Create boot disk?

Hi,
I am away from home, and I need to create a boot disk, and I do not have my system install DVD. Anybody know of a solution to create a boot disk, either on a removable media or an external HD? It seems like I should be able to create a partition or a disk image on my firewire drive and copy key system files to it and start from there, run my utility programs. Restart and life is good again.
Any thoughts?

Clone your internal drive to the external using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper!, then boot from the clone to run the utilities.
~Lyssa

Similar Messages

How to create boot disk

Tho' my MBP is working fine (I think) Disk Utility tells me my HDD is corrupted and needs repairing.
Disk Utility tells me "This disk needs to be repaired. Start up your computer with another disk (such as your Mac OS X installation disc), and then use Disk Utility to repair this disk."
How can I do this, having simply downloaded Lion?

I strongly recommend to use Disk Warrior.
If you don't have it already, I believe you should purchase it.
If you are interested, you can look it up at www.alsoft.com.
I am not an Alsoft shareholder :-). I have been using Disk Warrior since it was released, too many years to tell exactly.
Now more specifially about your pertinent question, there's no "installation disc" for Lion, we all downloaded it from App Store.
If you don't have it already, you might want to consider backing up your entire computer to an external (preferrably portable) back up drive, that is really not expensive. That external back up drive should be bootable, to enable you to boot from it (when it is connected to your computer via USB or any other suitable port that your computer supports.
That's what I have been doing for years, and am still doing now.

Help creating a boot disk for ailing powerbook (and journalist!)

Hello, I'm a journalist with a desperate need to recover my Mac.
My Powerbook G4 (operating 10.4.8 I believe) was working fine until I did the latest suggested Mac software upgrade of Safari. Immediately Safari stopped responding hanging up or quitting. So I tried the next recommended update, thinking perhaps the two went together: Security 2008-009 I believe. It required a restart, which I did. (Note: I didn't do the recommended Java or Quicktime update at the same time because I'm currently working in Sierra Leone with terribly slow internet and figured I'd get to it later).
Now, however, the computer won't boot up. I hear the tone, I get the gray screen with the apple, I get the blue screen, I get the opening OS X screen and the blue progress bar, which then quits early on. Then I get a blue screen of alternating hues, which continues infinitely.
I tried all the Apple and web-suggested fixes. I cannot enter safe mode and can only perform functions with the single user mode. I've tried fsck and it said my HD is fine. The problem, I suspect, would be easy enough to fix if I could just reinstall OS X with my CD. However I am currently 7000 miles from home and CD, and in desperate need of my laptop in order to continue my volunteer work.
I do have access to a friend's MacBook Pro 10.4.9 and the internet. I have downloaded Carbon Copy Cloner... however I don't know which files I need to copy in order to create a boot disk. Nor do I know how to create a boot disk to actually put into my computer. I have also been scared by the CCC literature that says I need to erase the target volume... which in this case is my external hard drive containing all of our video footage from the last 8 months!
I use my computer every day, however I am a newbie at using things like Terminal and higher order functions that these occasions seem to require. CCC's Help manual, for me, might as well have been written in hieroglyphs (which, come to think of it, would have been easier as I seem to understand pictures well enough).
I would be eternally grateful for any simple or step-by-step advice which might help me get back to work. I'm training African journalists, and without my computer to edit, we cannot do a thing!
Thanks,
Kim

Here's some trouble shooting methods that I've copied from Apple KB articles:
Resetting PRAM and NVRAM
Shut down the computer.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time. Release the keys.
If zapping the PRAM doesn't work, try resetting the PMU.
Warning: Resetting the power manager also resets date and time settings. Performing a PMU reset returns the iBook and PowerBook hardware, including NVRAM, to default settings and forces the computer to shut down.
PowerBook G4 (DVI) and PowerBook G4 (1 GHz/867 MHz)
If the computer is on, turn it off.
Disengage the two keyboard latches located between the Esc and F1 keys, and the F11 and
F12 keys. (You may also need to disengage the keyboard locking screw located between the
F5 and F6 keys.)
Lift the keyboard. To ensure no harmful static electricity is transferred to the computer,
properly ground yourself before performing this procedure.
Press and release the reset button located on the upper right side of the logic board near the power button, shown here. Wait 5 seconds.
Press the power button to restart the computer.
PowerBook G4 and PowerBook G4 (Gigabit Ethernet)
If the computer is on, turn it off.
Press and release the reset button located on the rear panel of the computer between the
external video and modem ports. Wait 5 seconds.
Press the Power button to restart the computer.
HTH!

