Boot camp install from USB Flash Drive

Hi Folks,
I recently purchased a new Macbook Air. It has 10.8.3.
I used the Boot Camp Assistant to set up the computer for Boot Camp. It went through all the steps: First, it formatted my USB Flash Drive. Next, it copied Windows installer crap from the my ISO to the USB Drive. Next, it downloaded the Apple Drivers and put them on the USB drive. Next, it restarted in order to boot from the USB drive.
This is where I hit a wall. The computer will not bpt from the Flash Drive. It is as if the control panel has set the startup disk to "BOOTCAMP" instead of the flash drive. So when the computer restarts, it just says "No bootable device - insert boot disk and press any key."
How can I get it to boot from the flash drive?
Thanks In Advance
Andy
Corrected the error message to exact phrase.

Hmmm... interesting... My sites I found suggested otherwise. I tried three diferent brands of jump drives and none of them actually booted the Macbook Air. The Boot Camp Assistant used them all just fine, but booting was the issue. Glad you got it to work. Would you mind posting what brand you used so other reading this thread in the future could learn?
Also, were you just using the BCA or, did you do some other process to make it bootable first? Since the BCA formats the drive, I would think any process done ahead of time would be thwarted (as mine were).
Thanks!

Similar Messages

Installing from USB flash drive

I am trying to install arch on my Eee PC 900ha but am having some trouble.
I downloaded the 2008.06 usb .img install and copied it to my USB stick using dd command as shown in the wiki. I cant get arch to load from it though.
I have two different usb sticks I have tried this from. The first is a kingston 8GB drive. When I try to boot from that, it flashes a quick message that I believe says something about no OS but it flashes to quick to read. Then just boots to windows.
The second is actually an SD card in a USB reader. When I try to boot from that, I am left with just a flashing cursor in the upper left and nothing else ever loads.
Is there something else I need to do? Does anything need to be done to the drives before I copy arch to it?
Thanks,
Joe

Here is one possible cause for the BIOS not seeing the OS.
What are you using for the of? something like /dev/sdb or /dev/sdb1
You need to use dd in the form
dd if=path_to_.iso of=/dev/sdb
sdb points to the device, and this will properly install the MBR
sdb1 points to a partition on the device and using it will not allow the USB stick to boot properly because the MBR will be in the wrong place.
Pudge
EDIT: This is already stated in the Wiki so this probably isn't your error
Last edited by Pudge (2008-12-31 04:25:38)

How to boot from USB flash drive - Portege R500

Hi,
I have a Portege R500 running Windows XP, brought about 2 years ago, and recently contracted a worm virus that has infected some of the start up files as the minute I log in it logs out again, even in safe mode! Quickest way I can think of sorting it is to reformat it with the XP recovery disc and reinstall windows.
Problem!! The CD/DVD drive on the laptop stopped working a while ago, have tried pretty much everything in the thread on this site but had no luck.
So my plan was to boot from a USB flash drive and do it that way. However in the boot settings I only have the options of HDD / FDD / CD-ROM / LAN, neither of these will work. Does anyone know how to boot from USB flash drives?
Any help would be really appreciated

Hi
As far as I know it should be possible to boot from USB FDD
Im not sure if you would be able to boot from USB flash drive but its definitely worth a try
Generally you could try to press F12 button when notebook powers up.
Then a boot menu should appear on the display and you should see all bootable devices.
PS: As far as I know the USB booting was available in ToshibaHWSetup (Toshiba tool which changes the BIOS settings in windows OS.) Therefore I assume booting from USB should be possible.
Greets

NB100 - How can I reinstall OS from USB flash drive

My TOSHIBA NB 100 notebook does not have CD-DVD drive.
OS is Windows XP Home SP2.
OS is not booting.
Notebook won't start at all so I cannot run any sort of test when i turn it on.
The we apologize screen come on it says run safe mode, safe mode networking, safe mode comand prompt or start windows normally. But no matter which I chose it won't start it only goes to Windows and seems like its starting but then shows the blue Windows screen & stays there.
So I want to reload Windows from my USB flash drive.
The BIOS boot sequence is HDD - FDD - FD - CD - USB Memory.
What are the steps for loading Windows from USB flash drive?
If this does not work then I want to connect another laptop with Windows CD in its CD-DVD drive to the Notebook.
Will this work? Will the Notebook use the Windows CD in the laptop drive to load the OS?
How to do this connection?

