Trying to make a bootable OS X Lion flash drive

b2387692 · Nov 13, 2014

Here's where I'm at in my attempt to make bootable OS X Lion USB Flash Drive...
In Disk Utility, I first formatted the flash drive as follows:
"1 Partition"
"GUID Partition Table"
"Mac OS X Extended (Journaled)"
Named it "OS X Installer".

PROBLEM IS...I apparently did NOT quit the install process right at the beginning and was unable to save a copy of the installer app to a safe location. Therefore, the new OS X Lion installed and booted on my MBP from the USB flash drive. I went to the Apple Store but I could not find OS X Lion to try and download again.

Am I out of luck here or what other options are there?

tywebb13 · Nov 13, 2014

I'm not quite clear on what you are trying to do.

Do you want a bootable usb installer of Lion, or the whole system on a usb?

Did you install Lion from the installer app? If so, upon restart the installer app deletes itself.

So to make a bootable usb of the Lion installer, you will have to redownload it from your purchases tab in the mac app store and proceed with instructions at http://osxdaily.com/2011/07/08/make-a-bootable-mac-os-x-10-7-lion-installer-from-a-usb-flash-drive/

If it is not in your purchases tab, it can still be purchased at http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106/os-x-lion

Despite my confusion, I hope that helps.

b2387692 · Nov 13, 2014

Thanks!

tywebb13 said:
I'm not quite clear on what you are trying to do.

Do you want a bootable usb installer of Lion, or the whole system on a usb?

My apologies for being unclear...The hard drive (750 GB TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF) in my late 2011 MacBookPro8,3 17" running Lion OS X 10.7.5 (pre-loaded; no disk) has a "S.M.A.R.T. Status: Failing". I don't have an external hard drive so I saved all my important file & folders to my Mac Mini Sever. That said, I'm trying to prepare to upgrade my MBP hard drive to a SSD so I am trying to make a bootable OS X Lion USB Flash Drive. Does that make any sense?

tywebb13 said:
Did you install Lion from the installer app? If so, upon restart the installer app deletes itself.

Yes, I believe the installer app deleted itself because I can't locate "Install Mac OS X Lion.app" on the USB Flash Drive. ;(

tywebb13 said:
So to make a bootable usb of the Lion installer, you will have to redownload it from your purchases tab in the mac app store and proceed with instructions at http://osxdaily.com/2011/07/08/make-...b-flash-drive/ If it is not in your purchases tab, it can still be purchased at http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106/os-x-lionDespite my confusion, I hope that helps.

When I initially clicked on my purchases tab, it was not there but there was a link asking me to sign in with my Apple ID. Actually, I don't recall, if I ever created an Apple ID. How can I verify if my Apple ID, if I have on?

FWIW, now, when I click on my purchases tab, I get an error message "Cannot connect to App Store".

Weaselboy · Nov 13, 2014

b2387692 said:
My apologies for being unclear...The hard drive (750 GB TOSHIBA MK7559GSXF) in my late 2011 MacBookPro8,3 17" running Lion OS X 10.7.5 (pre-loaded; no disk) has a "S.M.A.R.T. Status: Failing". I don't have an external hard drive so I saved all my important file & folders to my Mac Mini Sever. That said, I'm trying to prepare to upgrade my MBP hard drive to a SSD so I am trying to make a bootable OS X Lion USB Flash Drive. Does that make any sense?

It sounds like your MBP came from the factory with Lion on it yes?

If it did, you don't need to make a USB installer. Just put in the new drive and command-r boot to recovery and you will be taken through Internet recovery to reinstall the OS.

b2387692 · Nov 13, 2014

Weaselboy said:
It sounds like your MBP came from the factory with Lion on it yes?

Yes

Weaselboy said:
If it did, you don't need to make a USB installer. Just put in the new drive and command-r boot to recovery and you will be taken through Internet recovery to reinstall the OS.

Recovery (actually command-option-r) is what I did to reinstall OS X Lion on my USB Flash Drive. I was advised not to do any upgrading without a full, bootable clone of my current system.

Where does this leave me in preparing the upgrade to SSD...?

Weaselboy · Nov 13, 2014

b2387692 said:
Recovery (actually command-option-r) is what I did to reinstall OS X Lion on my USB Flash Drive. I was advised not to do any upgrading without a full, bootable clone of my current system.

Where does this leave me in preparing the upgrade to SSD...?

If there is no bootable volume present command-r will skip right to Internet recovery (same as command-option-r).

I don't know why someone told you that. Just put in the new disk and start Internet recovery. When the recovery pane comes up just use Disk Utility to erase the new disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)... then quit Disk Util and click reinstall OS X. That will give you your new SSD with a fresh install of Lion on it.

As long as you have saved your data somewhere to pull it back in to the new install (sounds like you did that on the server), you will be good to go.

b2387692 · Nov 13, 2014

Thanks!

b2387692 said:
I was advised not to do any upgrading without a full, bootable clone of my current system.

