Download Installation For Original OS

[Zen5656]

Hello!
My Macbook Pro from 2012 is still running Mavericks and I want to keep it that way as I do not want to pay for upgrade licenses for expensive software that runs best with this os.

In case my MacBook gets broken or lost I want to create a Mavericks installation USB Stick or so to be able to start from 0 with OS Mavericks on a used machine or so.

How can I download the original Mavericks installation.app if I have not downloaded it from the App Store as my MacBook Pro came with it?

Thanks

 

[Weaselboy]

How can I download the original Mavericks installation.app if I have not downloaded it from the App Store as my MacBook Pro came with it?

There is a convoluted procedure that will allow you to intercept the installer and save it, so you can make a USB key installer like you want. This is from an old article on the now defunct site Mac OS Hints. I was able to find an archive of the article and paste it in here for you. This is for Lion, but it still works the same way for Mavericks.

Spoiler: USB Installer

10.7 : How to get a full Lion install disc for a new MacBook Air or Pro
I've found a way to get a full Lion installer by capturing the installer files that the recovery partition downloads. This seems to work on my 2008 MBP machine with the App Store version of Lion installed on it, but it should be of particular interest to users of the new MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros which don't come with an install disk, but can't install the App Store version of Lion. By following this hint, it should be possible to get a full Lion install disk for those machines that won't require network access to install.
To avoid messing up your one and only good Lion installation, I recommend getting an external drive big enough to install Lion on. An external hard drive or separate partition is great. A large USB flash drive might work, but I haven't tried it.

As we all know, the Recovery HD lets you reinstall Lion by downloading it from Apple's servers. Unfortunately, it deletes itself after installation, so it doesn't give you a chance to make a boot disk that doesn't involve network access. However, it is possible to capture the installer and interrupt the install, so that it doesn't get a chance to delete itself.

Here's what to do:

• Open the Terminal, and type this command to list all partitions on your hard drive or SSD:
  diskutil list
  
  
• Look for 'Recovery HD' in the list, and note its identifier. It will be something of the form diskXsY, where X and Y are numeric digits. (On my machine, it's disk0s3).
• Type the following command to mount the recovery HD:
  diskutil mount readOnly /dev/[identifier]
  
  
• Replace [identifier] above with the identifier from step 2. So on my machine, I typed:
  diskutil mount readOnly /dev/disk0s3
  
  
• The disk image inside the recovery HD is invisible, so use the Terminal to mount that too:
  hdiutil attach "/Volumes/Recovery HD/com.apple.recovery.boot/BaseSystem.dmg"
  
  
• Now, from the newly mounted Mac OS X Base System image, double-click the 'Install Mac OS X' application at the root of the disk. Surprisingly, it launches, even when booted into a standard Mac OS X user account from the hard drive!
• Go through the license agreement. Once it asks you for a disk to install on, choose the external drive or spare partition. (Or the boot partition if you're feeling gutsy. As long as you don't let the installer reboot, it shouldn't be able to install anything, but I like to err on the side of caution.)
• Enter your admin password when prompted, and the installer will start downloading.
• Open an old-style (non-autosaving) application that still uses the traditional Save, Save As..., etc. commands in the File menu (I used TextWrangler) and make a new unsaved document, and type a few things in it. This will give you a little insurance against the installer rebooting the system, since the app won't let the system reboot until you respond to its message asking whether you want to save the document or not.
• The installer will start downloading some packages into a folder called Mac OS X Install Data on the root of the drive you're installing onto. Of the files it puts in there, the interesting item is a package with a funky name (on my system, it was 'mzm.stuhjljp.pkg'). It will be the file in the folder with the largest file size. Once the file finishes downloading, the installer will extract the InstallESD.dmg image from it and delete the package. This will be fine as long as you don't let the app restart your machine.
• Wait for the download to finish. This will probably take a while, as it's a very large download.
• Once the installer finishes download and prompts you to restart your Mac, force-quit it. Do this quickly, as it may automatically reboot for you after a timeout period (although if you've got an unsaved document open, you should be able to prevent that).
• You should now have a file called InstallESD.dmg in the Mac OS X Install Data folder. You can burn this to a DVD, or image it to a USB flash drive to create a boot disk.

[crarko adds: I second the recommendation to try this with an external drive first while perfecting the execution of the process.]

