Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

User profile for user: OrangeMarlin
OrangeMarlin Author
User level: Level 5
5,210 points

Need to create a Lion install disk

I am on the side of those who think this is recovery method is absolutely stupid. I want a USB drive (and I'm not paying $68 for it, since I could buy 10 8GB USB flash drives for that amount of cash, and Lion is supposed to be included for us) with the whole installation disk. I travel a lot, and although I've only had to use recovery disks once, it was in a place without internet, so I would be up the creek under this new Apple "innovation."


So, I have a new MBP. Of course, it came with Lion. I cannot figure out a way to download Lion to create a Lion installer. If I go to the App store, it says "installed". I can't do anything there. I don't think Apple saved more than $1 in production costs for a Lion DVD installer, so this is truly annoying.


How can I get the Lion disk image to get the installer onto a flash drive, so that I can save my Mac, just in case? I know how to creat the installer, but I need Lion.


And I'm going to head over to the complaint department to register my annoyance at this. I mean why couldn't they have included a USB flash drive in the brand new box? I actually looked, believe it or not.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Dec 21, 2011 11:30 PM

Reply
18 replies
User profile for user: OrangeMarlin
OrangeMarlin Author
User level: Level 5
5,210 points

Dec 21, 2011 11:42 PM in response to shldr2thewheel

Nope. That only recreates the partition that's on my hard drive. You still have to download 3-4GB on the internet. So if you're sitting in a tent uploading photos from a day's shoot, and the Mac blows up, I need to reinstall Lion.


I could clone my Mac to an external drive, but an 8GB drive runs about $5. A 500GB external portable drive, about 15X that.

Reply
User profile for user: woodmeister50
woodmeister50
User level: Level 6
19,651 points

Dec 22, 2011 2:55 AM in response to OrangeMarlin

OrangeMarlin wrote:


I could clone my Mac to an external drive, but an 8GB drive runs about $5. A 500GB external portable drive, about 15X that.

What will it cost if you lose your work???? What will it

cost if you are unable to do your work?????


Cloning to an external hard drive is very cheap insurance

compared to losing something that may never be recoverable.

And more often than not, when there is hard drive

corruption, data on it is usaually not easily recovered, if at all. It

is also cheap insurance to get back up and running quickly.

Reply
User profile for user: softwater
softwater
User level: Level 5
5,556 points

Dec 22, 2011 6:21 AM in response to OrangeMarlin

I have to agree with Woodmeister — make a clone. It's a fools game to rely on making a recovery disk even if you could; trust me, they don't always work (I speak from experience).


Moreover, a clone will do two essential things that a recovery disk will not:


1. Get you back up and running in about 5 minutes


2. Preserve all your data if your internal disk is fried


As already implied above, if you data isn't worth the investment of an external disk ($80?) to you, then there's probably no need to bother backing up at all...

Reply
User profile for user: keg55
keg55
User level: Level 6
11,743 points

Dec 22, 2011 6:28 AM in response to OrangeMarlin

Here you go.


Follow the instructions in this link to download the InstallESD.dmg file for your new MBP so you can create a USB thumb drive installer. I have a Mac Mini mid-2011 and the instructions worked great. The only thing that might not work right is restoring the InstallESD.dmg to your bootable thumb drive. It might get to the end then fail. If this happens, just dblclick the .dmg file to mount it and restore the 'Mac OS X Install ESD' to the thumb drive. I have used mine to reinstall Lion with and without an internet connecton. It works great.

Reply
User profile for user: OrangeMarlin
OrangeMarlin Author
User level: Level 5
5,210 points

Dec 22, 2011 10:09 AM in response to woodmeister50

woodmeister50 wrote:


OrangeMarlin wrote:


I could clone my Mac to an external drive, but an 8GB drive runs about $5. A 500GB external portable drive, about 15X that.

What will it cost if you lose your work???? What will it

cost if you are unable to do your work?????


Cloning to an external hard drive is very cheap insurance

compared to losing something that may never be recoverable.

And more often than not, when there is hard drive

corruption, data on it is usaually not easily recovered, if at all. It

is also cheap insurance to get back up and running quickly.

Not a backpacker are you?

Reply
User profile for user: OrangeMarlin
OrangeMarlin Author
User level: Level 5
5,210 points

Dec 22, 2011 10:10 AM in response to softwater

softwater wrote:


I have to agree with Woodmeister — make a clone. It's a fools game to rely on making a recovery disk even if you could; trust me, they don't always work (I speak from experience).


Moreover, a clone will do two essential things that a recovery disk will not:


1. Get you back up and running in about 5 minutes


2. Preserve all your data if your internal disk is fried


As already implied above, if you data isn't worth the investment of an external disk ($80?) to you, then there's probably no need to bother backing up at all...

I appreciate the snark, however, I use Time Machine. I am not an idiot.

Reply
User profile for user: OrangeMarlin
OrangeMarlin Author
User level: Level 5
5,210 points

Dec 22, 2011 10:19 AM in response to keg55

keg55 wrote:


Here you go.


Follow the instructions in this link to download the InstallESD.dmg file for your new MBP so you can create a USB thumb drive installer. I have a Mac Mini mid-2011 and the instructions worked great. The only thing that might not work right is restoring the InstallESD.dmg to your bootable thumb drive. It might get to the end then fail. If this happens, just dblclick the .dmg file to mount it and restore the 'Mac OS X Install ESD' to the thumb drive. I have used mine to reinstall Lion with and without an internet connecton. It works great.


I think there might be a slightly easier way to do this. I could start up in the Recovery function, but tell it to install to another drive (not my MBP). When the Mac reboots, just hold down the option key, and then restart back into my MBP. Dig through the file on the other drive for the Mac OSX InstallESD.dmg, and move it over to the USB or anything. Then I can restore Mac Lion without the internet, then use Time Machine to rebuild everything. Easy.

Reply
User profile for user: a brody
a brody
User level: Level 10
82,941 points

Dec 22, 2011 10:27 AM in response to OrangeMarlin

Hey let us all settle down. What matters not is that you use one backup software over another, more than you recognize each backup software's strengths and weakness, and are prepared with at least two separate copies of your data at all times. This includes times when you choose to erase, or don't choose to have a media failure. Recognizing that, is more important than what you use to backup.

Reply
User profile for user: keg55
keg55
User level: Level 6
11,743 points

Dec 22, 2011 10:40 AM in response to OrangeMarlin

That's kind of how I do it. I run the download while in Lion. I mount the Recovery HD, run the Mac OS X Install.app and point to an external USB drive to install on. When the download finishes and before it wants to restart, I grab the InstallESD.dmg file from the Mac OS X Install Data folder on the external USB drive after right clicking on the Mac OS X Install.app in the Dock, quitting it while making sure I don't confirm the quit until I get the file.

Reply

Need to create a Lion install disk

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple ID.
Learn more Sign up