Bootable Install Disk for El Capitan

Question

Bootable Install Disk for El Capitan

Hi, I hope that you can help me. On my iMac24 I am trying to create a bootable installer for an old MacBook Pro that I have. The MacBook Pro is 2009 A 1286 and was running El Capitan. I have done the following:

1. I have downloaded the relevant the El Capitan OS (10.11) from your web site and have a file called InstallMacOSX.dmg in my downloaded folder, I moved this to my Applications folder.

2. I inserted a 32Gb USB drive that is formatted for Mac OS Extended (Journaled) into the iMac 24

3. I opened Terminal and entered the following command:

sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/HAMMERSTEIN --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app (Hammerstein is the name of the USB drive)

When I run the command, I am asked for my password and then I get the following error message:

sudo: /Applications/Install OS X El Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia: command not found

Can you tell me what I am doing wrong please?

Many thanks

Alex

MacBook Pro

Posted on Feb 10, 2023 12:51 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

MrHoffman

Community+ 2024

Level 10

126,091 points

Feb 10, 2023 1:02 AM in response to Alex in devon

You missed a few steps with the El Capitan download. Specifically, see the circled steps. After following the four circled steps, step 4 of the circled instructions will have created the installer that can be used to perform the install, and that installer contains the (accessible) createinstallmedia command.

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Answer 2

Feb 10, 2023 1:10 AM in response to MrHoffman

Opps, thank you not sure why I missed those. So the downloaded OS is in Downloads on my Mac24. When I try to run it I get a message stating that the OS cannot be installed into this (mac24) computer. Do I need to move the downloaded OS to the USB or what please.

Sorry to ask what are probably basic questions, but can't seem to work out for myself

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Answer 3

Feb 10, 2023 1:29 AM in response to Alex in devon

Error messages aside, do you have the Install OS X El Capitan installer stored in Applications?

This:

/Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app

of this:

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

If you do have the El Capitan installer in Applications, invoke the createinstallmedia command.

If you do not, then you’re going to need a Mac that can run El Capitan. (I don’t have anything nearly that old handy to test this.)

[As for “from your website”, this is a user-to-user forum. We’re other users, not people that work for Apple.]

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Answer 4

Feb 10, 2023 1:34 AM in response to MrHoffman

Thanks again. No all of my Macs are new at home, but Think that one machine at my office may be old enough to run El Capitan. I will go and try this.

Apologies for my bad terminology - and once again thank you for your help. I'll let you know how I get on

Alex

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Answer 5

Feb 10, 2023 7:46 AM in response to Alex in devon

Hello again

OK, at my office I have an iMac running El Capitan, so I downloaded and ran the Install OS app and that created an install version of El Capitan in the applications folder. I then ran the Terminal Code and created a bootable install USB.

When I run this on the old MacBook Pro, I can boot from the USB and it asks if I want to install a new version of El Capital to which I agree. It starts to run and then offers me an error message saying that this copy of the Install OS X El Capitan application cannot be verified and may have been corrupted or tampered with during downloading. and then throws me out.

Does this mean that I need to start the whole process again?

Thanks again for your wisdom

Alex

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Answer 6

Feb 10, 2023 12:22 PM in response to Alex in devon

Probably a certificate-related issue with the date.

Reset the system time on the booted-from-USB Mac back to the El Capitan era.

Launch Terminal app from within the macOS installer, and try the following command:

 date 151231010203

That sets the date back to the end of 2015; shortly after El Capitan was released.

Probably don’t need to prepend a sudo to the command here (as would be usual with the date command used in other contexts) , as you’re probably already running as root within the installer here.

Issues with something as old as El Capitan will be ongoing too, with the decreasing availability of apps, with secure networking and certificates, and otherwise.

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Bootable Install Disk for El Capitan

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