Hi
Usually you would need an external USB CD/DVD drive in order to boot from the Windows XP disk or Toshiba recovery disk.
But there is a method which allows you to install the Win XP using 2GB USB flash drive.
This is possible because the BIOS of NB100 support the booting from USB memory stick.
Pease check this internet page:
+Installing Windows XP Using A USB Flash Drive+
http://www.pctipsbox.com/installing-windows-xp-using-a-usb-flash-drive/
Hope it could be helpful.

MSI P965 Neo-F (MS-7235) problem booting from USB flash drive

Hi, all!
I was wondering if someone can help me. I am trying to install Windows 7 x64 on my 320GB HDD that is connected to my MSI P965 Neo-F (MS-7235) mobo (The CPU is a Core2Duo 6600 with 6GB of RAM). I created a bootable USB 8GB flash drive using Microsoft's "Windows 7 DVD USB Download Tool" and bootsect.exe (Needed to create a boot sector on the USB drive) from the MS store. I successfully tested the resulting bootable USB drive using freeware MobaLiveCD (Sorry, you'll have to Google "mobalivecd" since this forum doesn't seem to allow external links) running under Windows XP SP3 x86 (32bit). Under MobaLive's QEMU, Windows 7 setup loaded its files and produced an error message basically saying that it could not install Windows 7 x64 under an x86 OS (No surprise there since QEMU is emulating a 32bit processor - The point is that the bootable USB drive I created works).
I then went into my mobo's CMOS and under Advanced BIOS Features -> Boot Sequence -> 1st Boot Device, set the value to "USB-HDD" and rebooted my machine. The USB drive probably was not detected by the mobo under that setting because it proceeded to boot from my HDD which is the 2nd Boot Device. I repeated the same process using each one of the four USB ports in the rear of the mobo (I don't have the optional USB panel that the MSI users manual mentions) to no avail. I also tried setting the 1st Boot Device to "USB-FDD" and repeated the process for each USB port but the mobo still will not boot from the USB drive (It does not recognize it). When I set the 1st Boot Device to "USB-ZIP" and rebooted, the mobo hangs after "Verifying DMI Pool Data ..." which is no surprise since I am not using a USB ZIP drive but a USB flash drive. It appears that under that setting, it recognizes that there is a USB device attached but it is expecting a response (From a USB ZIP drive). I had no idea it would be this frustrating to boot from a USB flash drive! If anyone knows how to make this mobo boot from a USB flash drive, please let me know. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Quote from: RemusM on 12-June-14, 17:51:30
The P965 Neo motherboard is 8 years old, so don't expect miracles. .... You need to format the USB stick in the proper way. You may use this utility to do it: hxxp://www.prime-expert.com/flashboot/ Also, it's a good idea to use the first (USB0) connector (controlled by Intel ICH8) for the USB flash drive. Good luck.
Thank You for your fast response, RemusM!
I'm not looking for a miracle. I'm just looking for a mobo that does what it is supposed to do: Allow me to boot from a USB flash drive (I don't think that is too much to ask for even from a board that was made in 2006)!
Thanks for recommending FlashBoot. I see under their "Why FlashBoot" section that it "... does not shift to user the burden of choice between "USB-ZIP" and "USB-HDD" at format time and proper BIOS setup at boot time. ... and every USB disk is formatted in such way that it will work in every environment properly, regardless of current BIOS setting.", so I will give it a try and let you know about the results afterwards.

