[SOLVED] Temporarily Unavailable when Reinstalling OS X Mavericks

[sms1295]

I decided to wipe out everything and do a clean install for Mavericks for my iMac (late 2011). I went through the process of reformatting the HD. I go into Reinstall OS X and move through the process of providing my Apple ID and password. All looks fine and the I get the message “This item is temporarily unavailable”. I’ve tried this several time over the last couple of weeks. Any suggestion as to how I can reinstall Mavericks?

Would the following also be options:

Purchase Maverick from Apple to install?
Could install Yosemite via the disk that came with my new iMac?

Thanks

 

[McHenryB]

Use your new iMac to download a newer version of OS X (Yosemite or Sierra) and create an install USB stick. You can then use this to install the OS on the old iMAc.

 

[sms1295]

I’ve done a ton in searches on this, and none gave a solution of downloading to a USB and reinstalling that way.

Thanks,

Sms1295

 

[BadAsAl]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from sms1295 : "Install OS X"

I have an iMac that came with Mavericks which I thought I had registered under my Apple ID, but I don’t see it as a device. I’m looking to do a clean install, so I went to disk utilities and did the following:

Erased the HD in Mac OS Extended (journaled)
Booted back in Disk Utilities
Selected Reinstall OSX
Went through the screens including entering my Apple ID/pw
I then get the message “This item is temporarily unavailable”

I’ve seen sever post about people not getting by this message which I’ve tried. I’ve also tried the following:

Downloaded a copy of Yosemite from Cnet and tried created an install USB using TransMac. I was able to restore the image from the USB on the iMac. When I restarted, it appears something was loading and about half way through it stopped. I tried a few times and finally gave up.

I found a Mavericks Installer (~5 GB) file which I copied to my Windows PC and used TransMac to transfer to a USB drive. I’ve not gotten this to work either.

I would like to get a OS X installed on the iMac. Can someone provide me the instructions to do so?

Thanks,

sms1295

"This item is temporarily unavailable" usually means that you are not signed in with an account associated with an OS X installation. Are you absolutely sure that you are using the account that you registered the installation with?

If so I would recommend seeking support from Apple. You should not attempt to use installation media from sources other than Apple or Windows software in the installation process.

Have you tried an internet recovery? http://osxdaily.com/2014/12/14/reinstall-os-x-mac-internet-recovery/

 

[sms1295]

I have tried the Internet Recovery method with the same results (This item is temporarily unavailable). I've read on multiple post that Apple isn't very help working with you on this type of issue. What I've now decided to do is is purchase a recover disk. I can get one for around $20.00 and hopefully solve my issue.

This iMac was the first Apple product we purchased and I now know the value of creating a 'Time Machine" for a restore.

 

[BadAsAl]

Restore disk sounds like the best solution and it is cheap to boot.
Once you have the iMac running exactly like you want you can actually make an exact copy of your hard drive onto an external USB stick or drive. Use SuperDuper, it is free and works great. Then if you ever want to go back to a fresh install, you simply boot to the USB drive, and use SuperDuper again to clone the USB to the onboard drive. I do this every time I update the OS in case something goes wrong.