Weaselboy said:

...I don't know why someone told you that.

Click to expand...

FWIW, I was told...

I'd have a backup of your data and it can allow you to resume operation quickly in the event of an internal HDD failure. You may connect it to your MBP externally and boot from it or swap it inside replacing the failed HDD. Since it has an OSX already installed and your data on it, there is no other work involved in getting back in operation.

Weaselboy said:
Just put in the new disk and start Internet recovery.

The new SSD?

Weaselboy said:
When the recovery pane comes up just use Disk Utility to erase the new disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)...

How does one "ERASE the new disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)..."?

Weaselboy said:
...then quit Disk Util and click reinstall OS X. That will give you your new SSD with a fresh install of Lion on it. As long as you have saved your data somewhere to pull it back in to the new install (sounds like you did that on the server), you will be good to go.

Which "data" would you be concerned about saving with a fresh install as opposed to a "clone" of YOUR current system?

Weaselboy · Nov 13, 2014

b2387692 said:
Thanks!
FWIW, I was told...

The new SSD?

How does one "ERASE the new disk to Mac OS Extended (Journaled)..."?

Which "data" would you be concerned about saving with a fresh install as opposed to a "clone" of YOUR current system?

I get what you were told, but you never did that (made a clone) and now have a bad drive with no external to clone to, so I figured we are kind of past that yes?

Yes, just install the new SSD and use Internet recovery to format the new disk and install Lion. Then during the setup process at the end of the install, make an account for yourself then drag your documents or whatever you saved from the server back to the new SSD.

By erase the disk, I mean start Disk Utility and go to the erase tab then select the SSD in the left column. Then in the Format: dropdown pick Mac OS Extended (JournaledO and the format then click Erase at the lower right. That will format the new SSD for your Mac.

Then you just quit Disk Util and click reinstall OS X and Lion will download and install.

You would want to save any personal data like documents, music etc you have on there.

Is the drive you are replacing (the one with the SMART errors) still functional? If it is you could just buy a cheap USB enclosure and put the old drive in there then copy data off that drive to the SSD.

b2387692 · Nov 13, 2014

Weaselboy said:
I get what you were told, but you never did that (made a clone) and now have a bad drive with no external to clone to, so I figured we are kind of past that yes?

Yes, but I do I have the USB Flash Drive to clone and I thought creating the bootable USB was a step along the way to cloning.

Weaselboy said:
Yes, just install the new SSD and use Internet recovery to format the new disk and install Lion.

Hmmm? No ****! lol

Will Recovery even let me install OS X Lion again fro free after just doing so yesterday with the Flash Drive? If so, is this my next step to upgrading my late 2011 MBP 17 from HDD to SSD??

Weaselboy said:
Then during the setup process at the end of the install, make an account for yourself then drag your documents or whatever you saved from the server back to the new SSD.

By erase the disk, I mean start Disk Utility and go to the erase tab then select the SSD in the left column. Then in the Format: dropdown pick Mac OS Extended (JournaledO and the format then click Erase at the lower right. That will format the new SSD for your Mac.

Then you just quit Disk Util and click reinstall OS X and Lion will download and install.

You would want to save any personal data like documents, music etc you have on there.

Great, thanks!

Weaselboy said:
Is the drive you are replacing (the one with the SMART errors) still functional? If it is you could just buy a cheap USB enclosure and put the old drive in there then copy data off that drive to the SSD.

Yes, I'm working on it right now. I have moved just about all data (other than apps and system prefrences) I can think of to my Mini Server...even exported bookmarks into html

Weaselboy · Nov 13, 2014

b2387692 said:
Hmmm? No ****! lol Will Recovery even let me install OS X Lion again fro free after just doing so yesterday with the Flash Drive? If so, is this my next step to upgrading my late 2011 MBP 17 from HDD to SSD??

Exactly. You just pop in a new drive and use Internet recovery and it will give you the original OS version free.

b2387692 · Nov 14, 2014

Great, thanks!

Now on to the fun stuff...

MX100 vs 840 EVO

Anyone have any thoughts for late 2011 MBP 17"?

Weaselboy · Nov 14, 2014

b2387692 said:
Great, thanks!

Now on to the fun stuff...

MX100 vs 840 EVO

Anyone have any thoughts for late 2011 MBP 17"?

There are really very comparable. I would just get whichever is cheapest.

b2387692 · Nov 18, 2014

What about issues (I read somewhere but can't remember where) about Macs having firmware update problems with certain manufacturers?

Weaselboy · Nov 18, 2014

b2387692 said:
What about issues (I read somewhere but can't remember where) about Macs having firmware update problems with certain manufacturers?

Yes that can be an issue. Not all manufacturers provide a Mac version of their firmware updaters. But so far both Samsung and Crucial have.

