10.6 on a stick

often-befuddled · Feb 24, 2015

I've got a DMG for 10.6 that I could use for rescuing a MBP...except the DVD drive is DOA.

I've read many writeups on installing later OSX versions to a USB stick that is bootable, but have not found a working solution for 10.6 flavor.

All the writeups talk about locating the InstallESD.dmg buried within, but I've not found same inside 10.6's DMG.

I tried just copying the whole DMG over with CCC. That got me a USB that the machine OK's as a bootable volume, but attempting to do so got me three long boops from the speaker, and nothing more.

Suggestions?

ssls6 · Feb 24, 2015

often-befuddled said:
I've got a DMG for 10.6 that I could use for rescuing a MBP...except the DVD drive is DOA.

I've read many writeups on installing later OSX versions to a USB stick that is bootable, but have not found a working solution for 10.6 flavor.

All the writeups talk about locating the InstallESD.dmg buried within, but I've not found same inside 10.6's DMG.

I tried just copying the whole DMG over with CCC. That got me a USB that the machine OK's as a bootable volume, but attempting to do so got me three long boops from the speaker, and nothing more.

Suggestions?

Try diskutility and restore the image to USB

often-befuddled · Feb 24, 2015

ssls6 said:
Try diskutility and restore the image to USB

Tried that first, got:

Could not validate source - Invalid argument

DeltaMac · Feb 24, 2015

ssls6 said:
Try diskutility and restore the image to USB

I agree. I have a 10.6.3 installer on an 8GB USB stick in my kit.
Make it with Disk Utility/Restore.
Boots - installs 10.6 - works great!
And, you have the advantage of a faster install than from the DVD.

If you only have a .dmg of the installer - double-click that .dmg to mount it. Then, drag the icon for the mounted image to the Source box. That should take you past the error that you get.

often-befuddled · Feb 24, 2015

DeltaMac said:
If you only have a .dmg of the installer - double-click that .dmg to mount it. Then, drag the icon for the mounted image to the Source box. That should take you past the error that you get.

Diskutil:
Source: 10.6 Install DVD.dmg, from:
Mount Point : /Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD

Dest: SanDisk Media

Result: Still....
Restore Failure
Could not validate source - Invalid argument

DeltaMac · Feb 24, 2015

Still not quite correct. Disk Utility definitely can't validate the .dmg file.
Don't put the "10.6 Install DVD.dmg" in the source box.

Double-click that .dmg, which will mount on your desktop.

The mounted image will ALSO appear in the Disk Utility left side partition list window.
You will see BOTH the .dmg, and the Mac OS X Install DVD listed there (there could even be other partitions listed there)
Drag the partition named "Mac OS X Install DVD" to the source box. It will replace anything else that might already be in that box.
The Source box should NOT say "10.6 Install DVD.dmg"!
Drag your USB drive to the destination window, and click Restore.
Should work this time.
(of course, this is assuming that your 10.6 .dmg file is not damaged. If you still can't get Disk Utility to work past that error, then your file may just be corrupted. Better to make a bootable flash drive directly from an installer DVD. That's the ONLY time that I use my good installer DVDs - to make flash drives. They do work!

often-befuddled · Feb 24, 2015

DeltaMac said:
Still not quite correct. Disk Utility definitely can't validate the .dmg file.
Don't put the "10.6 Install DVD.dmg" in the source box.

Double-click that .dmg, which will mount on your desktop.

OK, it pops up on desktop in its own box. But not in the Finder sidebar this time..

The mounted image will ALSO appear in the Disk Utility left side partition list window.

In diskutil;
Get ~/Desktop/10.6 Install DVD.dmg
and
/Volumes/Mac OS X Install DVD

You will see BOTH the .dmg, and the Mac OS X Install DVD listed there (there could even be other partitions listed there)

Drag the partition named "Mac OS X Install DVD" to the source box. It will replace anything else that might already be in that box.

It will drag but not "latch" in Source...

The Source box should NOT say "10.6 Install DVD.dmg"!

Drag your USB drive to the destination window, and click Restore.

No problem dragging the destination.

Should work this time.
(of course, this is assuming that your 10.6 .dmg file is not damaged. If you still can't get Disk Utility to work past that error, then your file may just be corrupted. Better to make a bootable flash drive directly from an installer DVD. That's the ONLY time that I use my good installer DVDs - to make flash drives. They do work!

