Suitable download of Lion to create a bootable USB?

I've tried and failed to restore Lion to my A1347 Mac Mini several times over the last couple of days, so I think the only way to get it to work will be to make a bootable USB installer.


I've found this free installer at Apple's support site but, from what I read in the description, I don't think it will work since there isn't any OS currently installed. Is there a way to make a USB installer from this dmg? Mac OS X Lion Installer


The only other option that I've found is to purchase Lion from the Apple store. OS X Lion (10.7) - Apple

The system requirements here also hint that Snow Leopard is required in order to install.


Can anyone verify if either of these would work to create a bootable USB?


Andy


Earlier Mac models

Posted on Jul 2, 2023 10:56 AM

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Posted on Jul 5, 2023 2:16 PM

No, you won't easily be able to make a bootable installer from that download since the installer app must be extracted from the .pkg file. The .pkg file is actually an excutable file meant to extract the real installer to the Applications folder (it actually has to piece together the real installer app from multiple pieces). Unfortunately this .pkg file will only run on a Mac which is compatible with macOS 10.7 Lion.


If this Mini ever had macOS 10.12+ installed at some point, then try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R. You should either be able to access the most recent online macOS installer available for this model, or it will access the Lion online installer. Depending on the online OS installer being accessed, you may need to change the system date to 2017, or perhaps earlier or later depending on the OS due to the installer possibly having an expired certificate. I know this is the case for Lion, but may also be the case for the online macOS 10.13 High Sierra installer now as well.


Unfortunately the A1347 designation is too broad as it covers models from 2010 to 2012. You can get the exact model by entering the system serial number here:

Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support


Once we know the exact model, we suggest other options such as a Snow Leopard DVD, or which model Mac you need to find in order to create a bootable macOS USB installer for 10.11 or 10.13, or possibly 10.15.


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3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 5, 2023 2:16 PM in response to droptical

No, you won't easily be able to make a bootable installer from that download since the installer app must be extracted from the .pkg file. The .pkg file is actually an excutable file meant to extract the real installer to the Applications folder (it actually has to piece together the real installer app from multiple pieces). Unfortunately this .pkg file will only run on a Mac which is compatible with macOS 10.7 Lion.


If this Mini ever had macOS 10.12+ installed at some point, then try booting into Internet Recovery Mode using Command + Option + R. You should either be able to access the most recent online macOS installer available for this model, or it will access the Lion online installer. Depending on the online OS installer being accessed, you may need to change the system date to 2017, or perhaps earlier or later depending on the OS due to the installer possibly having an expired certificate. I know this is the case for Lion, but may also be the case for the online macOS 10.13 High Sierra installer now as well.


Unfortunately the A1347 designation is too broad as it covers models from 2010 to 2012. You can get the exact model by entering the system serial number here:

Check Your Service and Support Coverage - Apple Support


Once we know the exact model, we suggest other options such as a Snow Leopard DVD, or which model Mac you need to find in order to create a bootable macOS USB installer for 10.11 or 10.13, or possibly 10.15.


Jul 9, 2023 6:43 AM in response to HWTech

Thank you. My mini’s part number is FC270LL/A.

I was finally able to install Lion by extracting from Mac OS X Lion Installer and then updated that to 10.7.5.


Now the problem is that certificates have expired for any of the browsers that are compatible with Lion which makes access to most websites very limiting. So my question now, is there anything else that I can do to make this mini more useful? It looks like High Sierra should be installable, but would that solve the browser issue? https://eshop.macsales.com/guides/Mac_OS_X_Compatibility


Thank you again. I appreciate your suggestions.



Jul 4, 2023 7:32 AM in response to droptical

Hi droptical,


This is what you need to create a bootable installer: Create a bootable installer for macOS.

What you need to create a bootable installer
* USB flash drive or other secondary volume with at least 14GB of available storage, formatted as Mac OS Extended
* Installer for OS X El Capitan or later
Download a macOS installer using the App Store or your browser

To get the full installer, your Mac must be using the latest version of OS X El Capitan, the latest version of macOS Sierra, or any later version of macOS. Download from a Mac that is compatible with the macOS you're downloading. Enterprise administrators: download from Apple, not a locally hosted update server.

If you choose to purchase macOS Lion, keep in mind that the general requirement for are as follows: OS X Lion - Technical Specifications

General requirements
* Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
* 2GB of memory
* OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
* 7GB of available space
* Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
* Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.

Regards.

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Suitable download of Lion to create a bootable USB?

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