There was a recent update for the EVO and they had a Mac updater. The MX100 has not had any updates yet, but with previous Crucial drives when there was an update they provided Mac software to install it.

b2387692 · Nov 18, 2014

How much does size matter, if using as a boot or startup drive?

FWIW, I'm still using my optical drive for CD/DVD and looking into upgrading that to an HDD or SDD but currently, I don't have any other way to play CD/DVD.

Weaselboy · Nov 18, 2014

b2387692 said:
How much does size matter, if using as a boot or startup drive?

I'm not sure what you are asking? The larger sizes tend to be a little bit faster because of the way the chip modules are laid out, but in normal usage you won't really notice the difference. Just get whatever size you think you will need to hold your data.

b2387692 · Nov 18, 2014

My apologies for being unclear....Just trying to look forward. Since my MBP HDD is basically fried...I got lucky because I had not run Time Machine and still need an external HDD or SDD but I was able to at least save my data to my mini server, which also now needs to be backed up.

So, again just kinda trying to look ahead and property plan these upgrades without breaking the bank.

That said, I'm thinking, 250-500GB may suffice here, especially, if I upgrade optical and add external hard drive to my system.

b2387692 · Dec 12, 2014

Weaselboy said:
Yes, just install the new SSD and use Internet recovery to format the new disk and install Lion.

b2387692 said:
Hmmm? No ****! lol Will Recovery even let me install OS X Lion again fro free after just doing so yesterday with the Flash Drive? If so, is this my next step to upgrading my late 2011 MBP 17 from HDD to SSD??

Weaselboy said:
Exactly. You just pop in a new drive and use Internet recovery and it will give you the original OS version free.

UPDATE...
I bought the Crucial MX100 512GB SSD, I have installed it and want make sure I'm know what I'm doing before moving forward with Internet Recovery, formatting the new disk, and installing the new OS X Lion.

Here's my plan...
STEP #1: Boot to the OS X Recovery System Hold down Command-R at startup until I hear tone. Select the language I want to use and proceed to next step.

STEP #2: Format new SSD Use Disk Utility to format the new drive. Once Disk Utility is open, select the new drive from the list on the left. Click on the "Erase" tab on the right. Set the Volume Format to "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". Name the drive anything I want. Once I have set these two items, I can click the "Erase..." button.

STEP #3: Install OS X on new SSD Once I have formatted the SSD, close Disk Utility and select the "Reinstall Mac OS X" option from the Mac OS X Utilities screen. Follow the steps as they are presented to me making sure to select my new SSD as the install location.

How am I looking here...Anything I'm missing? i.e...
1) Would you partition the new SSD and install the new OS X Lion on one partition?
2) What is Trim Enabler and would you recommend using it to enable TRIM on my new SSD?
3) What would you name the new drive?

FWIW... I also bought the WD My Passport Ultra 2TB Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive with Auto Backup

Thanks!

Weaselboy · Dec 12, 2014

b2387692 said:
How am I looking here...Anything I'm missing? i.e...
1) Would you partition the new SSD and install the new OS X Lion on one partition?
2) What is Trim Enabler and would you recommend using it to enable TRIM on my new SSD?
3) What would you name the new drive?

Your are right on track there.

1. No need for a second partition. Just make one and put everything there.

2. It is this app that enables TRIM on third party drives like yours. Yes, it is a good idea to enable TRIM.

3. You can name it whatever you want, it really does not matter. "Macintosh HD" is the default on new systems.

b2387692 · Dec 12, 2014

Thanks!
Any need for and opportunity to create a bootable OS X Lion flash drive or external drive?

Weaselboy · Dec 12, 2014

b2387692 said:
Thanks!
Any need for and opportunity to create a bootable OS X Lion flash drive or external drive?

What I do is just use Time Machine to backup to a USB external disk and if you need to you can option key boot to that to restore if you need to. Some people like yo keep a second clone disk as a second backup, but you really need to unless you want the security of that second backup.

I see no need to keep a USB Lion key installer though since no your machine you can always use Internet recovery if you need to.

b2387692 · Dec 12, 2014

Thanks!
How & when do I put my data back on my MBP that I saved to my Mini Server earlier?

Weaselboy · Dec 12, 2014

b2387692 said:
Thanks!
How & when do I put my data back on my MBP that I saved to my Mini Server earlier?

Tell me exactly what you moved there and how you moved it over.

b2387692 · Dec 12, 2014

I moved all my important files, folders, documents, pictures & movies by copy & paste and/or drag & drop.

Weaselboy · Dec 12, 2014

b2387692 said:
I moved all my important files, folders, documents, pictures & movies by copy & paste and/or drag & drop.

You can just drag and drop them back where they were then. Make sure you just move folder contents. For example, if you copied a bunch of documents from your old ~/Documents folder to the server, just select all those documents and drag them over to inside your new ~/Documents folder.

Trying to make a bootable OS X Lion flash drive

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