Dead MacBook

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Phil Ward

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Mar 16, 2020, 12:32:59 PM3/16/20
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Afternoon all,

My Old 2009 MacBook was working fine this morning but is now suddenly refusing to boot up. It gets to the grey screen and boot up progress bar, freezes for a while and then offers me the system re-install, restore from back up (nope, don’t have one), and first aid options. If I choose the re-install option it reports that, “the recovery server could not be contacted”. It’s running High Sierra (that’s the latest OS it’s able to use) and has a 1TB SSD.

Ideas anybody?

Thanks
Phil

PS. It’s especially annoying ‘cause I did some work on the laptop this morning that I now need access to.



----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.

Sam - MacAmbulance

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Mar 16, 2020, 4:52:22 PM3/16/20
to 'Jason Davies' via Sussex Mac User Group
Recovery server not being accessible usually means the Mac’s not on the wifi network after booting up in the recovery partition 
_

Regards
Sam Mullen

+44 (0)7747778022
in...@macambulance.com
www.macambulance.com

MacAmbulance

MacAmbulance Ltd.

Providing Affordable Mac/PC Support and Web Development

MacAmbulance Ltd. is a registered company in England & Wales, registration number 8466597

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Phil Ward

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Mar 17, 2020, 5:21:01 AM3/17/20
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I thought that too Sam so tried again with the MacBook wired to the router. Same result though.

I started looking at making a High Sierra boot USB disk but Apple make it very difficult. Even Apple’s own High Sierra download links just directs to the App store where the High Sierra download no longer works - it just defaults to a Catalina download.

Think my only option to get the work I need from the MacBook is to take the SSD out, put it in a case and connect via USB. Shame the old Firewire 'Target Disc Mode” doesn’t work with USB.

Cheers
Phil



----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.

Jason Davies

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Mar 17, 2020, 6:05:57 AM3/17/20
to 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group

I have a Snow Leopard DVD. Is a disk image of that any use to you? (Assuming I can remember how to make one after all these years lol)

cheers,
Jason



Cheers,

Jason

Phil Ward

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Mar 17, 2020, 6:09:18 AM3/17/20
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Thanks for the offer Jason. I’ll hold that one in reserve for now. I'm still hope to find a way of getting a High Sierra boot USB made once I’ve sorted the more urgent need to get the work I need off the MacBook HD.

Ta
Phil

----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.

Jason Davies

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Mar 17, 2020, 7:05:00 AM3/17/20
to 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group

Does this help? https://tidbits.com/2019/10/28/redownload-archived-macos-installers-to-address-expired-certificates/

It links to a High Sierra installer at <https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?ls=1&mt=12>

I may have an old one that needs the clock changed as per the first URL, let me know.

cheers,
J

Phil Ward

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Mar 17, 2020, 8:10:29 AM3/17/20
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Thanks Jason,

Sadly that link just directs to the same App Store page that I found previously. It looks like a High Sierra installer download but when you click on “Get” it reports that, ‘the requested version of Mac OS is not available’ and re-directs to a Catalina update. Of course this may well be because I’m not doing it from a machine running High Sierra, but then I can’t do that ‘cause the machine that is running High Sierra is kaputt.

Don’t you just love technology? Maybe we should just go back to scratching on cave walls, bartering goats’ testicles and banging sticks together. Oh, hang on….

P

----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.

Jason Davies

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Mar 17, 2020, 9:25:39 AM3/17/20
to 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group

oh, I got as far as it saying 'Get it' and didn't click (sorry!)

It is letting me download. Happy to get to you via iCloud or Resilio Sync when it's done (5gig)

cheers,
J




Cheers,

Jason

Sam - MacAmbulance

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Mar 17, 2020, 10:26:28 AM3/17/20
to sm...@googlegroups.com
Try https://macambulance.com/blog > my latest blog post has a list of direct links to the various versions of macOS

When installing anything older than Catalina, set your Mac’s date to 2017, then the included certificate with the macOS installer won’t have expired


_

Regards
Sam Mullen

+44 (0)7747778022
in...@macambulance.com
www.macambulance.com

MacAmbulance

MacAmbulance Ltd.

Providing Affordable Mac/PC Support and Web Development

MacAmbulance Ltd. is a registered company in England & Wales, registration number 8466597

This email is intended solely for the addressed recipients and may contain privileged or confidential information.

If you have received this email in error please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.



On 17 Mar 2020, at 09:22, 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group <sm...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

I thought that too Sam so tried again with the MacBook wired to the router. Same result though.

Phil Ward

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Mar 17, 2020, 10:58:01 AM3/17/20
to SMUG
Same problem with the links in your blog post Sam. As far as I can tell, you can’t download from the App Store anything earlier than the OS of the machine you're downloading on. So if you want to download an installer for an older (and broken) machine that can’t be updated, you’re stuffed.

P 


----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.

Jason Davies

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Mar 17, 2020, 11:23:03 AM3/17/20
to 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group
In case the flurry of messages buried it, I have downloaded the High
Sierra installer today (privilege of a 2010 machine) and am ready to
wing it to you remotely...

On 17 Mar 2020, at 14:57, 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group wrote:

> Same problem with the links in your blog post Sam. As far as I can
> tell, you can’t download from the App Store anything earlier than
> the OS of the machine you're downloading on. So if you want to
> download an installer for an older (and broken) machine that can’t
> be updated, you’re stuffed.


Cheers,

Jason

Phil Ward

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Mar 17, 2020, 11:26:36 AM3/17/20
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Sorry Jason, I’ve just remembered you offered to send that! Yes please - wetransfer, or dropbox or whatever takes your fancy would be brilliant. You stand to make an old man very happy and an old MacBook live again.

Cheers
Phil

----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.
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Jason Davies

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Mar 17, 2020, 12:17:01 PM3/17/20
to 'Phil Ward' via Sussex Mac User Group

I'll do it to this email address of yours, shall I? (phil...@mac.com) - using iCloud (so it may take time to upload)



Cheers,

Jason

Phil Ward

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Mar 17, 2020, 12:18:02 PM3/17/20
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Thanks Jason, that would be great.

Phil

----
Phil Ward

Skype: aphilw
E: phil...@mac.com (me.com, iCloud.com)
W: musicandmiscellany.com

• Freelance writer and product designer.
• Contributor to Sound on Sound magazine.
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