Installing a SATA Drive as a Boot drive 10.11 Note: Reformatting the drive will erase all data on the drive, so you should copy any data you want off the drive prior to formatting. Physically install the drive into the Mac. Insert the Mac OS X install CD or USB drive. Power on the computer while holding down the option key. Select Installer. After you install the new hard drive, you will need to boot to your old hard drive. If you have an external enclosure for the old hard drive, you will plug that in via Firewire or USB, (Note: USB is only a bootable option on Intel Macs) then turn on your computer while holding down the Option key on your keyboard. I got a hold of broken 2007 Imac which couldn’t boot. The progress bar would pop up and then the system would shut down. I was told the Imac was missing a hard drive. Taking apart the Imac was a little tricky since you needed a suction cup to remove the magnetically connected glass panel. Continue reading Mac OS X Reinstallation or Install on New Hard Drive or No Boot →. If you're in Mac OS X 10.7 and later, you'll need to select the 'Reinstall Mac OS X' option from the Utilities screen. In earlier OS versions, quitting Disk Utility will take you back to the installer. Follow the steps as they are presented, making sure to select the new drive (the one you just formatted in the previous step) as the install. Installing the Mac operating system on an external drive is the safest way to get a good look at a new OS without changing anything on your Mac. Connect the external hard drive to your Mac.
Start up from macOS Recovery
Determine whether you're using a Mac with Apple silicon, then follow the appropriate steps:
Apple silicon: turn on your Mac and continue to press and hold the power button until you see the startup options window, which includes a gear icon labelled Options. Select Options, then click Continue.
Intel processor: make sure your Mac has a connection to the Internet. Then turn on your Mac and press and hold Command (⌘)-R immediately until you see an Apple logo or another image.
If you're asked to select a user you know the password for, select the user, click Next and enter their administrator password.
New Hard Drive Not Recognized
Reinstall macOS
Select Reinstall macOS from the utilities window in macOS Recovery and then click Continue and follow the installer's instructions.
Follow these guidelines during installation:
Allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac may restart and show a progress bar several times, and the screen may be empty for minutes at a time.
If the installer asks to unlock your disk, enter the password you use to log in to your Mac.
If the installer can't see your disk or notifies you that it can't install macOS on your computer or volume, you may need to erase your disk first.
If the installer is for a different version of macOS to what you expected, find out about other installation options, below.
If the installer offers you the choice between installing on Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD – Data, choose Macintosh HD.
How To Install Mac Os X To New Hard Drive
When the installation is complete, your Mac may restart to a setup assistant. If you're selling, trading in or giving away your Mac, press Command-Q to quit the assistant without completing setup. Then click Shut Down. When the new owner starts up the Mac, they can use their own information to complete the setup process.
Other macOS installation options
By default, macOS Recovery installs the latest macOS that was previously installed on your Mac.* You can get other macOS versions using one of these methods:
On an Intel-based Mac, you can use Option-Command-R at startup to upgrade to the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac. Exceptions:
If macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later was never previously installed, you will receive the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available.
If your Mac has the Apple T2 Security Chip and you never installed a macOS update, you will receive the latest macOS that was installed on your Mac.
On an Intel-based Mac that used macOS Sierra 10.12.4 or later previously, you can use Shift-Option-Command-R at startup to install the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available.
Reinstall macOS from the App Store instead of using macOS Recovery. If you can't install the latest macOS, you may be able to install an earlier macOS.
Create a bootable installerand then use it to install macOS on your Mac or another Mac.
Install Mac Os From Thumb Drive
* If you've just had your Mac logic board replaced during a repair, macOS Recovery may only offer the latest macOS compatible with your Mac. If you erased your entire disk instead of just the startup volume on that disk, macOS Recovery may only offer the macOS that came with your Mac, or the closest version still available.