Re-install using my startup disc

I spoke with apple support, for a problem that I was having. The problem was the spinning wheel, whenever I clicked on something (not all the time) the wheel would spin for about 5-10 seconds which is annoying. I did use disk warrior to no avail. I called apple support and tried to fix the problem via disc utility. That didn't work so, they said to re-install the system. Apple said I would not lose any files or programs that was on my computer. I did the re-install and now I lost all desktop, word documents, ical and entourage addresses, which are important to me. I called apple again and someone tried to help, but got disconnected. I did find my word documents and desktop items, and I assume that everything is still there prior to the new install. Does anyone know or is there a manual that I can put my computer back to the way I had prior to the new install? How do drag files or re-install my old files and addresses and Ical events?

Go to your hard drive icon, click on it, look for a folder called Previous System, you should find all your things in that. Drag what you need from the old System folder to your new System folder.
Message was edited by: MGW

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I interrupted a software update and my macbook pro will not boot. I have tried to reboot using the startup disc, I have tried to verify the disc, and repair the disc. It tells me I need to erase and reformat the hard drive then reinstall the operating sys

I interrupted a software update and my macbook pro will not boot. I have tried to reboot using the startup disc, I have tried to verify the disc, and repair the disc. It tells me I need to erase and reformat the hard drive then reinstall the operating system. I do not have a back up of all my applications, my garageband music and other things. I also do not have time capsule set up on this machine, but I do have a 2 TB time capsule.
Is there anyway to back up this corrupted drive so I can restore my applications later?

There's an old saying. If you don't have a backup disc, then there must be nothing important to backup. That's just lesson #1. Lesson #2 is to never interrupt a software update. Not a good thing.
OK, I'm sure you know this. It just upsets me to read your story, knowing you have a lot of important stuff on your hard drive, and didn't use time machine.
You're pretty much in a bad place. My only hope for you is to boot to your Installation Disc, then using disk utility see if you can save the internal hard drive (by fixing what can be fixed). You might be able to see your user folder and some of your apps. I wouldn't even consider copying the library, because who knows what's been corrupted in there.
Good luck.

My HD is almost full. I need to add space. Can I use an external HD to continue using my startup disc as it is?

My HD is almost full. I need to add space. Can I use an external HD to continue using my startup disc as it is?
I create music and have run out of space. the message says 'your startup disc is almost full', and i just thought maybe buying an external hard drive and using it as the startup disc or whatever would do the trick. Does anyone know? Thanks!

External hard drives are relatively inexpensive...see some of those on OWC, www.macsales.com
You can use a large external drive to provide additional space by simply saving material to that volume instead of the startup disk. You can also partition the external drive to use part for Time Machine backups, and another partition for extended space. Or a third partition for a clone of the boot system made by Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper, both free downloads, so should the internal drive have problems you could always boot from the external partition.
All of that can be done from Disk Utility.
Keep in mind that Mac OS X gets very unhappy when there is less than 15% of the startup disk space free.

Re-installing software with startup discs

We have a MacBook 13in machine. During software update the machine shut down, and now it starts and gives only the apple icon and a spinning time wheel. Noting else. We are going re-install software starting with the original startup discs but the machine doesn't do anything with the disc. Please advise.

Sometimes a really messed up or dying Hard Drive will prevent booting up.
Does it boot into any of these modes?
Holding Option/alt key at bootup.
Holding SHIFT key at bootup.
Target mode...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661
Does it boot to Single User Mode, CMD+s keys at bootup, if so try...
/sbin/fsck -fy
Repeat until it shows no errors fixed.
(Space between fsck AND -fy important).
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck...
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=106214
We might get clues with verbose mode...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1492

Dv6-6c13cl problems w/ install using purchased Recovery Discs.