 

[Tom620]

1) Download OS X Mavericks via the App Store. The installer will start, just minimize it.

2. Format a USB stick as Mac OS Extended, named 'Untitled'. This stick should be at least 8GB.

3) Open Terminal, and run this command:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

This will take a while. When this command finishes, the usb stick is ready for use. Just close the Mavericks installer, you minimized.

That should do it.

 

[Weaselboy]

1) Download OS X Mavericks via the App Store. The installer will start, just minimize it.

I think you missed the part where the OP said he does not have it in his purchased list in the App Store app since he never downloaded Mavericks from the App Store.

 

[Tom620]

I think you missed the part where the OP said he does not have it in his purchased list in the App Store app since he never downloaded Mavericks from the App Store.

I'm sorry, I missed that.

 

[Riwam]

There is a convoluted procedure that will allow you to intercept the installer and save it, so you can make a USB key installer like you want. This is from an old article on the now defunct site Mac OS Hints. I was able to find an archive of the article and paste it in here for you. This is for Lion, but it still works the same way for Mavericks.

Spoiler: USB Installer

10.7 : How to get a full Lion install disc for a new MacBook Air or Pro
I've found a way to get a full Lion installer by capturing the installer files that the recovery partition downloads. This seems to work on my 2008 MBP machine with the App Store version of Lion installed on it, but it should be of particular interest to users of the new MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros which don't come with an install disk, but can't install the App Store version of Lion. By following this hint, it should be possible to get a full Lion install disk for those machines that won't require network access to install.
To avoid messing up your one and only good Lion installation, I recommend getting an external drive big enough to install Lion on. An external hard drive or separate partition is great. A large USB flash drive might work, but I haven't tried it.

As we all know, the Recovery HD lets you reinstall Lion by downloading it from Apple's servers. Unfortunately, it deletes itself after installation, so it doesn't give you a chance to make a boot disk that doesn't involve network access. However, it is possible to capture the installer and interrupt the install, so that it doesn't get a chance to delete itself.

Here's what to do:

• Open the Terminal, and type this command to list all partitions on your hard drive or SSD:
  diskutil list
  
  
• Look for 'Recovery HD' in the list, and note its identifier. It will be something of the form diskXsY, where X and Y are numeric digits. (On my machine, it's disk0s3).
• Type the following command to mount the recovery HD:
  diskutil mount readOnly /dev/[identifier]
  
  
• Replace [identifier] above with the identifier from step 2. So on my machine, I typed:
  diskutil mount readOnly /dev/disk0s3
  
  
• The disk image inside the recovery HD is invisible, so use the Terminal to mount that too:
  hdiutil attach "/Volumes/Recovery HD/com.apple.recovery.boot/BaseSystem.dmg"
  
  
• Now, from the newly mounted Mac OS X Base System image, double-click the 'Install Mac OS X' application at the root of the disk. Surprisingly, it launches, even when booted into a standard Mac OS X user account from the hard drive!
• Go through the license agreement. Once it asks you for a disk to install on, choose the external drive or spare partition. (Or the boot partition if you're feeling gutsy. As long as you don't let the installer reboot, it shouldn't be able to install anything, but I like to err on the side of caution.)
• Enter your admin password when prompted, and the installer will start downloading.
• Open an old-style (non-autosaving) application that still uses the traditional Save, Save As..., etc. commands in the File menu (I used TextWrangler) and make a new unsaved document, and type a few things in it. This will give you a little insurance against the installer rebooting the system, since the app won't let the system reboot until you respond to its message asking whether you want to save the document or not.
• The installer will start downloading some packages into a folder called Mac OS X Install Data on the root of the drive you're installing onto. Of the files it puts in there, the interesting item is a package with a funky name (on my system, it was 'mzm.stuhjljp.pkg'). It will be the file in the folder with the largest file size. Once the file finishes downloading, the installer will extract the InstallESD.dmg image from it and delete the package. This will be fine as long as you don't let the app restart your machine.
• Wait for the download to finish. This will probably take a while, as it's a very large download.
• Once the installer finishes download and prompts you to restart your Mac, force-quit it. Do this quickly, as it may automatically reboot for you after a timeout period (although if you've got an unsaved document open, you should be able to prevent that).
• You should now have a file called InstallESD.dmg in the Mac OS X Install Data folder. You can burn this to a DVD, or image it to a USB flash drive to create a boot disk.

