Casper Imaging kills MB Airs??

[jared_ehrke]

Hello!
Has anyone experienced issues imaging MB Airs (MacBookAir4,1) using Casper Imaging? Not sure what firmware these have... I have a stack of Airs that I am convinced no longer work thanks to the Casper Imaging software. Do these things just not play well? I have about 5 of them that will not even boot up after we attempted to image them. I have even tried erasing the hard drives and they still will not image and are now basically very expensive door stops. Any words of wisdom??

[mpermann]

Have you tried restoring the OS using internet recovery? You can find information on doing that at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4718?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US It sounds like maybe the image you are trying to lay down on the computers isn't compatible with the MacBook Airs. What version of Casper Imaging are you using and what version and build of the Mac OS are you trying to install onto the computers?

[ImAMacGuy]

there's a lot of things that can go wrong. But I've never heard of Casper making door stops.
What does "not even boot up" entail? Do they get the apple logo? do they get to a login screen but can't login? Do they get power? does the LED on the charger show orange, green, or nothing? Have you reset the PRAM?

When you imaged them did you wipe the partitions and re-create them?

[jared_ehrke]

Thanks for the replies. @mpermann yep I have tried the Internet Recovery on them. It doesn't seem to do any good. We are running version 9.21 and we are trying to lay down a 10.6 image. The image has worked on some of the Airs but we had these 5 or so that just don't work. @jwojda @mpermann "Not even boot up" translated = It plays the normal boot sound and the Apple logo flashes up on the screen normally for a second and then the machine powers off. This happens after Internet Recovery finishes as well. I have not reset the PRAM. I don't have a screwdriver that can open the star screws holding the bottom case to get to the battery. I have attempted to wipe partitions and recreate them. I know that 10.6 is not an ideal image for Airs, but it has worked for us ...we have about 30 Airs that are currently running 10.6. Thanks guys!

[emily]

Did you build your image from a Macbook Air or some other machine (an older one?)?

[Sandy]

If they are indeed (MacBookAir4,1) then the reason they don't boot to your 10.6 image is that they shipped with 10.7.
Apple products cannot be rev'ed backward from the OS that they shipped with, in this case 10.7

[ImAMacGuy]

If you experience issues related to these functions, you may need to reset the NVRAM or PRAM. For example, if your Mac starts up from a startup disk other than the one you've specified in Startup Disk preferences, or if a "question mark" icon appears briefly when your Mac starts up, resetting NVRAM / PRAM may help.
Note: OS X does not store network settings in NVRAM / PRAM. If you are troubleshooting a network issue, resetting it will not help.
Shut down the Mac
Locate the Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4
Turn on the computer
Press and hold teh Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears
Hold keys down until teh computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the 2nd time.
Release keys

[damienbarrett]

What gen are these MacBook Airs. If you're attempting to put 10.6 on some newer Airs, I can definitely see this kind of thing happening....although I've never seen doorstops as the end-result. You simply have to boot form another OS installer and re-image (sometimes you have to repartition the HD).

Also, resetting the PRAM doesn't require removing the battery. Never has. Not sure where you're getting this misinformation from.

This KBase article can help you determine which OS revision your MacBook Airs shipped with: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1159

If this article says that your MacBook Air shipped with 10.7 or higher, then it's highly unlikely and almost impossible to get them to run 10.6. I know some people were getting a modified version of 10.6 to run on some of the 10.7+/only MacBook Airs, but it involved swapping 10.7 kernel extensions and video drivers. Truly not recommended.

[jared_ehrke]

@emilykausalik I didn't build this image ....and actually was just informed that the image I've been using was built using a 2009 MacBook ...so that could be a large part of my problem right there ....it's weird though since we have gotten this to work on some Airs. We have a 10.7 image that was built with an Air that I was not aware of. Thank you everyone for your replies. I'll backtrack a little and try using the said image. Thanks again!

[jared_ehrke]

@damienbarrett Thanks for your reply. I am not sure what gen these Airs are. But just finding out that a 10.7 image was built here with one of them tells me they probably shipped with 10.7. Not sure how I got 10.6 to work on some of them...

As for the PRAM, I read about taking the battery out and holding the power button down off an Apple Support Communities discussion ....you mean everything you read on the internet isn't true?!?!

Thanks for the article ...I'll take a look and see what I've got.

[mojo21221]

I agree with the above on resetting the PRAM and NVRAM as the likely solution. The only thing I could add that could save you some time is to create a bootable installer on usb, thunderbolt, or firewire drive based upon a supported OS http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1159. I use the tool from http://diskmakerx.com as it creates almost the same bootable image that would be downloaded using internet recovery. Next I would clear both P and NV Ram. Option boot to the external installer I created. Format the drive to a single partition then install the OS. Once it finishes then try and work backwards on what you need to be in compliance for your environment. If that method doesn't work. Drop them off at an Apple store and admit defeat (j/k) have them put their recovery OS on them and restore them to an OS.

[BigWilly]

If the Macbook Airs was ship with 10.7 the firmware will only accept the 10.7 and above OS. OS build is hardware specific for driver when imaging. You can't use a OS build for macbook pro to use in macbook air ( Chips and video are not the same). Try to install 10.6 via CD/USB it will give you a prohibited sign if the OS is not supported.

[emily]

@jehrke7 You should definitely not be using anything older than 10.7 with the Airs you have. You shouldn't be using an OS older than what the Air shipped with. And I'd recommend building an image for your Airs from an Air, for consistency.

[johnnasset]

@jehrke7

You used to have to remove the battery on laptops and hold the power down to reset the SMC. You hold the left side Ctrl-Option-Shift and the power button for portables with an non-removable battery.

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

[bryce_carlson]

@jehrke7 Along the same lines of what @emilykausalik said, you may want to look into using a vanilla never booted DMG when imaging. It can really cut down on issues with multiple models of Macs in an environment. It works great when there is a uniform build of OS X (like there is now with 10.9.2 Mavericks.) The project AutoDMG will help you make the never booted DMG. https://github.com/MagerValp/AutoDMG

Also, here is a nice step by step on it:
http://coolestguidesontheplanet.com/using-autodmg-create-clean-osx-10-9-mavericks-boot-image/

[bentoms]

You can also use Casper Admin to create a clean never-booted OS.dmg.

http://macmule.com/2014/03/06/how-to-create-an-never-booted-os-dmg-using-casper-admin/