How to make a bootable install of Mavericks on Flash USB Drive?

[maticb]

Question: will this work only for the mac on which you make the key?
Because I created the boot usb on my mac (pro13 2009) and if I start it on my friends computer (air 2011 I think) I get crossed out circle at boot. But on my mac I can boot from usb without problem.

 

[pastrychef]

Question: will this work only for the mac on which you make the key?

No. I works on other computers too.

Because I created the boot usb on my mac (pro13 2009) and if I start it on my friends computer (air 2011 I think) I get crossed out circle at boot. But on my mac I can boot from usb without problem.

No clue why this happened. I used a flash drive with Mavericks created on my Mac Pro on a friend's MacBook Pro with no issues.

 

[tywebb13]

Did you or your friend have firevault on?

I would suggest turning it off both when making the usb and when booting up on another computer with it.

I have made a usb on one computer and then booted up from it and installed onto another computer so it should work.

But I think maybe firevault could cause problems both for the usb and another computer if it is turned on.

I know this is a little off-topic, but there is a way to make a bootable DVD instead if your usb doesn't work. It's a bit more complicated and it will take longer for the DVD to boot up, but you could try it if your usb fails for whatever reason:

After downloading the Install OS X Mavericks.app file from the Mac App Store, run these 12 commands in Terminal to create a Mavericks.iso file and then burn it to a dual layer DVD with Disk Utility. You may then boot up from it by holding the option key down and then install mavericks. This will not install a recovery partition. To do that, uncompress and run the script file https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13872235/Musings/Recovery%20Partition%20Creator%203.7.zip

hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil convert /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg -format UDSP -o /tmp/Mavericks

hdiutil resize -size 8g /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage

hdiutil attach /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build

rm /Volumes/install_build/System/Installation/Packages

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/Packages /Volumes/install_build/System/Installation/

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_build

hdiutil resize -size `hdiutil resize -limits /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage | tail -n 1 | awk '{ print $1 }'`b /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage

hdiutil convert /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage -format UDTO -o /tmp/Mavericks

rm /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage

mv /tmp/Mavericks.cdr ~/Desktop/Mavericks.iso

 

[maticb]

Did you or your friend have firevault on?

I would suggest turning it off both when making the usb and when booting up on another computer with it.

I have made a usb on one computer and then booted up from it and installed onto another computer so it should work.

But I think maybe firevault could cause problems both for the usb and another computer if it is turned on.

I know this is a little off-topic, but there is a way to make a bootable DVD instead if your usb doesn't work. It's a bit more complicated and it will take longer for the DVD to boot up, but you could try it if your usb fails for whatever reason:

After downloading the Install OS X Mavericks.app file from the Mac App Store, run these 12 commands in Terminal to create a Mavericks.iso file and then burn it to a dual layer DVD with Disk Utility. You may then boot up from it by holding the option key down and then install mavericks. This will not install a recovery partition. To do that, uncompress and run the script file https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13872235/Musings/Recovery%20Partition%20Creator%203.7.zip

hdiutil attach /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil convert /Volumes/install_app/BaseSystem.dmg -format UDSP -o /tmp/Mavericks

hdiutil resize -size 8g /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage

hdiutil attach /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage -noverify -nobrowse -mountpoint /Volumes/install_build

rm /Volumes/install_build/System/Installation/Packages

cp -rp /Volumes/install_app/Packages /Volumes/install_build/System/Installation/

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_app

hdiutil detach /Volumes/install_build

hdiutil resize -size `hdiutil resize -limits /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage | tail -n 1 | awk '{ print $1 }'`b /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage

hdiutil convert /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage -format UDTO -o /tmp/Mavericks

rm /tmp/Mavericks.sparseimage

mv /tmp/Mavericks.cdr ~/Desktop/Mavericks.iso

I dont have filevault turned on, and my friend erased his partition so he cant boot and change anything on his computer right now. He can only boot into recovery partition.
Creating dual layer dvd isnt an option here cause i dont have dual layer burner and friends air doesnt have cd/dvd drive...

I created usb 3 times and I even tryed creating it with diskmaker x and every time it would boot on my mac and not on his :/

I hope there is nothing wrong with his usb port or something..

 

[davidlv]

I dont have filevault turned on, and my friend erased his partition so he cant boot and change anything on his computer right now. He can only boot into recovery partition.
Creating dual layer dvd isnt an option here cause i dont have dual layer burner and friends air doesnt have cd/dvd drive...