How can I create an OSX boot-disk from my Windows PC? (or alternatives)

Hi all,
I've got a Macbook Pro and I had recently upgraded OSX from 10.9 to 10.10 beta. Without thinking it all the way through, I decided to perform a complete reformat to remove any files left over from the previous version upgrades. So, I rebooted and held cmd button + R, and I erased the main partition. The option to install a copy of OSX 10.10 fails because I'm assuming it's not on Apple's servers, yet, since it's still beta. The problem is, I cannot choose to install 10.9 from that screen - it only offers 10.10. I can no longer boot into OSX, since I erased the partition.
So, I'm now on my Windows machine trying to find the proper way to recover this Macbook Pro. It sounds like I need to create a boot disk, but I can't find an official way to get a hold of the ISO to create that boot disk.
What can I do in this situation? I don't want to have to go into an Apple store, because I live a long way away from one. Is there a way I can obtain an ISO to create the boot disk? Or, is there maybe a way to simply choose a different OSX version at that reformat screen?
Thanks!

I don't think you can do anything helpful with a Windows machine. Mac App store wants to read your Mac's model number and your Apple-ID.
Exactly which model MacBook Pro makes a big difference.
If yours has Internet Recovery, you should be able to hold down:
Command-Option-R
at startup until a globe appears on your screen. From there, you should be able to re-Install Mac OS X, and it is supposed to be the version that came on your Mac.
Please post back with your results, because some Readers are saying it re-installs the Major version, but the latest 0.1 update to that version. Others are saying if your Mac can run Mavericks, it re-Installs Mavericks 10.9.3 regardless.

How to create a Lion boot disk for Lion on a MBPRD?

I have a unique version of Lion on my MBPRD. How do I create a Lion Boot Disk for this unique version?

Why is it a Unique version of Lion? The only versions of Lion are ones for older Macs, Before the Mid 2012 models came out, and a version that includes the newer drivers for the newest model Macs, Current shipping Mid 2012 models.
If you are talking about a version for the new Mid 2012 models then you will need to wait for Apple to update their Lion Download servers because right now they do not have the newest Lion version available on those servers.

Creating Recovery Disks when Windows 7 won't Boot

My sister's hard drive is in imminent failure on HP G60-535DX Notebook. Windows 7 won't boot. I need to make recovery disks. I have been able to back up info going into System Recovery Manager, but I don't see an option to create recovery disks to install the system on a replacement hard drive. Is it possible to create the disks or order them?
Thanks,
Nanila51
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi,
You can order a replacement set of Recovery Discs using the link below.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00810334&cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en
If you have any problem with this link, order them directly from HP.
If you live in the US, contact HP Here.
If you are in another part of the world, start Here.
Regards,
DP-K
****Click the White thumb to say thanks****
****Please mark Accept As Solution if it solves your problem****
****I don't work for HP****
Microsoft MVP - Windows Experience

Can't create Windows 7 USB boot disk

Hello, I searched but can't find a problem like mine:
My configuration:
iMax 24 early 2009
Lion 10.7.2
Boot Camp 4.0.1
Broken Superdrive
In Boot Camp Assistant there's the possibility to create a bootable usb disk from a Windows 7 ISO.
I plugged a 32gb usb disk formatted fat32 (but tried NTFS also) and have my Windows 7 iso ready in download folder, but when I start Boot Camp Assistant the first choice to create the usb boot disk is shaded. I can't select it.
Thanks for your help and hello from Italy!
Max

hii,
I've the same issue as Madarme79.
I've a Macbook pro 13,3" 2,8Ghz I7 with 4gb ram (oktober 2011)
I tried what you said but it still doesnt work for me.
i allready partitionated my usb in GUID and MBR and it still not works
i added 2 screens with the proof that i tried them both.
i really dont know what to try next.
if anyone has a solution please tell me.
thanks in advance.

