Can't Install Any Mac OS on Core 2 Duo Macbook
You don't specify the exact model of Core 2 Duo MacBook you're using, so the first thing to try is see if you can actually boot into macOS Recovery over the Internet, as some models were able to have their firmware updated to do just that.
First you need to be somewhere where you will be able to access the internet - however this works best with Wi-Fi networks using WEP and WPA security
Follow these steps:
- Ensure your MacBook is fully powered off
- Hold down the CommandOptionR keys and press the Power button
- Keep holding down the keys until you see a spinning globe with the message Starting Internet Recovery
- Soon you’ll see a progress bar - be patient as this may take a while
- Eventually the Utilities screen will appear
- Choose the Reinstall option
- Follow the prompts
If your MacBook is not compatible with Internet Recovery let me know and we’ll go to plan B.
I tried again with another image, this by dumping it in the HFS+ partition and it does the same stuff as before: it fails during the "Preparing installation" window. However, I tried again by dd'ing the same disk image into my USB drive and it worked! I was able to select the language, select the target disk and finish the installation correctly. My best guess is that newer images aren't compatible with it and that the other disk was bad.