I created usb 3 times and I even tryed creating it with diskmaker x and every time it would boot on my mac and not on his :/

I hope there is nothing wrong with his usb port or something..

Did you use DiskmakerX version 3.0? It has a known issue, version 3.0.1 is OK I have heard. I used the Terminal method, which produced an USB stick that boots up another computer, gave up on DiskmakerX before that update was released.

 

[Jon-PDX]

Speaking of Diskmaker...

Speaking of Diskmaker I finally got around to updating my Macbook Air (mid 2012) from ML 10.8.5 to Mavericks and ran into something I thought I would pass along.

I first wanted to update my bootable thumb drive of ML to 10.8.5 before making a second one for Mavericks.

Downloaded and ran Diskmaker X 3.0.1 and ran that using the current 10.8.5 download and it failed right at the end. I forgot to write down to file name (sorry) that it could not find but I believe it was the last file to be copied from the installer.......strange. It says on the Lion Diskmaker web site it should have worked under Mountain Lion.

So I downloaded Diskmaker 2.02 and ran it to make the 10.8.5 bootable thumb drive and it worked.....success, I now had a up to date bootable thumb drive of 10.8.5 in case I hate Mavericks and want to go back to ML.

I then ran Diskmaker X 3.0.1 again to see if it would make a bootable thumb drive of Mavericks......success, it took forever but it worked.

I then tested both thumb drives to see if they would boot and they were both fine. So I booted off the Mavericks thumb drive and successfully installed Mavericks on my Mackbook Air.

One thing I did notice was that in both Diskmaker versions, when creating the bootable thumb drive of 10.8.5, that during the creation process a finder window of the thumb drive opened on the screen and I could watch the folders be created.

When using Diskmaker X 3.0.1 to create the bootable thumb drive of Mavericks, the finder window of the thumb drive did not open until the drive creation had completed.

I have no idea why Diskmaker X 3.0.1 would not successfully create a bootable thumb drive of 10.8.5 under ML but wanted to pass on the information.

Hope this was helpful,

Jon...

 

[maticb]

Did you use DiskmakerX version 3.0? It has a known issue, version 3.0.1 is OK I have heard. I used the Terminal method, which produced an USB stick that boots up another computer, gave up on DiskmakerX before that update was released.

Not sure... I downloaded it yesterday on their official site so I guess its the latest version? Also I doubt its DiskMakers fault anyway because I did the Terminal method twice and it got me same result as diskmaker: booting on my mac... crossed circle on friends computer.

 

[chrfr]

I know this is a little off-topic, but there is a way to make a bootable DVD instead if your usb doesn't work.

This is no longer the correct/recommended process. Apple has provided a tool to do this. It's been posted here in the forums several times but the process is below.
Assumptions: Your Mavericks installer is in /Applications and your destination USB drive is named Untitled.

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

 

[Bruno09]

Do you actually think this will create a bootable DVD ? 😀

 

[tywebb13]

Assumptions: your destination USB drive is named Untitled.

Then you assume wrong. I was talking about a DVD not a USB.

createinstallmedia works with USBs, not DVDs.

 

[chrfr]

Then you assume wrong. I was talking about a DVD not a USB.

createinstallmedia works with USBs, not DVDs.

But the topic is about creating a USB installer.

 

[tywebb13]

I already admitted that it was a little off-topic.

I agree that a bootable USB is preferable to a bootable DVD because the USB will boot faster. But I posted here anyway about how to make a bootable DVD in case the USB didn't work.

 

[maticb]

Ok just to let you know I resolved my problem with Air not booting the usb while my macbook pro did...
Feel kind of silly not double checking but my friend air is not 2011 but early 2008 and its not supported to run mavericks in the first place 😱
Tnx for all the help anyway!

 

[(worldcitizen)]

Retina MacBook Pro won't boot from usb flash drive

My 15" Retina MacBook Pro still won't boot from usb flash drive (see also post #147 in this thread) and I don't understand why. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[jakesteramma]

My 15" Retina MacBook Pro still won't boot from usb flash drive (see also post #147 in this thread) and I don't understand why. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

The only thing I can think of is if your USB drive is not partitioned to use GUID Partition Table.

It MUST be GUID in order to boot from the USB. You can use Disk Utility to verify the Partition Map Scheme.

I hope this helps. 😀

 

[(worldcitizen)]

The only thing I can think of is if your USB drive is not partitioned to use GUID Partition Table.

It MUST be GUID in order to boot from the USB. You can use Disk Utility to verify the Partition Map Scheme.

