Q: Keeping Mavericks Installer for later use

To download the Recovery Disk Assistant, click here.

I'm afraid you've been misled. After OS X is installed the installer deletes itself. If you want to keep it you need to put a copy of it in your Downloads folder. The installer application will be in your Applications folder. You can Quit the installer instead of clicking on the Install button.

Make Your Own Mavericks, Mountain/Lion Installer

1. After downloading the installer you must first save the Install Mac OS X application. After the installer downloads DO NOT click on the Install button. Go to your Applications folder and make a copy of the installer. Move the copy into your Downloads folder. Now you can click on the Install button. You must do this because the installer deletes itself automatically when it finishes installing.

   2. Get a USB flash drive that is at least 8 GBs. Prep this flash drive as follows:

1. Open Disk Utility in your Utilities folder.
2. After DU loads select your flash drive (this is the entry with the mfgr.'s ID and size) from the leftside list. Under the Volume Scheme heading set the number of partitions from the drop down menu to one. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, set the partition scheme to GUID then click on the OK button. Click on the Partition button and wait until the process has completed.
3. Select the volume you just created (this is the sub-entry under the drive entry) from the left side list.
4. Click on the Erase tab in the DU main window.
5. Set the format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.) Click on the Options button, check the button for Zero Data and click on OK to return to the Erase window.
6. Click on the Erase button. The format process can take up to an hour depending upon the flash drive size.

   3. Use DiskMaker X to put your installer clone onto the USB flash drive.

Make your own Mavericks flash drive installer using the Mavericks tool:

You can also create a Mavericks flash drive installer via the Terminal. Mavericks has its own built-in installer maker you use via the Terminal:

You will need a freshly partitioned and formatted USB flash drive with at least 8GBs. Leave the name of the flash drive at the system default, "Untitled." Do not change this name. Open the Terminal in the Utilities folder. Copy this command line after the prompt in the Terminal's window:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/Untitled --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Mavericks.app --nointeraction

Press RETURN. Enter your admin password when prompted. It will not be echoed to the screen so be careful to enter it correctly. Press RETURN, again.

Wait for the process to complete which will take quite some time.

Kappy, I'm probably wrong, but aren't these instructions for a bootable copy? I think the OP merely wants the recovery image.

Well, that sure wasn't how I interpreted it. But then what he/she posted was far from clear to me, so I thought he/she wanted to know how to keep the installer application. I just added the other as a possibly useful addition. It wasn't intended as an answer to the actual posted question.

Now, when you say recovery image do you mean the USB flash drive copy of the Recovery HD created with Lion Recovery Disk Assistant 1.0?

Got it.

"Now, when you say recovery image do you mean the USB flash drive copy of the Recovery HD created with Lion Recovery Disk Assistant 1.0?"

Yes/No. MacUpdate calls it Lion Recovery Disk Assistant, but now Apple Just calls it "OS X Recovery Disk Assistant" and says it's compatible with 10.7 - 10.9

About OS X Recovery Disk Assistant

Thanks.

I should also add that this would only work after the upgrade to Mavericks.

True, but if you don't use the Support site download, other sites still list it under the old name since they don't pdate the files unless there's a new version, which there hasn't been, I think.

It is compatible since I've tried it just to be sure. Works quite well on a 2 GB flash drive.

Right. You must have a valid Recovery HD on the computer or it won't work. It just "clones" the installed Recovery HD.

It would be more useful if it would give the user a choice of Revovery HD versions in case one's drive is completely garbaged or replaced so you have a starting system that does not force you to use the full Internet Recovery.

It sounds like you want a clone and not just an OS X installer. You can use one of the following:

Purchase Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your Macintosh HD to an external drive.

Purchase SuperDuper! to clone your Macintosh HD to an external drive.

Use Disk Utility to clone your Macintosh HD, by these steps:

• Boot to the Recovery HD (Command+R)
• Plug in an external drive that's large enough to hold your Macintosh HD
• Open Disk Utility
• Select your Macintosh HD
• Click the Restore tab
• Drag your external drive to the Destination. Your Macintosh HD should be the Source.
• Click the Restore button

Both Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper! come with schedulers so you can run your back ups daily/weekly/monthly or manually.

Sounds like you want a clone of your newly made system complete with Mavericks plus all your files. You can do this in any number of ways. It's basically just a backup. Since 10.8.3 Time Machine maintains an  invisible copy of the Recovery HD so that you can boot from the Time Machine backup drive, reinstall OS X, then restore your files.

Or you can create an initial clone of your hard drive that is bootable. This bootable backup can be incrementally updated in almost any way you want using third-party backup software. These backups may be scheduled with greater flexibility than Time Machine provides.

Basic Backup

For some people Time Machine will be more than adequate. Time Machine is part of OS X. There are two components:

1. A Time Machine preferences panel as part of System Preferences;

2. A Time Machine application located in the Applications folder. It is

     used to manage backups and to restore backups. Time Machine

     requires a backup drive that is at least twice the capacity of the

     drive being backed up.

3. Please visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things

    Time Machine.

Alternatively, get an external drive at least equal in size to the internal hard drive and make (and maintain) a bootable clone/backup. You can make a bootable clone using the Restore option of Disk Utility. You can also make and maintain clones with good backup software. My personal recommendations are (order is not significant):

  1. Carbon Copy Cloner

  2. Get Backup

  3. Deja Vu

  4. SuperDuper!

  5. Synk Pro

  6. Tri-Backup

Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore.  Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files. For help with using Time Machine visit Pondini's Time Machine FAQ for help with all things Time Machine.

Although you can buy a complete external drive system, you can also put one together if you are so inclined.  It's relatively easy and only requires a Phillips head screwdriver (typically.)  You can purchase hard drives separately.  This gives you an opportunity to shop for the best prices on a hard drive of your choice.  Reliable brands include Seagate, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba, and Fujitsu.  You can find reviews and benchmarks on many drives at Storage Review.

Enclosures for FireWire and USB are readily available.  You can find only FireWire enclosures, only USB enclosures, and enclosures that feature multiple ports.  I would stress getting enclosures that use the Oxford chipsets especially for Firewire drives (911, 921, 922, for example.)  You can find enclosures at places such as;

  1. Cool Drives

  2. OWC

  3. WiebeTech

  4. Firewire Direct

  5. California Drives

  6. NewEgg

All you need do is remove a case cover, mount the hard drive in the enclosure and connect the cables, then re-attach the case cover.  Usually the only tool required is a small or medium Phillips screwdriver.

No, that will not work. Follow my instructions to create a bootable Mavericks flash drive. There is nothing provided by Keg55 that either i or nbar haven't already posted.

Good luck.

In your previous post you said you wanted everything, not just the operating system. If you want a bootable OS X Mavericks thumb drive you will need to download the Install OS X Mavericks.app from the App store then use one of the following to create a USB (8GB) thumb drive OS X Mavericks ONLY installer. After Mavericks downloads and when you see the screen to Continue the install, quit the installer so that the app stays in your /Applications folder for one of the two methods below to use.

Mavericks Bootable Disk Creation Tool

DiskMaker X

And as Kappy said, Good Luck!