Multiboot mac os flash drive. Bootable USB flash drive macOS Sierra. Two easy ways to create

Bootable USB flash drive with macOS Mojave is useful when you need to install a system from scratch, or update several machines at once. Now I will tell you how to create such a flash drive in macOS itself and in Windows.

The instructions are suitable for macOS Sierra, High Sierra and Mojave.

How to create a bootable USB flash drive on macOS

We will need any USB drive from 8 GB and free utility Disk Creator. A flash drive can also be created using console commands through the terminal, but I don’t see the point in suffering.

Step 1: Download macOS Mojave

If you currently have macOS High Sierra or more early version macOS, then you can download macOS Mojave from the Mac App Store, then in the folder macOS apps A new Install macOS Mojave icon will appear.

Step 2: Launch Disk Creator

Launch Disk Creator. If you downloaded the macOS Mojave installer, the utility will automatically find the installer.

Step 3: Create a boot disk

Click Create Installer and wait while Disk Creator creates a bootable USB flash drive. On a fast drive, the process takes 3–4 minutes.

How to create a bootable macOS USB flash drive on Windows

When creating a flash drive in Windows, you will need the TransMac utility. It is paid, but after installation there is a two-week trial period. Which is more than enough for us.

Step 1: Download macOS Mojave

Alas, but official way say macOS from under Windows no. You will have to download it using your iMac or MacBook. Or find an installer on torrents.

Step 2: Run TransMac in Administrator Mode

Right-click on the TransMac icon and select the appropriate item in the menu.

Step 3. Format the flash drive

1. Format Disk for Mac.

Step 4. Select the dmg file with the macOS image

1. Right click on the name of the flash drive;
2. Restore with Disk Image ;
3. Specify the path to the macOS installation file;
4. Wait until the bootable USB drive is created.

How to boot from a flash drive and start installation

Insert the bootable USB flash drive into the Mac and turn it on while holding it Option key. This will allow you to begin the installation. If you are going to install the system on a Hackintosh, you will select the flash drive as a “bootable” drive in the BIOS.

And definitely. In this article, I told you how not to forget anything and spend a minimum of time reinstalling the system.

The network is now full of copy-pastes, essentially the same article, about installing MacOS X on hackintosh with about the same title. I’ll tell you how to install Mac OS X from a flash drive on a mac.

There is nothing complicated here, however, not everyone is a pro, and reinstalling the system on a Mac is quite a rare thing, this is not Windows. When is this necessary? In my case, I needed to update from the old one Mac versions OS X Leopard (10.5) up to next Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6).

The question is, why write about such old stuff when OS X 10.9 is coming, but today we’ll leave the topic of novelty alone, the essence of the question doesn’t change. Disk image OS X Snow Leopard Install DVD 10.6.3 Retail I took it from the inmac.org torrent.

In general, you can install both OS X Lion (10.7) and Mountain Lion (10.8) from a flash drive. You can legally purchase OS X Mountain Lion from App Store(issue price is only 625 rubles).
Once the download is complete, a utility will appear in the Applications folder. Mac installation OS X Mountain Lion.
Right-click on the installer and select “Show package contents.” Next, copy the OS image from the “SharedSupport” folder to any convenient location InstallESD.dmg.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive or Mac OS X disk

For recording Mac image OS X Snow Leopard required DVD disc double density (6.3 Gb will not fit on a regular disc), and there was no drive for recording this stuff either. I wasn't upset. At a time when spaceships are roaming... use CDs bad manners.

Stick it in suitable flash drive into the computer and launch it Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.

1. First of all, we format our flash drive. In the “Erase” tab, specify a new name (for example MAC_OS_X) and file system Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
2. Mounting the image future system by double clicking on the image file. In my case it's Mac.OS.X.10.6.3.Retail.dmg(or InstallESD.dmg as described above). The image will appear in the left pane of Disk Utility.
3. Go to the “Restore” tab. From the sidebar of Disk Utility, in the “Source” field, drag (Mac OS X Install ESD). In the “Destination” field, drag the created partition on the flash drive (MAC_OS_X).
4. Click the “Restore” button. This process is not fast, so you will have to wait a little.

Booting Mac from USB flash drive

Boot the system by holding Alt key(aka Option) until a selection of boot options appears. Well, then all you have to do is follow the installer’s instructions.

By the way, all user data, even the desktop screensaver, remained untouched when moving from one version of Mac OS X to another. Although at the time of installation, a lonely cold ant ran down the spine when it suddenly became clear that the user did not store some of the documents on the server and did not make backup copies. So, I recommend not to be lazy and, just in case, create backup copy important documents in advance.

The OS X operating system is one of the most stable operating systems in the world. It is almost impossible for the user to “break” it. However, sometimes situations arise that require reinstalling the system from scratch. The easiest way to do this is to use a special installation flash drive. This instruction will teach you how to properly make such a flash drive at home.

Requirements

• Mac computer with operating system 10.7 or higher
• Stable Internet connection
• Installation image operating system
• Flash drive 8 gigabyte
• DiskMaker X (download)

We will describe all actions using the example of the last one current version OS: OS X Yosemite (10.10.1). A bootable USB flash drive can only be created on a Mac computer running OS version 10.7 or higher.

Downloading the installation image

Open the application on your computer App Store. In the search field write " Yosemite", and press Enter. Select application " OS X Yosemite", and click " Download" If necessary, enter the login/password for your Apple ID.

Preparing a flash drive

While the image is downloading, prepare a USB flash drive. Open the program on your computer Disk Utility"(located in applications, in the Utilities folder). Connect the flash drive to USB port computer. Select it on the left side of the application, and click on the “ Disk partition" Select partition scheme " Section 1", format " Mac OS Extended (Journaled)».

