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Icecoldak

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 3, 2015
41
26
Trying to make me a bootable USB drive so I can do a clean install! I have followed 3-4 ways to make one, using terminal, or an app and for the life of me I get errors all the time and it will not start the process! Any help would be great!
 
These instructions work just fine for most, I used them myself yesterday to create a USB installer stick:

http://wccftech.com/create-macos-high-sierra-usb-installer/

You do have to have the Install macOS High Sierra.app downloaded from the App Store and in the Applications directory, of course, because if it's not there in that specific location the command will fail - the files it needs are inside that .app package so, make sure you follow the directions carefully and you'll be good to go.
 
Yes I have the app in the App folder--I will give this a try---

Ok just did this and it came back with

sudo /Applications/install\macOS\High\Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/creatinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app

Password:

sudo: /Applications/installmacOSHighSierra.app/Contents/Resources/creatinstallmedia: command not found
 
Yes I have the app in the App folder--I will give this a try---

Ok just did this and it came back with

sudo /Applications/install\macOS\High\Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/creatinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app

Password:

sudo: /Applications/installmacOSHighSierra.app/Contents/Resources/creatinstallmedia: command not found

Careful with spaces. I think that was your undoing. Try it again thus:

So format an 8 GB (or preferably 16GB) USB3 drive which should be called Untitled and formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The installer should be called Install macOS High Sierra.app and should be in your Applications folder.

Run this in terminal and wait about 20 minutes:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --nointeraction
 
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Yes I have the app in the App folder--I will give this a try---

Ok just did this and it came back with

sudo /Applications/install\macOS\High\Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/creatinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app

Password:

sudo: /Applications/installmacOSHighSierra.app/Contents/Resources/creatinstallmedia: command not found

You're missing an "e" there with the command itself, it's createinstallmedia :)

You have it as creatinstallmedia

Gotta add that "e" so the command will work, as ty just showed above.
 
Careful with spaces. I think that was your undoing. Try it again thus:

So format an 8 GB (or preferably 16GB) USB3 drive which should be called Untitled and formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The installer should be called Install macOS High Sierra.app and should be in your Applications folder.

Run this in terminal and wait about 20 minutes:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app --nointeraction


Ok I ran that line and it comes back with

/Applications/Install macOS High Sierra.app does not appear to be a valid OS installer application.

But I downloaded the high sierra right from the app store and is sitting in my Application folder??
 
You no longer need the --applicationpath parameter in 10.13. This works:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled
 
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You no longer need the --applicationpath parameter in 10.13. This works:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled

I ran your path and it comes back same thing as above?
 
You no longer need the --applicationpath parameter in 10.13. This works:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled

Yes. That’s what it says on apple’s official page on the issue at https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201372 but it makes no difference. I made one with the other command and it works.

So I reckon Icecoldak might have a corrupted installer. I would say delete it, redownload and run the command again (or Nermal’s).

Others have also said elsewhere that the first time they downloaded High Sierra they got a corrupted installer, had to delete and download again to get the uncorrupted version.

That is most likely the cause of the error, not which command used (provided it is free of typos).
 
Is there some way to get the installer app without "purchasing" it? Installing it on my Mac Mini bricked it and my laptop is too old for Sierra/High Sierra. And for some unfathomable reason my wife and daughter don't want their modern Macs to be crash test dummies.
 
I agree, that first download may not be a complete app, and you should download a fresh High Sierra installer app.

But, also copy and paste your error, as it may LOOK the same, but one character can make all the difference.

@phroggie : You can download the High Sierra installer on any Mac that supports it. The installer will launch when the download is complete. It will NOT install until you click the install button, so you would just Quit the installer app. Copy the app to a flash drive, or other volume. You can then use the app from that volume to create the installer media. Just adjust the terminal command for the different path.
Or, if the terminal continues to give you problems, use one of the apps that makes this simple, either Diskmaker X, or Install Disk Creator. Both have been recently updated for High Sierra, and I have successfully used both to make bootable High Sierra installer volumes.
 
Ill trash it and re-download it again! Do I need to drag the App into my USB before I run the command??
 
Ill trash it and re-download it again! Do I need to drag the App into my USB before I run the command??

No. Don’t drag it anywhere or else you will have to change the command. Just leave it there and run the command again.
 
Ok downloaded new copy and I still get the same error---really weird lol
 
Ok downloaded new copy and I still get the same error---really weird lol

How big is the installer? It should be 5.18GB. Others have reported a small file about 20MB downloaded instead. That obviously isn’t the correct one. They had to redownload to get the correct one.
 
How big is the installer? It should be 5.18GB. Others have reported a small file about 20MB downloaded instead. That obviously isn’t the correct one. They had to redownload to get the correct one.


You are correct its only 20MB---I have re-downloaded it a few times since trying to make this Bootable disk haha! Maybe I need to try another link to do the D/L---any ideas, and why also Im I only getting 20MB instead of the full 5.1G as you stated
 
No that we figured out that Im not getting the full download, I cannot get a full download from the app store no matter what I try, Time to do some googling to see how I can get the Full install...
 
No that we figured out that Im not getting the full download, I cannot get a full download from the app store no matter what I try, Time to do some googling to see how I can get the Full install...

There may be some illegitimate ways to get it. But it would be better to get operating systems direct from the official vendors.

I did not have trouble getting High Sierra. But years ago I did have trouble getting mountain lion betas with some of them only partially downloading.

So I went to the genius bar in the apple store knowing something few people know about genius bars. Well known is that apple stores have their own free wifi. Less well known is that under the desks in the genius bars are power boards allowing customers to plug in their laptops. You don’t have to ask permission to connect to their wifi but you do need to ask permission to plug into their powerboards. So that is what I did and successfully was able to download not just from apple, but also AT apple, some of their mountain lion betas.

So maybe if you are having significant difficulty getting High Sierra, like I did with mountain lion betas, you can go to the genius bar to get it more successfully.
 
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There may be some illegitimate ways to get it. But it would be better to get operating systems direct from the official vendors.

I did not have trouble getting High Sierra. But years ago I did have trouble getting mountain lion betas with some of them only partially downloading.

So I went to the genius bar in the apple store knowing something few people know about genius bars. Well known is that apple stores have their own free wifi. Less well known is that under the desks in the genius bars are power boards allowing customers to plug in their laptops. You don’t have to ask permission to connect to their wifi but you do need to ask permission to plug into their powerboards. So that is what I did and successfully was able to download not just from apple, but also AT apple, some of their mountain lion betas.

So maybe if you are having significant difficulty getting High Sierra, like I did with mountain lion betas, you can go to the genius bar to get it more successfully.


Yea I have done that before just take my laptop to them and they would install a fresh copy for me no problem--I just wanted to do it myself this time lol and give it a shot--if all fails Ill take it to them!!
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Still looking?
Try this link it's solid, I've used it myself.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwMVdS23k_J-S2x4M1EzeWMxbkE/view

I saw that, but was waiting to see what you guys came up with--thanks for the link and everyone help!!
 
I used this command to create a USB installer. Just change the "YourUSBStick" to something else.
Code:
sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/YourUSBStick --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app
 
Well, All the help did the trick--Its now making me a bootable disk as I type! thanks!
 
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