2007 iMac questions.

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JaseNZ

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#199178 7-Aug-2016 17:53

So I purchased off of trade me a 2007 (2.4 GHz core 2 duo) iMac for $130 which I thought was pretty cheap ?? and was really just an impulse buy.

It is currently booting off an external drive as they said they reckon the internal one is naffed.

I plan on adding 2 gb of memory to it, currently it has 3 gb based on 1 x 2gb and 1 x 1gb. (Swap out the 1gb for 2gb)

I also want to put an ssd in it which looks pretty easy.

My question is once I have a new drive in it how do I get el Captain (or an os) onto it if its a blank drive. I have no idea on imacs and its my understanding that el Capatain is only available from the app store)

Its really just going to be something for me to play around with since I have never had a mac.

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Boeingflyer

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#1606023 7-Aug-2016 18:51

You should be able to do it off a USB.. Just search for OSX USB Stick on how to create one on google.

froob

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#1606028 7-Aug-2016 19:00

You should be able to make an installer with a USB flash drive, with a little bit of tinkering. I've done this with previous versions of OS X. Here are some instructions:

http://osxdaily.com/2015/09/30/create-os-x-el-capitan-boot-install-drive/

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mindtpi99

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#1606098 7-Aug-2016 21:40

If you don't have access to an installer the quickest way is to boot the computer in Internet Recovery Mode:

http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/02/25/how-to-start-up-your-mac-in-internet-recovery-mode/

and load up the default OS that came with it then use the App store to do the updates - you need to get it to 10.6.7 to get the App Store note that the installers are large (4-6Gb) so it will take time. Once you have the App Store application you should be able to download the El Capitan installer and then use (free) DiskMaker X 5 to make it into a bootable installer on an external USB drive or stick. Then you can boot off it and install directly onto the internal disk (once you've formatted it with Disk Utility)

Otherwise, get someone you know with a Mac to download and give you a copy

Note that you are going to need a 3.5" to 2.5" drive tray adapter, otherwise you'll need to velcro the smaller drive in.

JaseNZ

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#1606190 8-Aug-2016 09:08

Thanks guys most appreciated , I managed to track down a dmg image of el Captain so might be able to use that , in any case will post up my results if I get somewhere.

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Behodar

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#1606221 8-Aug-2016 09:58

mindtpi99:

If you don't have access to an installer the quickest way is to boot the computer in Internet Recovery Mode:

That will not work on a 2007 machine; Internet Recovery wasn't added until 2011 (and even then, some machines needed a firmware update).

Mspec: Thanks guys most appreciated , I managed to track down a dmg image of el Captain so might be able to use that , in any case will post up my results if I get somewhere.

I would not suggest using a .dmg file; Apple doesn't supply the OS in that format and you never know what the "packager" has done (for example, there might be malware in it). It's best to boot up from the current external drive and download the latest installer from the App Store (which will come down in .app format). You can then use the createinstallmedia tool as described on Apple's site or in the article linked above.

JaseNZ

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#1606229 8-Aug-2016 10:05

Behodar:

mindtpi99:

If you don't have access to an installer the quickest way is to boot the computer in Internet Recovery Mode:

That will not work on a 2007 machine; Internet Recovery wasn't added until 2011 (and even then, some machines needed a firmware update).

Mspec: Thanks guys most appreciated , I managed to track down a dmg image of el Captain so might be able to use that , in any case will post up my results if I get somewhere.

I would not suggest using a .dmg file; Apple doesn't supply the OS in that format and you never know what the "packager" has done (for example, there might be malware in it). It's best to boot up from the current external drive and download the latest installer from the App Store (which will come down in .app format). You can then use the createinstallmedia tool as described on Apple's site or in the article linked above.

Thanks for that however it does not come with the external drive, they are keeping that as it has their personal information on it.

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JaseNZ

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#1606751 9-Aug-2016 09:55

Went and picked it up last night and its in perfect condition. Got it home and it boots just fine however its showing the internal drive is failing smart status and to replace drive. New SSD drive is on the way and I did a fresh install of el Capatain onto an external drive last night in case the internal one gives up the ghost before I can get the SSD installed.

I had heaps of different memory laying around that were for laptops and ddr2 but none the same as the mac so have bought a 2gb stick to boost it from 3gb to 4gb, that coupled with the ssd it should be a good little runner to play around with.

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