How to Format an External Drive for Mac Compatibility

I have a very weird problem - I messed up with the partions when I installed Bootcamp. Now, how can I reformat and install OS X from the installer placed in the external hard drive?

Muhammad Umar Muhammad Umar 1 2 3. From there, you can reinstall Lion. Alternatively, you can use the standard Recovery HD. Both are outlined and documented here: You can erase the drive and reinstall OS X using the recovery system: Start up from the recovery partition by holding command-R. It also erases the hidden recovery and EFI partitions. Reinstall OS X. But if you restart the Mac, it will start up in Internet Recovery mode, which means that it downloads a disk image of the recovery system from Apple's servers, and you can then install OS X on the empty drive.

If others search for how to do a normal erase and reinstall, erase the main OS X partition like Macintosh HD instead of the whole drive: Lri Lri Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Sign up using Facebook. Twitter Facebook Google Plus Linked in. Boot Drive - Play Enhance your gameplay. Upgrade Improve your storage. Recover Recover your files. Hard Drives Browse internal drives. SSD Boost your performance.

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Creative Professionals. Nytro Leverage flash storage. When I restart it and immediately insert its installation DVD while pressing key C, it brings me the apple logo and stays like that for ages. This is freaking me out.


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I have read and tried so may solutions online but nothing has changed. Please help me with another way. If I am currently running a public beta of El Capitan, will this method still work and install the official release of El Capitan?

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There's a good chance that it will re-install the public beta version, since it was the most recent OS installed on your Mac. Apple suggests installing from the Mac App Store instead. Now I need to format the new HD. Do I need a utility disk? I never created one on this Macbook Pro can I create a utility disk from a newer iMac? Select the disk from the menu, select your language, then choose Disk Utility from the Utility drop-down menu and proceed to reformat it to the right settings.

Then you can go back and install the OS. Try again later can anyone help me how to recover all the apps without recovery disc and without back up? I am just wondering. Hey Adriel. So I'm having a slightly different issue. I've followed your steps, but every time I hit "erase," it brings up a notice saying: Couldn't unmount disk.

Format an External Hard Drive or USB Flash Drive for Mac OS X

I've attached a pic of the error. However, on the left one can clearly see the main " But it allowed me to erase the Macintosh HD option.

Why is that? Has my drive been erased nonetheless? Or do I still need to do something else? Is all hope lost?

Erase or Format Your Mac's Drives Using Disk Utility

I'm now stuck on the pop up window which says "To download and restore Mac OS X, your computer's eliegiiilty will have to be verified with Apple. Loading Installation information It shouldn't be too long. If that doesn't do the trick, there's another more complicated course of action you could try. Step 1: Back Up Your Files! When erasing the harddrive, which format is ideal? Could there be a problem with the Apple servers or what?

My hard drive crashed on my Imac took it to computer repair they installed new hard drive, tried to recover data but could not, when we presented the imac to the apple store they told me i would have to buy back my old hd from them um hello no way, so thats why we went to another place that works on macs, so apple said i had lion on the mac, i couldnt remeber but now i remember i had leopard, the computer place installed lion, well now I cannot get any of my programs installed from the dics i have, like my photo software, etc, any cd i put in stays in for a minute then pops back out any help on this?