Question Hard drive issues with MacBook Pro 13 in. 2011

[TimPlays116]

I recently received a MacBook Pro from a friend that had no hard drive and he wasn't sure if it was working. I found a 320 gb drive from a laptop I had lying around so I decided to put that in and try get it running. When I turn it on it shows a blank white screen for about 30 seconds then the screen flashes black and it goes to a Windows Resume Loader screen (Windows was installed previously on the drive). I have tried to do the Command + Option + R thing at the start to get into recovery mode but it is not working. I am not sure if I am doing anything right with this because I am very new to Macs 😛

 

[McHenryB]

You need to install OS X on it. You can't just put a Windows hard drive from another computer in it and expect it to boot.

What year is the Macbook?

Update: Sorry - I missed the 2011 in the heading. The EFI ROM needs to have had an update applied for Internet Recovery to work with your model. It sounds as if this wasn't done, so you'll need to install OS X from a CD or USB stick.

 

[TimPlays116]

I new that I couldn't just put in the Windows drive and expect it to work but where can I find a copy of OS X to put on computer?

 

[McHenryB]

If the Macbook didn't come with Internet Recovery enabled it would have been supplied with install disks. You may be able to find replacements on eBay, but they have to be ones for the exact model that you have. Alternatively, you should be able to purchase install material from Apple.

If you have access to another Mac you could download Yosemite and create an install USB key. This would be perfectly legal as ownership of a Mac allows you to download the OS for free; but you need a working Mac to do so.