Enyone know how to get USB stick back to normal after creating a USB boot disk for Mavericks?

Enyone know how to get USB stick back to normal after creating a USB boot disk for Mavericks? https://discussions.apple.com/message/23527458#23527458

You should just be able to erase it using Disk Utiilty. I did with my 8Gb.
If not I have a USB deep format tool, but it only works with Windows: http://tinyurl.com/mwor6s9
You can download that and unzip it, then run it on a PC to fully erase and format the flash drive. Format it in FAT, and then the Mac will read and mount it so you cna once again format it with HFS extended for Mac use.

Can Disk Utility create a duplicate boot disk identical to the original?

Here is what I have in mind.
I have a PB12G4 with an external Firewire Bootable Drive.
I used the "RESTORE" command to "Restore" the PB onto the External Drive, and... IT WORKED, I can even start up my PB from the external FW Drive...
EXCEPT, that in the process a few extra folders (which do not appear on the PB Drive) have now become visible.
Is there a way to make an exact "copy" of the PB Boot Disk without these weird folders showing up?
Moreover is this RESTORE method reliable, or am I looking at some long term issues? Imagine, the advantage:
no OSX CDs, multiple installation DVDs, long hours sitting in from the computer etc..., just one click of the mouse and a couple of hrs golfing while the drive is being copied.
Regards

Ignore those folders. Cloning would bring the same folder. The .hidden file basically tells the machine which folders to hide. You want those folders to exist on any clone you make. The only way to not make those folders appear is to boot off the drive, and make sure the .hidden file includes those same folders in that same path.
But they are important folders for the operation of the system, without which it wouldn't boot at all.
The biggest issue is that you can't make subsequent copies only copy that data which has been added, changed, or remove copies of data which have been deleted. It can only restore the complete system to an empty system. For true cloning I use Shirt Pocket's Superduper. For more on backing up see my FAQ:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html

How do I create a new boot disk from an existing one?

I have a G4 Quicksilver with internal PATA disk, running 10.4. I want to upgrade the internal disk from 40 GB to 160 GB. I have installed a second disk and can see it fine, but what I really want is to put the system on the new disk and have it be the one and only boot disk in the system. Is there a straightforward way to do this? Is a carbon copy cloner the way to go? Will that have problems with the different disk sizes? Will it handle bad blocks properly? Isn't there a way to just use drag-and-drop?
Once I have made a copy, how do I make it the boot disk? Do I have to swap it into the PATA "master" position to do this?

Cloning And Backup Tools
A bootable clone is an exact copy of your drive which is capable of booting your computer. Making a copy of your computer which is capable of actually starting the computer requires special copying procedures. Some people just back up data files but if you have problems you have to reinstall all your operating system and all your applications. With a bootable clone you just start up from the backup drive and clone back everything.
To copy files from one hard drive to another hard drive you can use:
[CarbonCopy Cloner|http://www.bombich.com/software/ccc.html] (donationware)
[SuperDuper|http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html] (shareware)
[IBackup|http://www.grapefruit.ch/iBackup/index.html] (free)
The Restore function of Disk Utility included in OS X. [Kappy's directions|http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=8799711#8799711]
[Tri-Backup (commercial)|http://www.tri-edre.com/english/tribackup.html] (payware)
[Silverkeeper|http://www.lacie.com/silverkeeper> (free) - version 2 has some issues (references: [1|http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/backup/index.html#d12jan2009],
[2|http://www.macintouch.com/readerreports/backup/index.html#d13jan2009]) and it is recommended Tiger users stick with 1.1.4.
[Kappy's Backup Software Recommendations|http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9065665#906 5665]
[Overview of Mac OS X Backup Programs|http://8help.osu.edu/1247.html]