Installing Leopard from USB flash drive

Basically i need to install Leopard from a USB flash drive on my Macbook, but i will sum up my issue: (I'm afraid i'm not a computer-"geek", so bear with me when i try to explain the issue :-))
My macbook hdd recently died on me, so put in a new, clean hdd. I now need to install Leopard on the new hdd from a DMG-file.
So, i have an 8GB USB flash drive and DMG-file of Leopard.
I formatted the USB flash drive to NTFS, and copied the 6+GB DMG-file onto the flash drive.
I tried booting from the flash drive by holding down the option key, but a blank screen shows up with a mouse pointer. There is no Flash drive or install icon to select.
Can anyone tell me, what i'm doing wrong?

Hi Dweepe;
On top of everything else the other posters pointed out, I would suggest that formatting the USB flash drive to NTFS is not doing you any favors either. NTFS is a propriety file system from Microsoft which the Mac can only read with special software install.
My suggestion is to replace your optical drive. A new one can probably be purchased for much less then the problems you are creating for yourself in your attempts to work around replacing it.
Allan

Clean Install: from Recovery Disk vs. from USB Flash Drive

Planning to do a clean install on my MBP running Yosemite. Have come across two ways of doing this: From the Recovery Disk or from a USB Flash Drive.
If the clean install can be done by using the Recovery Disk, why would you do one using a USB drive?
Is there any benefit to the USB drive method? Basically I want to know if one way is preferable over the other.
I want to make sure I wipe everything, as my machine's been slow/glitchy since OS X Yosemite was first installed/updated; I'm also not sure if I have picked up anything else along the way. (I'm pretty careful with my browsing/downloading, but I like to be sure.)
Thanks for any help.

The advantage of the USB drive is that you do not need an Internet connection. If you do not have a solid Internet connection or the Apple servers are down, you may be dead in the water. The only possible advantage of using the recovery option is that the latest version of the given OSX will be available. That may not be the same as what is installed on the USB drive.
Before you use either option, make certain that you have your data backed up.
Ciao.

How to create bootable iso file from usb flash drive to install windows 7 on macbook early 2008

how to create bootable usb flash drive from iso file to install windows 7 on macbook early 2008

I would like to install windows on my mac because I am in engineering school and there a lot of programs I'd like to have on my computer that only run on windows. And yes I'd like to use bootcamp and I know there must be a way to install off a flash drive. Do you know of a way?

Satellite U400-10j - How to boot from USB flash drive?

Hello,
I have a Toshiba Satellite U400-10j.
I have Ubuntu on my USB flash disk, I now want to boot from it.
I am unable to find the option in the BIOS to boot from the Usb flash drive.
Secondly I have noticed that the laptop also has a internal memory card reader.
Could I load Ubuntu onto it then boot from the memory stick as well?
Your Help will be much appreciated.
Thank you.

I think its not able to boot from an USB stick on this notebook.
The best way is to use a CD. There you can boot from on this notebook and all other notebooks.
In the Internet are a lot of CD versions of Ubuntu and other Linux systems available.
And as Feliks said, its not able to boot from an SD card because this is not listed in the BIOS.

How to boot from usb flash drive on Satellite A500-o25

How do you configure boot order on A500-o25 so that it boots from usb drive first.

Hi,
Enter the Bios, pressing F2 on startup, go to the Boot menu and choose Usb drive as the first boot device (you navigate with F5 and F6 keys). Press F10, and ..Save and Exit menu ,, appears, press ok. That's all.
Note, on my satellite A500, I have to connect the Usb flash before to turn computer on, otherwise the usb flash drive doesn't appear in boot menu in Bios
Message was edited by: Jeka-IL

HP Mini 110-3520ca constantly restarts when trying to restore from usb flash drive

