
If you want your Mac to start up again from the volume you just you erased, select Reinstall macOS in the utilities window, then click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions. When done, quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window. In El Capitan, Disk Utility looks slightly different, as you can see below. What Disk Utility looks like in Lion through Yosemite. Optional: If you previously used Disk Utility to add internal volumes other than Macintosh HD, you can erase them individually using the same process. Then proceed to highlight your computers hard drive select the Erase tab, make sure OS X Extended (Journaled) is selected, then hit the Erase button. If this button isn't shown, click Erase instead. Format: APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), as recommended by Disk Utility. Click the Erase button in the toolbar, then enter the requested details:.
Select Macintosh HD in the sidebar of Disk Utility. From the utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue. If asked, select a user you know the password for, then enter their administrator password. Start up from macOS Recovery: Turn on your Mac, then immediately press and hold these two keys until you see an Apple logo or other image: Command (⌘) and R. You can also buy a 10.5 retail install DVD (not a grey disk) & image that to a USB stick but that is not quick & easy. Apple originally shipped them for this model (10.5 if I recall correctly) but finding them is tricky. Otherwise find a genuine USB installer on the internet.
If you have no other Mac you will need to find one or visit an Apple store for help making a USB installer. So your option seems to only be the above method or to do your setup via another Mac with the Air's HD in a case - that is troublesome at best. That model doesn't support target disk mode as far as I can tell (it doesn't work over USB). Utilities can erase & partition the HD from the installer. Under Format choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted) the Encrypted part is crucial. Select the hard drives primary partition (usually called Macintosh HD) from the left, then choose the Erase tab. The 2008 Air is not listed at Computers that can be upgraded to use OS X Internet Recovery - Apple Supportso Internet recovery seems impossible to me.ĭownload a compatible OS installer from the app store (10.7.5) & write it to a USB device via one of these methods…Ĭreate a bootable installer for macOS - Apple Support Reboot the MacBook and hold down the OPTION key, then select the Recovery partition. The first generation Macbook Air cannot use internet recovery mode to you are limited to options that require using another Mac…