Lion Recovery Partition - how to make an actual disk/USB key?

[Eric-PTEK]

I had to reload my '11 MB Air due to some funny stuff going on so I tried the Recovery Partition.

How do you make a recovery USB key? 5 hours to download the OS and install it. I don't find much unacceptable but this I do. It is absolutely worthless if you have to wait hours upon hours to reinstall the OS of the machine compared to 30-35 minutes off a key.

Can you make a recovery key or am I going to have to pester Apple to give me one?

 

[minnus]

Follow the instructions here - http://www.macworld.com/article/161069/2011/07/make_a_bootable_lion_installer.html

 

[Eric-PTEK]

Follow the instructions here - http://www.macworld.com/article/161069/2011/07/make_a_bootable_lion_installer.html

That only works if you downloaded lion, not on a unit that ships with it.

 

[rw3]

The MacBook Air (2011 Models) can only use Internet Recovery to reinstall the OS...search this part of the forum and you will find that out.

 

[wrinkster22]

The MacBook Air (2011 Models) can only use Internet Recovery to reinstall the OS...search this part of the forum and you will find that out.

Me think you are wrong

 

[YosemiteSam81]

Will this help?

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1433

 

[minnus]

That only works if you downloaded lion, not on a unit that ships with it.

No, you can redownload lion on a machine that shipped with lion. Google it - I haven't the time to look at the moment. Something about holding down Alt or Options while in the App Store to show past purchases.

 

[rw3]

Me think you are wrong

You're wrong buddy....I think I would know considering I work on Macs everyday....as I work for the company that makes them.

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Me think you are wrong

For starters.....

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4905

Another forum thread that also states the obvious....

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1306227/

The correct way to get the right InstallESD.dmg file.....

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/13166449/

The above is hard to do without another Thunderbolt Mac to do Target Disk Mode....and of course the $50 Apple Cable.

 

[halledise]

I had to reload my '11 MB Air due to some funny stuff going on so I tried the Recovery Partition.

How do you make a recovery USB key? 5 hours to download the OS and install it. I don't find much unacceptable but this I do. It is absolutely worthless if you have to wait hours upon hours to reinstall the OS of the machine compared to 30-35 minutes off a key.

Can you make a recovery key or am I going to have to pester Apple to give me one?

It's very easy to use the Mac App Store's smarts to our own advantage and gain access to a copy of that hardware specific OS build.
Here's what to do:
1. Startup the hardware you need an image for from the Recovery HD by holding Command-r at power on time.
2. Plug in a JHFS+ formatted external disk - either part ion on an external HDD or 16gb usb stick (I've got mine on an 8gb stick)
3. Select the Re-install OS X Lion option and target the external disk.
4. Once the Installer finishes downloading, simply shutdown and unplug the disk.
Now when you mount that external disk you will find a directory named Mac OS X Install Data on the root. Inside of this folder is the elusive, hardware-specific, InstallerESD.dmg image that you can feed to SIU or any other imaging tool of choice.
Having this installer will now allow you to build out re-deployment images for all of your hardware until rollup installers are available.