Hi,
I have a HP Mini 110-3520ca that I upgraded to Windows 8, but was having issues with freeze ups and shut downs so I decided to go back to Windows 7 Starter. When I tried to restore to factory default the files were corrupted and I couldn't restore from the recovery hard drive or my external back up files. I ordered the recovery USB flash drive from HP and tried to restore from it. It completes the Recovery Preparation and the Software Installation finishes, Windows starts to load, but Ithen it goes back to welcome to Recovery Manager. When I try to start Windows without the flash drive I get an error log that is below. Can someone tell me how to fix this or what needs to be done to get my Windows working again, any help would be greatly appreciated.
Carol.
Error Log:
Component: TDC Preinstall Diagnostic Tools for Windows 7 - TDC
Timing: Factory Update
This is not a Regional SKU
This is not an RCTO P2PP SKU
Error: Different LOC# detected:
Error: SKU number LOC# = 00
Error: REGSKU/OptionDashCode.ini value for ABC = 12
Error: SKU number incorrect for this LOC#=ABC.
Next Step: Please dash sku number with xxxxxx-12x
Next Step: Or use EEPROM and change LOC# in either SKU Number or CTO Localization Code
[17:16:38.37] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***CTO Error condition has been dtected in [Factory Update] phase !! ***
[17:16:38.38] Suggest to create PIN-log and send to TWN PDC NB-PreinPM for further analysis ...
[17:16:38.38] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:13:54.75] Start BBOffline.cmd...
UPDrv=[C:]
[17:13:54.77] Set UIA Error Code to 951
[17:13:55.39] WinPE is 32bit.
[17:13:55.39] Starts [FixUps].
[17:13:55.41] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:13:55.41] FixUps.cmd...
[17:13:55.41] create overall progress info...
[17:14:15.89] FixUps.cmd completed...
[17:14:15.89] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:14:15.91] Starts [Tweaks for SSRD].
[17:14:15.92] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:14:15.92] SSRD Tweaks to change user default locale...
[17:14:15.92] Copy C:\System.sav\Util\TDC\MCPP\FBIRES\FBIUSRES.DLL.
[17:14:16.09] Run "Dism.exe /image:C:\ /Set-SKUIntlDefaults:en-US -image:C:".
[17:14:23.50] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:14:23.50] Launch PININST.exe for Offline ...
[17:14:33.78] Starts [Sleep 10 sec].
[17:14:43.86] Starts [Create RStoneFUpdate.INI].
[17:15:20.91] Starts [create 1GB Pagefile for offline].
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is 868D-C760
Directory of C:\system.sav\bbv
10/27/2014 05:15 PM 1,073,741,824 pagefile.sys
1 File(s) 1,073,741,824 bytes
0 Dir(s) 38,502,694,912 bytes free
[17:15:21.04] move boot.wim from FactoryUpdate to 2ndCap.
[17:15:21.10] Brand detection.
[17:15:21.80] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:16:10.26] Start SysID Check...
[17:16:13.30] Start Option Code Checks...
SKU_DEF_COUNTRY=[39]
SKU_DEF_SYS_LOC=[fr-CA]
Reset country in administrator...
Reset country in Default user...
Reset System localed
Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool
Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Image Version: 6.1.7600.16385
Reporting offline international settings.
Default system UI language : en-US
System locale : fr-CA
Default time zone : Pacific Standard Time
User locale for default user : en-US
Location : Canada (GEOID = 39)
Active keyboard(s) : 0409:00000409
Keyboard layered driver : PC/AT Enhanced Keyboard (101/102-Key)
Installed language(s): en-US
Type : Fully localized language.
The operation completed successfully.
Updated System Locale info..
[17:16:27.37] Start PIN Tweaks...
[17:16:28.38] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:16:28.40] PIN Tweaks to hide All for BurnBoot BBV and BBV2 on restored image...
[17:16:28.40] ----------------------------------------
[17:16:28.40] Tweaks for OOBE's Unattend.xml
[17:16:28.40] to pick up the proper file...
[17:16:28.41] ----------------------------------------
[17:16:28.41] rename unattend.org to unattend.or_
[17:16:28.44] ----------------------------------------
[17:16:28.44] without Light Sensor..
[17:16:28.48] ----------------------------------------
[17:16:28.49] This is Restored image by SSRD [SSRD.flg]...
[17:16:28.51] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:16:29.40] Start MIR Tweaks...
[17:16:30.43] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:16:30.43] [MIR Tweaks] ...
[17:16:30.43] ---------------------------------------------------------------------
[17:16:31.44] Start Factory Update(s)...
[17:16:33.45] Start QFE Offline installation...
[17:16:38.13] PININST_OFF: PASSED...
[17:16:38.21] Type C:\System.sav\Logs\BBFindEr.log...
[17:16:38.23] Type C:\System.sav\Logs\BBFindE0.log...
---------- C:\SYSTEM.SAV\LOGS\PININST_OFF.LOG
Result=PASSED
[17:16:38.24] There was no QFE installation...
[17:16:38.24] Check FUList.log if there is duplicate Desc...
Couldn't access C:\System.sav\logs\FUList.log...
[17:16:38.35] No Duplicated Desc is found... PASSED.
[17:16:38.37] There was no Factory Update...

