2011 MBA / Lion / Recovery USB - Query!

[gazzrenn]

Hey guys / gals

I'm sure there are other threads on this, I've done a bit of searching but can't find an answer to my specific question.

My 2011 MBA will ship with Lion, as I understand it - if i want to do a clean reinstall of Lion - I have to do the internet recovery.

This is fine, but I prefer to have install media. I would like a bootable full install USB drive to install Lion from - without the need for internet. I understand I may have to run through the internet recovery at least once in order to get the installer downloaded, but can it then be transferred to USB?

Since I own a license to Lion, I should be able to create this from either the machine its self, or the internet recovery.

I should not have to purchase Lion in the Mac App Store again - which I understand on the 2011 MBA's you can't actually do anyway!

Thanks in advance,
Gazz

 

[gazzrenn]

Wow, I asked one of /those/ questions that nobody wants to answer.

*backs out of the room*

 

[ZBoater]

I can't answer because I don't know, but I am very interested in learning, so I'll just be right here to the side lurking....

 

[vitzr]

Apple wants you to be dependent on them.

 

[Dufus Del Dia]

Have you seen this?
http://www.cultofmac.com/use-lion-r...make-a-usb-recovery-drive-video-how-to/108280

Hey guys / gals

I'm sure there are other threads on this, I've done a bit of searching but can't find an answer to my specific question.

My 2011 MBA will ship with Lion, as I understand it - if i want to do a clean reinstall of Lion - I have to do the internet recovery.

This is fine, but I prefer to have install media. I would like a bootable full install USB drive to install Lion from - without the need for internet. I understand I may have to run through the internet recovery at least once in order to get the installer downloaded, but can it then be transferred to USB?

Since I own a license to Lion, I should be able to create this from either the machine its self, or the internet recovery.

I should not have to purchase Lion in the Mac App Store again - which I understand on the 2011 MBA's you can't actually do anyway!

Thanks in advance,
Gazz

 

[gazzrenn]

Have you seen this?
http://www.cultofmac.com/use-lion-r...make-a-usb-recovery-drive-video-how-to/108280

I had not seen that. So thank you

That obviously does rely on you having the recovery partition on your drive already. Do the new 2011 MBA's come with said partition I wonder?

I can't answer because I don't know, but I am very interested in learning, so I'll just be right here to the side lurking....

Ha! No worries

You may be able to answer this though ^

 

[ZBoater]

That obviously does rely on you having the recovery partition on your drive already. Do the new 2011 MBA's come with said partition I wonder?

Nope, unfortunately not. There is a recovery partition but my understanding is that it allows you to reinstall Lion by downloading it from the Internet, not from a local copy.

 

[gazzrenn]

Ahh, I see.. so that's back to the original question.

Without re-purchasing Lion, how do we do it? I feel a trip to my local Apple Store coming on.... or I could just wait for mine to be delivered

 

[blevins321]

Ahh, I see.. so that's back to the original question.

Without re-purchasing Lion, how do we do it? I feel a trip to my local Apple Store coming on.... or I could just wait for mine to be delivered

I've seen people having success with calling Apple and telling them you've wiped your hard drive and have unstable Internet. They've been sending out recovery USBs free for this.

 

[ZBoater]

I've seen people having success with calling Apple and telling them you've wiped your hard drive and have unstable Internet. They've been sending out recovery USBs free for this.

Hmmmm, I also read that the Lion build that comes with the MBA's is different than what you get at the store. I wonder I those USB's have the correct build?

 

[gazzrenn]

I found this over on the official Apple Forum

https://discussions.apple.com/message/16021354#16021354

Hi everyone. I have replied on another thread how to get a bootable USB Drive made for the mid-2011 MBA. I have done it. It's a hack, but, once done, you never have to do it again (well, unless you want to update to a later version of lion on the USB). Here it is, in a nutshell.

• Have at least a 16GB USB pre-formatted. Make sure you select the options on disk utility to create a GUID Partition Table (or it won't boot)
• Invoke the internet recovery utility, by rebooting while holding down cmd-R. This should walk you through getting online and downloading the internet recovery utility.
• Once the utility starts, select the option to install lion
• The install utility will ask where you want to install. Point the install to the USB Drive
• Download will begin. Depending on your internet pipe, may take a while. For me, it said it would take about 5 hours.... it shortened down, but, was still about 3 hours. It's important to be standing by, because once the download completes, the system automatically reboots, and begins the install. You want to interrupt it before it begins the install - yank out the usb stick on reboot, or, hit the power button
• The system will likely be in a "wierd" state after you reboot from the regular drive, so, reset the PRAM - search the help files for the exact procedure. It's not tough, I just don't remember at this point
• On the USB stick, search for the esdxxxxx.dmg file (if you just see an icon for the install lion, right-click to "Show package contents")
• Use the DMG file as source to restore to the USB, using diskutiity. Once the restore completes, reboot holding down the opt/alt key, and you should get an option to boot from regular internal disk, the recovery partition, or, the usb drive - not, you don't see the recovery partition in diskutility (apple hides it)

Hope this helps.