| Joined: | Mon Apr 2nd, 2012 |
| Location: | South Lakeland, UK |
| Posts: | 4066 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
In case anybody is wondering, now Apple's policy is not to include CD's with new computers and not to release OS's on DVD (although you CAN get it on a USB Thumb drive at great cost) how do you overcome the same issue as Steve encountered with current machines?
Since Lion, 10.7.x the install includes a 'recovery section' on the hard drive in a small hidden partition. By starting the computer holding down the option (alt) key, which you can access the utility and recovery section.
This only has a bare bones OS, it contains information about the computer and a mechanism to connect directly with the Apple servers so it can download the latest appropriate OS for that exact computer.
It also has a utility section so you can carry out maintenance of the main OS partition such as repairing the partition, adding new partitions 'on the fly' and repairing permissions.
When you go through the replace OS process it gives you some options but you end up with a new and most up to date OS which is appropriate for that computer.
It isn't an upgrade path from Lion to Mountain Lion but it will (currently) give you the latest current version of Lion appropriate for that computer. So if the computer is a server it will load the server OS for example.
____________________
Robert.