Hi @Savvy58
I did some further looking into that Error Log you posted. Basically, it means that is looking for a certain location that doesn't seem to be there. This could be a problem with the USB Recovery drive that you have. I would recommend that you contact HP. You can reach HP Total Care at 1-800-474-6836 in North America or start here if you live outside of North America.
Please click “Accept as Solution ” if you feel my post solved your issue.
Click the “Kudos Thumbs Up" on the right to say “Thanks” for helping!
Thank you,
BHK6
I work on behalf of HP

T400s Linux/Windows dual boot with Linux from Esata Flash Drive

This project is about a dual boot Windows/Linux system without using the normal dual boot changes in the bootloader of the windows hard drive. When I started this I found bits and pieces of information on the web but no complete description so I wrote this post.
I have done a dual boot system on my previous Thinkpad where I had partitioned the hard drive between Linux and windows. For this project I wanted to leave the windows hard drive absolutely intact and unaltered, and boot Linux from a flash drive in the esata port on the back of the T400s. Obviously this uses the F12 boot list function key to boot from the flash. The advantage of this is that Windows is totally unaltered and when I need Linux, I plug in the esata flash drive, hit F12 during the boot cycle and select booting from the esata flash drive. The reason for Esata rather than USB is simply speed. I have a nice fast Linux installation.
I used the OCZ esata flash drive but suspect any of the alternatives will work. It did not need the accessory usb cable because the Thinkpad powered the esata flash directly.
To boot from the esata drive I had to make the following changes in the bios
    I left the esata flash plugged in as I went into the bios
    Bios>config>Serial ATA and changed the Sata controller mode option to compatibility
    Restart and back into the Bios
    Bios>startup>boot - in my case the esata flash drive showed up as ATA HDD2 and was excluded from the boot order so I had to un-exclude it and move it to the point in the boot order that I wanted.
Next I downloaded a linux installation iso and put it on a CD - in my case opensuse. Then booted from the CD
From now on this instructions are specific to opensuse and yast but can be generalized to whatever Linux is being used.
In my case yast came up with a good set of suggestions for automatically partitioning the flash drive but then crashed during the partitioning itself. So I rebooted and specified the partitions manually.
    A fat32 partition left as a partition which both windows and Linux could see (in my case about 20% of the drive) (/dev/sdb1)
    An extended partition with the remainder of the drive (/dev/sdb2) which contains the following logical partitions
    A linux Swap partition of 2GB (/dev/sdb5)
    A linux /home partition –the remainder of the drive (/dev/sdb6)
    A linux /root partition of 8GB (/dev/sdb7)
Yast automatically suggested mount points of C,D,E for the windows partitions. Unfortunately because of the way the Thinkpad hard drive was laid out Yast had C assigned the ThinkPad Service partition and D assigned to the SW_Preload (or main windows partition). However there was an edit function that allows for the reversal of those mount points so that the windows C drive is mounted in Linux as Windows/C thereby avoiding confusion. I had already backed up and removed the Thinkpad factory install data so I did not have to deal with that. Yast suggested Windows/E for the mount point of the FAT32 partition on the flash drive, which I accepted.
The yast install configurator made all this manual selection easy, and after the manual configuration the partitioning worked perfectly.
Next step was Linux user configuration which went fine
Next was booting.
In the section management tab
    delete the windows 1 and 2 options (since we are not dual booting directly)
In the boot loader installation tab
    uncheck boot from mbr ( this stops the install from installing Grub and dual boot on the windows c drive
    check boot from root partition (this installs grub and all associated files in the Linux root partition (/dev/sdb6)
I believe that the correct procedure at this point is to click Boot Loader installation details which will bring up the Grub device map. In the device map there will be a line for the fixed hard drive (aka the windows drive) and a line for the esata flash drive. When the installer started up these were in hard drive and esata drive order. However when we boot directly from the flash the esata drive will be grub drive hd0 and the fixed hard drive will be grub hd1. The device map order needs to be changed to reflect this ie the esata drive should be first not second.
I did not do this and ended up initially doing Grub command line editing to boot and later manually editing the grub files using information I had previously learned the hard way and through google.
At this point let the installer go ahead and install Linux. After doing this it should come back and tell you to reboot. Do not do it yet because we need to install the MBR into the flash drive.
I suspect that there is a way of doing this in Yast running from the Live CD but it was not obvious to me so I used the manual method that I have used before.
Open a root terminal
Mount /dev/sdb6 to /mnt/sdb6 (my linux root)
Touch /mnt/sdb6/boot/grub/flag
The purpose of this is when we go looking later at the grub command prompt we need an easy to find unique file
Start grub and do the following
#grub
            grub> find /boot/grub/flag
                (hd1,5)    -- the result of the find in my example
            grub> root (hd1,5)   -- using the result of the find in my example
            grub> setup (hd1)   -- install mbr -- my example parameters - if you get this wrong you will trash some other drive!!!
                  hopefully grub announces success
            grub> quit
Reboot and select the flash drive. In my case I still had the grub devicemap wrong and had to edit the grub commands during boot to tell grub how to find the correct partition and then edit them again after booting
Typical linux install issues that we all always seem to have and can be solved with a little (or a lot of) google research.
As I said at the beginning I now have an untouched windows installation and a nice fast Linux installation. I hope that this will be of some use to someone.