Click the button Options" Select " Guide Section Layout", and click " OK».

After that, click the button Apply" In the confirmation window, click the button Split disk" In a few minutes the flash drive will be ready for use.

Creating an installation flash drive

So, the image is loaded, the flash drive is prepared. Now comes the fun part.

Download and run the program (download link at the beginning of the instructions).

In the program window, click the button Yosemite (10.10).

The program itself will find the previously downloaded system image. You only need to click on the " Use this copy».

DiskMaker will prompt you to select a disk to create the image. Click the button An 8 GB USB thumb drive" In the next window, select your flash drive and click the " Choose this disk" Next, click the button “ Erase then create the disk».

Your user rights will need to be verified. Click the button Continue" Then enter your administrator password, and click the " OK».

Or there is a need to completely erase its contents, it is customary to format the drive. This procedure deletes all data and often normal work devices.

During the formatting process, the computer prompts you to select a file system (FS). This is the name for organizing data on a flash drive. The macOS user has a choice of the following systems: MS-DOS (FAT), ExFAT or OS X Extended.

It is very important to format the drive in the file system that is best suited for your equipment. Let's figure out which flash drive file system is optimal for Mac and why.

Types of file systems and their features

MS-DOS (FAT)- this is what macOS calls the FS, known Windows users like FAT/FAT32. It is compatible with any computer and is also supported by consoles and household appliances like video cameras or even old media players.

For all its versatility, MS-DOS (FAT) has an important drawback: formatted in this file system The flash drive cannot write files larger than 4 GB.

ExFAT- a newer FS that is supported on macOS starting from version X 10.6.5, and on Windows - from XP SP2. Obviously, the disadvantage of this format is the lack of compatibility with earlier versions of operating systems. Additionally, not all USB devices support ExFAT. Well, the plus is that it can work with files larger than 4 GB.

Mac OS Extended (Journaled) provides maximum flash drive compatibility with macOS and is the default file system for hard drives on Mac computers. There are no restrictions on the size of the recorded file when using Mac OS Extended (Journaled) no. At the same time, this FS is not supported by Windows and many USB devices.

You can also see in the list of available FS Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled). It differs from the previous one only in case sensitivity. For example, the files hello.txt and Hello.txt in such a FS will be considered different. If you don't need it, choose regular Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

NTFS- another FS that you may encounter. Drives formatted in it have no restrictions on file size and are compatible with Windows. But in macOS, files recorded on such a flash drive can only be viewed without the ability to write. Additionally, some USB devices do not support NTFS at all.

Which file system to choose

As you can see, the choice of drive file system depends on what devices you will use it with. If only with Mac and other Apple technology, select Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

ExFAT is perfect for Mac and Windows PCs.

If you want to achieve compatibility of a flash drive with the maximum number of USB devices and do not plan to write files larger than 4 GB to it, choose MS-DOS (FAT).

How to change the file system

To change the drive's FS, use Disk Utility. Don't forget, this procedure destroys all data.

But first check the current file system of the flash drive. To do this, just launch Disk Utility and select the drive in the left panel. After this, it will appear on the screen detailed information about the flash drive, including its FS type, which can be seen next to the name of the drive.

If the current file system does not suit you, click on top panel Click the “Erase” button. In the window that appears, select the new FS and click “Erase” again. After a few seconds, the utility will change the file system of the flash drive.

Modern Apple computers allow you to reinstall the operating system both from recovery and from the Internet. Why do you need to create a bootable MAC OS X flash drive? For mass reinstallations without the need to download the distribution from the Internet each time. The second option is for a fresh installation on a clean hard drive when replacing it. The third option is that it comes with the computer too old version OS X and you need to completely erase it by writing it down new version systems and recovery. Updating the operating system does not always go smoothly and it is better if it is completely fresh. The most important argument is saving the system administrator's time.

Which versions of OS X can be written to a flash drive using these instructions: Tested with Yosemite, El Capitan, Sierra. On versions of Maverick and older this is done differently.

Everything is done using the createinstallmedia utility located in the installation package. The finished command for making a Yosemite flash drive looks like this:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Yosemite --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app --nointeraction

We suggest getting the code for your flash drive yourself manually, since you most likely won’t be able to execute it ready-made.

Creating a Bootable El Capitan USB Flash Drive

By using disk utility you need to prepare a partition in the file file MAC system OS journal with GUID scheme. Just format the flash drive by entering a temporary name on English. For example flash:

We press the “erase” button and wait....

Let's prepare installation package to download to a flash drive. Let's place it in the programs folder. If you download it from the AppStore, then by default it ends up there. Sometimes errors occur due to long paths and spaces in them, so I recommend immediately renaming your distribution “Installing El Capitan” to something more modest: El Captain.

Find the package with the El Capitan distribution in the programs, select with the right mouse button - show the contents of the package:

On the path /Contents/Resources there is a utility for Unix systems: createinstallmedia

Open a terminal, type sudo and drag it onto the terminal window:

Add --volume

And drag the flash drive from Finder into the terminal window:

Add --applicationpath and drag the distribution itself from the programs to the terminal:

You can add the optional --nointeraction or -force parameter to prevent messages from being displayed. Press Enter. On next stage you will be asked to enter your administrator password (OS X login password)

Flesh formatting and sector recording will begin.

Erasing Disk: 0%... 10%...

The final command for the terminal will look like:

sudo /Applications/El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/flash --applicationpath /Applications/El Capitan.app --nointeraction

p.s. This instruction applicable both on computers with OS X Lion installed and on new versions up to Sierra

Watch a video on creating flash drives for more advanced OS X below:

Read 4473 once Last modified Saturday, 13 May 2017 20:21