Does Catalina No Longer Support Bootable MacOS X Partitions on Flash Drives when Formatting as Mac Journaled?

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Does Catalina No Longer Support Bootable MacOS X Partitions on Flash Drives when Formatting as Mac Journaled?

I am having great difficulty trying to install a MacOS X that actually works on my mid 2011 27" iMac. I bought it at a great price, and it is immaculate as it just sat in a corner of a business unused. I am well aware it is old (and unsupported), but it is very upgradable and was affordable.

We also have 2 MacBook Pros. My son took the (2019?) i9 off to college with him because he cracked the right screen edge on this one (which we, the parents, have to deal with, now). You would think a "Pro" version of anything wasn't such a snowflake. I just updated to MacOS X Catalina on this 2015 model i7 (and it was updated last night). But everything is different.

I am not used to MacOS X being so drastically paranoid, either.

I am trying to create a Flash Drive to install MacOS X El Capitan on the 2011 27" iMac using this 2015 MacBook Pro, but all the tutorials online are so drastically different than this OS. It seems that I cannot format a USB Flash drive the same way (MacOS X Journaled File System with GUID) as I see in all the online tutorials I find.

The thing is, this El Capitan version of MacOS X is the last version of MacOS X that the 2011 iMac will support in its stock configuration. I hope to upgrade it to a 'Metal' supported graphics card that will work with that system eventually, but right now I downloaded MacOS X El Capitan to the iMac and it erased the MacintoshHD. That was fine with me, it was a new system for me and I wanted a clean install of a good, stable OS where I could securely browse the internet (which which the stock Lion MacOS X does not allow for because only browser that works on it is Chrome which is unsupported in that OS).

But, this post is not about the iMac, I am simply trying convey the issues related to trying to create a Bootable USB Flash Drive for it. Still it is important to note because the original El Capitan MacOS X distribution installer that I downloaded isn't available as removable media from Apple. And after failing to install from the download, I tried to install El Capitan through the internet, but I always get a "required download missing" message. So, I have no option but to create the Bootable USB Flash Drive Installer for El Capitan.

Curiously, lots of software no longer works on Catalina. But I have to use it to create that USB install drive, if I can. Yet, the Disk Utility interface is so different from all the tutorials online I am wondering if this will even work. I have no partitions option for the inserted USB 3.0 Flash Drive inserted into this 2015 MacBook Pro USB port. Erasing the drive and formatting it as MacOS X Journaled doesn't make any new options magically appear, either.

Did I just screw myself up by upgrading to MacOS X Catalina on this mid 2015 i7 MacBook Pro? Or is there some option I am missing so that I can ensure that I am formatting the Flash Drive as MacOS Extended Journaled with GUID support?

I am trying to return to MacOS after Windows 10 Pro keeps forgetting my settings and absolutely killing my productivity, but I am extremely alarmed because I can't get MacOS X installed on the iMac (and there is no help here?) and now it seems that I may have messed-up upgrading to Catalina since nothing works and everything is different and I can or cannot create a Bootable Flash Drive to install El Capitan on the older iMac?

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 29, 2019 9:56 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

fuzzymo

Level 4

2,036 points

Oct 29, 2019 4:01 PM in response to SymbioticDesign

I am going to add this tip on using the newer version of Disk Utility. Open Disk Utility, click on "View" then select "Show All Devices". Then select the USB drive media, not the volume below it. Click on "Erase". In the dropdown you should see the GUID Partition Map option along with the MacOS Extended (Journaled) option.

Erase and reformat a storage device in Disk Utility on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

361,855 points

Oct 29, 2019 10:38 AM in response to SymbioticDesign

You cannot install Catalina on a 2011 iMac. The last version of macOS you can use on that model is macOS 10.13.6 (17G65), aka, High Sierra. See the following for instructions on creating a bootable USB flash drive.

First, review this introductory article: Create a bootable installer for macOS. Second, read this How To outline for creating a bootable macOS installer. Simply use the Terminal command by copying and pasting the command line for the version of macOS from the list below. You will need an 8GB or larger USB flash drive that has been partitioned and formatted for use with OS X as well as an installer for the desired macOS version that you have previously downloaded from the App Store.