Hi chrissh
i tried this exact procedure... on the exact same notebook (T400s). However, as soon as I set the
   Bios>config>Serial ATA to "compatibility", I cannot use my default Windows installation! I immediately get the "blue screen of death".
I doubt I did anything differently since this is the first step of your procedure and my laptop is brand new!
any idea?

How to install (using usb flash drive) os x snow leopard on 10.5?

i have a version 10.5 (leopard), but i would like to install snow leopard (10.6). i tried using bootable usb flash drive using the "utility drive". However, it did not quite work as i expected. Does anyone know how to use bootable usb flash drive to install snow leopard on leopard?

How to Install OS X Updates Successfully
A. Repair the Hard Drive and Permissions:
Boot from your current Leopard installer DVD. After the installer loads select your language and click on the Continue button. Then select Disk Utility from the Utilities menu. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported click on the Repair Permissions button. Wait until the operation completes, then quit DU and return to the installer. Now restart normally.
If DU reports errors it cannot fix, then you will need Disk Warrior (4.0 for Tiger) and/or TechTool Pro (4.5.2 for Tiger) to repair the drive. If you don't have either of them or if neither of them can fix the drive, then you will need to reformat the drive and reinstall OS X.
B. Make a Bootable Backup Using Restore Option of Disk Utility:
Open Disk Utility from the Utilities folder.
Select the destination volume from the left side list.
Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
Check the box labeled Erase destination.
Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it to the Destination entry field.
Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to the Source entry field.
Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
C. Important: Please read before installing:
If you have a FireWire hard drive connected, disconnect it before installing the update unless you will boot from this drive and install the update on it. Reconnect it and turn it back on after installation is complete and you've restarted.
You may experience unexpected results if you have installed third-party system software modifications, or if you have modified the operating system through other means. (This does not apply to normal application software installation.)
The installation process should not be interrupted. If a power outage or other interruption occurs during installation, use the standalone installer (see below) from Apple Downloads to update. While the installation is in progress do not use the computer.
D. To upgrade:
Insert the USB flash drive.
Restart the computer.
Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "OPTION" key.
Release the key when the boot manager screen appears.
Select the icon of the USB flash drive and click on the arrow button below the icon.
When the installer finishes loading follow the onscreen instructions.

