How to restore your
Apple iMac after a hard drive
replacement
Back in November 2012, I received an e-mail from Apple stating that there might be
a problem with some 1TB Seagate hard drives and it was my decision whether or
not I took it into the store for a replacement drive under the 3 year Apple
Care warranty.
When my 27 inch came back, there was still a lot of work to do regarding reinstalling software etc.
I finally have my iMac working how I want it work, and if
you want the same, just follow the instructions below or use what you think might help - but remember - everyone
has used their computer in a different way, so anything you do is your own
responsibility and I will not accept any responsibility for your actions! This is the method that worked for me and also
has my own conclusions. If in doubt, go to an Apple store!
1) IF YOUR MAC IS
WORKING - HAVE YOU MADE BACK-UPS OF YOUR WORK?
2) Get a pen and
paper and write down the steps you take, sometimes you can refer back to this
to make certain you did things correctly. Make a note of the date and time too
if you do the installation etc over a few days, it is easier to find sections
where everything went well - and sections where it went bad!
3) If your
machine is connected to the internet DISCONNECT. I found that it is too easy to
click on 'update software' and this software seemed to ruin the installation as
though it may well be too advanced for the 'older' system you try to put back
on from your CDs.
Example - say you
bought your machine with Leopard 10.6. 3 and
every piece of software works with that version.
BUT - if you now update say , Safari, BEFORE updating your OS (Operating System) you
may find it will not run it because your original OS is outdated. The main
priority is to get the ORIGINAL stuff back on your computer and then start
updates when you're happy the OS will cope with them.
4) I then turned
off my iMac and while off, inserted the INSTALL CD that came with my iMac. On
the CD itself it says to hold the 'C' key down.
So with the iMac off, I inserted the CD, held down the 'C' key and
switched back on. I held the 'C' key down until after the picture of the
grey/silver Apple logo came onto the screen and then took my finger off and the
CD loads up.
Following the CD instructions, I erased my drive first, but
it's entirely up to you. I felt it was better to clear everything and make a
fresh start.
So, from 4), a menu will ask you what language you want,
so click on one of these. To erase you now need to look at the TOP LEFT of your
screen and here you will see a Tab with UTILITIES
and click on it, then click on DISC
UTILITY.
5) Once in DISC
UTILITY - select or highlight the volume to erase, which is normally Macintosh HD
Note that this will
erase everything on that drive, so if happy with this and you have your backup, click ERASE.
6) Now you need to
QUIT the Disc Utilities so do this now by going to the top left of screen again
and clicking quit from the Disc Utilities menu.
7) Now you can
follow the instructions and INSTALL as
follows -
8) The Mac OS X Snow
Leopard Installer screen allows you to click CONTINUE.
Click AGREE to the license agreement appears.
The disk you erased. should now be highlighted with a green
arrow. Click Install.
A
status bar will appear on the bottom of the screen to show you how the
installation is progressing.
An
Additional Information screen appears, advising you that you operating system
has been installed. Click Continue.
Install
Succeeded screen appears next and you will do a RESTART, followed by a
welcome video and now you can start your loading up of software.
REMEMBER WHAT I SAID ABOUT
UPDATES IF YOU DOWNLOAD SOFTWARE TOO FAR
ADVANCED FOR YOUR ORIGINAL OS IT WILL PROBABLY NOT WORK!-
After reconnecting
the internet, I went onto the Apple site and searched for versions of Snow
Leopard and there is an update called 10.6.8
'COMBO' which I then downloaded and installed.
Now that I knew the
OS was up to date I knew I could check for software updates BUT check them first! I wanted to see what the updates were and downloaded them ONE AT A TIME,
recording the version e.g. Safari 5.0.5
That's about it - the
only thing I'd say is that if it fails, just try again using the notes you've
made and adjust what you did or what you downloaded. It worked for me and it
should work for you!
http://support.apple.com
is the place to go for other queries and don 't forget there are lots of Mac
Forums where you will find helpful tips.
