That folder with the question mark icon means that the MacBook can't find the boot directory. That can either mean it can't find the hard drive or the Operating System data on the hard drive is somehow corrupted.
Apple released the new Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite in the Mac App Store for everyone to download and install for free on October 16th, 2014, but downloading a 5+ GB file for each of your computers will take some serious time. The best thing to do is download it once and create a bootable install USB drive from the file for all of your Macs. Mac Pro introduced in early 2008 or later Xserve models introduced in early 2009. To find your Mac model, memory, storage space, and macOS version, choose About This Mac from the Apple menu. If your Mac isn't compatible with OS X El Capitan, the installer will let you know.
If your optical driive (CD/DVD drive) isn't working you'll need to use an external drive to install the OS. I wouldn't install 10.4 Tiger though. Tiger was coded for the old Power PC processors with code added to make it work when Apple switched to Intel processors. 10.6 Snow Leopard was the first OS written specificly for the Intel processors.
The 10.6 Snow Leopard DVD is in the Apple online store. You can get it for $19.99. You will need to be running 10.6.8 to access the App Store. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard
Macbook A1181 Software
You can get a fairly cheap external CD/DVD burner/player at Newegg.com http://www.newegg.com/External-CD-DVD-Blu-Ray-Drives/SubCategory/ID-420?Order=PR ICE
To Install an OS from a DVD
Macbook A1181 Mac Os Downloads
Put your install DVD into the optical drive (CD/DVD drive) and reboot. Be sure to either use the disc that came with your Mac, or, if you installed a later Mac OS X version from disc, use the newer disc. As soon as you hear the boot chime, hold down the 'c' key on your keyboard (or the Option Key until the Install Disk shows up) until the apple shows up. That will force your MacBook to boot from the install DVD in the optical drive.
When it does start up, you'll see a panel asking you to choose your language.Choose your language and press the Return key on your keyboard once.It will then present you with an Installation window.
Completely ignore this window and click on Utilities in the top menu and scroll down to Disk Utility and click it.You should see your hard drive in the left hand column along with your other drives. Click on the drive and select the Erase tab. Set the format value to Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and click the Erase button. After that has finished select the Partition tab. Type in a Name for your hard drive and select how many partitions you want from the Volume Scheme. The usual setting is one partition. Click on the Options button after you've selected a partition to make sure it's set for GUID. Then click the Apply button and after the Partitioning is done quit Disk Utility.
Apple Macbook A1181 Review
You can now follow the instructions on the install screen
PShermanWallaby
New member
Mac A1181
I have a Macbook A1181 model, possibly early 2007 or 2006 (I'm unable to tell except that it is A1181). If it helps: it is possibly the first of the Macbook line, all white, 13-inch, designated A1181. It was distributed by a college my sister attended, but the school did not require its students to return the laptops, so we kept it.
I want to refurbish it for my mom who wishes to use it. I've backed up ALL the possible files on it on an external hard drive and USB (documents, photos, music, school/homework files, etc). I wish to completely wipe it clean and basically start the computer over from factory settings, as in re-install the operating system, clean-slate the hard drive, and optimize the computer to run at maximal speed (it's very sluggish right now). I admit I have tons of experience with Windows, and to do something similar on Windows I would just reinstall Windows 7 from an OS boot disk/USB, and delete the system-old folder to start anew. I don't know how to do this for our A1181 macbook.
Can anyone advise me on what is the latest OS (Yosemite, Mountain Lion, 10.7, 10.8, 10.10, etc) that the A1181 is capable of running/installing and how I would install it? Are these OSX disks sold at the Apple store? And how I would go about wiping the hard drive clean and optimizing as I would a Windows computer by reinstalling the OS? Thank you so much for the help!
I want to refurbish it for my mom who wishes to use it. I've backed up ALL the possible files on it on an external hard drive and USB (documents, photos, music, school/homework files, etc). I wish to completely wipe it clean and basically start the computer over from factory settings, as in re-install the operating system, clean-slate the hard drive, and optimize the computer to run at maximal speed (it's very sluggish right now). I admit I have tons of experience with Windows, and to do something similar on Windows I would just reinstall Windows 7 from an OS boot disk/USB, and delete the system-old folder to start anew. I don't know how to do this for our A1181 macbook.
Can anyone advise me on what is the latest OS (Yosemite, Mountain Lion, 10.7, 10.8, 10.10, etc) that the A1181 is capable of running/installing and how I would install it? Are these OSX disks sold at the Apple store? And how I would go about wiping the hard drive clean and optimizing as I would a Windows computer by reinstalling the OS? Thank you so much for the help!