Install OSX from an External Drive

[Mr. Monsieur]

Hey folks!

I'm working on a friend's MBP, she screwed up her OSX installation and it needs to be reinstalled (as far as I can tell!)

I found these tutorials:

http://osxdaily.com/2009/09/02/inst...or-how-to-upgrade-to-106-without-a-dvd-drive/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCZu23C8a78

When I get to this section:

"*Next, click the “Restore” tab within Disk Utility
* Select your newly made Snow Leopard 10.6 Install DVD image and restore this image to the GUID partition you just created OR…
* Alternatively, you can select the Snow Leopard Install DVD and restore directly from the DVD to the GUID partition"

I'm unable to do the second of these options, and when I try the first, I get this message: "Restore Failure. Could not find any scan information. The source image needs to be imagescanned before it can be restored."

I have no idea what this means, nor where to turn from here...

Any thoughts/ideas would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Does that mean, you only have a DMG file from where you want to reinstall Mac OS X?
I would just mount the DMG file in a regular Mac OS X environment, open CarbonCopyCloner and clone that to an external HDD formatted properly*. That is how I did it and haven't had a problem yet, though the method you linked to might do the same.

*

How to format a new HDD/SSD to install Mac OS X or make a bootable copy onto​

 

[Mr. Monsieur]

Hey simsaladimbamba,

Thanks for your response!

I don't have a DMG...when I followed the instructions, it created a .CDR (no idea what that is!)

I looked at the link you provided...that's pretty much what I did...

How do I create a DMG?

Once I've created, what do I do next?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Hey simsaladimbamba,

Thanks for your response!

I don't have a DMG...when I followed the instructions, it created a .CDR (no idea what that is!)

I looked at the link you provided...that's pretty much what I did...

How do I create a DMG?

Once I've created, what do I do next?

A CDR is just another type of disc image.
Don't you have a normal Snow Leopard DVD?
Do you have an external HDD using HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) as format?

 

[Mr. Monsieur]

Don't you have a normal Snow Leopard DVD?

Yes, I've been using the OSX install DVD that came with my MBP (09/2009...so, Snow Leopard)

Do you have an external HDD using HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) as format?

Yup...well...the instructions were for Mac OS Extended (journaled), which is what I've been using...

 

[Mr. Monsieur]

Help a brutha out? Lil help?

Help a brutha out? Lil help?

I just need to install OSX from an external hard drive...shouldn't be too complicated, right? But the tutorials I've found online haven't worked...does anyone else have a suggestion?

Thanks!

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Sorry, didn't see your reply, too many subscriptions I guess.

Yes, I've been using the OSX install DVD that came with my MBP (09/2009...so, Snow Leopard)

Yup...well...the instructions were for Mac OS Extended (journaled), which is what I've been using...

That grey Restore DVD might not work with the MBP your friend has, if s/he does not have the same Mac.
Does your friend not have the DVD for his/her Mac anymore?

Help a brutha out? Lil help?

I just need to install OSX from an external hard drive...shouldn't be too complicated, right? But the tutorials I've found online haven't worked...does anyone else have a suggestion?

Thanks!

It shouldn't be complicated.
Maybe I should go into more detail about what I did on my 2009 MBP, which came with 10.5.

I bought the Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Upgrade DVD for 29 USD, the one with 10.6.3 on it, which will not work on 2010 or 2011 Macs.
I opened CarbonCopyCloner, selected the DVD as Source and an external HDD, properly formatted and partitioned, as my Target.
I then pressed the Clone button.

This will also work, if you have a .CDR or .DMG and mount it via Finder or select "Restore from disk image" as Source in CCC.

 

[maflynn]

If you're using the grey disks, then you need to be sure that both MBPs are the same model. Apple keys the disks so they only boot up on the at type.

 

[Mr. Monsieur]

simsaladimbamba and maflynn...thanks so much for your responses. i'm going to work on getting the original osx install disc for my friend's computer and we'll go from there!