I hope this helps. 😀

Thank you jakesteramma. I checked that and the USB-drive is using GUID partition table. It also states that the S.M.A.R.T. Status isn't supported. I don't know what that means, but could that be the culprit?

S.M.A.R.T. Status : Not Supported
Partition Map Scheme : GUID Partition Table

I've been reading in other places that there were some problems with USB 3.0 when the Retina Display MacBook Pro first came out. But when I check the USB drive with System Profiler it seems to be perfectly fine (as far as I can tell):

DataTraveler 3.0:
Product ID: 0x1666
Vendor ID: 0x0951 (Kingston Technology Company)
Version: 1.10
Serial Number: 6C626D7C2484BD40C92C007F
Speed: Up to 5 Gb/sec
Manufacturer: Kingston
Location ID: 0x15200000 / 2
Current Available (mA): 900
Current Required (mA): 224
Capacity: 7,86 GB (7.862.353.920 bytes)
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: Yes
BSD Name: disk1
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported
Volumes:
disk1s1:
Capacity: 209,7 MB (209.715.200 bytes)
BSD Name: disk1s1
Content: EFI
Install OS X Mavericks:
Capacity: 7,52 GB (7.518.380.032 bytes)
Available: 2,16 GB (2.162.798.592 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s2
Mount Point: /Volumes/Install OS X Mavericks
Content: Apple_HFS
Volume UUID: 0679D8F6-9467-3BA4-92BF-10E18F71268E

 

[smitjel]

Anybody getting this error?

Here's what I get every time:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction
Password:
Erasing Disk: 0%... 10%... 20%... 30%...100%...
Copying installer files to disk...
Copy complete.
Making disk bootable...
Couldn't mount dmg /Volumes/Install OS X Mavericks/Install OS X Mavericks.app/Contents/SharedSupport/InstallESD.dmg (error code 112)Mount of outer dmg failed.
Done.

I have made sure the USB drive's partition map scheme is GUID Partition Table. The contents on the USB drive "look" correct but i'm not sure if the error is significant. Thanks for any help!

 

[DeepIn2U]

This is better than osxdaily's method (which should only be used for DP1 anyway, not DP4 or the GM):

To make a bootable USB of the GM, use this method:

Your 8 GB USB drive should be called Untitled and formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The installer should be called Install OS X Mavericks.app and should be in your Applications folder.

Run this in terminal and wait about 20 minutes:

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

You should see something like this:

Erasing Disk: 0%... 10%... 20%... 100%...
Copying installer files to disk...
Copy complete.
Making disk bootable...
Copying boot files...
Copy complete.
Done.

You can then boot up from the USB by holding down the option key, then install the GM from the USB.

This is probably going to be the same for the public release.

Note that this will also install a recovery partition (which osxdaily's method doesn't do).

Thank you SIR! This worked excellently.

PS: Doing an update from the App Store seemed to download Mavericks into my Downloads folder and installed (upgraded from Mountain Lion on Early 2011 MBP). I had to re-download and cancel auto install from App Store for Mavericks to show up in my Applications folder before trying that terminal shell code. Worked PERFECTLY!!

😎

 

[ls1dreams]

Is there a solution for creating a boot USB drive from 10.6.8 yet?

 

[tfong4386]

Hi,
I think I have something figured out. When I used the terminal method, it doesn't copy utilities over where it has startuup disk and disk utility. When I used diskmaker x 3.0.1, it will have the install os x mavericks and also a folder named utilities. The diskmaker x method can boot up and use disk utility or update/upgrade an existing or new drive. The terminal method does not have the folder "utilites" and is not able to boot up. For me, I was able to see on the startup (holding options on startup) the install usb disk, but saw the circle with a cross over it later, and cant continue on.

Diskmaker X method works for me. Not sure about other people.

Thank you jakesteramma. I checked that and the USB-drive is using GUID partition table. It also states that the S.M.A.R.T. Status isn't supported. I don't know what that means, but could that be the culprit?