My installer DVD is 8 hours away. But I can re-grab the dmg from the archive copy.

DeltaMac · Feb 25, 2015

OK
Did it help if you restart your Mac, then (don't do anything else except) try the Disk Utility

Shouldn't matter about your Finder sidebar, as that's not your issue.
Only the drive and partition icons in your Disk Utility are relevant for your task.
Also, try to use only the Disk Utility, and its GUI. It sounds like you are also trying to use diskutil terminal commands. That SHOULD work, but if you are trying to do both GUI and command line, you may be getting confused between the two operations (just sayin'

)

BTW - you mentioned you get 3 beeps when you tried booting from your first USB. That is not a software problem, or a drive issue - 3 beeps means that the MEMORY is not passing power-on self test. Be sure to try reseating your memory sticks so you don't waste your time with the software.

often-befuddled · Feb 25, 2015

I seem to be going backwards.....

I reimported the DVD dmg.
I opened it with the Finder double-click.
I started Disk Utility
Now, neither the 10.6 disk or the Install dmg within will drop into Source.

Grrrr

DeltaMac · Feb 25, 2015

Is that "import" from an actual DVD - or is it a download from some dodgy torrent?
If you have the actual DVD - you will likely have better luck if you create the USB (Restore) in Disk Utility using the DVD as a source - direct to the flash drive.

often-befuddled · Feb 25, 2015

DeltaMac said:
Is that "import" from an actual DVD - or is it a download from some dodgy torrent?

The DVD; and I burned another DVD from this file last year. It's worked every time.

If you have the actual DVD - you will likely have better luck if you create the USB (Restore) in Disk Utility using the DVD as a source - direct to the flash drive.

But as I said, it's miles away from me.

DeltaMac · Feb 25, 2015

OK
Do you have a different Mac that you could use to try to create the USB installer?

Another question - and it's about the "beeps" that you mentioned in your first post:
What issue are you having, where you now need to "rescue" your MBPro?

Maybe the internal drive is dying, or dead.
And, also those three beeps - just as a reminder, the three beeps is NOT a software problem, it's a hardware issue - usually a memory error.
Have you tried reseating the RAM sticks yet?
(?)

often-befuddled · Feb 25, 2015

Again, the beeps occur ONLY when trying to boot off of the USB key. Not when running from the SSD or even a DVD.

The machine needing rescue is another box, a 15" older MBP.

I'n not about to pry open this box to reseat RAM that is likely soldered in anyhow.... when it has no symptoms of its own...

DeltaMac · Feb 25, 2015

Ah - OK, you said that you had a bad DVD drive - SO, that bad drive is in the MBPro that you are trying to rescue, and you have a different Mac (retina or MBAir) to try to fix up the bad Mac?
Am I close to correct now?
(I was assuming that the Mac with the bad DVD drive is the one that you are trying to install OS X.... And a Mac with an internal DVD drive will have memory that you could easily service or reseat - so, I was confused, not you

)

Just curious - what is your rescue plan (what exact Mac models do you have, good and bad)

often-befuddled · Feb 25, 2015

The patient is a MacBookPro4,1 MB766LL/A.

The doctor is my MacBookPro8,1 MC700LL/A.

But when I made the USB with CCC [ergo 3 beeps], I tested it on mine.

At the moment, we are on hold because the patient's fan has failed again; that needs fixing before it's usable.

But I'd still like to master OSX on USB for future tasks.

DeltaMac · Feb 26, 2015

The 10.6 installer will boot and install on the 2008 17-inch (assuming it's working well enough to boot anything at all.)
But, that installer won't boot your 2011 13-inch. There's two models with the MacBookPro8,1
The older one came with Snow leopard, but won't boot and install from a standard 10.6 installer.
And, that might explain why it beeps when you try.
Even Apple's commercial Snow Leopard installer won't boot or install OS X on that 2008 MBPro.
You would have to find the original DVD that came with the 13-inch to make a Snow Leopard installer for that one.

If "rescue" means make it bootable to some OS X system, and if you don't have the original DVD to make the image, etc. then use Lion or newer.

adam9c1 · Mar 4, 2015

I have a 10.6.0 DVD and had to use Super Duper to clone to a USB drive.

Used the USB drive to install 10.6 on a Macbook Pro 4,1
Later updated OS to 10.6.8

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10.6 on a stick

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