Is this possible to do with a computer running mountain lion?

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Is this possible to do with a computer running mountain lion?

Whenever I type my command into terminal for mavericks, I get responses saying "command not found" or "no such file or directory." I'm confident I am typing the correct thing (I've seen it not only on this site but on others as well). Is it because my late 2008 macbook is only running mountain lion and has never had an install of mavericks? Is it because yosemite has now come out, so the only installer I can get from the app store is the yosemite installer?? I haven't tried the command for yosemite because I don't want to fill up my hard drive with yosemite when I am interested in a clean install of mavericks after i install a new hard drive...

Posted on Jul 28, 2015 4:27 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 28, 2015 4:31 PM in response to kgbrou

First, if you have never downloaded Mavericks, you cannot get Mavericks now. It is not available to anyone who has not downloaded it.

Second, you cannot create an installer or installation without first downloading the installer from Apple.

Third, you will have to download Yosemite to create an installable version or to install on your system.

The Terminal is just telling you it cannot complete the instructions because it cannot retrieve the components.

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Answer 2

Niel

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Jul 28, 2015 4:32 PM in response to kgbrou

You need to have downloaded the corresponding installer and have it on the computer to run those commands. You don’t need to have installed the OS from it.

(130915)

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Answer 3

kgbrou Author

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Jul 28, 2015 4:55 PM in response to Ralph Landry1

Thanks! I did download the yosemite installer because it was the only one in the App Store. The way I read this article led me to believe I could create a bootable installer of Mavericks or Yosemite from the installer from the App Store. I realize it says Yosemite but I was hoping it was all encompassing and I would be able to choose Mavericks or Yosemite when using terminal. i now realize I can't do that because I don't have the specific Mavericks installer and it is gone so I can never get it, correct? So basically my choices for a reboot are to use my Snow Leopard discs or create a bootable version of Yosemite..? Would you agree?? Can I create a bootable usb installer of Yosemite with my current mountain lion operating system or do I have to upgrade to Yosemite first to be able to use the terminal in this way?

ALso do you have an opinion about running Yosemite on my late 2008 MacBook? According to apple, my computer can handle the upgrade, I am just a little afraid to update it that much because I didnt hear very good things about Yosemite at the beginning. I'm updating my computer with more ram and a new hard driveeithout transferring all my files.

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Answer 4

kgbrou Author

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Jul 28, 2015 5:01 PM in response to Niel

TThanks niel! You answered one of my follow up questions!

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Answer 5

Jul 28, 2015 5:55 PM in response to kgbrou

To create a bootable installer of Yosemite, such as on a USB flash drive of at least 8 GB, follow these instructions after you format the drive and download the installer from the App Store:Create a bootable installer for OS X Mavericks or Yosemite - Apple Support

You can create the bootable installer while running Mountain Lion. You have to be sure and go to System Preferences > App Store and uncheck Install App updates and uncheck Install OS X updates. That will cause the computer to stop after the download finishes and ask you to restart to do the install. What you want to do instead is go to Finder > Applications and make a copy of OS X Installer in a safe place, such as your Documents folder, so you do not have to download again. Then follow the instructions of the knowledge base article to create the bootable installer.

I use Yosemite on an early 2011 MacBook Pro and it runs really well. Have seen others claim it is slow...a lot depends on the "overhead" stuff you have running, things that run in the background eating resources. One important point, make sure you max out the memory of your machine as these systems love memory.

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Answer 6

Lanny

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13,225 points

Jul 28, 2015 6:40 PM in response to kgbrou

ALso do you have an opinion about running Yosemite on my late 2008 MacBook? According to apple, my computer can handle the upgrade,

Only if it is an Aluminum MacBook Late 2008. Do you have the Aluminum model, yes or no? If you were running Mountain Lion, it must be an Aluminum model, correct? If so, you should upgrade the RAM to the maximum 8 Gigs.

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Answer 7

Eric Root

Level 10

685,293 points

Jul 29, 2015 9:30 AM in response to kgbrou

You can make a bootable USB stick to install using this free program which will do all the work for you.

Bootable USB Flash Drive – Diskmaker X

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