclose to place it in for now.
The MacBook Pro before 2010 can not contain the stand-alone firmware to go to the Internet and get a fresh copy of Mac OS X and install it.
You will need a working Recovery_HD, or to drop back to a 10.6 DVD (if it will Boot on your Mac).
There may be a functioning Recovery_HD on your existing Boot Drive. If you were running 10.7.4 or later and Time Machine, there may be a Recovery_HD on the Time Machine Volume.
To check:
Hold down the Alt/Option key as you restart. This will slowly draw a gray screen and then add an Icon (over several minutes) for each potentially-bootable volume. If any Recovery_HD shows up, take it, and you will be able to get to Internet Recovery and re-download some version of Mac OS X that can be installed on a new drive.
It is generally far quicker to set up a new drive and install Mac OS X than to struggle with only the primitive tools available only on a DVD or a Recovery_HD. Once you get any version of Mac OS X running, you can get some work done and attempt to salvage first your data, then your drive (if either will be possible).
By NOT trying to Boot from and use the possibly-damaged drive, you improve your chances of being able to salvage some files off it, since blocks will not be over-written by running Mac OS X from it.

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

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 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 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 can i install os on a second hard drive

can i install OS ON A SECOND HARD DRIVE

I would say it is 99% normal common and a must. Maybe a couple - a bootable copy of your working system, no need to "install" it. One that you can use to restore from in addition to TimeMachine.
Not knowing what model Mac Pro whether it is 6,1 Late 2013 or something older and what its options are.
http://liondiskmaker.com/
Lets you create your own clean install Mavericks installer (use flash, hdd, any bootable volume)
http://www.bombich.com/
Carbon Copy Cloner vs. Super Duper-Which is better? ( 1 2 3 4 5)
http://forums.macrumors.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1

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!

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

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for