White Screen at Boot When Attempting to Access Recovery or Select a Boot Disk

Introduction
I want to share a solution for a problem I encountered that Apple technical support was unaware of (they said they would create a new kdoc when I called them to share my problem and its solution) and for which I could find no documentation online.
First, this is really a tip rather than a question, but I did leave it marked as a question in case anyone wants to earn some points by responding with a different solution to the problem I am about to describe. Additionally, I do not have a enough points to post a "Tip" so I am just starting a discussion instead.
Next, when I encountered the problem I am about to describe, I had not yet enabled a firmware password.
Finally, a massive "Thank you!" to the Great Pondini (James Pond - http://pondini.org) for helping me learn so much more interesting stuff about various OS X features and functionality (all for no charge) over the years.
Now on to why I have started this discussion...
The Problem
I recently purchased a new MacBook Pro (Core i7, SSD, etc.). After working with Setup Assistant to transfer everything from the most recent Time Machine backup of the older MBP I was replacing, applying all OS updates, and then enabling FileVault 2 and letting the requisite disk encryption process complete, I decided to I would go ahead and just proactively repair any permissions and ACLs for my user directory just in case any repair was necessary.
However, after shutting down my MBP, waiting, and then starting it up with Cmd-R being pressed while turning the MBP on, nothing would happen - I would just have a white screen with no Apple logo, no EFI login, no Recovery Console, nothing (and I waited for a very long time for something to show up). My only option was to do what I really do not like doing and that was to just power my new MBP down.
So, I tried again, this time holding down Opt while turning my computer on so as to select a disk at boot. The same problem returned.
Just to check, I once again started up while holding down the Shift key to attempt a Safe Boot. No dice.
Prior to trying all of this I made sure that I did have the Apple Recovery Partition in addition to my user partion and the EFI partition, so I did not understand why this would be happening. Why could I not boot into Recovery? Why could I not select a boot disk? And, why could I not go into Safe Boot?
To be safe, I started up and logged into my MBP as I normally would, then set my startup disk to be my Recovery USB for OS X 10.8, restarted, and verified all three partitions (and, since I had my Time Machine disk connected all three times I forced the computer to power off, I verified it as well). I then set my startup disk back to my SSD, and logged in and got online to see if anyone else had experienced this issue. After making sure I was not being crazy and using key combinations that were somehow made irrelevant, I shut my MBP down and walked away for a few minutes.
The Solution
So what solved my problem? A good 'ol reset of the NVRAM (aka/fka PRAM). If you are not familiar with how to reset the NVRAM:
Power off your Mac and go do something else for 30 seconds to a minute.
Press and hold down the Opt, Cmd, P and R buttons, and then press the power button. I have big hands and this is a one person operation for me. If you are not so "lucky", find someone to press the power button as you hold those four buttons down.
Continue holding those four buttons down through the first startup chime and then release all four of them only after the second startup chime is sounded.
So, for some reason, I had to reset the NVRAM on a brand new MBP that had been started up only once and restarted only once when I enabled FV2. Maybe something cached needed to be cleared out following the FV2 process, or maybe something funky was carried over after it was setup in the factory and shipped direct to me from China.
The moral of the story is: If you have strage issues during the startup of your Mac, just reset the NVRAM and try again. This has worked for a number of strange issues on various Macs for me in the past and proved to be useful once again on a brand new MBP that I never would have thought needed its NVRAM reset so soon into its lifecycle.
Special Note
There are two processes I always complete and recommend to others following a major software update (e.g. upgrading to a new version of OS X) and when I restore or otherwise transfer the most recent Time Machine backup to my current Mac or to a new one.
First, following a major or massive software update, go into Disk Utility, select your system and data drive(s), and then just click on "Repair Permissions" (Choosing "Verify Pemissions" will result in having to then click "Repair Permissions" if any permissions need to be repaired, so remove one click from the process).
Second, after transferring from a Time Machine backup, I like to make sure that my user directory permissions are good to go before any time is allowed for problems with those permissions to set in. If you are not familiar with the user directory permissions and ACL repair process (this process is not the same as the "Repair Permission" functionality in Disk Utility), here is how to do it:
Shutdown your Mac and wait about 30 seconds.
Press and hold down Cmd-R and then power on your Mac. Once the Apple logo with the spinning wheel shows up, release those two keys.
From within the Recovery Console, open a new Terminal session via the "Utilities" menu.
Invoke the following command (all one word, lowercase): resetpassword
In the "Reset Password" application that opens, select the disk that your user home directory is on, and then click the "Reset" button at the bottom underneath the "Reset Home Folder Permissions and ACLs" heading and wait for the process to finish. Any messages displayed can typically be safely ignored. If you want to be sure, search for information regarding any messages that you do not like.
Restart your MBP and enjoy using it.
(Note that if you have FV2 enabled, you will need your FV2 Recovery Key to actually reset your password. This is one of many reasons that I enable FV2 - anyone can startup a Mac and go into the Recovery Partition if it exists and reset a password, but having to also enter the FV2 Recovery Key adds a nice extra layer of protection. In addition to that, setting a Firmware Password makes it nearly impossible to start up from any disk other that that which is currrenlty installed in your Mac without knowing the Firmware Password - another security bonus. If someone gets ahold of your Mac, and you have FV2 enabled and an appropriately complex Firmware Password set, then them using your Mac as their own becomes a decently difficult process. It's by no means perfect computer security, but it makes it more challenging for someone to steal and use your Mac.)
If anyone has any other tips to share or additional solutions to problem I described, please discuss and share.