S.M.A.R.T. Status : Not Supported
Partition Map Scheme : GUID Partition Table

I've been reading in other places that there were some problems with USB 3.0 when the Retina Display MacBook Pro first came out. But when I check the USB drive with System Profiler it seems to be perfectly fine (as far as I can tell):

DataTraveler 3.0:
Product ID: 0x1666
Vendor ID: 0x0951 (Kingston Technology Company)
Version: 1.10
Serial Number: 6C626D7C2484BD40C92C007F
Speed: Up to 5 Gb/sec
Manufacturer: Kingston
Location ID: 0x15200000 / 2
Current Available (mA): 900
Current Required (mA): 224
Capacity: 7,86 GB (7.862.353.920 bytes)
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: Yes
BSD Name: disk1
Partition Map Type: GPT (GUID Partition Table)
S.M.A.R.T. status: Not Supported
Volumes:
disk1s1:
Capacity: 209,7 MB (209.715.200 bytes)
BSD Name: disk1s1
Content: EFI
Install OS X Mavericks:
Capacity: 7,52 GB (7.518.380.032 bytes)
Available: 2,16 GB (2.162.798.592 bytes)
Writable: Yes
File System: Journaled HFS+
BSD Name: disk1s2
Mount Point: /Volumes/Install OS X Mavericks
Content: Apple_HFS
Volume UUID: 0679D8F6-9467-3BA4-92BF-10E18F71268E

 

[vandammetienne]

incoherent informations

​

I updated to Maverick using a USB key like indicated in the thread, and everything went smoothly (except from how long it took).
But it seem my mac was not actually reinitialized but just upgraded like i could have done just launching the install Maverick app. Although there is practically no file on the mac, there are 80gb occupied. By what ? i don't know.
The disk image says 120gb available, but Disk inventory X tells me I only have 40gb. I can see system files as big as 4gb, many of one. in theory, the operative system is only around 5gb is it not ?
Thanks for the advices 😛

 

[Bruno09]

After booting up from the USB stick, did you use Disk Utility to erase your hard drive ?

If not, you have just upgraded.

If yes, after the installation, you had to create your account as if the computer was new.

So… ?

 

[mengo]

That's because you're on 10.6.8. It's a known issue right now and no fix at this time. (See my earlier post in this thread)

I had the same problem. Later I realized that my Mac HDD is also called Untitled. Change it something else and try everything again. Hopefully it will solve your problem.

 

[(worldcitizen)]

Diskmaker X method works for me (and described Terminal method doesn't)

Hi,
I think I have something figured out. When I used the terminal method, it doesn't copy utilities over where it has startuup disk and disk utility. When I used diskmaker x 3.0.1, it will have the install os x mavericks and also a folder named utilities. The diskmaker x method can boot up and use disk utility or update/upgrade an existing or new drive. The terminal method does not have the folder "utilites" and is not able to boot up. For me, I was able to see on the startup (holding options on startup) the install usb disk, but saw the circle with a cross over it later, and cant continue on.

Diskmaker X method works for me. Not sure about other people.

Thank you tfong! I tried to use the disk maker x script instead and it helped! First time I rebooted, holding down the alt-key, my USB-drive did not pop up in the startup options, but then I used "Startup Disk" under "System Preferences…" to choose the newly created USB startup disk - and it worked! Next I tried to reset the Startup Disk to OS X Mountain Lion and do a restart while holding down the alt-key again. This time the USB disk did appear in the startup options - go figure!

Anyway, thanks once again!

 

[kkam88]

get error -9999,0 in terminal

Hi, Downloaded the Mavericks installer from the App store and tried this method exactly. Double checked the command even after copy-paste from here. I get the following error in terminal - Here's the copy-paste of the command and the error message:

$ sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction
Password:
Failed to start erase of disk due to error (-9999, 0).
A error occurred erasing the disk.

What could be wrong? For full info, I am doing this on a brand new Sandisk 8GB cruzer blade USB thumb drive.

Edit: Just read through the whole thread and find that this a problem in Snow Leopard 10.6.8. I guess the only method for SL users is to save the Install file elsewhere, upgrade to Mavericks, and then run this command to create a bootable Mavericks USB. Will try this tomorrow.

thanks everyone for posting!

MBPro 17 2010, 10.6.8.

This is better than osxdaily's method (which should only be used for DP1 anyway, not DP4 or the GM):

To make a bootable USB of the GM, use this method:

Your 8 GB USB drive should be called Untitled and formatted as Mac OS Extended (Journaled). The installer should be called Install OS X Mavericks.app and should be in your Applications folder.

Run this in terminal and wait about 20 minutes:

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

You should see something like this:

Erasing Disk: 0%... 10%... 20%... 100%...
Copying installer files to disk...
Copy complete.
Making disk bootable...
Copying boot files...
Copy complete.
Done.

You can then boot up from the USB by holding down the option key, then install the GM from the USB.

This is probably going to be the same for the public release.

Note that this will also install a recovery partition (which osxdaily's method doesn't do).