Erased HD via recovery mode, now can't install MacOS

[BMWe24]

Hello,
Your problem is an easier fix than you think.
Use the recovery to boot in the installer for OSX El Capitan.

1. use disk utility and clean drive you will install on...
2. Connect to a wifi or plug in ethernet and download os x It will download and then try to install itself and then fail with no packages were eligible message with option to restart ....
3. shut off wifi (top right) or unplug ethernet cord
4. go to utilities -terminal- type this and only this, date 0115124517
5. it will show new date with new time it should be jan 1 12:45 2017
6. now hit restart ( wifi will reconnect automatically)- if using ethernet hit reset and connect ethernet cord

This problem lies in the El Capitan installer and not on your machine I have run into this issue multiple times with my old Macs.
Of course a 10 year hard drive is not one to be trusted with your important family photos but if no errors are on the disk you should just be able to use it.

1. I don't exactly follow this. I've already erased the main Macintosh HD, which is what I want to install on.
2. How do I download OS X to this computer? I don't have access to a web browser. Are you saying there's a way I should be able to connect to the App Store?

 

[Quinten]

1. I don't exactly follow this. I've already erased the main Macintosh HD, which is what I want to install on.
2. How do I download OS X to this computer? I don't have access to a web browser. Are you saying there's a way I should be able to connect to the App Store?

well I thought you still had the recovery partition to install el capitan butt I guess not.

you can try cmd+Alt+R on startup for internet recovery and see what OS it downloads.

otherwise you’ll have to make an el capitan installer on another Mac en then follow the instructions I gave you.

Mac OSX el capitan wont install properly anymore without changing the date of the machine.

 

[chscag]

I inserted my USB drive and was able to repair the main Mac HD, and it was successful. So it appears my main HD is still good

No, it's not good. You repaired it and have just put off its likely complete failure for how long, who knows? Replace the drive and be safe. And keep making backups!

 

[BMWe24]

well I thought you still had the recovery partition to install el capitan butt I guess not.

you can try cmd+Alt+R on startup for internet recovery and see what OS it downloads.

otherwise you’ll have to make an el capitan installer on another Mac en then follow the instructions I gave you.

Mac OSX el capitan wont install properly anymore without changing the date of the machine.

Oh I think I do have the el capitan recovery partition. I can get to the below through Utilities:

I've tried changing the date, and then when I restart, it still doesn't work. I've also pasted what I enter into my terminal

So after I turn off Wi-Fi, I enter the new date into terminal. I then restart the machine, and it takes me to OS X Utilities (below). From there, I select Reinstall OS X, which leads me to the first picture. After I click Continue, I get an error message reading "An error occurred while preparing the installation. Try running the application again." What am I doing wrong? Also, any idea why it doesn't find the bootable USB drive that contains 10.10 (Yosemite) when I restart and press alt/option?

 

[Quinten]

Its importent that u do turn on wifi before installing further because I believe its using internet recovery.
if installing still wont work I think the problem lies in a failing hard drive.

as for the yosemite usb not working im not sure what happend there. There are alot of tutorials explaining making a bootable usb on youtube id suggest following on of those.

 

[MacInWin]

Then I tried restarting and held alt/option to choose the USB drive but it still doesn't show up. What am I missing here?

Not Alt/Option, just Option. Hold it until the bootable drives appear.

 

[MarkAllread]

If it still doesn't show up in your 2009 with (JUST THE) the option key pressed, then I suggest trying it in your 2012, not that I would expect it to be any different but it would confirm either way.

 

[Mac Man 2007]

Gotcha. So I did that, and got the USB drive to show up as OS X 10.10 Install Disk in the 2009 MBP Utilities. Then I tried restarting and held alt/option to choose the USB drive but it still doesn't show up. What am I missing here?



When I boot from OS/X Installer it tries to install OS X (no name other than that) and ultimately fails. When I tried booting from the Recovery drive it tries to install El Capitan, but also fails (it does get further than the OS/X installer attempt).

This is a link. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
to apple support and has instructions to create a bootable installer for everything from El Capitan to Big Sur. This site has never failed me for creating a bootable USB installers. I am running Mojave and just to see what happened I tried to down load El Capitan and it started the download with the MacAir running Mojave. Moot point I guess if you now have a copy of El Capitan

 

[harryb2448]

Time will tell. SMARTReporter is a great little app to forecast failing hard drives. Well worth the %10 lifetime fee.

Mac SMARTReporter - protect your data with disk failure prediction

mac app to monitor hard disk drive health

www.corecode.io

 

[LARDENAIS]

you must have install DVD's ? Have you tried these? Installation like in former times ?

 

[phoenixx]

hi mate, get sata ssd, do a fresh install of latest supported osx from usb (DiskmakerX will help u) and issue closed ... let me kniw in case u would need details ...

 

[BMWe24]

I think the issue is the bootable Yosemite I created is no good. I used target mode and I try to open the 'Install OS X Yosemite' that is currently on the 2012 MBP but it says it "can't be opened because the identity of the developer cannot be confirmed". I got the Yosemite from another source other than Apple I found on the web.

In Target mode, the hard drive in my 2009 MBP does show and I can repair it. So I was hoping to install Yosemite (or El Cap) onto my 2009 MBP from my 2012 MBP by using target mode.

 

[BMWe24]

This is a link. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372
to apple support and has instructions to create a bootable installer for everything from El Capitan to Big Sur. This site has never failed me for creating a bootable USB installers. I am running Mojave and just to see what happened I tried to down load El Capitan and it started the download with the MacAir running Mojave. Moot point I guess if you now have a copy of El Capitan

I finally figured out why that link was working for me, because I was using Chrome. It worked fine in Safari. How dumb is that