Drive Partition and Format

Open Disk Utility in the Utilities' folder.
After Disk Utility loads select the drive (out-dented entry with the mfg.'s ID and size) from the side list.
Click on the Erase tab in the Disk Utility toolbar. Name the drive, "MyVolume". <---- IMPORTANT!
In the drop down panel set the partition scheme to GUID. Set the Format type to Mac OS Extended (Journaled.)
Click on the Apply button and wait for the Done button to activate. When it does click on it.
Quit Disk Utility.

Create Installer

Open the Terminal in the Utilities' folder. Choose the appropriate command line (in red) depending upon what OS X installer you want. Paste that entire command line from below at the Terminal's prompt:

Command for macOS Mojave:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

*Command for macOS High Sierra:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

Command for macOS Sierra:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app

Command for El Capitan:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

Command for Yosemite:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app

Command for Mavericks:

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

Press RETURN. You will be asked for your admin password. It will not echo to the Terminal window. Then press RETURN again. Wait for the return of the Terminal prompt signifying the process has completed. It takes quite some time to finish. Be patient.

* If your Mac is using macOS Sierra or earlier, include the --applicationpath argument. The Sierra and El Capitan commands show the proper format of this argument.

The bootable installer can be used to install the selected version of macOS. Shut the computer down. Insert your flash drive into a USB port. Start the computer like so:

Boot Using OPTION key

Restart the computer.
Immediately after the chime press and hold down the "OPTION" key.
Release the key when the Boot Manager screen appears.
Select the disk icon for the USB flash drive.
Click on the arrow button under the disk icon.

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Answer 3

Oct 29, 2019 1:46 PM in response to Kappy

Ahhh... Geez, you did not even read my post.

I am not trying to install Catalina on a 2011 iMac.

I am trying to create a bootable Flash Drive so that I can install El Capitan on my 2011 iMac, but even your instructions differ from what is available to me in "Disk Utility" because I cannot setup a MacOS Extended Journaled GUID partition in this 2015 i7 MacBook Pro now that I upgraded and am running Catalina.

Please read the subject. I know I went into a lot of detail, I was asked to. I clarified everything, even gave the reason this was so important. Yes, I am trying to save old tech. But the issue at hand is that I installed Catalina and can no longer, apparently, create a MacOS Extended Journaled GUID partition on a Flash Drive using this 2015 i7 MacBook Pro (now that I upgraded and am running Catalina).

I need a way to do this, whether some other disk tool, or whatever work around might there be.

Thank you for the tutorial, but that is the second issue. I am surprised that I can upgrade to High Sierra, though. I was under the impression that the last MacOS X version I can upgrade to is El Capitan since the 2011 iMac doesn't have a graphics card with 'metal support'. So, I will check that out further, but right now I will concentrate on getting the system back up and running and online with El Capitan, since I know that one works, right now, with my machine as it sits. In order to do so, I need to create that bootable Flash Drive the MacOS Extended Journaled file system with GUID partition support.

That ability appears missing in Catalina Disk Utility.

But I do thanks for the attempt to help, you did inform me to some new possibilities.

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Answer 4

Kappy

Level 10

361,855 points

Oct 29, 2019 3:06 PM in response to SymbioticDesign

Read what I posted, critic, and see there are instructions on how to create bootable flash drives for Mavericks thru Mojave. Not for Catalina. But, gee, I could have forgotten to include them since I didn't read your post, right? This solves your problem. I won't reply again.

Bootable USB Installers for OS X Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, and Sierra

Command for macOS Mojave:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

*Command for macOS High Sierra:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume

Command for macOS Sierra:

sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sierra.app

Command for El Capitan:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

Command for Yosemite:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite.app

Command for Mavericks:

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

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Answer 5

Oct 29, 2019 5:30 PM in response to Kappy

That was not the question. Not either time. But I did Thank You for the help with my second issue. Truly, thanks for that.

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Answer 6

Oct 29, 2019 5:32 PM in response to fuzzymo

Thanks, @fuzzymo, that was the answer I needed.

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Does Catalina No Longer Support Bootable MacOS X Partitions on Flash Drives when Formatting as Mac Journaled?

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