[crarko adds: I second the recommendation to try this with an external drive first while perfecting the execution of the process.]

*********************
Very interesting indeed and certainly unknown to most people.
Does it work for any installed OSX, also for Yosemite or El Capitan?
Thank you for your information.
Ed

 

[Weaselboy]

*********************
Very interesting indeed and certainly unknown to most people.
Does it work for any installed OSX, also for Yosemite or El Capitan?
Thank you for your information.
Ed

It will work for any version that came from the factory, without regard for what is currently installed. For example, if your Mac came from the factory with Yosemite and now you have El Capitan on there... this process will snag you the Yosemite installer.

 

[Riwam]

It will work for any version that came from the factory, without regard for what is currently installed. For example, if your Mac came from the factory with Yosemite and now you have El Capitan on there... this process will snag you the Yosemite installer.

**********
Thank you very much Weaselboy for your kind answer.

if I understand you right, since my MP late 2013 came with Mavericks and not with Yosemite, only an installer for Mavericks can be recreated in this way, not an older and not a newer OSX but only the factory delivered one.

Thanks!
Ed

 

[Weaselboy]

if I understand you right, since my MP late 2013 came with Mavericks and not with Yosemite, only an installer for Mavericks can be recreated in this way, not an older and not a newer OSX but only the factory delivered one.

Thanks!
Ed

Correct... in your case, that process would give you the Mavericks installer.

 

[SpecFoto]

Apple just recently changed the Mavericks and Mtn Lion reinstalls, to where a USB stick no longer works!!

If you start up the USB stick install, after choosing the install disk, in about 30 seconds an error message comes up saying the install disk cannot be verified. Huh? Mine had worked many times before. Even the original App store downloaded electronic file I saved caused the same error message for my wives iMac hooked up via a FW target mode, neither OSX installer would allow the install to proceed this past Saturday. This was to a new initialized SSD with no system or files on the iMac.

Apple is now verifying each "reinstallation" of Mavericks/Mtl Lion, this is something new. I was on the phone with Apple Saturday for about an hour and finally got to a Sr Tech. He confirmed that Apple is no longer allowing Mtn Lion/Mavericks OSX installs from USB sticks, he said there were too many unpaid installations and Apple wanted this stopped. The App store download has to directly go on a Mac with a serial number they know about and that the Mac must be on the previous version of the OSX to be upgraded. (i.e Lion for Mtn Lion or Mtn Lion for Mavericks) and with the iMac not having a system file, that's why it would not install. If you have the original DVD he said that "should" work, but remember Mavericks did not come with a DVD, you had to go the Apple store and buy a copy. He also said I could buy a DVD copy of Mtn Lion for $20.

My Purchase page at the App store says Mavericks is "downloaded", which means I no longer have access to it. The only way to gain access is if I had a Mac that was running Mtn Lion, and tried to update that specific Mac, then my App store Mavericks tab would change to download instead of downloaded and I could proceed with the update for that Mac only. But the Sr. Tech said if I tried to use the electronic file on another Mac the same error message would appear. What a PITA!!!!!

Luckily I have a basic Mavericks system on a spare FW HD I use for troubleshooting. I just cloned that over and then updated Mavericks on my wives iMac to get the Apps she wanted.

 

[Riwam]

Apple just recently changed the Mavericks and Mtn Lion reinstalls, to where a USB stick no longer works!!

If you start up the USB stick install, after choosing the install disk, in about 30 seconds an error message comes up saying the install disk cannot be verified. Huh? Mine had worked many times before. Even the original App store downloaded electronic file I saved caused the same error message for my wives iMac hooked up via a FW target mode, neither OSX installer would allow the install to proceed this past Saturday. This was to a new initialized SSD with no system or files on the iMac.

Apple is now verifying each "reinstallation" of Mavericks/Mtl Lion, this is something new. I was on the phone with Apple Saturday for about an hour and finally got to a Sr Tech. He confirmed that Apple is no longer allowing Mtn Lion/Mavericks OSX installs from USB sticks, he said there were too many unpaid installations and Apple wanted this stopped. The App store download has to directly go on a Mac with a serial number they know about and that the Mac must be on the previous version of the OSX to be upgraded. (i.e Lion for Mtn Lion or Mtn Lion for Mavericks) and with the iMac not having a system file, that's why it would not install. If you have the original DVD he said that "should" work, but remember Mavericks did not come with a DVD, you had to go the Apple store and buy a copy. He also said I could buy a DVD copy of Mtn Lion for $20.

