Unable to Create a Yosemite USB Boot Disk on Apple Silicon — Any Working Method?

[Caesar_091]

I need to create a USB bootable installer for OS X Yosemite to restore an old Intel iMac, but I’m forced to perform the operation on a recent Apple Silicon Mac. Every method I’ve tried has failed.
- Install Disk Creator doesn’t work.
- Terminal-based approaches don’t help.
- The Yosemite installer downloaded from Apple no longer contains InstallESD.dmg, so I cannot manually restore the installer to a USB drive.

At this point I can’t produce a proper bootable USB by any standard route.
Is there any viable workflow left, or am I effectively stuck?

Any guidance from those who’ve dealt with Apple Silicon limitations for legacy macOS media would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Grumpus]

The createinstallmedia signature is probably expired. You could try removing the signature using codesign and then run it using the arguments outlined in this article.

 

[genexx]

You can Download the InstallMacOSX.pkg from Apple (Link @ mrmacintosh.com) :

http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2019/cert/061-41343-20191023-02465f92-3ab5-4c92-bfe2-b725447a070d/InstallMacOSX.dmg

Then unpack in Terminal like:

pkgutil --expand /Users/<YOU>/Desktop/InstallMacOSX.pkg /Users/<YOU>/Desktop/InstallMacOS

There you find the InstallMacOSX.pkg again Right Click Show Content and :

There you find the InstallESD.dmg > Show invisible files after Mount > Copy "BaseSystem.dmg" > Unhide with : chflags nohidden pathtofile > use DiskUtilities App to Convert to CDR and just rename to iso and you can also use it for UTM to install with this Profile:

https://github.com/adespoton/utmconfigs/blob/main/OS%20X%2010.10%20(config%20only).utm.zip

Well it needs an Internet Connection for New Install and thus far it does not recognize emulated Lan Hardware of UTM so.....

On my 10.7 UTM there is Network but i get an Error because it is a VM and not a Real Mac, it uses the Network to verify Hardware.

for USB Installer Create:

Good Luck.....

 

[Caesar_091]

Thanks for the replies.

Unfortunately inside the downloaded "Install OS X Yosemite.app" app there is an "InstallMaxOSX.pkg" that has no "InstallESD.dmg" inside. As a matter of facts inside the SharedSupport folder there is a OSInstall.mpkg file and even browsing/extracting it there is no dmg file to use. I'll try the Grumpus suggestion... finger crossed.

 

[Caesar_091]

Signature replacement/removal doesn't work. This is what i get; any suggestion?

$ codesign --remove-signature /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia -f
--sign is required
Run with --help for more information.

 

[genexx]

Thanks for the replies.

Unfortunately inside the downloaded "Install OS X Yosemite.app" app there is an "InstallMaxOSX.pkg" that has no "InstallESD.dmg" inside. As a matter of facts inside the SharedSupport folder there is a OSInstall.mpkg file and even browsing/extracting it there is no dmg file to use. I'll try the Grumpus suggestion... finger crossed.

I have no idea where you are at.....

The Download http://updates-http.cdn-apple.com/2...3ab5-4c92-bfe2-b725447a070d/InstallMacOSX.dmg

gives you:
InstallMacOSX.dmg > mount > there is InstallMacOSX.pkg > copy to Desktop > unpack in the Terminal with:
(replace <YOU> with your username)
pkgutil --expand /Users/<YOU>/Desktop/InstallMacOSX.pkg /Users/<YOU>/Desktop/InstallMacOS

Open The Folder InstallMacOS on your Desktop > there is another InstallMacOSX.pkg > Right Click Show Content to get InstallESD.dmg > double click to Mount > Press cmd shift period to show invisible files > Copy BaseSystem.dmg to Desktop > in terminal : chflags nohidden (you can drag the file into the terminal) to make it visble again > for you you can now doubleclick the Image and it shows you:

RichtClick Show Content on:

type sudo into terminal > type space > drag createinstallmedia to the terminal > type --volume and space > drag the usb stick to the terminal > type --applicationpath and space > drag the OS X Yosemite Installation.app into the terminal > enter

Change YourUSB-Stick with the name of your Stick if you can not Drag and drop like you should.

sudo /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/YourUSB-Stick --applicationpath /Volumes/OS\ X\ Base\ System/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app

 

[Caesar_091]

pkgutil --expand /Users/<YOU>/Desktop/InstallMacOSX.pkg /Users/<YOU>/Desktop/InstallMacOS

This made my day. I don’t know why, but this worked like a charm, while Pacifist and other unarchiving tools failed to give me the correct output files.

Many thanks!

 

[Grumpus]

Signature replacement/removal doesn't work. This is what i get; any suggestion?

On an M3 MBP running Sonoma 14.8.2, it works for me, although I did have to use sudo.

Sounds like maybe you've gotten things sorted, but as a point of interest for onlookers, I used Mist 0.30 to create Install OS X Yosemite 10.10.5_14F27.pkg, which I then double-clicked to write /Applications/Install OS X Yosemite.app, and then I ran createinstallmedia from there, creating an Install OS X Yosemite usb installer with no problems. It wasn't necessary to remove the signature. This was all on the M3 machine I mentioned above.