Intel iMac won't boot from USB

[rnally]

I have a 2006 IMac w/ Intel Core 2 Duo that won't boot from a USB drive. The USB drive is a bootable version of the OSX mavericks installer which has been triple checked against numerous tutorials and I have verified my macbook air is able to boot from it.

When I attempt to boot from the USB drive I hold the option key at startup and I am able to select the USB drive however after I select the USB drive the computer just boots from the internal harddrive like normal.

Things I have tried:
1) Reset PRAM 3-4 times
2) Reset SMC 3-4 times
3) disconnected everything but the keyboard
4) Recreate the bootable USB (countless times)

 

[Weaselboy]

I suspect it won't boot because your iMac does not meet the requirements for Mavericks here.

 

[rnally]

I guess that could explain it. So what are my options for upgrading the OS? I don't know of a means to obtain a different OSX installer.

 

[Intell]

The highest version of Mac OS X you can upgrade to is 10.7. You can purchase it via Apple's site and then download it through the Mac App Store with a promotion code.

 

[rnally]

Problem being that the IMac is on a pre app store version of the OS. I was hoping I could download the OS and create a bootable USB as I had done with Mavericks

 

[Bruno09]

What is the current OS ?

You can buy Lion and download it from your Macbook Air, and create a bootable USB drive with DiskMaker X.

 

[Weaselboy]

What is the current OS ?

You can buy Lion and download it from your Macbook Air, and create a bootable USB drive with DiskMaker X.

That will work if the Air is old enough to run Lion. If it is a newer Air it won't let you Dl Lion and you will get this message.

I just tried to DL Lion from my purchases and it gives me this on my new Retina.

Was trying to help someone with a similar issue here the other day and we never really did figure out a way around this.

 

[Bruno09]

That will work if the Air is old enough to run Lion. If it is a newer Air it won't let you Dl Lion.

I hoped I would work...

That is totally stupid : if Lion is in your "Purchases" tab, you should be able to download Lion from your new Retina, not to install it of course, but to be able to use the installer on another machine.

I believed it said : "You can't install Lion on this computer, do you really want to download Lion anyway ?".

With a "yes" button.

The "Learn more" button does not offer this option ?
Did you try the "Option" key ?

 

[Weaselboy]

I hoped I would work...

That is totally stupid : if Lion is in your "Purchases" tab, you should be able to download Lion from your new Retina, not to install it of course, but to be able to use the installer on another machine.

I believed it said : "You can't install Lion on this computer, do you really want to download Lion anyway ?".

With a "yes" button.

The "Learn more" button does not offer this option ?
Did you try the "Option" key ?

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4949

Yep... option key does nothing and learn more take you to this page.

I agree it is dumb to block this.

Went around and around with this a week or so ago in another thread.

 

[thedeske]

I don't know of a means to obtain a different OSX installer.

Try this at amazon - Apple Mac OS X Lion USB Thumb Drive

there's an open box for 27 bucks