Which OS X is installed on your Mac ?
Troubleshooting advice can depend on that information.

Is there any way to make a snow leopard partition on an early 2011 MacBook Pro that was upgraded to Lion, without the original boot disk?

So I have an early 2011 MacBook pro, I believe it shipped with snow leopard originally, as I purchased and upgraded to Lion fairly early on. I am trying to make a partition right now and have it run snow leopard so I can use programs that have PowerPC.
I should note, I replaced both the RAM and the harddrive in my Macbook pro. I changed from 4 GB of ram (that came shipped) to 8 GB of ram from a 3rd party, that I installed on my own months ago, have registered in the computer and have been working fine for quite some time now.
Also I should note I replaced my harddrive. I went from what ever the standard 500 GB harddrive that shipped with 15 inch early 2011 MB pro's. I now have a 3rd party SSD that's 240GB's that I also installed on my own, (at the same time as the RAM---Black friday items) The harddrive has been working just fine since then.
In installing the harddrive I borrowed a friends external harddrive and used a program called carbon copy cloner to get everything over to the SSD.
Now here is my issue. I have ordered the Snow Leopard (10.6.3) install disks from apple, I have created a partition on my SSD for snow leopard, but when I try to select the install disc for snow leopard at boot I get three beeps.
I know this issue has been posted elsewere but it said answered and the answer is no longer available. I also am unsure if any of the RAM or Harddrive swapping could have been causing the issue. I have the old harddrive and RAM still, but unfortunatley have no external harddrive anymore or money to afford one.
Is there any way I can install a partition that runs snow leopard on my early 2011 MB pro with what I have (new SSD, New RAM, Current version Lion running, no external drive, lack of original snow leopard disks [I lost them ] and the general 10.6.3 snow leopard boot disks).
Let me know If there is anything I can do. I'm a now broke college student so i'd like to spend as little $$$$ as possible
*PS I should also note the DVD drive is working fine, it reads the disk, the disk is brand new, it plays DVD's fine and has never had any issues in the years i've used it for similar tasks*
sorry for the long drawn out post, I just wanted to include as much as possible from what I've seen other people have issues with

BrettGoudy wrote:
...Is there any way I can install a partition that runs snow leopard on my early 2011 MB pro with what I have (new SSD, New RAM, Current version Lion running, no external drive, lack of original snow leopard disks [I lost them ] and the general 10.6.3 snow leopard boot disks)...
As the last post suggests, call Apple and order a replacement original disc for about $17. They will ask you the model and serial numbers.
Your retail version of Snow Leopard OS 10.6.3 will not work on that Mac as it requires a minimum of OS X 10.6.7 to boot and operate.
Another alternative is to again borrow another Mac to install your retail Snow Leopard into an external HD or partition, upgrade it to 10.6.8 and then clone it back to a partition on your MBP.

