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DoubleApple

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 5, 2011
1
0
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

macrumors 601
Feb 6, 2010
4,779
2
On the fence
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

macrumors member
Jan 12, 2011
52
0
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

macrumors G3
Mar 26, 2008
8,331
228
West Suburban Boston Ma
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.
 

alecgold

macrumors 65816
Oct 11, 2007
1,335
827
NLD
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

macrumors P6
Jul 4, 2007
17,916
9,418
Atlanta, GA
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

macrumors 65816
May 24, 2010
1,284
185
Connecticut
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-macbook-airs-usb-drive-and-restore-it/
 

InsanelyApple

macrumors 6502
Oct 26, 2010
449
0
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/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CMERX4P1GZ2MJKDYEG6

18 dollars would buy you a 16GB flash drive. :D

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Cruzer-Flash-Drive-SDCZ36-016G-A11/dp/B001T99ZTI/ref=pd_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".
 

halledise

macrumors 68000
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

macrumors regular
Feb 21, 2011
130
0
California
Reformatting the Air's memory stick

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

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2002
259
17
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.
 
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