Errors everywhere when just trying to update OS X

[kelvinhall05]

I recently acquired a Macbook Air model A1304. It's an OK web browsing machine, but not much is supported due to it only running OS X Lion (10.8.5 I believe). I tried following a guide on Apple's website on how to update OS X, and even after thoroughly examining the support list and being 110% sure that my Mac is supported, I still get the same fucking error every time I try to download it from the App Store. I've tried every guide known to man on how to "fix" this problem, and NOTHING WORKS. Please...please...help...me....Thanks!

[knightslugger]

I give you 0/10 on describing THE ERROR.

[kelvinhall05]

9 hours ago, knightslugger said:

I give you 0/10 on describing THE ERROR.

I give the App Store 0/10. It literally says "We could not complete your request. There was an error in the App Store. Please try again later". No error code. Nothing. Just that line of text and a button to click "OK".

[DrMacintosh]

Cmd+R when you boot up your machine to reinstall the OS your Mac shipped with. You can then update to whatever you want after your machine reinstalls macOS. 

[kelvinhall05]

8 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

Cmd+R when you boot up your machine to reinstall the OS your Mac shipped with. You can then update to whatever you want after your machine reinstalls macOS. 

I did do that, but that was an even older version (Snow Leopard I think). I used a Lion install disc I had lying around and booted off that.

[FoxPro]

I was going to suggest downloading the installer and making a USB boot drive from the installer itself, but you can’t even get the App Store to work for you. Which I find strange, I had to do internet recovery on my MacBook Pro 2012 and if I recall I was able to download the installer and make a USB from there, that was either 10.6 or 10.7. 

 

What WOULD help us a lot is giving us your model identifier, for example my MBP is MacBookPro9,1, as the model number (A1286 for me) is generic and goes across many revisions of the hardware. In your case of A1304, that’s either a 2008 or 2009 Air. However both share the model identifier. The EMC value is different though. However, those WILL NOT go past OS X 10.11.6. If you’re trying to get Sierra or High Sierra you can’t. And as far as I know Apple doesn’t show the previous versions on the App Store, so you’ll have to get it via other means. I don’t think we’re allowed to discuss those means on the forum so you’re on your own there. 

 

(Sorry if I contradict myself I was researching your possible models as I was writing)

[kelvinhall05]

7 hours ago, FoxPro said:

I was going to suggest downloading the installer and making a USB boot drive from the installer itself, but you can’t even get the App Store to work for you. Which I find strange, I had to do internet recovery on my MacBook Pro 2012 and if I recall I was able to download the installer and make a USB from there, that was either 10.6 or 10.7. 

 

What WOULD help us a lot is giving us your model identifier, for example my MBP is MacBookPro9,1, as the model number (A1286 for me) is generic and goes across many revisions of the hardware. In your case of A1304, that’s either a 2008 or 2009 Air. However both share the model identifier. The EMC value is different though. However, those WILL NOT go past OS X 10.11.6. If you’re trying to get Sierra or High Sierra you can’t. And as far as I know Apple doesn’t show the previous versions on the App Store, so you’ll have to get it via other means. I don’t think we’re allowed to discuss those means on the forum so you’re on your own there. 

 

(Sorry if I contradict myself I was researching your possible models as I was writing)

Mid 2009 Macbook Air, model A1304. I can't find an installer that isn't on the App Store or is paid.

[ProjectBox153]

Where have you gotten the install disk? I have one of those machines, and they can't go past 10.7.5 Lion. Just a heads up, those machines are slow. If you've got one with a mechanical 1.8" PATA iPod drive, it's even slower.

[kelvinhall05]

16 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

Where have you gotten the install disk? I have one of those machines, and they can't go past 10.7.5 Lion. Just a heads up, those machines are slow. If you've got one with a mechanical 1.8" PATA iPod drive, it's even slower.

Nah, it's a 1.8" SSD. I got the disc of eBay. According to Apple's own website, my laptop supports OS X El Capitan. And I know they're slow, but someone on here told me that I should update it because more new programs are supported and that Lion is a RAM hog.

[ProjectBox153]

43 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Nah, it's a 1.8" SSD. I got the disc of eBay. According to Apple's own website, my laptop supports OS X El Capitan. And I know they're slow, but someone on here told me that I should update it because more new programs are supported and that Lion is a RAM hog.

So yours is a later 2009 model? I've not messed with those enough to really be of much use then. Sorry.

[FoxPro]

2 hours ago, Jamiec1130 said:

Where have you gotten the install disk? I have one of those machines, and they can't go past 10.7.5 Lion. Just a heads up, those machines are slow. If you've got one with a mechanical 1.8" PATA iPod drive, it's even slower.

The only Air that can’t go past 10.7 is the original one, A1237, MacBookAir1,1. That also is the ONLY one with a PATA drive. 

 

4 hours ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Mid 2009 Macbook Air, model A1304. I can't find an installer that isn't on the App Store or is paid.

macOS upgrades have been free since 10.9, so you just need to find someone else’s copy of the 10.11 installer. I think I have one, Apple keeps it in your “purchased” section on the Mac App Store. Now with a size limit of 20MB that won’t happen here and like I said you’d have to find other means to get a hold of the El Capitan installer. From there you can just do an upgrade from 10.8 or make a USB like I said and do a clean install. As long as you have 10.6.8 or later you can do an upgrade. If you can get a copy of the installer we can help you past that with the install process if anything happens there, just getting it, while it’s free, is bordering on piracy and I’d rather not get this thread locked

[ProjectBox153]

2 hours ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Nah, it's a 1.8" SSD. I got the disc of eBay. According to Apple's own website, my laptop supports OS X El Capitan. And I know they're slow, but someone on here told me that I should update it because more new programs are supported and that Lion is a RAM hog.

As pointed out by @FoxPro I think I have a copy of the 10.11 installer if you need it.

[kelvinhall05]

1 hour ago, Jamiec1130 said:

As pointed out by @FoxPro I think I have a copy of the 10.11 installer if you need it.

Can you PM me a download? And instructions on how to put it on, say, a USB or CD and boot off it?

[ProjectBox153]

30 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Can you PM me a download? And instructions on how to put it on, say, a USB or CD and boot off it?

I can. It'll be a little though.

[FoxPro]

1 hour ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Can you PM me a download? And instructions on how to put it on, say, a USB or CD and boot off it?

I can get a copy of it myself and toss it on my Google Drive as soon as I post this, if Jamiec1130 doesn't deliver before I do. Once you get that image though, make sure it's in your /Applications folder.

 

Following This helpful little guide and running this command

 

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

where MyVolume is the name of your USB or other device that you're to make the installer bootable from.

 

That should get you up perfectly and good to go, and like I said, if it goes haywire we're still here to help.