Installing OS on A1186 Mac Pro.

[AppleNoobe01]

Hello, I have a Mac Pro a friend gave to me, he had not used it in years. The Model is A1186 and was running Lion. it shuts off when it try's to boot.
I was able to get in to System Utility's, and try to factory reset but even when I long in with my Apple ID it says not supported any more. I have no other apple products except iPad pro 12.9
I'm only a PC user and have no idea what I'm doing
I'm trying to get this machine going so a family member can have a PC to attend school.

Any help is appreciated thank you.

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums.

The model number "A1186" could refer to any one of three models: 2006, 2007, or 2008. We will need better info than that. Try to find the serial number and then look it up on this web site:

Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support

Check your Apple warranty status. Enter a serial number to review your eligibility for support and extended coverage.

checkcoverage.apple.com

Then post the exact specs here.

From your description of the problem, it sounds like the power supply may be defective. Although, it could be other things as well.

That particular Mac Pro whether it's a 2006, 2007, or 2008 model is a vintage product as far as Apple is concerned. You will get no help from them. However, there are parts available for Mac Pros on eBay and other sites that sell Mac parts.

 

[pigoo3]

The Model is A1186 and was running Lion. it shuts off when it try's to boot.

My first question would be...when was the last time this Mac Pro worked properly (I think "years" was mentioned)? Very possible this shutting off issue could have been the reason why it wasn't used for a while.

Nick

 

[AppleNoobe01]

Thank you for the replay.
Its a 2008 I believe. I went to the website it said its Valid Purchase date but no support.
no other info, I believe it has dual xenon.
any wa of making install disk from USB, I have no other apple computer only windows pc.

 

[chscag]

An install disk is not going to be of any use if the machine won't boot and shuts off. Once you repair it so that it boots, you can always install macOS using a DVD. (If the optical drive is still working.) The last version of macOS to come on a DVD was Snow Leopard 10.6.6. If it's a 2008 model and was running Lion (10.7) it can run Snow Leopard.

Again, eBay is the place to obtain a Snow Leopard install disk but as stated above, you need to repair the machine first.

You stated above that you were able to get into System Utilities. How did you do that if the machine shuts off when it tries to boot?

 

[AppleNoobe01]

An install disk is not going to be of any use if the machine won't boot and shuts off. Once you repair it so that it boots, you can always install macOS using a DVD. (If the optical drive is still working.) The last version of macOS to come on a DVD was Snow Leopard 10.6.6. If it's a 2008 model and was running Lion (10.7) it can run Snow Leopard.

Again, eBay is the place to obtain a Snow Leopard install disk but as stated above, you need to repair the machine first.

You stated above that you were able to get into System Utilities. How did you do that if the machine shuts off when it tries to boot?

I was able to get in to Utility's by using the command button shows all the drives. but when i select the main drive it show apple logo and loading bar half way and then shuts off.

 

[pigoo3]

I was able to get in to Utility's by using the command button shows all the drives. but when i select the main drive it show apple logo and loading bar half way and then shuts off.

The Mac Pro shouldn't randomly shut off like that. One possibility with an older computer like this (especially on a Mac Pro)...the power supply could be very weak/failing. It's possible the power supply has enough "power" to turn the computer on...but as soon as additional power is needed for the video card & logic board to fully function...this is too much and it shuts off.

It is possible to test this theory further by removing all unnecessary items (extra RAM, extra drives, just one low power video card, remove any additional PCI slot cards)...basically run the computer with the absolute minimum hardware configuration. No guarantee this will work...but could be a troubleshooting step to try.

Also (just in case)...replace the PRAM battery on the logic board (coin sized CR 2032 battery).

HTH,

Nick