Optibayers - Do you need a USB flash disc image of the OSX?

[cvs]

Just before installing the optibay... I am thinking I may need to re-install the OSX at some point (1st time mac user)

Do I need to make a bootable USB flash disk of the original DVDs?
How is it done? Or is there another way?

Note 1: other computers in the house include a desktop PC, and a vaio laptop, both running Win7

Note 2: I'll need to install OSX Lion in a few months as well...

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Use Disk Utility to format the USB flash memory thumb drive (8GB) with HFS+ (Mac OS Extended) as file system (format) and GUID as partition table.

Guide on how to use Disk Utility from the restore / installation DVD.

Format Your Hard Drive Using Disk Utility
Partition Your Hard Drive With Disk Utility

Using Disk Utility - Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks
​

The use use CarbonCopyCloner to make a 1:1 copy of the DVD onto the USB flash memory thumb drive.

 

[koruki]

make a bootable USB drive with your system disc or use adaptor and connect the superdrive to any of the USB ports. The adaptor/enclosures are only like $10-20 a pop

 

[NikFinn]

make a bootable USB drive with your system disc or use adaptor and connect the superdrive to any of the USB ports. The adaptor/enclosures are only like $10-20 a pop

$9.75

 

[cvs]

That is great news.

I got an enclosure with the mce optibay.
If it can boot the osx dvd, then there is no need for a usb disk in case of a re-format, is that correct?

 

[simsaladimbamba]

That is great news.

I got an enclosure with the mce optibay.
If it can boot the osx dvd, then there is no need for a usb disk in case of a re-format, is that correct?

Correct.

 

[aznguyen316]

There's an easier way than ccc if you want to stick with oem software. If DVD boot is fine for you cool here's another option I do. I have an external hdd with a partition made of 10gb where I used disk utility to do a restore where source is oem restore DVD and target the partition. Do this before removing the DVD drive. This is good to have a backup of the restore DVD and it's so much faster installing from usb than DVD.

 

[cvs]

Great idea, never hurts to have a spare backup.
THANKS !!