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Help! macbook pro/Bootable Mac OS X Lion Installation USB Drive

A

amoe

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 5, 2016
23
2
Hello,
I'm running into walls trying to make a bootable/installation usb drive for os x 10.7.4, or Lion. I have a Macbook pro retina 15" mid 2012, which from what I have researched originally came with lion. There is plenty of tutorials on how to make this bootable usb, but I am stuck on the downloading lion part of the process. Mac no longer lets you download or buy lion, except for the start up CD's, which I purchased thinking it was a download. I will get lion in the mail in a few days. So, Im trying to figure out, can I then make a bootable drive from the lion installation disks I paid $20.00 for. Since, this mac book pro has no disk drive. My other mac, the screen broke and it isn't working properly, came with lion, but it is a 2011 mac book pro and I think it was just updated to lion. My main computer is a older iMac desk top, and has a disk drive. I purchased the new mac book pro second hand, and it has been nothing but problems for me.
Anyways, I've giving up on the downloading lion and then putting it on a thumb drive, since I can't find lion to download. Any advice? I'm just learning how to really work on my computers and appreciate any help I can get. Thanks. I'm in art school and would love to get this lab top up and running to make my life much easier!!
 
Last edited:
JTToft said:
If you purchase Lion through the link below you will get a code for the App Store to download it.
But if I were you, I would really go with macOS Sierra instead. It's available currently on the App Store, so it's easier and cheaper. And it's 5 years newer.

http://www.apple.com/shop/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion
Click to expand...

I tried to make a bootable drive with Yosemite or mavericks and it wouldn't work with this computer. Who ever I bought this from did something to the computer and I get a folder with a question mark. It didn't happen until after I used it for a few weeks, at first it seemed to work fine. I'm trying to figure out how to reinstall the operating system, but with a usb, and I think I have to use the original operating system it came with. Which I think is Lion. Thanks for the advice. Ill checked out your link and that is exactly what I bought, however its not a download!!.
[doublepost=1475704621][/doublepost]Its not a download and this mac book has no disk drive. So, I need to get it, lion, onto a usb so I can reinstall from the usb. I think. The internet recovery is not working as well. It seems like the bootable usb is my best option at this point, but maybe not possible.
 
amoe said:
I tried to make a bootable drive with Yosemite or mavericks and it wouldn't work with this computer. Who ever I bought this from did something to the computer and I get a folder with a question mark. It didn't happen until after I used it for a few weeks, at first it seemed to work fine. I'm trying to figure out how to reinstall the operating system, but with a usb, and I think I have to use the original operating system it came with. Which I think is Lion. Thanks for the advice. Ill checked out your link and that is exactly what I bought, however its not a download!!.
Click to expand...
- You don't need to use the original OS. I'm betting your method for creating the bootable installer was wrong somehow, which is why it hasn't worked. I recommend DiskMaker X. Nice utility. http://diskmakerx.com.
When you boot from it, you need to hold down Alt in order to choose to boot from the USB drive.

Well, I'll admit I haven't tried purchasing through the link. But it explicitly says in the description that you get a redemption code for the Mac App Store via e-mail.
Lion never existed on discs back in the day, so it'd be extremely weird for them to sell it on discs now 5 years later...
 
I know right about the redemption code! thats why I bought it! but seems like they are mailing me something. I had a family friend try to work on this computer and he is a computer guy, and he downloaded Yosemite but when to do the part with package contents, it was not in there. sorry I'm being confusing. so when doing internet recovery, it told me lion, but then it didn't work. so, i felt like the problem was we need the original program. now Im home, and don't have his help. Gotta go, sorry for bad spelling, work on this more tonight, thanks for the advice, Ill check out diskmaker.
 
So it sounds like your advice is to use diskmaker and download sierra, and diskmaker will put it on a flash drive. Then I can reinstall and reboot my mac book pro with the usb using Sierra, even though my mac is a mid 2012 model. I will give this a go. Thank you.
 
Last edited:
amoe said:
So it sounds like your advice is to use diskmaker and download sierra, and diskmaker will put it on a flash drive. Then I can reinstall and reboot my mac book pro with the usb using Sierra, even though my mac is a mid 2012 model. I will give this a go. Thank you.
Click to expand...
- Correct.
 
When trying to download Sierra, my iMac says "This version of macOS 10.12 cannot be installed on this computer." I have Mavericks in my purchases, maybe I can use mavericks to reboot my macbook pro with diskmaker
[doublepost=1475714642][/doublepost]So I downloaded diskmaker, then mavericks, then put in the usb, ran diskmaker and when it was suppose to be transfering mavericks onto it I got a error "The disk could not be created because of an error: An error occured: -10006. Finder got an error: Can’t set disk "Install OS X El Capitan" to "DMX_Workdisk"." and then my usb disappeared... damn, its always something with computers
 
I made the bootable drive, what happened was I downloaded the wrong version of diskmaker. The older version is compatible with mavericks. So I deleted and reinstalled, and it just finished. Now I have to figure out how to boot my macbook pro with the usb. Thank you for your help!!! Your suggestion totally worked.
 
The boot is easy when you have the USB installer stick.
Just insert the stick in your USB port.
Restart while holding Option.
Click on the installer to select it, press enter to start the boot.
Wait for it to boot.
 
I followed instructions to reboot from the USB. I screwed up bad. It failed and said my Macintosh HD is damaged and cannot be repaired. Now in my disk Utilities I have no MAC HD, there is the flash drive, installation disk and below that disk 1 and disk2. I think I really skewed up. I erased the Macintosh HD, the instructions said too, and then I tried to do the GUID partition and then tried to restart it by choosing the Mac HD. Everything seem to go and then it completely failed. I think I need a new thread now, this is a disaster.
[doublepost=1475723900][/doublepost]Hey Delta Mac... What does it mean if I have no Macintosh HD now, I followed instructions that told me to delete it and do a GUID partition and now I'm screwed.
[doublepost=1475724458][/doublepost]I'm trying what you just suggested. on the install OS X page it asks me which disk, it has HD, and then the USB and an orange one, but the last two have exclamation points..the USB says it needs to be GUID partitioned and the orange one says it doesn't have enough space.
[doublepost=1475724518][/doublepost]I selected Macintosh HD... Ill see if it works.
[doublepost=1475724742][/doublepost]an installation log popped up, because it couldn't be completed
 
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