Restore SSD from USB Flash Drive Clone

Hi,
My sister bought me a 512gb Samsung 830 SSD which I wanted to format using a 32gb USB flash drive which I'm using as a boot disk (Clone of my orginal hard disk using Carbon Copy). However, When I open up the Disk Utility and go to restore the SSD using the USB Flash drive I get an error "The startup disk can't be used as a restore source: To use this disk as a source, restart your computer using the recover system, and open the Disk Utility again." I've restarted several times but always get the same response. What am I doing wrong?

I figured it out, I actually needed 3 things:
1) Carbon Copy Cloner
2) 32GB San Disk Cruzer USB drive
3) Plugable USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station
Step 1: Cloned my old hard drive and created image unto my desktop
Step 2: Format USB drive and restore USB flash drive using Carbon Copy cloner
Step 3: Shut down compter, remove usb drive and install ssd drive into computer (http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook-Pro-17-Inch-Unibody-Hard-Drive-Replacement/3 401/1)
Step 4: Install old hard drive into Plugable USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station
Step 5: Connect Plugable USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station with your old hd installed in it to USB port
Step 6: Start PC....allow the computer to book from the Plugable USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station
Step 7: Connect USB Flash drive to Macbook
Step 8: Open Carbon Copy Clone and restore the USB flash drive onto the ssd drive
Step 9: Once complete....shutdown macbook pro and disconnect both the USB flash drive and the Plugable USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station
Step 10: Turn on macbook pro, it should boot from ssd now (It's so freaking FAST!)

Booting Arch Linux from usb flash [SOLVED]

I have instaled Arch Linux on usb flash (filesystem is ext2) I have regenerated initrd (mkinitcpio -p) with usb hook (HOOKS="base udev usb ide scsi sata filesystems"), but Arch Linux stop booting with error: unable mount dev/disk/by-uuid/my-uuid After pressing Control-D in recovery shell Caps Lock and Scroll Lock leds blink on my keyboard
I have tried booting from label (dev/disk/by-label/my-label) I have got same error
Please help me
PS Please forgive me for my English
Last edited by vav (2011-02-13 12:42:59)

GRUB is installed on the usb flash drive
menu.lst:
# Config file for GRUB - The GNU GRand Unified Bootloader
# /boot/grub/menu.lst
# DEVICE NAME CONVERSIONS
# Linux Grub
# /dev/fd0 (fd0)
# /dev/sda (hd0)
# /dev/sdb2 (hd1,1)
# /dev/sda3 (hd0,2)
# FRAMEBUFFER RESOLUTION SETTINGS
# +-------------------------------------------------+
# | 640x480 800x600 1024x768 1280x1024
# ----+--------------------------------------------
# 256 | 0x301=769 0x303=771 0x305=773 0x307=775
# 32K | 0x310=784 0x313=787 0x316=790 0x319=793
# 64K | 0x311=785 0x314=788 0x317=791 0x31A=794
# 16M | 0x312=786 0x315=789 0x318=792 0x31B=795
# +-------------------------------------------------+
# for more details and different resolutions see
# http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GRUB#Framebuffer_Resolution
# general configuration:
timeout 5
default 0
color light-blue/black light-cyan/blue
# boot sections follow
# each is implicitly numbered from 0 in the order of appearance below
# TIP: If you want a 1024x768 framebuffer, add "vga=773" to your kernel line.
# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/1e3753e6-01f4-4153-a36a-07a81c552ee0 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img
# (1) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux Fallback
root (hd2,0)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/1e3753e6-01f4-4153-a36a-07a81c552ee0 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26-fallback.img
# (2) Windows
#title Windows
#rootnoverify (hd0,0)
#makeactive
#chainloader +1
Last edited by vav (2011-02-13 08:06:27)

Boot camp install from USB Flash Drive

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for