Thanks for any help you can provide. Initally, there was a harddrive problem, so I replaced it. The factory discs were lost unfortunately, so I just recieved a set from HP yesterday. The install process is uneventful, except that when its "preparing Windows for the first use", I get some errors. Specifically, it says, [timestamp] ChkErrBB.CMD: detect some error during PININST_BBV. [timestamp] check C:\system.sav\logs\BurnBootWarn.log [timestamp] or, check C:\system.sav\logs\BurnBootMerge.log) At this point, there is nothing else I can do. You have the option to retry, but it initiates the whole install process again, leading to the same result. Prior to ordering the discs, my brother installed a retail of W7-64bit, and there were no problems, save that there weren't any drivers installed (for example, couldn't get online). Now, I dont really need the HP apps that get installed, but of course I need the drivers (incidentally, I believe they are on a fourth disc separate from the OS recovery (the Application and Driver Recovery CD). Does anyone recognise the error messages above, what they mean, how to remedy this? Is it likely the new HDD is faulty? Or the discs? Would it be a better idea to buy a retail of W7, and manually install all the needed drivers? Its a shame in that this should work, Id hate to have to put more money into it. Thanks again for any help. Raab 

Hi,
If you want a clean installation of Windows 7, there's no need to purchase a retail copy as you can use the following method.
Before trying the following, make sure you can still read the 25 Character Product Activation key on your Windows COA label ( 5 blocks of 5 alpha/numeric sets ).
An example of a COA Label can be seen Here.
You can create a Windows 7 installation disc yourself using another PC - just download the correct Disc Image ( this must be the same version that originally came with your notebook - this is listed as Windows 7 Home Premium ) from the link below and use an application such as ImgBurn to burn the ISO correctly to a blank DVD - a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here. These Images are clean and from a well-respected source - Digital River.
If the listing is correct, Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit is on the following link.
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit.
If the listing isn't correct, other versions can be found on the link below.
Windows 7 Images.
Use the disc to perform the installation, enter the Windows activation key found on the COA Label when requested and when the installation has completed, use the 'Phone Method' detailed in the link below to activate the OS - this method supported by Microsoft and is popular with people who just want a clean installation of Windows 7 without the additional software load normally bundled with OEM installations.
http://www.kodyaz.com/articles/how-to-activate-windows-7-by-phone.aspx
Any additional drivers and software you may need can be found Here.
Regards,
DP-K
****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
****I don't work for HP****
Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

I recently installed 10.6.8 on my Imac and now i find i have 2 startup discs which i don't want. How do i erase the old startup disc which uses 10.5.8?

I recently installed 10.6.8 on my Imac and now i find i have 2 startup discs which i don't want. How do i erase the old startup disc which uses 10.5.8?
My Imac info is :
It also appears that many of my files are duplicated.
Work files and system files such as Library (i have 3 Libraries now..?)
Also keep geting messages such as "scratch disks full".
Any advice is welcome..

Well I would recommend you do have an off internal hard drive backup of all your files before wiping any duplicates off the internal. Once you are certain you have an off internal hard drive backup of all essential files, then use Disk Utility to erase the other partitions.

In attempting to install recommended software updates I get a message saying my startup disc is full. I have an Intel-based desktop with 1GB memory. What can I safely remove?

In attempting to install recommended software updates I get a message that my startup disc is full. I have an iMac (intel-based) with 1GB memory. I suspect my iTunes library is using up much of the space (I have no movies installed and have already copied most of my photos to a DVD to free up space). If I follow the instructions to move my iTunes library to an external HD (can I use a flash drive?) will I have enough working memory to plug it back in for use when I want to access the library?

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Moving libraries off the boot disk while doable is not very viable. It creates many new problems in backing up your data, as now you have more than one source to backup. See my backup FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
My suggestion is to get at least two copies of all your essential data in one manner or another, and get a larger boot hard drive to replace what you currently use to be able to consolidate your libraries.
As for cleaning space, see my FAQ*:
http://www.macmaps.com/diskfull.html

Hello, I am trying to upgrade to yosemite, but I get the "disk cannot be used to startup your computer" error. Resizing the partition does not work, I get the error "MediaKit reports no such partition" probably because I installed linux in dual boot

Hello, I am trying to upgrade my macbook pro to yosemite, but I get the "disk cannot be used to startup your computer" error.
Resizing the partition does not work for me and I get the error "MediaKit reports no such partition" probably because I installed linux in dual boot and the disk manager is lost.
Anyway to tell the yosemite installer that it should not pay attention whether the disk is bootable or not ?
If I am doomed, any way to delete the installer and downloaded OS from my hard drive ?
Thanks for your help

As usual, the Linux installer wrecked the partition table. You would have to boot from your OS X installation disc and repartition. Doing so will of course remove all data from the drive, so you must back up first if you haven't already done so.