My Purchase page at the App store says Mavericks is "downloaded", which means I no longer have access to it. The only way to gain access is if I had a Mac that was running Mtn Lion, and tried to update that specific Mac, then my App store Mavericks tab would change to download instead of downloaded and I could proceed with the update for that Mac only. But the Sr. Tech said if I tried to use the electronic file on another Mac the same error message would appear. What a PITA!!!!!

Luckily I have a basic Mavericks system on a spare FW HD I use for troubleshooting. I just cloned that over and then updated Mavericks on my wives iMac to get the Apps she wanted.

**********
Thank you for that important information few people should already know.
That brings new reasons for many owners to use hacking tools like MCPF.
I could install through it Mavericks in a MacBook 4.1 early 2008 which only run Lion and I was not forced to pass Apple's controls (which in my case for that Mac would have resulted anyhow in a failure).
According to your information a 2 step OSX upgrade in Macs allowing it (mine anyhow had no such possibility since Lion was for Apple its last "supported" OSX) could now become a problem...if I understand you right.
Pity that Apple is now becoming as greedy as Microsoft, Adobe, Steinberg or Silverfast, to name a few very greedy companies among many others, even regarding Apple's older OSX.
Ed

 

[Weaselboy]

Apple just recently changed the Mavericks and Mtn Lion reinstalls, to where a USB stick no longer works!!

If you start up the USB stick install, after choosing the install disk, in about 30 seconds an error message comes up saying the install disk cannot be verified. Huh? Mine had worked many times before. Even the original App store downloaded electronic file I saved caused the same error message for my wives iMac hooked up via a FW target mode, neither OSX installer would allow the install to proceed this past Saturday. This was to a new initialized SSD with no system or files on the iMac.

Apple is now verifying each "reinstallation" of Mavericks/Mtl Lion, this is something new. I was on the phone with Apple Saturday for about an hour and finally got to a Sr Tech. He confirmed that Apple is no longer allowing Mtn Lion/Mavericks OSX installs from USB sticks, he said there were too many unpaid installations and Apple wanted this stopped. The App store download has to directly go on a Mac with a serial number they know about and that the Mac must be on the previous version of the OSX to be upgraded. (i.e Lion for Mtn Lion or Mtn Lion for Mavericks) and with the iMac not having a system file, that's why it would not install. If you have the original DVD he said that "should" work, but remember Mavericks did not come with a DVD, you had to go the Apple store and buy a copy. He also said I could buy a DVD copy of Mtn Lion for $20.

My Purchase page at the App store says Mavericks is "downloaded", which means I no longer have access to it. The only way to gain access is if I had a Mac that was running Mtn Lion, and tried to update that specific Mac, then my App store Mavericks tab would change to download instead of downloaded and I could proceed with the update for that Mac only. But the Sr. Tech said if I tried to use the electronic file on another Mac the same error message would appear. What a PITA!!!!!

Luckily I have a basic Mavericks system on a spare FW HD I use for troubleshooting. I just cloned that over and then updated Mavericks on my wives iMac to get the Apps she wanted.

I think you have something else going on with your USB installers and you just got bad information form Apple support. The DMG file used to make the USB installer's is digitally identical from one Mac to the next and there is no way for Apple to know where the installer DMG came from.

I think the tech is conflating the recovery process that does require an AppleID used to "purchase" that OS version.

 

[Ebenezum]

If you start up the USB stick install, after choosing the install disk, in about 30 seconds an error message comes up saying the install disk cannot be verified.

I suspect this is a problem with the Apple certificate, Tidbits has an article with further information.

I hope Apple could finally resolve these problems permanently, I am fed up having to recreate USB installers every time this happens...

 

[Weaselboy]

I suspect this is a problem with the Apple certificate, Tidbits has an article with further information.

I hope Apple could finally resolve these problems permanently, I am fed up having to recreate USB installers every time this happens...

Nice find and it makes sense.

