Help installing OS X on new SSD

wba31

So on my late 2008 Aluminium MacBook, the HDD was showing as corrupt in Disk Repair, so I have bought a new SSD for the MacBook. As it is not my main computer I wanted to start afresh, so was not bothered by cloning the old HDD to boot from and install OS X from that.

The old HDD has been removed and the SSD installed. I have learnt that Recovery Mode is not available on my MacBook as it is too old, so I have got my Leopard disc (that the MacBook shipped with) to try to install from this.

I held the Option key when booting and was able to select the install OS X disc, but then the MacBook restarts and nothing happens...

Do i need to format the SSD first to enable me to install OS X? can that be done without a USB caddy and booting from my old HDD? I do have a 2012 iMac if that can be used at all...

prowla

I wonder if the SSD is pre-formatted in Windows format, so the Mac isn't seeing it?

Can you get to Disk Doctor from your boot media? I seem to remember I had to do some of that when I put an SSD into my Mac mini.

Dandytf

Yes the ssd does need formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” with a single GUID partition.

dauphin

Are you able to boot to the Installer page and pass through the Language selection page?
After that, you will need to erase and format your drive. In the top menu bar, select Utilities and then open Disk Utility.
Highlight the SSD drive, click Erase. Give it any name you choose, format OS X Extended (Journaled) and Scheme is GUID Partition Map.
Then click Erase and close Disk Utility when finished.
Now when the Installer asks you where to install, select the newly formatted partition.

wba31

dauphin wrote: »

Are you able to boot to the Installer page and pass through the Language selection page?
After that, you will need to erase and format your drive. In the top menu bar, select Utilities and then open Disk Utility.
Highlight the SSD drive, click Erase. Give it any name you choose, format OS X Extended (Journaled) and Scheme is GUID Partition Map.
Then click Erase and close Disk Utility when finished.
Now when the Installer asks you where to install, select the newly formatted partition.

Cant get anything other than a flashing folder with a question mark in it, or the one time i got the disc image for the DVD.

I think I'm going to need to boot with the old HDD in a caddy and format the drive that way, then attempt to run installation. I was hoping i could format it without anything else but i guess with an OS there is nothing to format the SSD...

dauphin

OK but that shouldn't be necessary. As I indicated, Disk Utility is provided on the installation disk for this specific purpose.
The absence of a formatted drive should not prevent you booting from the DVD to the Installer stage.
Could the DVD be faulty? Why not use your iMac to download OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) from the App Store, then create a new installation DVD. (Assuming your MacBook is compatible with El Capitan)

wba31

It could be the disk...

The HDD of the MacBook was running El Capitan so it is compatible. How big a DVD would I need, I have 8.5GB double layer writeables on my desk...

My iMac is running El Capitan so do i not have the file required to burn to DVD already?

prowla

dauphin wrote: »

Are you able to boot to the Installer page and pass through the Language selection page?
After that, you will need to erase and format your drive. In the top menu bar, select Utilities and then open Disk Utility.
Highlight the SSD drive, click Erase. Give it any name you choose, format OS X Extended (Journaled) and Scheme is GUID Partition Map.
Then click Erase and close Disk Utility when finished.
Now when the Installer asks you where to install, select the newly formatted partition.

That sounds familiar.

prowla

wba31 wrote: »

It could be the disk...

The HDD of the MacBook was running El Capitan so it is compatible. How big a DVD would I need, I have 8.5GB double layer writeables on my desk...

My iMac is running El Capitan so do i not have the file required to burn to DVD already?

I didn't save an El Capitan image before upgrading, but my Mavericks .iso image is 5.33 GB.

dauphin

You would need to download the iso for El Capitan from the App Store and it's 6.20GB. You'll then have to burn this into a bootable format and, on reflection, you'll need to use a USB pen drive or other external drive of at least 16GB capacity.
Then set your MacBook to boot from this external drive.

If you are not sure how to create bootable installation media, that's another topic (!) but there are lots of instructions online - try googling "Create El Capitan install usb"

dauphin

By the way, don't worry about messing up your iMac by downloading El Capitan. The App Store will tell you it's already installed on your computer, but it gives you the option to download the iso (choose Continue) which will then be stored in your Downloads folder. It won't do anything to your existing installation. When you have done with it, you can just delete it.