IMac OS 8.5 Boot Issues - Install/Format HD/Select Startup Disc?

Hello,
I have a used iMac that had OS 8.5 installed. When I first booted, it appeared there was no OS installed (flashing icon - folder with "?" and Folder with OS icon). Attempted to install OS 8.5, but get the same error after reboot.
Tried to use 'Initialize Disk' to reformat the hard drive, then installed OS 8.5. Same error on reboot. Have tried using the Startup Disk (?) option to select the hard drive, but there appears to be no option save to click.
I don't know about Mac and Master Boot Records or if there is a Mac CMOS. Any ideas on what I am doing wrong?
Thanks,
Dave
iMac G3 Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier

Just might be a hardware issue. Here is what I tried this morning:
Reblessed system, booting from install CD.
System Error on reboot - address
* Occasionally on this error, the system will not reboot then the "reboot" button is pressed. Power button non-responsive. Have to shut down the old fashioned way - yank the power cord.
Startup from Install CD with no extentions.
Initiated HD, 1 partition, Mac Standard.
Rebooted system.
Began Installation with "recommended installation" for all items.
Reboot - same flashing icon.
Boot from install CD, address error.
Reboot with no extentions.
Erased HD (Selected HD Icon | Special -> Erase Disc)
Reboot with install CD
Ran Disk First Aid on HD - checked out fine.
Initialized with 2 partitions:
- 3GB MacOS Standard
- 3GB MacOS Extended
Ran disk First Aid - no problems.
* On a lark, I ran Disk First Aid on the Install CD and got the following:
Problem: Custom icon is missing,452,328
Problem: Custom icon is missing,453,327
Volume iMac Install needs to be repaired.
Began Installation again anyway...
Selected Clean Install from Select Destinations | Options
Recommended install.
Reboot. Address error. Same problem...
iMac G3 Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier
iMac G3 Mac OS 8.6 or Earlier

How do I clear space on my Startup disc so I can install Yosemite on my Air 11?

How do I clear space on my Startup disc so I can install Yosemite on my Air 11?

For information about the Other category in the Storage display, see this support article. If the Storage display seems to be inaccurate, try rebuilding the Spotlight index.
Empty the Trash if you haven't already done so. If you use iPhoto, empty its internal Trash first:
iPhoto ▹ Empty Trash
Do the same in other applications, such as Aperture, that have an internal Trash feature. Then restart the computer. That will temporarily free up some space.
According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation—not the mythical 10%, 15%, or any other percentage. You also need enough space left over to allow for growth of the data. There is little or no performance advantage to having more available space than the minimum Apple recommends. Available storage space that you'll never use is wasted space.
When Time Machine backs up a portable Mac, some of the free space will be used to make local snapshots, which are backup copies of recently deleted files. The space occupied by local snapshots is reported as available by the Finder, and should be considered as such. In the Storage display of System Information, local snapshots are shown as Backups. The snapshots are automatically deleted when they expire or when free space falls below a certain level. You ordinarily don't need to, and should not, delete local snapshots yourself. If you followed bad advice to disable local snapshots by running a shell command, you may have ended up with a lot of data in the Other category. Ask for instructions in that case.
See this support article for some simple ways to free up storage space.
You can more effectively use a tool such as OmniDiskSweeper (ODS) or GrandPerspective (GP) to explore the volume and find out what's taking up the space. You can also delete files with it, but don't do that unless you're sure that you know what you're deleting and that all data is safely backed up. That means you have multiple backups, not just one. Note that ODS only works with OS X 10.8 or later. If you're running an older OS version, use GP.
Deleting files inside a photo or iTunes library will corrupt the library. Changes to such a library must be made from within the application that created it. The same goes for Mail files.
Proceed further only if the problem isn't solved by the above steps.
ODS or GP can't see the whole filesystem when you run it just by double-clicking; it only sees files that you have permission to read. To see everything, you have to run it as root.
Back up all data now.
If you have more than one user account, make sure you're logged in as an administrator. The administrator account is the one that was created automatically when you first set up the computer.
Install the app you downloaded in the Applications folder as usual. Quit it if it's running.
Triple-click anywhere in the corresponding line of text below on this page to select it, then copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C:
sudo /Applications/OmniDiskSweeper.app/Contents/MacOS/OmniDiskSweeper
sudo /Applications/GrandPerspective.app/Contents/MacOS/GrandPerspective
Launch the built-in Terminal application in any of the following ways:
☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)
☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.
☞ Open LaunchPad and start typing the name.
Paste into the Terminal window by pressing command-V. You'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. Type carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator. Ignore any other messages that appear in the Terminal window.
The application window will open, eventually showing all files in all folders, sorted by size. It may take a few minutes for the app to finish scanning.
I don't recommend that you make a habit of doing this. Don't delete anything as root. If something needs to be deleted, make sure you know what it is and how it got there, and then delete it by other, safer, means. When in doubt, leave it alone or ask for guidance.
When you're done with the app, quit it and also quit Terminal.

