How to reset and reinstall macOS on MacBook Pro

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Level 1

4 points

How to reset and reinstall macOS on MacBook Pro

I tried resetting my MacBook Pro software to its original version I cleared the data on the hard drive and tried re installing the original macOS as Mac OS X Lion. When “updating” I get an error message about needed to download some components. I was told to change the date through terminal and reinstall it but still having the same issue. I need help. I just want to fix the MacBook

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Nov 23, 2024 2:34 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 23, 2024 9:47 AM in response to Chavarriam50

Do you have a working macOS now? if so, do not remove it.

use this article to download ("Use a Web Browser..." section) MacOS 10.11 El Capitan.

How to download and install macOS - Apple Support

Follow the directions faithfully, as there are additional UNEXPECTED steps involved.

For ease of use, the appropriate section is copied here, or use the original article:

Use these links to download a macOS disk image (.dmg) file. If these links don't work as expected, try again using Safari, which is in your Applications folder.

Double-click the .dmg file to open it and see the package (.pkg) file within.
Double-click the .pkg file, then follow the onscreen instructions to install the macOS installer into your Applications folder.
Open your Applications folder and double-click the macOS installer, named Install [Version Name]. Follow the onscreen installation instructions.

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Answer 2

HWTech

Level 9

60,614 points

Nov 23, 2024 7:52 PM in response to Chavarriam50

Try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R to see if you can access the online High Sierra installer. Unfortunately some Macs may only boot to the online installer which originally shipped with the Mac from the factory regardless of the startup keys used.

Even if you can access the online High Sierra installer, it may give you an error about not being able to contact the recovery server when trying to install High Sierra. If that occurs, see Fix #3 in this article:

https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-fix-the-recovery-server-could-not-be-contacted-error-high-sierra-recovery-is-still-online-but-broken/

If you are unable to boot into macOS, then you will need access to another Mac in order to create a bootable macOS USB installer using the instructions in the following Apple article:

Create a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support

You will need access to a Mac that is compatible with the OS installer you are creating (the Mac can currently be running any version of macOS). See this article to confirm the other Mac is compatible with the OS you are creating since my list of models are just generalizations (there will be some exceptions):

https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility

To create a bootable macOS USB installer for:

macOS 10.13 -- you need a Mac from Late-2009 to mid-2018
macOS 10.11 -- you need a Mac from 2007 to 2015

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