Erasing Macbook Air reinstall flash drive

[DoubleApple]

Hi there

Is there any way to erase the Macbook Air reinstall drive so that it can be used as a normal usb flash drive ? Its not possible from disk utility, the option is greyed out !

any ideas ? has anyone actually done this ?

Thanks

[alust2013]

I have heard that it is possible, but I very strongly recommend against it. That will cause problems, should you ever need to reinstall your OS.

[uwetodd]

I also would advise against erasing the OS from the drive. Depending on your setup, having it in tact will likely prove more beneficial in an emergency situation. Plus, I can't imagine not wanting to buy/use a drive that can hold so much more.

[old-wiz]

Strong odds would say that 2 days after you somehow manage to erase the reinstall drive you will manage to mung up the OS on the SSD and need to re-install.

USB drives are cheap; go buy one if you need space.

[Lord Appleseed]

When I saw the title my first impression was "WHY?!"

Seriously, flash memory in that size is cheap, why delete an important OS backup?

[channelinspire]

Originally Posted by Lord Appleseed

When I saw the title my first impression was "WHY?!"

Seriously, flash memory in that size is cheap, why delete an important OS backup?

My exact thoughts. How big is the apple drive? 8GB? Aren't those like $25?

If it is about size, I have a tiny flash drive that was very cheap.

[Gemütlichkeit]

I thought the chips were read only.

[Kissaragi]

Its probably only a smallish drive, 4gb? You could buy a new one for about £5

[alecgold]

I understand what he is talking about. It's a cool neck USB key.
But I wouldn't want to do is erase the backup. Couldn't you copy all the files from the apple-stick to another?

[darngooddesign]

Originally Posted by DoubleApple

Hi there

Is there any way to erase the Macbook Air reinstall drive so that it can be used as a normal usb flash drive ? Its not possible from disk utility, the option is greyed out !

any ideas ? has anyone actually done this ?

Thanks

What happens if you have to restore your Air? Thumb drives of that size are super cheap.

[nunes013]

so i found a tool that can erase the thumb drive and reformat it to use a storage device.

my friend sold me his for $10 because he said he didnt want it. so i tried to wipe it using the program and after i finished it said it couldnt reformat and now mac os x and windows wont recognize it. windows sees it but says it has malfunctioned and it wont show up in the explorer window of mycomputer. does anyone know what could have happened to it and how i might be able to fix it. heres the link to the tool. it works because there are other reports of people confirming it

http://mckaywei.com/how-to-format-ma...nd-restore-it/

[InsanelyApple]

Originally Posted by channelinspire

My exact thoughts. How big is the apple drive? 8GB? Aren't those like $25?

If it is about size, I have a tiny flash drive that was very cheap.

Actually only $7.61 on Amazon if you know how to look.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...4P1GZ2MJKDYEG6

18 dollars would buy you a 16GB flash drive.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Cruzer..._bxgy_e_text_b

To tell you the truth, I don't think I've seen any flash drive that costs more than 20 dollars unless you buy in a retail store and pay the "Walmart Tax".

[macaddict3]

i think u can either use disk utility or idk lol sorry i am not specialized on usbs

[halledise]

Originally Posted by DoubleApple

Hi there

Is there any way to erase the Macbook Air reinstall drive so that it can be used as a normal usb flash drive ? Its not possible from disk utility, the option is greyed out !

any ideas ? has anyone actually done this ?

Thanks

this question has been asked and dealt with before in other threads
(MRoogle is your friend here - http://goo.gl/2ZX2z)

for example:

answer 1 - why the flip would you want to bother?
answer 2 - you will be erasing your only means of system restore
answer 3 - buy a similar capacity usb stick and don't be such a scrooge

[skinny*k]

A solution has been posted here. Before reformatting, you should make a disk image of the Air. stick just in case. Note that the Air stick is seen as a DVD by the OS—no Mac will boot from a standard USB memory drive. Read the entire thread above.

It would probably be best to wait to reformat the stick instead of tossing it after it becomes obsolete.

skinny*k

[mmcxiiad]

look for the tuff-n-tiny usb drive. it is smaller then the apple one. I have had it on my key chain for 2 years and it still works perfect.