I am having major problems installing Mountain Lion. After downloading successfully and attempting to install the process froze after restarting - ended up hanging on the OSX Recovery screen. Wouldn't restart properly without me selecting a startup disc.

Three times I went through this same process for the same outcome. I have redownloaded Mountian Lion three times. I removed the Lion install package from the Applications folder in case this was causing a problem. Deleted and remounted the Mountain Lion package each time. Finally got the package to run through the install, restart and begin the file install - at the end it failed and I was left with a blank startup disc and no data. I have backed up. Through the OSX Recovery screen I selected a Lion reinstall - checked my credential against the app store -fine. But then failed on the reinstall. Now doing a recovery from current backup but wondering the **** is going on. Wasted over 24 hours of processor time.
MMacBook Pro late 2009 (Lion 10.7.4) 8gRAM. New 750 g HD

Three times I went through this same process for the same outcome. I have redownloaded Mountian Lion three times. I removed the Lion install package from the Applications folder in case this was causing a problem. Deleted and remounted the Mountain Lion package each time. Finally got the package to run through the install, restart and begin the file install - at the end it failed and I was left with a blank startup disc and no data. I have backed up. Through the OSX Recovery screen I selected a Lion reinstall - checked my credential against the app store -fine. But then failed on the reinstall. Now doing a recovery from current backup but wondering the **** is going on. Wasted over 24 hours of processor time.
MMacBook Pro late 2009 (Lion 10.7.4) 8gRAM. New 750 g HD

I'm using a late 2006 2.33GHz imac.I clean installed 10.6 from disc then updated to 10.7 from download.Now every time my computer goes into sleep it won't wake up.Anyone know how to cure this problem please??

I'm using a late 2006 2.33GHz imac.
I clean installed 10.6 from disc then updated to 10.7 from download.
Now every time my computer goes into sleep it won't wake up.
The only way it will restart is to pull the mains lead out of the imac, put it back and try until it will start.
This only happened after reinstalling. Only Apple OS was on the imac and so it must be an issue with the software I believe.....
Anyone know how to cure this problem please?
Thanks
paul

This isn't a fix, more a workaround I used when I had wake from sleep problems that lasted from some point in 10.6.x, through 10.7 and into 10.8 (got fixed for me in 10.8.2). It seems to be connected with Bluetooth failing to wake up properly:
System Preferences>Energy Saver and set 'computer sleep' to 'never'.

During installation of itunes using Windows 7 64-bit, I have this error come up every time during installation. Tried uninstalling and re-installing, tried msconfig startup and service checks. At my wits end. Help!