In case anybody runs across this, the fix from the article is here:

1. In the OS X Installer, choose Utilities > Terminal.
2. Enter "date 0201010116" (without the quotes) and press Return.
3. Quit Terminal and continue the install.

 

[Riwam]

Nice find and it makes sense.

In case anybody runs across this, the fix from the article is here:

*****************
If I understand right the word "date" is part of the command to be set in terminal.
I say so since in Weaselboy's post only the numbers are highlighted in blue, the word date should be as well.
Am I right?
Ed

 

[Weaselboy]

*****************
If I understand right the word "date" is part of the command to be set in terminal.
I say so since in Weaselboy's post only the numbers are highlighted in blue, the word date should be as well.
Am I right?
Ed

Yes, date is part of the command.

date 0201010116

Odd though, I'm not seeing anything highlighted in blue in my quote. I edited the post to make it more clear.

 

[Riwam]

Yes, date is part of the command.

date 0201010116

Odd though, I'm not seeing anything highlighted in blue in my quote. I edited the post to make it more clear.

*******

I think I understand it.
My iPad 2 "believes" any group of consecutive numbers to be a phone number.
Maybe your numbers only show in my iPad highlighted in blue and not elsewhere, just because it believes it is a phone number...
That might be the explanation...
Sorry for that Weaselboy and thank you for all your useful hints in different threads.
Ed

 

[Weaselboy]

*******

I think I understand it.
My iPad 2 "believes" any group of consecutive numbers to be a phone number.
Maybe your numbers only show in my iPad highlighted in blue and not elsewhere, just because it believes it is a phone number...
That might be the explanation...
Sorry for that Weaselboy and thank you for all your useful hints in different threads.
Ed

Ah... I bet that's it. I'm on OS X / Safari.

 

[SpecFoto]

I think you have something else going on with your USB installers and you just got bad information form Apple support. The DMG file used to make the USB installer's is digitally identical from one Mac to the next and there is no way for Apple to know where the installer DMG came from.

I think the tech is conflating the recovery process that does require an AppleID used to "purchase" that OS version.

If you read all of my post I also tried to use the original App store Mav OSX dmg download after the USB stick failed. It has worked in the past, but this time it too gave the same error message. It seems that once the procedure starts, info is sent to Apple for verification and it comes back with the error message.

And how can a comment by a Sr Tech specifically stating Apple has stopped supporting USB stick installations be "bad info". This guy was VERY aware of what Apple recently had done and I was his 2nd call about the same issue last Saturday.

 

[Weaselboy]

If you read all of my post I also tried to use the original App store Mav OSX dmg download after the USB stick failed. It has worked in the past, but this time it too gave the same error message. It seems that once the procedure starts, info is sent to Apple for verification and it comes back with the error message.

And how can a comment by a Sr Tech specifically stating Apple has stopped supporting USB stick installations be "bad info". This guy was VERY aware of what Apple recently had done and I was his 2nd call about the same issue last Saturday.

You need to read the article Ebenezum linked as it explains what happened to you.

What the Apple support tech told you is wrong. Apple has not stopped supported the creation or use of USB installers. All you need to do is either use the work around posted by changing the system date, or download a new installer with the updated security certificate. Then you can make a working USB key installer.

 

[Riwam]

If you read all of my post I also tried to use the original App store Mav OSX dmg download after the USB stick failed. It has worked in the past, but this time it too gave the same error message. It seems that once the procedure starts, info is sent to Apple for verification and it comes back with the error message.

And how can a comment by a Sr Tech specifically stating Apple has stopped supporting USB stick installations be "bad info". This guy was VERY aware of what Apple recently had done and I was his 2nd call about the same issue last Saturday.

*********
Wouldn't the expired certificate explain why the dmg download failed as well?
Have you tried the workaround mentioned above?
That would be the conclusive proof of where the true problem is to be found.

Regarding your second point, a Senior Tech gets IMHO that position because of knowledge and time he works for Apple. but he still works for Apple.
All additional revenues (generated for instance by advising to buy supports for previous OSX) should logically be encouraged by any employee of any commercial company.
He might be honest in his thoughts, why cast a doubt on him, but why should he take position against providing a few dollars more to his employer, Apple?
By following his advise and buying a previous OSX the customer will not harm in any way his computer (even if it is possible to avoid that expense).

"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's"