- #Create an os x boot disk how to
- #Create an os x boot disk mac os x
- #Create an os x boot disk install
#Create an os x boot disk install
Once you’re in, run Software Update a few times to get the latest patches and install any third party diagnostic utilities you may have. Set up the fresh installation just like you would a new computer.This is how you will access it in the future, too. If it doesn’t, restart the Mac manually and hold down the Option key to choose the drive yourself. Eventually, the installation will finish and it should reboot directly to the USB drive.When all is said and done, you should find about 9GB of your 16GB drive has been filled. The rest of the process should be automated and might take between 30-60 minutes since USB flash drives are slower than internal hard drives. Un-check all of the items except “Essential System Software.” You may choose to check “Rosetta” and “QuickTime 7” since they are so small and might come in handy. Click on the Customize button and a new window will appear.Click the Show All Disks button and select your USB flash drive.Enter a name for the volume (I called mine “OS X USB”), select “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” as the Format, and make sure the size is somewhere around 15-16GB. Go to the Partition tab and select “1 Partition” from the Volume Scheme menu.Open Disk Utility (Applications > Utilities) and click on your flash drive in the list on the left.Make sure there’s no valuable data on there because it will be permanently wiped out in a couple minutes. To start things off, connect the USB flash drive to your Mac.And the third thing you’ll need to get the job done is your OS X installation DVD.
#Create an os x boot disk mac os x
While they should be fine, squeeze those versions of Mac OS X on a 16GB drive at your own risk. Keep in mind 10.6 Snow Leopard was used to demonstrate this tutorial, so I’m not sure how much space 10.5, 10.4, and earlier require. Second, at least a 16GB USB flash drive, such as this SanDisk Cruzer Micro for about $30 at Amazon. First you’ll need an Intel-based Mac from the past few years.
#Create an os x boot disk how to
Now that you’re convinced, let’s figure out how to do this. Your Mac’s hard drive is completely dead and you’d like to use your computer for basic tasks like email and web browsing while you wait for your new drive to arrive.
All you need to do is carry around a single USB flash drive to be ready for situations the require you to diagnose, repair, or experiment with Mac OS X. Although Macs are reliable machines, they are not exempt from hiccups.