Unable to open windows using boot camp. Get message "The bless tool was unable to set the current boot disk." Any thoughts, Thank you.

Unable to open windows using boot camp. Get message "The bless tool was unable to set the current boot disk." I am using an Imac , Lion operating system, and Windows 7. It worked a few days ago. Any thoughts, Thank you.

Note that nowhere in the Boot Camp instructions does it tell you to use Disk Utility to format the Windows partition. The Boot Camp Assistant program creates the partition & sets the +partition scheme info+ of the disk as appropriate for the Windows installer but the Windows installer itself is responsible for formatting the new partition with the appropriate +file system scheme+ (NTFS for Windows 7).
If you follow the instructions in the Boot Camp Installation & Setup Guide to the letter you should have no problems installing Windows.

I've downloaded Lion. I have a boot disk. Can I use it to install on another machine?

I downloaded Lion from the Mac App store and it's working 100%. Love it.
After downloading and before installing, I copied the installESD.dmg (I think that's the correct filename) to a DVD (as per all the instructions out there to create a boot disc). I did NOT copy the entire "Install Lion App" to the DVD.
My question is: if a friend buys lion from the app and then cancels the download, can he use my boot disk to install lion as an upgrade? The reason I'm asking is that his Internet connection is rubbish and he can't download it. Presumably if I copy the dmg file to his hard disk I can run it that way?

Actually, you can burn a DVD or USB (8GB) thumb drive and let him boot and install from it. Or, you can actually run the InstallESD.dmg file from his machine. I've done both and Lion installs.
Personally, I would burn a DVD or thumb drive so you always have it.
Burn the InstallESD.dmg to a bootable DVD.
Launch Disk Utility and click the Burn button
Select the InstallESD.dmg file from your desktop as the image to burn. Insert a blank DVD and wait for the the image to be burned.
Burn the InstallESD.dmg to a bootable USB thumb drive.
Open Disk Utility and drag the InstallESD.dmg file to the left side pane. Go to the Partition tab ad select 1 Partition from the drop down menu. Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) on the left. Click the Options button under the partition table and choose GUID Partition Table. You will need this to make the drive bootable on a Mac. Hit the Apply button when ready to format the drive (it will erase everything on the drive).
Click on the Restore tab and drag the InstallESD.dmg file to the Source. Drag the USB partition to the Destination. Hit the Restore button and it will create the bootable USB drive with the OS X Lion installer

Boot disk Vista Home required after new HDD was placed!

Anyone that knows what to do now? I never received any discs with my Laptop (legal purchase). I have windows Vista Home on my laptop?
Anyone had the same problem and has it sorted? Will any boot disk download work?
Does anyone have a good tip? Thankyou.

Hello
All new Toshiba notebooks are delivered WITHOUT installations discs and you must create such disc alone using preinstalled "Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator". the shortcut of this application is placed on the desktop.
When you buy new notebook and start to use preinstalled operating system small recovery disc reminder with follow content should be shown:
*+Important INFORMATION+*
*+your system is equipped with hard disk recovery system. If you need to repair your computer by restoring it to original factory state, you can do it directly+*
*+from harddisk (press F8 when you boot your computer, choose "Repair your computer" and follow the menue instructions) or create a bootable Recovery Disc Medium for this purpose.+*
*+Toshiba recommends you to create Recovery Disc Medium using the "Toshiba Recovery Disc Creator" to ensure that you are able to restore your computer to the original factory installed state, even if your computer gets seriously damaged.+*
So please create recovery DVD using empty DVD-R medias. I presume you need 2 of them.

Create boot disk?

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