Have I deleted something I shouldn’t

[Evobeck]

Yesterday I was having issues with my mail app not connecting, so i decided to do a restore..I’ve only had machine few weeks so wasn’t much to back up.

did the erase hd function fine via command r.
Got to screen to install and set up a new copy of lion.
logged in with Appleid. Then got error message saying temporary unavailable.

and now I’m stuck.

Ive tried creating a bootable usb with Mac OS X installed in, but when I power up and press option, nothing happens, I cannot access the startup to click the usb.

Whether I press command r or command alt r, I still get taken to internet recovery and lion option, which doesn’t do anything.

At a loss now...!! Please can anyone help, tell me what I’m doing wrong.

The picture shows what my disk disk utility looks like, and the iMac is still showing up in my cloud..

also when I click the base system disk, every option in first aid is grayed out. Not sure if relevant?

also would a wired keyboard make a difference??

This is a 2013 imac with i5 core.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

The 2013 iMacs came with a minimum of OS X 10.8.2/4 Mountain Lion, and later with 10.9 Mavericks.

A wired keybaord shouldn't make a difference if you can type with your wireless. An Ethernet cable may help instead of Wi-Fi.

-How did you make the bootable USB installer?
-Can you repost the photo, as it didn't post correctly.

C

 

[Evobeck]

Hi thanks for your reply..

I’ll be honest, I can’t remember what OS was on system before but Lion 10 is the only option that comes up to restore..

I did the usb by downloading on a pc and then using transmac software to reformat? But startup disk remains empty... and pressing option on start up does nothing

My picture is too large to attach, but it just shows Mac HD and then the base system disk underneath

 

[Cory Cooper]

OK

If Lion is the only version available in the Restore partition, then the Mac has to be older, as 2012 and newer Macs do not support Lion. You can check the exact model by entering your serial number here: Check Your Service and Support Coverage

When creating a bootable installer, you cannot just download the installer and copy it to a flash drive. Her are two ways to create it properly, both require Macs:

-How to create a bootable installer for macOS
-DiskMaker X

That is probably why it doesn't see it when Option-booting.

C

 

[Evobeck]

Thank you, I’ve used your link and it’s a mid 2011 model.. which explains it.

I will try and get the usb installer done on another mac and go from there.... thank you for your help!

 

[Cory Cooper]

No worries...

Let us know if you need anything and how it goes.

Good luck.

C