During installation of itunes using Windows 7 64-bit, I have this error come up every time during installation.
"An Error occured during intstallation of Assembly "Microsoft .VC80.CRT type="win32". version="8.0.50727,6195", public Key Token="1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b, processor Architecture'+x86'". This is all followed by some more text and code HRESULT:0x80070005
Ive tried uninstalling and re-installing, tried msconfig startup and service checks. At my wits end. Help!
Anne Marie

Probably should've searched around a bit more. Just saw a similar forum post to my own in which redownloading and burning solved another user's similar issue. As of now I've redownloaded the 64-bit ISO, burned it, and so far so good (at 72% extracting files). I will repost here if it was a success in hopes that other users with a similar issue find this and benefit from it. Hope I didn't just waste anyone's time with a question that had already been answered (haha)

Looking to run windows on my MBPro through Bootcamp or Parallels, but would like to use a downloaded Windows 7, is it possible to install without the Windows Disc?

Looking to run windows on my MBPro through Bootcamp or Parallels, but would like to use a downloaded Windows 7, is it possible to install without the Windows Disc?
Need to set up a workstation on my MBPro that will only run on Windows. Im willing to use Bootcamp or Parallels to see what works best. Need to get this set up this week to enable working from home on my MB - rural and hoping to buy Windows 7 online - am I able to get windows working through either bootcamp or Parallels without the actual Windows disc? Bootcamp set up guide calls for a disc.

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
First, the answer to your question is yes, it IS possible to install Windows in Parallels without a disc, using an .iso image file.
Boot Camp since OS X 10.8 also installs Windows without a disc: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4889551?tstart=0
Parallels has complete documentation, series of forums, and a knowledgebase. You can also download the current release of Parallels 9 and try it for free for a few weeks before you decide to purchase it.
The Parallels Desktop for Mac product page: http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/
The Desktop for Mac forums: http://forum.parallels.com/forumdisplay.php?58-Parallels-Desktop-for-Mac
Documentation: http://www.parallels.com/support/desktop-virtualization/desktop/#c12970
The Knowledgebase for Desktop for Mac: http://kb.parallels.com
The primary difference between a Boot Camp installation and a Parallels installation is that in the Boot Camp installation, you're installing Windows into a separate partition on your internal mass storage device (hard drive or SSD) and then rebooting your Mac directly into Windows.
In Parallels, you're always running OS X on the Mac and Parallels is running a Windows virtual machine.
Not to get too technical here, but it is also possible for Parallels to run an installed Windows Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine. If you're evaluating system performance with a trial copy, that might be the way to go, because you only have to install Windows once on Boot Camp as a dual-boot system, then install Parallels Desktop and run the Boot Camp partition as the virtual machine.
There is a performance difference between the two, with the Boot Camp Windows installation being faster, but without the convenience of running both Mac and Windows applications simultaneously offered by Parallels. Sometimes that convenience outweighs a performance hit.
I can't give you more Mavericks and Parallels 9 specifics, because I'm currently running Windows 7 with Parallels 7 on OS X 10.8.5. Parallels 7 will not run on OS X 10.9 Mavericks.
I've been using Parallels (to run a few old rarely-used WIndows applications with features that would require a steep learning curve and major expense to purchase and learn a similar Mac app) occasionally since Parallels 3 and Windows XP. With each new release of OS X, each new release of Parallels, and each new Windows release, there are ALWAYS 'early adopter' bugs that get worked out over time.
Message was edited by: kostby

Can't re-install using original discs

Am trying to re-install original discs on Power Mac G4. It will accept Disc 1, but when I insert Disc 2
it asks for the password, which I type in. All I can get is a big question mark. It will not continue.

So, if I have the picture you've installed OS X on a drive using the original discs that came with the computer. You did this by Erase and Install so the drive had nothing on it? Exactly when did Disc 2 come into the picture? Assuming the DVD version of Leopard there is no need for Disc 2 unless you are installing pre-bundled software or extended printer drivers. If you were installing pre-bundled software maybe one of the installers requires a serial number rather than a password?
In any event there is no circumstance where a password is needed within the installation process. Until the installation is completed and you have gone through the Setup Assistant there would be no account hence no account password admin or otherwise. So I'm at a loss as to what you are doing.

Re-install using my startup disc

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