Can You Run OS X Mavericks off an External Drive?

[Traverse]

My rMBP currently has Yosemite on it. I want to run Mavericks for a few things. If I run it in a VM its terribly pixelated due to lack of retina support.

I have an 8GB USB with a functioning Mavericks bootable drive that I used a few times in the past. I also have a 1TB USB 3.0 external hard drive that I'd like to partition and install Mavericks on as a fully functioning bootable drive. I read about people doing this for Yosemite, can it be done with Mavericks?

Would I simply attach both drives and hold "Option" at startup to access my installer and then install Mavericks on the HDD?

Thank you.

 

[sharon22]

Absolutely! I do it all the time!

In fact, when I want to "test out" various software, apps, etc., that I've downloaded, I often Run, boot from, and install onto my external drive (so as not to muck up my "real" system).

What about the option key?

AFTER you've installed Mavericks on your external drive, you would boot up while holding the Option Key, so that you can choose (on the fly) which drive you want to start up from. Otherwise, you would select the Startup Disk in System Preferences.

If you're asking how to install mavericks on an external drive, alls ya do is fire up the Mavericks Installer, and select the external drive.

The last time the most latest Mavericks version was available at the App Store, I didn't run the "Installer" program right away. Rather, what I did was SAVE the installer. So, if you SAVE the installer, then you can install Mavericks FROM whatever drive you've saved the installer on. For example, if your Mavericks Installer is on your Internal Yosemite Drive, you would simply double-click the installer, and choose your External Drive to install Mavericks to.

Did I answer your question?

 

[Traverse]

Did I answer your question?

Thank you, I believe you did. I'll try it tonight when I get home, but I though when you opened the Mavericks installer while running Yosemite it just said "You're running a new version of OS X" and wouldn't let you proceed any further.

That is why I mentioned booting from my small Installer USB and then selecting the external drive for install while never touch my MacBook Pro's internal drive.

 

[sharon22]

words words words...I though when you opened the Mavericks installer while running Yosemite it just said "You're running a new version of OS X" ...more words.

Hmmm! You could be right! Let us know if that's the case. I never ran into the issue because I made sure to copy over the Mavericks Installer to the drive I booted from. But, I see your situation is slightly different.

Try the easy way, first (i.e. leave everything the way it is, and try to install Mavericks from where it's at).

If that don't do the hokey pokey for ya, then Post Back here and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

Good luck!

 

[Traverse]

Hmmm! You could be right! Let us know if that's the case. I never ran into the issue because I made sure to copy over the Mavericks Installer to the drive I booted from. But, I see your situation is slightly different.

Try the easy way, first (i.e. leave everything the way it is, and try to install Mavericks from where it's at).

If that don't do the hokey pokey for ya, then Post Back here and we'll cross that bridge when we get to it!

Good luck!

I used an article on macworld to create a Mavericks install Usb. I booted from that and selected the external drive and installed Mavericks. Went seamless.

 

[sharon22]

Awesome!
I, myself, DID try the USB install trick... but it took FOREVER to load into, and run from my USB stick.

THAT'S when I learned a secret.

I learned that all USB sticks are NOT EQUAL!

omg OMG! They are ALL DIFFERENT!

I read some reviews of fastest usb drives, and I bought me a Mushkin, and a Sandisk Extreme 16gb, and I tell ya, those are a BAZILLION times faster than my other thumb drives!!!! (The Mushikin and Sandisk are just as fast as each other.)

It has something to do with the type of flash COMPONENTRY inside (my word, don't you dare use it! ).

If I had my Sandisk (or Mushkin), that's what I would have done, too!

Good goin! Thanks for posting back. Now others will know that it can be done, too.

(Isn't this forum so cool! Warrrmmmmm fuzzziezzzzzz)