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Trying to reinstall El Capitan but installation failed

RE: MacBook Pro Mid 2012

I reset to factory settings and Lion OS. I then attempted to install El Capitan which was the latest version it would allow. The install failed and I had to again erase the hard drive. However this time it’s trying to reinstall El Capitan and not Lion and since the El Capitan installed failed it’s not installing. Help! It’s horrible to be isolated without a computer.


I would appreciate any assistance.



[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Mar 31, 2020 7:22 PM

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5 replies

Apr 1, 2020 12:33 PM in response to winterkist

What error are you receiving when attempting to install El Capitan?


Do you have the 13" non-Retina model? If so you could have a defective internal hard drive cable which is common with that specific model. Or you may have a failing hard drive. If your laptop wasn't working correctly before the attempted reinstall of macOS then this could definitely be the source of the problem.

Apr 2, 2020 5:38 PM in response to winterkist

I would recommend purchasing an SSD and replacing one of the original 2GB memory modules with an 8GB module to give you 10GB of memory. Also replace the internal hard drive SATA cable especially if you have the 13" model. Crucial and OWC are great sources for an SSD and memory since Macs are really picky about the memory they use. If you go with a Crucial SSD go for the MX500 and stay away from the BX500 which can be as slow as a hard drive.


Make sure to have good verified working backups. This is even more important with SSDs where it is impossible to recover accidentally deleted data plus SSDs can fail at any time without any warning signs.


Good luck.

Trying to reinstall El Capitan but installation failed

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